Endocrine Abstracts

Background: 3.8 per 1000 UK babies are stillborn, a large proportion of which are “unexplained”; aberrations in adrenal hormones and bile acids are possible contributors. In this study, we aimed to develop methodologies for simple laboratory measurement of adrenal hormone and bile acid concentrations that can be applied to postnatal samples from stillborn babies, using hair as a relatively stable medium, reflective of retrospective fetal hormone leve...

Introduction: Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is characterised by maternal pruritus and raised serum bile acids, and is associated with adverse fetal outcomes (e.g. preterm birth, neonatal unit admission and stillbirth). Maternal metabolic impacts include higher rates of gestational diabetes mellitus, hypertriglyceridaemia and hypercholesterolaemia. Glucose and lipid metabolism are influenced by gut incretin release, and bile acids are ...

Introduction: Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is characterised by maternal pruritus and raised serum bile acids, and is associated with adverse fetal outcomes (e.g. preterm birth, neonatal unit admission and stillbirth). Maternal metabolic impacts include higher rates of gestational diabetes mellitus, hypertriglyceridaemia and hypercholesterolaemia. Glucose and lipid metabolism are influenced by gut incretin release, and bile acids are ...

Background: The 16-year-old children of mothers with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy demonstrate increased adiposity, dyslipidaemia, and males have raised fasting insulin. Similarly, the offspring of cholestatic pregnant mice have impaired glucose tolerance and dyslipidaemia when challenged with a Western diet. Female offspring have a more marked phenotype than males. Bile influences microbial growth, thus intestinal bile acid exposure in pregnancy may contribute to meta...

Serum concentrations of progesterone sulphates are raised in intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP), the commonest pregnancy-specific liver disease. Women with ICP have increased rates of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). We hypothesised that raised progesterone sulphates may modulate glucose homeostasis. Progesterone sulphates were assayed in serum samples from participants of the hyperglycaemia and adverse pregnancy outcomes (HAPO) study (n=79–94), and ...

Epidemiological studies have identified the intrauterine environment as a major contributor to increased rates of metabolic disease in adults, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a common liver disease of pregnancy that affects 0.5–2% pregnant women and is characterised by increased bile acid (BA) levels in the maternal serum. The influence of ICP on the metabolic health of offspring is unknown.<p class="...