Endocrine Abstracts

Prolonged increases in foetal plasma noradrenaline occur in pathologies, including intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Infusion of noradrenaline into healthy sheep foetuses showed continuous suppression of insulin secretion but produced a compensatory beta-cell response after noradrenaline infusion was terminated, similar to findings with adrenergic antagonists in IUGR foetuses. Hyper-insulin secretion responsiveness was confirmed in isolated foetal islets. To identify mol...

Introduction: Testosterone deficiency is associated with an increased risk of type-2 diabetes (T2D) in men. Physiological testosterone replacement (TRT) improves insulin resistance and glycaemic control in hypogonadal men with T2D. The mechanisms underlying these actions remain unknown, but may be due in part to an effect on the liver as a major metabolic organ involved in glucose regulation. We have previously shown in testicular feminised mice, which have low testosterone le...

AbstractBackground: β-cell apoptosis is a cardinal feature of type 1 diabetes. A20 is an important negative regulator of inflammation and apoptosis and protects against β-cell death in response to inflammatory cytokines, and β-cell rejection following islet transplantation1. Preliminary experiments showed rapid induction of A20 (15–60 min) in β-cells in response to treatment with TNFα. Experimenta...

Background: Cystic fibrosis is an autosomal recessive disease characterised by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. The mutations alter fluid secretion in the lungs and digestive systems and the vast majority of patients die from pulmonary disease. CF-related diabetes (CFRD) is the most significant co-morbidity for patients with CF and accelerates lung decline. Recent evidence from animal and cell models has implicated a role for CF...

Case: A 41 year-old-Indian woman with type 2 diabetes treated with liraglutide was admitted to the Emergency Department with abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and bloated abdomen. She was found to have raised amylase at 706 U/l. Abdominal ultrasound and CT scan did not reveal any abnormalities in the pancreas or billary tract and the patient was discharged.She had diabetes for 9 years duration treated with metformin, pioglitazone and liraglutide. Over 2 y...

Introduction: Gonadotroph adenomas usually present as clinically non-functioning sellar masses. They are extremely infrequent in children. Only some case report of children and adolescents with clinical manifestations of high serum gonadotrophin levels have been published. As in adult patients most of the gonadotroph adenomas have a silent growth, and therefore a late presentation as macroadenoma with mass effects.Case report: This 16-year-old girl prese...

Fatty liver (Hepatic Steatosis) is common in men with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Furthermore there is a high prevalence of testosterone deficiency (up to 40%) in this population. Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) has been shown to reduce elevated serum liver transaminase levels in hypogonadal men. The testicular feminised (Tfm) mouse exhibits a non-functional androgen receptor (AR) and low circulating testosterone levels. We have previously shown that a high-fat die...

Testosterone deficiency is associated with several cardiovascular risk factors. Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) improves insulin sensitivity, inflammation and cholesterol. Liver X receptor (LXR) is a nuclear receptor which regulates lipid and glucose metabolism, stimulates cholesterol efflux and ApoE, and suppresses inflammation. LXR agonists cause hepatic steatosis but protect against atherosclerosis. TRT attenuates high-cholesterol diet-induced hepatic steatosis in th...

Testosterone deficiency is a common in men with type two diabetes (T2D). We have shown testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) improves insulin resistance and glycaemic control. The mechanisms by which testosterone mediates this action are unknown but may be due to a combination of effects on muscle, liver and adipose tissues. This study investigates the expression of Glut4 and HK2, (two key proteins involved in insulin sensitivity) in muscle tissue of the testicular feminised ...

Objectives: The over-recruitment and activation of leukocytes characteristic of early atherosclerosis is considered the driving force behind atheroma development and is regulated by the concerted activities of several cytokines, chemokines and adhesion molecules surrounding a lipid core. Low serum testosterone levels are associated with cardiovascular disease in men and clinical trials demonstrate that testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) improves symptoms and reduces the in...