Endocrine Abstracts

According to the World Health Organisation iron deficiency is the most prevalent form of under-nutrition worldwide. Historically, the causes of iron deficiency were related principally to nutritional deficiencies and this remains a significant factor in many parts of the developing world. However, obesity is also a known cause of iron deficiency and is increasingly correlated with altered iron status and iron deficiency in affected individuals. As the obesity epidemic spreads ...

We previously showed acute hypoxic conditions result in atrophy of myotubes in vitro. Chronic hypoxic exposure in vivo induces muscular atrophy in healthy mountaineering individuals and patients with COPD. Myotubes in vitro increase myostatin expression in response to hypoxic exposure. Further, hypoxic COPD patients show cachexia and increased serum myostatin expression. However, in vivo results are cofounded by disease factors in COPD patie...

Continuous aerobic exercise improves glucose tolerance in type 2 diabetics (T2D), with greater improvements during exercise in hypoxia. Continuous exercise has been linked with poor adherence. Positive effects with intermittent exercise (IE) with reduced time commitments would have clear benefits. Exercise and hypoxia both increase pro-inflammatory cytokines, potentially reducing benefits of hypoxia. This study aimed to establish the effects of IE under hypoxic conditions in T...

Peripheral insulin resistance is a major defect associated with glucose intolerance and type two diabetes. Yet the mechanism(s) responsible for this defect remain to be determined. Inositol pyrophosphate (IP7) is formed via the enzyme IP6K1 from IP6. The inhibition of Akt, and the potential decrease in insulin signalling, through the binding of IP7 to the Akt PH domain represents an exciting research area.Firstly, we will characterise this mechanism in h...

Annexin A1 (AnxA1), an endogenous glucocorticoid regulated protein, is a pivotal homeostatic regulator of the magnitude of the inflammatory response. We have previously demonstrated that plasma AnxA1 protein is significantly inversely correlated with waist to hip ratio (P=0.017). Given that low-level systemic inflammation is seen in metabolic syndrome-associated chronic pathologies, here, we investigate if AnxA1 is also involved in the regulation of adipose tissue infla...

The escalating public health problem represented by obesity has spurred multidisciplinary research into adipose tissue and importantly, the molecular biology of the adipocyte. Recent studies suggest that obesity related metabolic disorders are characterised by chronic mild inflammation as a result of adipocytokine production from fat tissue leading to dysregulation in the pro/anti-inflammatory systemic balance. Adipokines and pro-inflammatory markers are implicated in insulin ...