Endocrine Abstracts

Case Report:A 69 year old man was referred for assessment of hypoglycaemic events. Type 2 diabetes was diagnosed 4 years previously and treatment with metformin 2000mg per day had provided adequate control (HbA1c 7.5%). In the 4 months prior to referral, the patient had lost 8kg in weight and had had more than 10 episodes of sweating, tremor and disorientation. Eventually capillary blood glucose measurements were undertaken which suggested hypoglycaemia which was confirmed...

The CRF-related ligand Urocortin 3 (Ucn 3) is expressed in discrete subcortical areas with highest mRNA levels in the medial amgydala (MEA), hypothalamic median preoptic nucleus (MePO) and the rostral part of the perifornical hypothalamic area (PFN). Close anatomical association between major Ucn 3 terminal fields and the type 2-CRF receptor in hypothalamus, lateral septum and medial amygdala suggest it is well placed to modulate physiological processes including behavioural, ...

Urocortins are the endogenous ligands for the corticotropin-releasing factor receptor type-2 which is highly expressed in skeletal muscle where it regulates glucose metabolism and muscle mass. Transgenic mice overexpressing Urocortin-3 (UCN3+) show accelerated peripheral glucose disposal and increased skeletal muscle mass with myocyte hypertrophy associated with decreased energy efficiency and improved glucose tolerance. We aimed to determine whether this phenotype would confe...

CRF mediates numerous complementary stress-related endocrine (HPA), autonomic and behavioral responses. CRF antagonists block many stress-induced responses in experimental animals. Furthermore, perturbations of the CRF system or HPA have been reported in human affective disorders. CRF acts through two Class B G protein coupled receptors derived from two genes, which have alternative splice variants and distinct expression patterns. Mice null for CRF-R1 exhibit reduced basal an...