Endocrine Abstracts

Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1) acts as both a peripheral incretin hormone and a central neuropeptide to regulate glucose and energy homeostasis. Within the brain, GLP1 is synthesised by a discrete collection of neurones in the brainstem, and presynaptic release of GLP1 results in binding to postsynaptic GLP1 receptors (GLP1R). The pattern of projections from these GLP1 synthesising neurones in the mouse brain has been described previously1,2. Here we use a novel tra...

GH is used primarily to increase adult height in short children with GHD/NSD with little knowledge about the impact of GH on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Therefore this study was carried out to evaluate HRQoL in adult patients with childhood onset GHD/NSD at the end of GH therapy.HrQoL was measured by patient self-report using two generic questionnaires, SF36 and NHP. Patient data were compared to representative norm data. Clinical data as wel...

Colocalisation of hormones has been demonstrated for growth hormone (GH) and prolactin in the normal adult human pituitary, and for many other hormones in pituitary adenomas. We have investigated whether colocalisation of GH and other hormones occurs earlier, during onto-genesis. Pituitaries from therapeutically aborted male human fetuses of 15–20 weeks gestational age (with ethical approval) were fixed by immersion in 4% buffered formaldehyde and divided in halves, one o...

Background: Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) cascades are key signaling pathways involved in regulation of normal cell proliferation, survival and differentiation. Abberrant regulation of the ERK pathway contributes to tumourigenesis. The ERK signalling cascade partially controls transcription of the cell cycle regulator cyclin D1 and also expression and protein stability of the c-Myc proto-oncogene.Methods: Western Blotting was used to invest...

GH hypersection results in biventricular concentric hypertrophy and a progressive contractile impairment whereas cardiac hypotrophy and impaired diastolic filling and left ventricular function have been reported in GH deficiency (GHD). No information on cardiac performances and structure are available about those acromegalic patients in whom successful treatment made their GH and IGF-I secretion similar to those in GHD patients. In order to study the functional and structural ...

VEGF is an endothelial-cell specific mitogen and is a critical regulator of developmental and reproductive angiogenesis. VEGF165 is the most abundant isoform, with the N-terminal 110 aa domain containing the receptor binding site and the C-terminal 55 aa domain containing a heparin-binding site. The activity of the molecule is mediated through its interaction with two main receptors, VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2, the binding to which is modulated by both cell surface-associated glycosa...

Introduction: Using the criterion of GH<2.5 μg/l and normalized IGF1, response rates to currently available somatostatin analogues in medically-naïve patients with acromegaly are 20–25% after 12 m. The broader somatostatin receptor binding profile of pasireotide may potentially improve response rates. This randomized, double-blind 12-m study compared pasireotide LAR with octreotide LAR.Methods: Patients with acromegaly (GH>5 μ...

Introduction: Steatosis has become an important issue in hepatitis C, due to the injury it can cause in a chronically ill liver. In chronic hepatitis C patients, the prevalence of steatosis ranges from 40–86%. Steatosis was significantly associated with the lack of response using PEG-IFN and ribavirin. The aim of our study was to determine the prevalence of hepatic steatosis in chronic hepatitis C and determine its impact on the therapeutic response using new direct antiv...

G protein-coupled receptors play key roles in cell-cell communication processes, and, not surprisingly, are the main targets for therapeutic drugs. Among these, those of the class C are the receptors for neurotransmitters, glutamate and GABA (mGlu and GABABRs), for the umami and sweet taste compounds (T1Rs), and for calcium and basic amino acids (CaSR and GPRC6a). Class C GPCRs are much more complex proteins than the class A and B GPCRs. They are made of two subunit...

Background: Hyperinsulinemic hypoglycaemia (HH) after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is rare. Patients typically present with post-prandial hypoglycaemia >1 year after surgery and once weight loss has plateaued. Despite multiple treatment options, the management of these patients remains challenging.Clinical case: A 31-year-old female was referred for bariatric surgery with a BMI of 41.4 kg/m2. In the year preceding the r...