Endocrine Abstracts

The distal nephron is the principal site for salt conservation in the body. Through its action on basolateral and apical membrane transporters, aldosterone regulates ion fluxes across the cells of the distal nephron. Aldosterone elicits physiological responses by modulating the expression of the transporter subunits; for example in the case of the epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) and Na+/K+-ATPase, and also through the expression of the regulatory...

Cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2α) catalyzes the hydrolysis of membrane glycerophospholipids to release arachidonic acid, which is converted to bio-active eicosanoid lipid mediators, including prostaglandins (like PGE2) produced through cyclo-oxygenases (COX). The eicosanoid signalling contributes to cell proliferation in breast cancer, as demonstrated by numerous studies outlining a crucial role of COX-2 and PGE2 in breast carcinoma progression. The specific ...

Aldosterone stimulates the rapid phosphorylation and activation of PKD1 in a murine renal cortical collecting duct cell line (M1-CCD), through the transactivation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). PKD1 belongs to a family of serine/threonine kinases known to be important modulators of subcellular trafficking. The epithelial sodium channel ENaC is a major effector of aldosterone action in the kidney and plays a crucial role in the maintenance of whole body sodium ...

Saliva contains the free unbound fraction of testosterone, which has been shown to correlate with the free circulating serum testosterone, and may better reflect the physiologically active form. Recently, measurement of free testosterone has gained international recommendations for the diagnosis of hypogonadism in the ageing male. Saliva collection is a non-invasive technique, offering more flexibility to the patient, e.g. the collection of samples at home. Liquid chromatograp...

The Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) gene is located on chromosome 11q13 and patients with mutations develop parathyroid, pancreatic and pituitary tumours. MEN1 mutations also cause familial isolated primary hyperparathyroidism (FIHP) and the same MEN1 mutations, in different families, can cause either FIHP or MEN1. This emphasises the importance of genetic background in altering the expression of a mutation, and suggests the presence of genetic ...

For several years, steroid hormones including testosterone (T), androstenedione (A4) and 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) have been utilised in the diagnosis of a range of conditions with clinical features of hyperandrogenaemia including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and congenital adrenal hyperplasia. In recent years a potential role for the 11-oxygenated androgens has emerged in the diagnosis and characterisation of androgenic disorders. Specifically, the 11-oxygenated and...

Background: To determine whether radioiodine remnant ablation (RRA) reduces cause-specific mortality (CSM) or tumor recurrence (TR) rates after bilateral thyroidectomy (BT) in low-risk adult papillary thyroid carcinoma (APTC) patients treated with curative intent, we compared outcome in 1836 stage I patients having BT alone with 832 having BT+RRA.Methods: THEN cohort (1966-1990) comprised 809 patients; 36% having RRA within 6 postoperative months. NOW co...

Background: The presence of liver metastases is a poor prognostic factor in patients with Neuroendocrine tumours (NET). Resection of NET liver metastases (NET mets) has been reported to be associated with good long-term outcomes but must be balanced against the risks of major surgery. Thermal ablation or arterial embolisation offers an alternative to surgery.Objective: To review the outcomes of radical treatment of NET mets.Materia...

Adipose exposure to glucocorticoids (GCs) results in visceral adiposity and insulin resistance. Only the unbound, free fraction of GC can diffuse into cells. Corticosteroid binding globulin (CBG) is the major GC carrier, binding 80–85% of circulating GCs with high affinity. Targeted proteolysis of CBG by neutrophil elastase (NE) significantly reduces CBG binding affinity. This suggests that neutrophil-mediated inflammation provides a regulatory mechanism for delivery of G...

Measuring circulating androgen and gestagen concentrations is essential for the diagnosis and treatment monitoring of pathological conditions caused by abnormal steroidogenesis, such as congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Saliva collection represents a simple and non-invasive technique advantageous for multi sample profiling. We therefore developed a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay for the s...