Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a well-known complication in children with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) with a mortality rate estimated at 2%. Sparse data are available from the literature describing socio-demographic factors associated with DKA admissions in children. A previous study identified that children of non-Caucasian race and Medicaid, with T1DM, had increased incidence of DKA admissions.Aims: To identify the socio-demographic factors asso...

Low testosterone levels in men are associated with increased atherosclerosis, and testosterone replacement therapy has been shown to reduce myocardial ischemia in men with coronary artery disease. Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) apoptosis is proposed to reduce plaque stability, but the role of testosterone in this process is unknown. Testosterone causes vasodilatation via calcium channel antagonism and the calcium channel antagonist nifedipine induces VSMC apoptosis. We hav...

Atherosclerotic plaque smooth muscle cells (SMCs) are sensitive to apoptotic stimuli, increasing plaque instability. Testosterone replacement therapy is beneficial in men with coronary artery disease, although its effect upon plaque stability is unknown. We have utilised the rat A7r5 vascular SMC line to investigate the effects of testosterone on apoptosis induced by serum deprivation or the calcium channel antagonist nifedipine.Cells were plated at 1500...

Background: Mutations in the GHR result in extreme short stature (Laron's syndrome). We have studied mutations from two patients with Laron's syndrome. Patient 1 (GHRextra) has a mutation in the GHR extracellullar domain due to a 108bp inframe pseudoexon between exons 6 and 7. Patient 2 (GHRintra) has a 22bp deletion in exon 10 of the GHR leading to premature termination of the GHR upstream of the intracellular STAT5 binding site.Aim: To compare GHR str...