Endocrine Abstracts

Interferon therapy for chronic hepatitis C infection has been associated with thyroid abnormalities. We sought to characterise the incidence of this in a cohort of treated hepatitis C patients receiving weekly pegylated interferon therapy in a tertiary Hepatology unit. Patients were scheduled to receive 24 or 48 weeks treatment with monthly thyroid function tests (TFTs). Data was collected from electronic treatment records of 154 consecutive patients and analysed by a single i...

Kisspeptin, encoded by the KiSS-1 gene activates the G protein coupled receptor 54 (GPR54). The kisspeptin/GPR54 system plays an essential role regulating reproductive development. The human placenta has a high expression of both the KiSS-1 and GPR54 genes. Plasma kisspeptin levels increase several thousand fold in pregnancy. The physiological role of kisspeptin in pregnancy is not clear. Kisspeptin causes vasoconstriction during in vitro studies and may play a r...