Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Observations in patients with GH disturbances and in normal populations have suggested that GH/IGF1 activity could have anti-inflammatory effects. On the other hand, in vitro studies have shown that IGF1 may stimulate the immune system.Methods/design: The study population consisted of 12 healthy volunteers (mean age 36, range 27–49 years) treated with GH for 3 weeks (1st week 0.01 mg/day, 2nd 0.02 mg/day, 3rd 0.03 mg/day) and su...

Introduction: Anti-TSH-receptor binding antibodies can cross the placenta and can stimulate or inhibit the fetal thyroid, causing fetal and neonatal thyroid dysfunction. We test for these antibodies in all pregnant women with a history of thyroid disease using a TSH binding inhibitor immunoglobulin (TBII) assay. Our aims were to audit our management of TBII positive pregnancies and to review pregnancy outcomes.Methods: Serum TBII concentration was measur...

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...

Cortisol metabolism is modulated by inhibition of 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11 beta HSD1) during GH replacement (Weaver et al, Clin Endocrinol, 1994, 41, 639; Gelding et al, Clin Endocrinol, 1998, 48, 153) and in active acromegaly (Moore et al, J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 1999, 84, 4172). 11 beta HSD1 activity is also influenced by both fat mass and insulin. To determine the relative contribution of GH/IGF-I to alteration in cortisol metabolism we have examined...

Background and aims: People with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are increasingly suffering from overweight and at risk of developing insulin resistance (IR). IR may hamper glucose control and augment the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Simultaneously, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming increasingly prevalent in T1DM. The pathophysiology of NAFLD is linked to IR. The gold standard to assess IR is the euglycaemic clamp, an invasive and time-consuming test that ca...

Objective: Most hypothyroid patients require an optimal dose of 1.6–1.8 μg/body weight (kg) of L-thyroxine to restore a normal TSH. Poor response to treatment can be due to malabsorption, drugs interaction and poor compliance. We conducted a test to determine the likely cause of persistent hypothyroidism in a coeliac patient despite taking supraphysiological doses of L-thyroxine (>1000 μg OD).Case...

J Mol Endocrinol October 1, 2015 55 81–94. DOI: 10.1530/JME-15-0119...

Introduction: Men with the metabolic syndrome have low plasma testosterone (T) levels. We aimed to study whether normalization of plasma T in such men improved features of the metabolic syndrome over the longer term.Design/methods: 145 men, 35 to 70 years, with the metabolic syndrome and hypogonadism (baseline total testosterone level <12.0 nmol/l or calculated free T level <225 pmol/l). They had received treatment for 30 weeks with either parent...

Aim: Serum TSH is the target value by which adequate thyroid hormone supply can easily be monitored in patients with primary hypothyroidism. It is controversial when TSH should be measured before thyroxine dose adjustments are made, 4–8 weeks are recommended. To define the time when dose adjustments of thyroxine are feasible more clearly, we looked at the time required to reach stable TSH levels.Methods: We prospectively studied a case series of pat...

Pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) derived peptides coordinate energy balance via central melanocortin receptors. In order to monitor central POMC expression and processing in-vivo, we have quantified the POMC derived peptides ACTH, alpha-MSH and the high molecular weight precursors POMC/proACTH in rat cerebrospinal fluid (csf). POMC/proACTH levels were significantly lower in csf samples from fasted versus fed rats (65.2 ± 4.5 pmol/l versus 112 ± 10.1 pmol/l; p = 0.00...