Endocrine Abstracts

Growth hormone (GH) secretion peaks in early adult life and declines progressively with age. People over the age of 60 have levels of GH secretion comparable to those in younger people with severe GH deficiency from pituitary tumours or their treatment. GH-dependent markers such as IGF-I, BP3, ALS and the collagen markers P-III-P, PICP, ITCP and osteocalcin all fall with age in parallel with the fall in GH secretion. Although exercise is one of the major stimuli to GH secretio...

Background: Vitamin D insufficiency (VDI) was reported to be associated with decreased insulin sensitivity (IS). Individuals with higher osteocalcin (OC) were shown to have better IS. Vitamin D regulates OC synthesis. Obese children carry an abnormal glucose homeostasis risk. Whether correction of VDI improves IS in obese children and mediates such effect via OC are unclear. We, therefore, studied glucose homeostasis, IS, vitamin D status and serum OC concentration in 230 obes...

Current osteoporosis therapy is predominantly ‘anti-resorptive’. Oestrogen antagonises the action of RANK-Ligand, a potent cytokine for osteoclast differentiation. Amino-bisphosphonates inhibit the HMG CoA reductase pathway, reducing osteoclast activity and viability, while denosumab is a human monoclonal antibody that binds to RANKL. Denosumab treatment reduces fractures. In a study of 7868 women with postmenopausal osteoporosis, denosumab reduced new radiographic v...

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) is an autosomal dominant disease caused by mutations in the MEN1 gene (a tumor supressor gene) leading to the development of endocrine and non-endocrine tumours with variable penetrance.The most frequent features are primary hyperparathyroidism, duodeno pancreatic endocrine tumours and pituitary adenomas.Aim of the work: The aim of this retrospective study was to establish the pre...

Introduction: The GH/IGF-I axis is implicated in colorectal cancer development. We have previously shown regional variations of the GH/IGF-I axis, and other tumour associated genes between the rectum (RS) and caecum (C). Whether variations in the GH/IGF-I axis align with differing expression patterns is unknown.Aim: To determine the association between colonic expression of the GH/IGF-I axis and that of tumour associated genes by region.<p class="abs...

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was discovered by Robert Robison, PhD in London in 1923. In New York in 1932, he added to his hypothesis that ALP functioned in skeletal calcification by liberating inorganic phosphate (Pi) for hydroxyapatite crystal formation, perhaps from a hexosephosphoric ester, some unknown factor also conditioning this process. In 1948 in Toronto, Canada, ‘hypophosphatasia’ (HPP) was coined by John C. Rathbun, MD to describe a unique rickets without r...

This prestigious prize is intended for established workers in the field of basic or clinical neuroendocrinology, and is generously support by Ipsen. This year's recipient is Professor George P Chrousos. The prize will be presented as part of the ECE 2008 opening ceremony where Professor Chrousos will deliver his lecture. Professor Chrousos will also give two other lectures at future ESE scientific meetings. Further information can be found at <a href="http://www...

Background: Diabetes increases the risk of developing coronary heart disease irrespective of glycaemic control. Cortisol and growth hormone (GH) abnormalities have been found in these patients and have been proposed as possible mechanisms for this increased risk.Regular exercise, through an unknown mechanism, can modify cardiovascular risk and so prevent or delay the progression of coronary heart disease. In this study we assessed whether an exercise program would a...

P E Clayton, Endocrinology and Diabetes Group, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK AbstractPeter Clayton is Professor of Child Health and Paediatric Endocrinology in the Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences at the University of Manchester. He is an honorary consultant at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and at the Christie Hospital and is the Director of t...

Introduction: Both subclinical hyperthyroidism and type 2 diabetes (T2D) have been associated with an increase in cardiovascular disease risk and mortality. We aimed to assess the prevalence of newly diagnosed subclinical hyperthyroidism in a cohort of patients with T2D, and also to analyse the relationships between diabetes-related characteristics and the presence of subclinical hyperthyroidism.Methods: Nine hundred and thirty-three diabetic patients wi...