Endocrine Abstracts

The systemic function of thyroid hormones (TH) is highly dependent on their local action in distinct cell populations. A major target of TH are immune cells, yet knowledge on the effect of TH on immune responses is still incomplete. Within this study we aimed to determine the impact of TH on T cells, key players of immune responses, in more detail. To this end, we analyzed the activation and function of T cells from mice lacking TRα (TRα0/0) or expressing ...

The immune system is a major target of thyroid hormones (TH), as they have been shown to act on innate as well as adaptive immune cells affecting their proliferation, activation and survival. However, the local TH action within the immune system is still poorly understood. To improve our understanding of this interaction, we performed an immunophenotyping of mice at baseline using flow cytometry and ELISA. For this, we focused on mice with TRα or TRβ mutations leadin...

Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. TH have impact on cardiac function and even appear to improve outcome after acute ischemia/reperfusion and in chronic heart failure. This project aims to investigate the influence of TH receptor alpha (TRα) on IHD using specific mouse models to assess the contribution of canonical vs. non-canonical TH signaling. Mice underwent permanent ligation of the left descending coronary artery and were tr...

Background: Maternal B12 deficiency is linked with adverse metabolic disorders in infants. B12 has a potential epigenetic role which could influence placental dysfunction and fetal metabolism. Adipokines such as leptin and adiponectin play a major role in placental development by regulating lipid metabolism. Alterations in in-utero programming develop risk to obesity and metabolic diseases in offspring. B12 deficiency in mothers has been linked with higher cor...

Background: Vitamin B12 is crucial for placental development and fetal growth. B12 deficiency is associated with maternal obesity and adverse pregnancy outcomes. B12 is essential for the synthesis of S-Adenosyl methionine (SAM) which serves as a methyl donor in various cellular processes including DNA and RNA methylation. Pregnant women with low B12 have higher triglycerides, lower HDL and lower DNA methylation of cholesterol transcription factor. However, the...

Background: Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are endocrine disrupting chemicals, with elimination half-lives ranging from four to eight years. Experimental studies indicate that PFAS may disrupt androgenic and estrogenic pathways, potentially affecting fetal development. During 1st trimester, concentrations of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) increase due to higher estrogen levels from the placenta. The increment of SHBG concentration results in a compensatory increase in t...

Background: Hypercalciuria is a relevant complication in patients with treated hypoparathyroidism. Hypercalciuria is usually estimated by 24 h urinary calcium excretion (24 hUCa). In contrast, in pediatric endocrinology the calcium-creatinine-ratio (CaCrR) is more often used due to feasibility. This study aims to compare these two approaches in adult patients with hypoparathyroidism.Methods: In 181 systematically evaluated patients with primary hypoparat...

Background: In 2020, DSD-Care, a collaborative project involving endocrine reference centres, support groups, and research institutes in Germany was launched funded by the German Ministry of Health. The aim of the project was to improve the quality of care for people with differences in sex development (DSD), who often report feeling poorly treated by healthcare providers and a lack of access to detailed information about their condition. Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) i...

Background: Gender disparity and age pattern in the incidence of thyroid cancer indicate a link between hormonal- and reproductive factors and risk of thyroid cancer. Thus, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) may be a plausible risk factor for this malignancy.Aim: In this nationwide cohort study, we investigated the association between PCOS and the risk of differentiated and papillary thyroid cancer.Methods: We included all Danish wom...

Thyroid hormones (TH) reduce liver steatosis. As steatosis is the initial step of alcoholic liver disease (ALD), we hypothesized that TH treatment could ameliorate ALD. Wildtype (WT) mice were treated with either ethanol (EtOH) or liquid control diet for 10 days followed by a single EtOH or maltose binge on day 11. In both groups, diet was supplemented with either T3 or solvent. Serum triglycerides (TG) were increased by EtOH and, surprisingly, further elevated by T3. Liver we...