Endocrine Abstracts

The efficacy of Levothyroxine suppressive therapy in thyroid nodules is still controversial; the aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of levothyroxine on nodule volume.Subjects and methods: Ninety three euthyroid patients (92 females, mean age =43.7 years) harboring multindular (n=53) or solitary (n=40) nodules hare been treated for at least 6 months with thyroid hormones (Levothyroxine), the nodule size is assessed by it’s maxi...

Cowden syndrome is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by germline mutations in the PTEN tumour suppressor gene on 10q23.3 which mediates cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. The diagnosis is primarily based on clinical findings including a combination of mucocutaneous lesions (trichilemmomas), macrocephaly, thyroid lesions (mainly follicular adenoma or carcinoma) and breast and endometrial cancer. The prevalence is estimated at 1/200 000. Lifetime risk for developing bre...

Introduction: Micronodular adrenocortical disease is a very rare cause of Cushing syndrome in children. This adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-independent form of Cushing syndrome is mostly a part of the Carney Complex, which is caused by mutations in the PRKAR1A gene (1). A young female with endogenous ACTH independent hypercorticism without the classical gene mutations in the pigmented and the non-pigmented form of micronodular adrenal disease is presented.<p c...

Within the pituitary, GnRH acts via type I GnRH receptors to cause a Gq/11 mediated activation of PLC and consequent acute stimulation of gonadotrophin secretion and chronic regulation of gonadotrophin and GnRHR synthesis. The therapeutic effects of GnRH analogues are primarily (if not entirely) dependent upon activation, desensitisation or blockade of this system. There is also abundant evidence for expression of GnRHRs in extra-pituitary sites including the CNS, t...

Background Ovarian follicles contain a specialised extracellular matrix (ECM), the basal lamina, separating granulosa cells (GC) and theca cells. An important gonadotrophin-regulated gene in ECM remodeling is LOX, which catalyses cross-linkage of collagen and elastin within ECM. Pro-LOX is proteolytically cleaved to active LOX by bone morphogenetic protein-1 (BMP-1), which also cleaves pro-collagens to mature forms. BMP-1 action is enhanced by procollagen C-proteinase enhancer...

Background: Measurement of mean serum growth hormone (GH) during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is currently used for determination of disease activity in patients with acromegaly post-treatment. In contrast to normal subjects, GH secretion in acromegalic patients is largely non-pulsatile, even after treatment.Aim: To determine if random serum GH correlated with mean serum GH during OGTT in patients with acromegaly post-treatment. Furthermore, we ...

Prostaglandin E (EP) receptors have been characterised in human myometrium from non-pregnant and pregnant (non-labouring) donors (Senior et al. 1991; 1993). However. the response to PGE2 in tissue taken at labour has not been investigated. The aim of the present study was to compare myogenic activity and the effects of PGE2 in myometrium from donors at different stages of the menstrual cycle and at pregnancy (labouring and non-labouring).<p cla...

BackgroundInsulin resistance is associated with obesity, metabolic syndrome and hypertension. These risk factors for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular may be programmed by the early diet. Here we assessed insulin sensitivity in pre- and postnatally nutritionally challenged offspring at 1 yr of age in sheep.Methods37 twin-bearing ewes were randomly allocated to receive either a control (C, n=24) or nutrient r...

MNR has previously been shown to raise BP in the offspring. In rat models of protein restriction the size of the difference reported depends on the measurement method used, with telemetry reporting a smaller increase than tail cuff. Tail cuff measurements have found that global MNR increases BP but this has yet to be tested using telemetry. Evidence suggests that MNR affects offspring glucocorticoids and it is known that corticosterone is involved in the hypertension seen foll...

Novel object discrimination is a widely used ethologically relevant working memory task. However, there is little information regarding gender differences in performance of this test. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of male and female rats in this task following increasing intertrial intervals.Subjects were 24 female and 24 male adult hooded-Lister rats (250±10 g) group housed under standard laboratory conditions. Testing consis...