Endocrine Abstracts

Prolactin is produced by pituitary lactotrophic cells and by several extrapituitary tissues, including immune cells and the endometrium in man. It has a wide range of actions at different sites, and hyperprolactinaemia and prolactinomas give rise to common clinical problems. The human prolactin gene contains six exons, with two distinct promoters that direct pituitary or extra-pituitary transcription respectively. The pituitary-specific promoter extends over 5000 base-pairs an...

Tissue engineering is a new discipline that capitalizes on the expertise of cell biologists and material scientists. It attempts to create three-dimensional complexes of cells and scaffolds for the purposes of repair, regeneration or replacement of diseased tissue. The tissues and organs are constructed using appropriate cells, genes or other biological building blocks along with bioengineered materials and technologies There is no clear evidence yet as to the most appropriate...

Few Paediatric Endocrinologists seek alternative careers on completion of subspeciality training. In addition to developing optimal clinical services, however, opportunities exist to work at the interface of clinical medicine and basic scientific research. Exciting developments in the investigation, diagnosis and treatment of paediatric endocrine patients reflect the success of collaboration between basic scientists and clinicians, paediatricians and adult physicians.Short...

Proadrenomedullin N-terminal 20 peptide (PAMP) and adrenomedullin are hypotensive peptides that are cleaved from the proadrenomedullin peptide. Adrenomedullin can act via the complex calcitonin receptor like receptor (CRLR) and receptor activity modifying protein (RAMP) 2 or the putative receptor, CRLR/RAMP3 complex. CGRP (Calcitonin gene related peptide) binding is conferred by the CRLR/RAMP1 complex. This study was carried out to see how adrenomedullin and PAMP affected the ...

Epidemiological data suggests a correlation between phytoestrogen consumption and a reduced incidence of breast cancer. Current in vitro data is ambiguous, suggesting differential proliferative effects of phytoestrogens depending on ER expression status and exogenous estradiol levels. This study aims to characterise the growth inhibitory effects of the isoflavones genistein and daidzein using a panel of human breast cancer cell lines.Flow cytometry revealed low leve...

IntroductionWomen with Turner Syndrome (TS), characterised by the complete or partial absence of one X-chromosome in females, are reported to have an increased risk of coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease and angiodysplasia. These may contribute to iron deficiency and anaemia through malabsorption or blood loss. This study screened the serum ferritin and haemoglobin measurements in an adult TS population.MethodSerum ferritin concentrations were measured in 1...

Most patients with vitamin D deficiency and osteomalacia have elevated parathyroid levels with normal or low serum calciums .This hyperparathyroidism is described as secondary hyperparathyroidism and resolves with correction of vitamin deficiency. We describe three cases where there was coexistant osteomalacia vitamin D deficiency, elevated parathyroid hormone and hypercalcaemia.Case 1A 40 year old Asian female presented with a six...

Nitric oxide (NO) is a regulator of pituitary gonadotrophs via local paracrine and autocrine actions. Gonadotrophs express neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) but the effects of NO on gonadotrophs are controversial and both stimulation and inhibition of LH release has been reported. nNOS -/- mice have reduced fertility, but this is attributed to ovary actions, because no difference was detected in basal or GnRH-stimulated LH release (Klein et al 1998). We have therefore exam...

THE REGULATION OF ADRENOMEDULLIN AND PROADRENOMEDULLIN N-TERMINAL 20 PEPTIDE IN THE ADRENAL GLAND: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ADRENOCORTICAL CELLS AND CHROMAFFIN CELLS.Vakharia K, Hinson JP.Department of Endocrinology, Lab 1.2 Dominion House, Queen Mary University of London, London E, UK.It has been established that the adrenomedullin gene is expressed in the adrenal cortex and adrenal medulla, and that both adre...

Various criteria have been proposed to diagnose and treat gestational diabetes due to uncertainties about the influence of mild degrees of maternal glucose intolerance on pregnancy outcomes. We used receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis to correlate macrosomia (more than or equal to 4000g) with varying thresholds for the 2 hour 75 gm oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) results in pregnant women screened at our hospital from 1998-2001.Wom...