Endocrine Abstracts

Testosterone is a coronary vasodilator and is known to increase ischaemic threshold in men with angina. We have previously demonstrated that testosterone inhibits the pore forming alpha1c subunit of the cardiovascular L-type calcium channel transfected into HEK293 cells. In this study we have investigated the effect of testosterone on potassium-stimulated extracellular calcium entry in A7r5 vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs).A7r5 cells grown...

Some people with obesity have hormonal, metabolic and circulatory changes that constitute the metabolic syndrome that resemble characteristics of patients with Cushing's syndrome. A link between the two conditions, possibly genetic, has therefore been suspected, and the glucocorticoid receptor gene (GRL, 5q31-q32) has been one of the candidate genes.The single nucleotide polymorphism N363S is an ATT to GTT missense alteration within exon 2 of G...

Testosterone therapy has been shown to be beneficial in men with coronary artery disease (CAD) and chronic heart failure (CHF), effects which are proposed to be due to a direct vasodilatory action. We utilised fluorescence measurements to investigate whether testosterone inhibits extracellular calcium entry induced by 50mM high potassium (K+) buffer, in A7r5 vascular smooth muscle cells.A7r5 cells were grown on coverslips in 12-well plates in ...

The TRH test is used in the diagnosis of hypothalamic-pituitary (hp) disorders in children. It is unclear how often the result of this test is helpful. We have examined the results of TRH testing in 143 children investigated primarily for disordered growth. Children with hp axis tumours were excluded.The TSH response to TRH (5microg/kg iv) was defined as abnormal if the peak TSH was <5mU/L (pituitary), or if the peak TSH at 60 mins was higher than at ...

We(1) and others have established that men with coronary heart disease (CHD) have lower serum testosterone levels than men with normal coronaries. Hypotestosteronaemia is associated with dyslipidaemia, visceral obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension and a prothrombotic state.The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of hypogonadism in men with CHD proven by either greater than 70 per cent stenosis of one or more epicardial or greater than 50 per cent stenosi...

SEVERE HYPERCALCEMIA CAUSED BY A VISIBLE PARATHYROID ADENOMA IN AN ADOLESCENT FEMALEU.Das1, H Iassac1, H Kanchi1, DA Price1, GM Humphrey2 & C M Hall1Departments of 1Endocrinology and 2Surgery, Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Manchester, Hospital Road, Manchester M27 4HA.A 16-year-old female collapsed following a 24-hour history of severe abdominal pain and vomiting. She was shocked, hypertensive (16...

The cytokine IL-6 is synthesed and released by over half of surgically removed human pituitary adenomas and by the HP75 human pituitary tumour cell line. We have previously shown that IL6 is associated with tumour invasiveness but not with Ki67, a marker of cell proliferation. Membrane IL6R (mIL6R) has been demonstrated in some pituitary adenomas, however, we have shown that sIL6R is not shed by the majority (92%) of human pituitary adenomas in culture nor by HP75 cells(super)...

Objectives: Pro-inflammatory cytokine levels are elevated in heart failure and have been implicated in disease progression. Testosterone has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties and plasma levels may be reduced in men with heart failure. We studied the relation of endogenous testosterone with plasma cytokines in men with chronic heart failure and the effects of testosterone administration.Methods: Baseline plasma levels of total and bio-avail...

Objectives: Patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) almost universally complain of exercise intolerance due, in part, to alterations of skeletal muscle. In men, testosterone is an important determinant of muscle bulk and strength. Relative androgen deficiency in men with CHF could contribute to exercise intolerance. We studied the relationship between plasma levels of testosterone and measures of skeletal muscle bulk and strength and exercise capacity in men with CHF.<p ...

Background: The testicular feminised (Tfm) mouse exhibits an X-linked single base-pair deletion in the gene encoding the androgen receptor. Gene transcription produces a truncated form of the receptor protein, which has a conformational change in the androgen binding site, preventing androgen binding. Affected male animals (XTfmY) are rendered androgen insensitive and 17-alpha hydroxylase deficient, a key enzyme in the steroidogenesis pathway. XTfmY males have reduced circulat...