Endocrine Abstracts

JQ1 is a bromodomain inhibitor that specifically targets the BET protein family (comprising Brd2, Brd3, Brd4 and BrdT), which promote the transcription of genes by binding acetylated histone residues and recruiting transcriptional machinery. JQ1 has been shown to have efficacy in the treatment of neuroendocrine tumours, however the genes regulated by the BET family in endocrine tissues, particularly in the pituitary, have not been elucidated. We therefore performed RNA-Seq ana...

Glucocorticoid signalling is essential for cardiac maturation late gestation. In mice, global glucocorticoid receptor deficiency (GR−/−) severely impairs cardiac function and ultrastructure at embryonic day (E) 17.5. To dissect direct effects of GR deficiency in the heart from effects on other systems, Sm22α-Cre mice were crossed with ‘floxed’ GR mice to generate SMGRKO mice with disrupted GR signalling in cardiomyocytes and vascular smoot...

18-hydroxycortisol (18-OHF) and 18-oxocortisol (18oxo-F) are derivatives of cortisol whose origin and regulation are uncertain. 18-OHF is synthesised by zona fasciculata 11-beta hydroxylase; 18-oxoF can only be produced by zona glomerulosa aldosterone synthase. Levels of both steroids are increased in patients with Primary Aldosteronism. However, the origin of these steroids in normal subjects is not known.8 normal subjects and 6 subjects with primary adrenal failure performed...

Both low-frequency electro-acupuncture (EA) and manual acupuncture improve menstrual frequency and decrease circulating androgens in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). We sought to determine whether low-frequency EA is more effective than manual stimulation in regulating disturbed estrous cyclicity in rats with PCOS induced by 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT). To identify the central mechanisms of the effects of stimulation, we assessed hypothalamic mRNA expression ...

The use of more tissue-mimetic 3-dimensional (3D) cell culture models for in vitro drug screening has significantly increased in the past with the expectation to overcome with over-interpretation of drug effects obtained with conventional 2D cultures. In this study, we characterized 3D prostate cancer (PCa) organoids where PCa epithelial cells (LNCaP, DuCaP, LAPC4) were cultured alone or with PCa-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in 96 well hanging drop plates in order to...

Metabolic reprogramming resulting in significant alterations of the energy metabolism is a hallmark of prostate cancer (PCa). In this study we performed a comprehensive metabolic analysis of various human (LNCaP, DuCaP, PC-3, Du145) and murine PCa cell lines differing in the expression of the tumor suppressor phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN). In line with previous studies we found that PTEN- PCa cells (LNCaP, PC-3) had a higher glycolytic activity than PTEN<sup...

Background: Nonautoimmune subclinical hypothyroidism is characterized by elevated serum levels of TSH in the presence of normal thyroid hormone levels and absence of anti-thyroid antibodies. As a result of a genomic-wide study, a strong association between three polymorphic variants in exon 1 of human phosphodiesterase 8B (PDE8B) gene (rs4704397, rs6885099 e rs2046045) and serum levels of TSH has been recently reported. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the frequenc...

Introduction: Incidence of ectopic parathyroid glands in individuals is ~6%, the most common location being the thymic capsule or the superior mediastinum.Case: We present the case of 21-years-old female with a recent history of osteoclastoma affecting the maxillary bone and the mandible, together with increased values of the parathyroid hormone (over 20 times the normal value), total calcium and alkaline phosphatase and decreased serum phosphorus. A cer...

Introduction: One of the most important methods for evaluation of treatment and care of diabetic patients is to assess the quality of life (QOL). The aim of this study is assess QOL and this dimensions and relational pattern between demographic characteristic.Method: This study is cross-sectional study wit convenience random sampling. The sample consisted 161 patients with type2 diabetic who refferd to diabetes center of Zanjan. Research instruments was ...

A 57 years-old patient presented with back pain, general discomfort, polydipsia, polyuria, fatigue and recent weight loss of 10 kg. Biochemical evaluation showed hypercalcemia (2.85 mmol/l; normal: 2.15–2.55) with low PTH level (14,2 ng/L; normal 14.9–56.9 ng/l) excluding primary hyperparathyroidism. The most frequent cause of hypercalcemia with non-elevated PTH levels is an underlying malignancy1. CT-thorax-abdomen showed a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor...