Endocrine Abstracts

BackgroundCannabinoid (CB) receptors are expressed in adipocytes. CB1 antagonism may have potential in the metabolic syndrome, with effects mediated through central orexigenic mechanisms and via peripheral action on white adipose tissue (WAT). Equivalent studies in brown adipose tissue (BAT) are lacking.ObjectiveWe aimed to compare CB1 and CB2 receptor expression during WAT and BAT adipogenesis and to investi...

Neuroendocrine tumours of the GI tract originate from enterochromaffin cells. Somatostatin analogues are the mainstay drugs for therapy in these cancers as they ameliorate symptoms and lower hormone secretion, but only in 30–70% of patients. Such tumours are also associated with angiogenesis which has been used as a prognostic indicator; adenosine, the major regulator of angiogenesis, is released by enhanced degradation of ATP, during cellular stress, damage and hypoxia.<...

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is an adrenal sex steroid whose levels decline during normal aging. Epidemiological studies demonstrate inverse correlation between circulating DHEA-sulphate and body fat mass while DHEA administration in elderly subjects reduces visceral and subcutaneous fat accumulation. Although previous studies have shown that some effects may be mediated via DHEA-induced inhibition of white pre-adipocyte proliferation, mechanisms remain unknown. Furthermore, ...

A 14 year old girl, with a family history of MEN1, presented with secondary amenorrhoea and weight gain. Biochemical investigation revealed raised 24-hour urinary free cortisol excretions (1455, 1190, 614 nmol/24 hours; normal <290) and failure of cortisol suppression following 48 hours of low dose (0.5 mg qds) dexamethasone (199 nmol/l to 202 nmol/l). High dose dexamethasone administration (2 mg qds) for 48 hours resulted in further suppression of serum cortisol to 49 nmo...

A 40 year old gentleman presented with dramatic weight loss and a rash in the perineal area spreading to involve his face, trunk, legs and feet. Initial investigations demonstrated a normocytic anaemia with no evidence of thyroid disease or diabetes. Occasional diarrhoea prompted subsequent investigations including upper GI endoscopy, duodenal biopsy, pancreatic exocrine testing and barium follow-through studies which were normal. His 24 hour urinary 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid...

A 78-year-old female presented with acute onset of severe headache and vomiting. Sub arachnoid haemorrhage was suspected but a CT brain scan was ‘normal’ and CSF bilirubin absent.Three months later she complained of lethargy and a thyroid function test suggested secondary hypothyroidism. Further investigations confirmed partial hypopituitarism (growth hormone preserved) and review of the previous CT scan suggested the presence of a pituitary ma...

GH has diverse direct effects including the induction of lipolysis in adipocytes and mineralisation in bone. Interestingly, pluripotent mesenchymal stem cells can be isolated and cultured from adult bone marrow and induced to differentiate in vitro to both adipocytes and osteoblasts. GHR activation can be coupled to JAK2/STAT5 and the ERK (MAPK) pathway. We have therefore studied the evolution of GHR-associated cell signalling in adult rat BMSC’s during differentia...

We previously showed that adenosine stimulates IL-6 secretion from TtT/GF cells suggesting that adenosine is an important regulator of folliculostellate (FS) cell function. Gap-junction communication is also important for FS cell function so the aim of this study was to investigate the action of adenosine on connexin 43 (Cx 43) expression and intercellular communication.Adenosine production, as measured by reverse-phase fluorescent HPLC, was easily detec...

Background: Quality of life (QoL) has been variously reported as normal or impaired in congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) adults. We found impaired QoL in UK CAH adults (Arlt et al. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 2010 95 5110–5121) and now report the relationship between QoL (SF-36) and health outcomes in these patients.Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of 151 CAH adults with 21-hydroxylase defi...