Endocrine Abstracts

The gonadotrophin receptors, LH receptor (LHR) and FSHR are G-protein coupled receptors, vital in mediating reproductive functions. During the follicular phase of the ovarian cycle, FSHR and LHR are separately localised to discrete cellular compartments, granulosa and theca cells respectively, where they control steroidogenesis and follicle maturation. However, as the follicle develops, LHR expression is induced in granulosa cells, resulting in co-expression of FSHR and LHR in...

Introduction: 85% of cases of primary hyperparathyroidism are caused by a parathyroid adenoma. These are usually small in size, in the range of 70 mg to 1 g. Those weighing more than 2 g are classified as ‘giant adenomas’. Few adenomas weighing more than 30 g have been described in the literature. Here we present one such case.Case report: A 52-year-old female presenting with lethargy was found to have a corrected calcium of 3.15 mmol/l with a ...

Obesity, characterized by excess intra-abdominal adipose tissue, is closely associated with a cluster of metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Our previous study revealed significant associations between interleukin 4 (IL4) genotypes and T2DM, as well as IL4 genotypes and high density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels. Our most recent study results reveal that IL4 has anti-hyperglycemic function by improving insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance. In add...

MicroRNAs (miRs) are a subset of small RNA molecules that regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally. Little is known about the expression and the role of miRs in the adrenal gland. Thus, we determined the miRs expression pattern under baseline conditions and 10, 30 and 60 min after ACTH stimulation test in mice adrenal glands using miRs microarray. The miRs expression profile of adrenals obtained from the array was bioinformatically analyzed to indentify miRs that putati...

Saxagliptin (SAXA) is a potent, selective dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor, specifically designed for extended inhibition of the DPP-4 enzyme. The efficacy and safety of SAXA 5 mg add-on therapy to a thiazolidinedione (TZD), metformin (MET), or an intermediate dose of glibenclamide (GLY), was investigated in patients with inadequately controlled (HbA1c>7.0%) type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in three randomised, double-blind trials (CV181-013, CV181-014 an...

Objectives: Visfatin and monocyte-chemoattractant-protein-1 (MCP-1) are elevated in cardiovascular pathologies, insulin-resistant and dysmetabolic states. Visfatin has been reported to exhibit pro-angiogenic actions in human endothelial cells by the induction of endothelial gelatinases and VEGF. Given MCP-1’s well described pro-angiogenic properties we sought to study the potential interaction between visfatin, MCP-1 and VEGF in human endothelial cells. More importantly, ...

PBEF/Visfatin is an adipokine highly enriched in adipose tissue which is increased in obesity and has been shown to be involved in numerous physiological processes. The adrenal gland plays a pivotal role in the integration of metabolic activity and energy balance, through production of steroids, mainly glucocorticoids. Steroidogenesis is a tightly controlled and essential process, which is mediated by steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), a protein that transports cho...

Orexin-A and orexin-B orchestrate their diverse central and peripheral effects via two G-protein coupled receptors, orexin-1 receptor (OX1R) and OX2R, which activate multiple G-proteins. In many tissues, orexins activate MAPKs, however, the mechanism by which OX2R alone mediates MAPK activation is not understood. We studied the intracellular signaling mechanisms involved in OX2R-mediated ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK activation. In HEK-293 cells stably over-expressing recombi...

Aim: Cardiovascular disease is more common in individuals with diabetes mellitus and obesity. Visfatin is elevated in obesity and T2DM; and thought to be an inflammatory mediator within atherosclerotic lesions inducing gelatinase activity, contributing to plaque destabilisation. We investigated the activation of NF-κB, a well-known pro-inflammatory transcription factor, by visfatin, in Human Endothelial Cells (EC).Research design and methods: We sta...

Objective: Successive female pseudohermaphroditism born to gestational hyperandrogenism accompanied by maternal virilization is extremely rare in literature.Patient(s): A housewife, age 29, G2P1A1, revealed no hyperandrogenism before pregnancy. She gave her first child birth complicated by maternal virilization and female fetal pseudohermaphroditism due to hyperandrogenemia of bilateral 6-cm ovarian luteoma at age 27. Peak maternal serum testosterone lev...