Endocrine Abstracts

Renalase is a recently discovered flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-dependent oxidase, predominantly secreted into the circulation from the kidney and regulates catecholamine degradation and metabolism. Renalase gene is also present in heart muscle, skeletal muscle and liver cells in humans, and in mouse testicles. Four isoforms of renalase gene has been identified in humans (hRenalase1 to hRenalase4), however only hRenalase1 is detected in human blood suggesting that hRenalas...

Aim: The levels of serum Selectins (P and E–Selectin), membrane potential and antioxidant vitamins were determined in diabetic patients attending General Hospital Owerri, Nigeria.Materials and methods: A case control study involving 600 persons living with diabetes between the ages of 20 and 60 years attending General Hospital Owerri. Also, 600 apparently healthy persons within the ages of 20 and 60 years served as control. Fasting venous blood was...

Introduction: Quality of life in transsexual persons after transition is among the most important outcome factors.Methods: A specialist center cross-sectional study in 193 transsexual women and 128 transsexual men (mean age 42.5 years) after on average 7.4 years of cross-sex hormone therapy and 6.6 years since sex reassignment surgery (SRS), compared to an age-and gender matched control population (1 to 3 matching). Self-reported physical and mental heal...

Introduction: Hormonal therapy is part of an established treatment of gender identity disorder, however outcome data regarding mortality and morbidity are scant.Methods: A specialist center cross-sectional study in 193 transsexual women and 128 transsexual men (mean age 42.5 years) assessing physical health and incidence of possible treatment related adverse events compared to an age-matched female and male control group recruited from a population study...

GH is an important anabolic hormone involved in the regulation of longitudinal bone growth. However, acromegaly patients have a higher prevalence of vertebral fractures despite normal bone mineral density (BMD), suggesting that overexpression of GH has adverse effects on skeletal architecture and strength. We used giant bovine GH (bGH) transgenic mice to analyse the effects of high serum GH levels on bone architecture and mechanical strength. Five month-old hemizygous male bGH...

A 38-year-old lady, who was 9 months post-partum, presented in 2008 with hirsutism, acne and abdominal discomfort. She was virilised and had an easily palpable right upper quadrant mass. Biochemistry revealed mild hypokalaemia (K 3.3 mmol/l), low albumin and gross elevation of serum androgens (androstenedione 93.9 nmol/l, DHAS 37.7 μmol/l and testosterone 13.7 nmol/l). UFC was 380 nmol/24 h but following 1 mg dexamethasone, cortisol suppressed fully. Urine steroi...

Introduction: National and International Guidelines on the education of children and families when diagnosed with type I diabetes are largely based on clinicians’ opinion but not patients’ or parents’ views on this important issue. We conducted a literature search using EMBASE, MEDLINE and CINAHL databases from 1980 to present which found no articles relating to patient opinion.Methods: We developed a questionnaire from a list of 34 educat...

Patients with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) have many clinical features in common with Cushing’s syndrome (glucocorticoid excess) - notably visceral obesity, insulin resistance, osteoporosis and increased vascular mortality. Within key metabolic tissues, 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) converts cortisone to the active glucocorticoid, cortisol, and thus amplifies local glucocorticoid action. We hypothesise that 11β-HSD1 expression is neg...

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...

Background: Adiponectin is a protein hormone secreted by adipocytes. Its expression is higher in lean than in obese individuals and in women than in men. It inhibits expression of gluconeogenic enzymes and the rate of glucose production. It also stimulates glucose utilization and fatty acids oxidation. Adiponectin is encoded by a highly polymorphic ADIPOQ gene. The −11377C>G, −11391G>A, and −11426A>G ADIPOQ polymorphisms modulate cir...