Endocrine Abstracts

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is characterised by reproductive, hyperandrogenic and dysmetabolic features (including insulin resistance). There remain major questions about the basis of the metabolic dysfunction in PCOS and about its genetic aetiology. Having genotyped samples from >460 PCOS cases and >1300 female controls, I recently successfully identified the first genome-sequence variant (the FTO gene) to be implicated in susceptibility to PCOS (Barber <i...

Use of surrogate indices of insulin resistance depends on comparability of the relationship between glucose and insulin concentrations between different groups. It is unknown whether such surrogate estimates are equally applicable in different ethnic groups with marked differences in insulin sensitivity. We compared markers of insulin sensitivity and secretion in 78 (43 European, 19 Afro-Caribbean and 16 South Asian) normoglycaemic women of (median (lower-upper quartile)) 34.7...

Background: Placental signalling has been postulated to drive inflammation, endothelial dysfunction and insulin resistance in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).Objectives: To determine if placental signalling contributes to systemic insulin resistance in GDM.Methods: Adiponectin, leptin, adipsin and resistin in placental and omental explant culture supernatants (n=10 GDM and n=10 control) and maternal plasma (n=20 GDM and n=20 co...

We investigated the relationship between gestational diabetes (GDM) and the metabolic syndrome in 368 (185 European (EUR), 103 South Asian (SA) and 80 Afro-Caribbean (AC)) women studied 20.0 (18.2-22.1) months (mean (95% CI)) following a GDM pregnancy and 482 normoglycaemic women (288 EUR, 99 SA, 95 AC) with no history of GDM. Estimates of beta-cell function (%B) and insulin sensitivity (%S) were derived using the HOMA method. Analysis was by multiple linear regression includi...