Endocrine Abstracts

Background: A recent, large phase III study (n=162) showed that treatment with pasireotide rapidly decreased urinary free cortisol (UFC) levels and improved signs and symptoms in patients with Cushing’s disease. Here, we report the experience of a patient enrolled in this trial who received pasireotide for 36 months.Results: A 31-year-old male presented in June 2008 with persistent Cushing’s disease despite two previous pituitary surgica...

Objective: To evaluate the associations between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and atherosclerosis.Methods and Results: A total of 8971 participants aged 40 years and older from Baoshan district, Shanghai were included in the present study. The presence of NAFLD was evaluated by ultrasonography. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (ba-PWV) were measured in each participant. The prevalence of NAFLD was 30...

Objective: The role of pancreatic insulin secretion in Chinese women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is not clear. To evaluate insulin sensitivity (IS) and β-cell function in lean and obese women with PCOS, either separately or by using an disposition index (DI).Methods: Cross-sectional study involving 137 Chinese women with PCOS and 123 normal women were examined by anthropometry, lipid profile, sex hormone, high-sensitivity C-reactive protei...

Background: Recent studies have shown that adult human possess active brown adipose tissue (BAT), which might be important in affecting obesity and related metabolic risk. However, the supporting evidence in large population based studies is sparse.Methods: We studied 4011 (2688 males and 1323 females) tumor-free Chinese adults aged 18–89 for BAT activities, visceral/subcutaneous fat areas and metabolic parameters. In vivo 18F-fluorodeoxygluc...

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) is an inherited tumour syndrome characterized by the development of tumours of the parathyroid, anterior pituitary and pancreatic islets, etc. Heterozygous germ line mutations of MEN1 gene are responsible for the onset of MEN1. Here We reported totally 87 patients from 24 unrelated Chinese families associated with MEN1 and identified five novel mutations and several previously reported mutations. Furthermore, we detected a loss of het...

Clear evidence on the specific impact of fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs) on cell biology and lipid metabolism in complex systems had been lacking until FABP-deficient mice models were created. Surprisingly, no change in appearance, gross morphology or viability was observed in FABP1-deficient mice. However, metabolic parameters in mice upon exposure to high-fat/cholesterol diet differed between studies. Therefore, liver fatty acid-binding protein (also called FABP1) plays ...

Objective: To determine if autologous nonmyeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) was worthwhile to do in type 1 diabetes adolescents with diabetic ketoacidosis at diagnosis.Research Design and Methods: We enrolled 28 type 1 diabetes patients aged 14–30 years in a prospective AHSCT phase II clinical trial. Hematopoietic stem cells were harvested from the peripheral blood following a pretreatment consisting of a combination of cy...

Background: Studies across the world have unveiled different prevalence of primary aldosteronism (PA) in distinct geographical areas and human races. However, owing to disparities in methodology and recruitment, the true incidence is still open. Especially information in Asian resistant hypertension is rare, so we determined to investigate the prevalence of PA in this population.Methods: We launched a large-scale, hospital-based national survey and enrol...

Objective: Bisphenol A (BPA) exposure may promote obesity, but its effect on bone mineral density (BMD) has not been reported in humans. In the present study, we aimed to examine the complex interplay between BPA exposure, fat mass, fat-free mass, serum estradiol, leptin, osteocalcin levels and BMDs in a group of premenopausal women.Methods: A total of 246 Chinese premenopausal women aged 20 years and older with regular menstrual cycles were investigated...

Thus far, approximately 30 loci influencing body mass index (BMI) and the risk of obesity have been identified. In this study, we aimed to examine the individual and joint associations of 23 BMI-associated loci identified from recent genome-wide association studies in Caucasians with obesity risk in young Chinese. Birth weight reflects prenatal metabolic adaption and has been related to later-life obesity risk. We particularly assessed whether these genetic variants interacted...