Endocrine Abstracts

Growth is an inherent property of life. Normal somatic growth requires the integrated function of many of the hormonal, metabolic, and other growth factors involved in the hypothalamo-pituitary-growth axis. Discovery of transcription factors responsible for pituitary cell differentiation and organogenesis has had an immediate impact on understanding and diagnosis of pituitary hormone deficiencies. Importantly, combined pituitary hormone deficiencies (CPHD) have been associated...

Regulation of thyroid hormone (TH) levels in blood is controlled by feedback at the level of the pituitary and hypothalamus. It has been suggested that the set-point of either turning on or off the release of TSH and TRH, respectively is due to multiple factors including intrauterine exposure to TH. We have utilized the TH receptor (TR) β disrupted mouse (TRβ−/−) as model to study the effect of maternal levels of TH on newborn thyroid function. The ration...

Erectile dysfunction(ED) is a common but under – appreciated complication of diabetes. The current pilot study aims to determine the prevalence of ED and its association with a set of socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics among type 2 diabetic men in Jos, Nigeria.Consecutive male type 2 diabetic patients attending a diabetic clinic in Jos were interviewed with the aid of a questionnaire on socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics an...

Maternal undernutrition has been demonstrated to impact upon the development of a number of organ systems, including the kidney and pancreas. Offspring exposed to a maternal dietary protein restriction during gestation exhibit livers with fewer, larger lobules, suggestive of a similar developmental defect. It has been previously suggested that developmental changes, at least in the kidney, might be mediated by a change in the expression of the transcription factor Prox1. Here,...

Background and aims: The aim of our study is to investigate the possible associations between leptin and fasting insulin and index HOMA-IR in patients with Metabolic Syndrome as Leptin is involved in regulation of body weight.Materials and methods: The study included 100 patients (32 m, 68 f) 25–65 years. They were divided into 2 groups matched by sex, age, weight, body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). Research group included 56 patients ...

Osteoporosis and the associated low- energy fractures is a major public health problem. Phytoestrogens, especially from soy foods with isoflavones, carry the potential of being a nutritional candidate for prevention of osteoporosis. Several studies have been performed to determine the role of soy intake in preventing bone loss in postmenopausal women. Studies with fracture endpoint are not yet available, but several other lines of evidence have been investigated: epidemiologic...

The human adrenal H295R cell line expresses ACTH receptors (MC2R). However, it is generally accepted that ACTH treatment of these cells has little effect on steroid secretion and so forskolin is routinely used to mimic the actions of ACTH. It is unclear whether the ACTH receptors on these cells are functional. The present study was designed to investigate signalling pathways in H295R cells and their activation by ACTH.Adrenal H295R cells were cultured in...

A 25 year old female presented with a two year history of secondary amenorrhoea and expressible galactorrhoea. There was no history of headache or visual disturbance, and the patient took no regular medication. Examination, including formal perimetry, was normal. Investigations revealed a moderately elevated prolactin 1,029 (NR 59-619 mU/ml), 9am cortisol 366 nmol/L, remainder of pituitary profile normal. An MRI pituitary revealed a macroadenoma with stalk deviation and bowing...

The mammalian corpus luteum secretes progesterone under the influence of luteinizing hormone (LH). LH acts by binding to its G-protein coupled receptor and elevating intracellular cAMP thus activating protein kinase A (PKA). However, the exact role of PKA in the regulation of progesterone secretion remains unelucidated. Thus in this study we have investigated the relationship between PKA expression/activity and progesterone secretion during luteinization. Human granulosa cells...

A female presented in 1994 at age 28 with typical symptoms and signs of hyperthyroidism (FT4 39 picomol per litre, TSH < 0.05 milliunit per litre) and associated ophthalmopathy (bilateral exophthalmos, lid retraction and conjunctival inflammation), consistent with Graves' disease. Initially treated successfully with Carbimazole. She relapsed after stopping Carbimazole and in 1998 underwent sub-total thyroidectomy, with residual thyroid tissue left at the inferior poles bila...