Endocrine Abstracts

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a T-cell mediated autoimmune disease in which the insulin-producing pancreatic beta-cells in the islets of Langerhans are destroyed. While the symptoms of the disease have become treatable to a certain extent, even intensive state-of-the-art insulin therapy cannot prevent the development of severe complications in the majority of patients. There is, therefore, a huge and unmet clinical demand for disease intervention, but a cure for T1D does not yet ex...

Objective: The maintenance of healthy and functional mitochondrial network via mitochondrial quality control (QC) mechanisms, is critical throughout life to respond to physiological adaptations and stress. Due to their role in energy production, mitochondria are exposed to high amounts of reactive oxygen species making their DNA (mtDNA) particularly vulnerable to oxidative damage. Mitochondrial dysfunction causes altered QC mechanisms (i.e. altered biogenesis, dynamics, autoph...

The TNF members sRANK-L & Osteoprotegerin (OPG) are essential paracrine mediators of osteoclast function in vitro. The aim of this study was to establish the relationship between 25-hydroxyvitamin D and sRANK-L and OPG in plasma of osteoporotic patients.The study population consisted of 185 osteoporotic women (mean age 62.4 years), with bone mineral density (BMD) more than 2.5 SD below the young adult value, and 185 age-matched controls, with normal ...

Aim: Population studies have shown that basal calcitonin concentrations are below 10 ng/l in the normal population. Ten nanograms per liter is used as a diagnostic cut-off by most laboratories and patients with levels higher than this are offered a pentagastrin stimulation test to exclude medullary thyroid carcinoma. However, these guidelines were adopted from studies that used the Cisbio Immunoradiometric assay for measuring calcitonin. Most laboratories have now moved to che...

ObjectiveIt is controversial whether subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) always reflects mild thyroid failure and if treatment is beneficial. The arguments in favour of treatment are prevention of progression, reducing cholesterol levels and improving symptoms. The consequence of SCH on body weight and its response to treatment has never been studied in a systematic manner.MethodsUnselected population-based stud...

Few studies have investigated the intracellular signaling pathways mediating the effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) secretagogues in enteroendocrine L cells. Specific receptors, channels, and intracellular signaling proteins expressed by the L cells have only begun to be characterized. The present study aimed to investigate the role of the olfactory receptor (OR) OR51E1 in GLP-1 secretion. We verified the expression of olfactory marker protein (OMP), an indicator of OR...

The Osteoprotegerin (OPG) RANK and RANK-L system is a novel paracrine system that forms part of the mechanism of bone turnover. The aim of this study was to explore if the OPG/ RANK-L system, detectable in blood, is related to bone mineral density.The study population consisted of 185 osteoporotic women (mean age 62.4 years), with bone mineral density (BMD) more than 2.5 SD below the young adult value, and 185 age-matched controls, with normal bone miner...

High protein diets suppress appetite and facilitate weight loss, but are difficult to adhere to in the long-term. Understanding the mechanisms by which protein suppresses appetite may establish targets for more acceptable interventions to treat or prevent obesity. Of particular interest is the concept of functional foods or novel products which aim to potentiate satiety. However, the specific mechanisms regulating protein-induced satiety are unknown. Protein has a satiating ef...

Cannabinoids are known to exert effects throughout the endocrine system, including in the anterior pituitary. Whilst cannabinoid receptors (CB1 in particular) are expressed in numerous tissues, expression and function of an endocannabinoid system within specific anterior cell types has not been investigated. We have used well-characterised gonadotroph (LβT2 and αT3-1) and somatolactotroph (GH3) cell lines to establish the expression and functional role for cannabinoi...

Introduction: Overt hypothyroidism and severe subclinical hypothyroidism (ScH) are associated with dyslipidaemia, and its condition is reversible after thyroid replacement therapy. We investigated the effect of levothyroxine therapy on lipid parameters in patients with mild form of subclinical hypothyroidism (ScH).Material and methods: Fifty-seven patients with newly diagnosed ScH with TSH levels below 10 mU/l and 30 age and sex-matched healthy subjects ...