Endocrine Abstracts

The causative link between circulating glucocorticoid excess and osteoporosis is established. Although circulating cortisol levels do not change significantly with age, local tissue metabolism may be implicated in age-related bone loss. The enzyme11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) increases local cortisol production, is expressed in human osteoblasts and its activity increases with age leading to a decrease in bone formation. We hypothesised that sele...

The Hypoparathyroidism, Deafness and Renal dysplasia (HDR) syndrome is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by mutations in the dual zinc-finger transcription factor GATA-3. Gata3 heterozygous (+/−) knockout mice develop deafness, while Gata3 homozygous (−/−) mice, which are embryonically lethal at 11.5 to 12.5 days post-coitum (dpc), develop renal hypoplasia. The parathyroids have not been studied, and we therefore investigated these mice for ...

Chronic wounds (e.g. diabetic foot ulcers) have a major impact on quality of life, yet treatments remain limited. Glucocorticoids impair wound healing; preclinical research suggests that blocking glucocorticoid activation by the enzyme 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) improves wound repair. This investigator-initiated double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled parallel-group phase 2b pilot trial investigated efficacy, safety and feasibility of 11&...