Endocrine Abstracts

Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23) is a phosphatonin produced by osteocytes in response to serum phosphate concentration. Immunoassays are widely employed to detect C-terminal fragments of FGF-23 (cFGF-23). Quantitative assays for intact FGF-23 (iFGF-23) measurement are also available. Causes of increased FGF-23 include Tumour Induced Osteomalacia (TIO), X-linked hypophosphataemic rickets (XLH) and end stage renal disease (ESRD). We observed that some individuals, with no id...

Background: Lamin A/C mutations show heterogeneous phenotypes expanding from cardiopathies to lipodystrophies. R482-LMNA gene mutation is the hot-spot for familial partial lipodystrophic syndromes (FPLD2) and is characterized by an increase of intra-abdominal (visceral) fat. In contrast, the visceral fat phenotype of non-R482-LMNA mutated patients has not been well studied.Objectives: To compare the fat amount and visceral repartition o...

Neuroendocrine molecules play a significant role in the progression of human prostate cancer (PCa) and its neuroendocrine differentiation has been associated to a worse prognosis. Among these molecules, the pleiotropic peptide neuropeptide Y (NPY) was found to be expressed in the human prostate and may show some relevance in PCa progression. In this study, we evaluated the direct effect of NPY on the growth of the human PCa cell lines LNCaP (androgen dependent) and DU145 and P...

Physiological circulating concentrations of estrogens are very low in men and postmenopausal women (<50 pg/ml), which presenting analytical challenges. Immunoassays can detect as low as 30 pg/ml, but cross-reactivity is a concern. Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) offers greater specificity than immunoassays, but ionisation of estrogens is inefficient. Derivatisation, which introduces charged moieties, may enhance ionisation. Dansylated de...

Introduction: The growth of human tumors depends on the formation of new blood vessels and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) helps control this process via inducing new capillaries to sprout from pre-existing blood vessels. Four cardiac hormones which eliminate up to 80% of human pancreatic cancers and up to 86% of human small-cell lung cancers growing in mice were investigated for their effects on VEGF and the VEGFR2/KDR/Flk-1 receptor. The VEGFR2 receptor is the main...

Introduction: The effects of dopamine (DA), serotonin (5-HT), histamine (HA) adrenaline (ADR), noradrenaline (NADR) and K+ administration on vasopressin (VP) secretion were studied in 13–14 days cultures of rat neurohypophyseal (NH) cells, and it was examined whether orexin (ORX) can modify the VP release enhancement induced by these monoaminergic compounds.Methods: An enzymatic dissociation technique was used to prepare the rat NH cell c...

Background: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a serious complication of diabetes associated with increased risk of mortality, cardiovascular and renal outcomes. Diagnostic markers to detect DN at early stage are important as early intervention can slow loss of kidney function and improve patient outcomes. The aim of our study was to evaluate the role of serum cystatin C (CysC) for early detection of kidney damages in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DT2).<p class="abstex...

Objective: Cystatin C (CysC) is a marker for estimation of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and a predictor of mortality, beyond that provided by GFR. CysC increases with abdominal obesity and insulin resistance independently of GFR, not necessarily due to changes in renal clearance but possibly due to changes in production. Non-GFR determinants of CysC remain poorly defined. GH or thyroid hormone excess (acromegaly and hyperthyroidism) lead to concomitant increases in GFR and...

Aim: To determine the relationship between C-reactive protein (CRP) and nephropathy in type 1 diabetic patients.Methods: A total of 68 patients (24 women and 44 men) with type 1 diabetes aged 46.58±12.23 years were studied. All subjects had BMI<35 kg/m2. The levels of CRP, fasting blood glucose (FBG), triglycerides (TG), HbA1c and renal function tests were assessed. Patients were divided into 2 groups: 1 group – patients with nep...

Older population and people with type II diabetes have a significantly higher rate of decline in cognitive function. However, the mechanisms are poorly understood. There are strong links between insulin and cognitive function supported by epidemiological data from humans and animal studies and in vitro research. Protein kinase C (PKC) signaling cascades and insulin pathways are closely integrated. The consequences of PKC activation by insulin in the CNS influence memory...