Endocrine Abstracts

Prenatal manipulations in animal models result in lifelong alterations in the stress responsivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA). While several human studies have found raised 0900h cortisol concentrations in low birthweight individuals, twenty-four hour cortisol profiles do not vary according to birthweight (a marker of adverse antenatal exposures). One explanation for this dichotomy is that 0900h cortisol concentration measured in a novel clinic setting ma...

Leptin is a crucial hormone in the regulation of body weight. It is produced by adipose tissue and acts centrally decreasing appetite and increasing energy expenditure. Leptin has been shown to stimulate sympathetic nervous system activity in vitro although the physiological relevance of this remains unclear. Increased sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity has been implicated in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and a greatly increased cardiovascular risk. We have the...