Endocrine Abstracts

Embryos heal wounds very rapidly and efficiently and without leaving a scar. Studying how they do this can tell us much about the natural morphogenetic movements of embryogenesis as well as suggesting ways in which we might make adult tissues repair more efficiently. Using live confocal imaging of transgenic Drosophila embryos expressing gfp-actin in epithelial tissues we have revealed the key actin machineries that drive the paradigm morphogenetic process of dorsal closure wh...

Tolvaptan (TV), an ADH V2-receptor blocker, is useful in treating SIADH-induced hyponatremia. Maximum aquaresis following 15 mg TV occurs on day 1, when excess body water is greatest. This can cause a sharp rise in natremia, and poses a risk of overcorrection. Our aim was to evaluate an initial dose of 7.5 mg.Methods: We studied 7 hospitalized patients with SIADH (4 females), median age 80 (57–95), with nadir natremias (Nap) ranging from ...

Nuclear corepressor 1 (NCoR) associates with nuclear receptors and other transcription factors leading to transcriptional repression. Genomic studies have shown the presence of inactivating mutations of the NCoR gene in human tumours and we have found that NCoR depletion with siRNA in hepatocarcinoma SK-hep1 cells enhances invasion, tumour growth and metastasis in nude mice, while expression of the thyroid hormone receptor β (TRβ) increases NCoR levels, repr...

Endometriosis is a common gynaecological disease associated with severe pelvic pain and sub-fertility. We conducted a genome-wide association (GWA) study in 3,194 surgically confirmed endometriosis cases and 7060 controls of European ancestry from Australia and the UK using 540,000 genetic markers (SNPs). Polygenic predictive modelling showed significantly increased genetic loading among the 1364 (43%) cases with moderate-severe (rAFS III/IV) endometriosis. The strongest assoc...

We present a 57-year-old female with Cushing’s syndrome characterised by new type 2 diabetes, hypertension, weight gain, bruising, proximal myopathy and depression. She also had poorly-healing cellulitic ulcers on both legs. Investigations: hypokalaemia and ACTH-dependent Cushing’s syndrome. Low dose dexamethasone suppression test: T=0 ACTH 85 ng/l, cortisol 907 nmol/l, T=48 h cortisol 807. High dose dexamethasone suppression test failed to suppr...