Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism is characterised by inadequate secretion of gonadotropins (luteinising hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)) leading to absent, partial or arrested puberty. In males, classical treatment with testosterone promotes virilisation but does not facilitate testicular growth or spermatogenesis. Conversely, treatment with gonadotropins stimulates Sertoli and Leydig cells directly, leading to increased testicular...

Introduction: Globally, the main cause of mortality of type 1 diabetes (T1D) is lack insulin access. There is minimal data of health outcomes for T1D in low-middle-income countries (LMICs) in South-East Asia (SEA) where government funding of insulin and blood glucose monitoring kits either do not exist or is limited. Action4Diabetes (A4D) is a non-government organisation (NGO) initiated in 2016 and supports children and young people (CYP) with T1D in five countries -Laos, Mala...

Introduction: Metformin is used as a first line treatment in type 2 diabetes. Several studies suggest that patients with type 2 diabetes treated with metformin may have reduced cancer risk. Recently it has been shown that Metformin acts directly on mitochondria to alter cellular bioenergetics and reduce tumorigenesis. We have shown that anti-proliferative effect of Mitotane is related with changes of expression of the genes involved in mitochondrial metabolism in human adrenoc...

Background: Kisspeptin stimulates hypothalamic GnRH secretion resulting in gonadotrophin release and has the potential as a future therapeutic for infertility. Previous studies have observed that kisspeptin increases LH and to a lesser degree FSH when administered to healthy women, which may limit its therapeutic potential. However, studies in women with hypothalamic amenorrhoea show that i.v. infusions of kisspeptin-54 stimulated both LH and FSH equally. Chronic s.c. infusion...

Thyroid hormone has long been known as a key developmental factor in human and model species. Insufficient thyroid hormone during development can impair the growth and maturation of diverse tissue and organ systems. One of the most serious risks associated with congenital hypothyroidism is defective brain maturation and mental retardation. However, in recent years, targeted mutagenesis of the thyroid hormone receptor genes in model species has expanded our understanding of the...

Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex endocrine and metabolic disorder associated with ovulatory dysfunction, hyperandrogenism, abdominal obesity and insulin resistance. Since hyperandrogenism is a PCOS key feature, the aim was to evaluate the effects of androgen receptor activation in terms of continuously administration, beginning pre-pubertal, of either the non-aromatizable androgen dihydrotestosterone (DHT) or the aromatase inhibitor letrozole (L), on...

Objectives: To investigate whether there is a sex difference in serum leptin concentration in Chinese Type 2 diabetic patients with and without nephropathy.Methods: Early morning fasting serum leptin concentrations were measured in 34 Type 2 diabetic patients (mean age 62.1) with nephropathy (creatinine 120-450micromol/l and spot urinary albumin creatinine ratio (ACR) > 25 mg/mmol), 12 newly diagnosed diabetic subjects (mean age 62.5) with normoalbumi...

Dietary fat intake is an important source of energy and in excess can drive the development of obesity. Investigating how dietary fat intake alters neuronal activity in the brain and drives behavioural changes may help us understand the mechanisms behind high fat diet induced obesity. 2-oleoyglycerol (2-OG) is a naturally occurring unsaturated long chain fatty acid produced by fat digestion in the gut and a ligand of G protein-coupled receptor 119 (GPR119). Published data has ...

Kisspeptin is integral to hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis function and overall fertility. Functional deficiency of GnRH/lH secretion in the central reproductive disease, hypothalamic amenorrhoea (HA), indicates diminished kisspeptin signalling. Clinical trials have shown kisspeptin to be a viable therapeutic intervention. However, repeated administration led to the development of tachyphylaxis and so is likely a problem for future implementation. Indeed, elevated LH r...

Background: Transformation of the South Wales NET service in late 2017 introduced new specialised staff, gastroenterology-led clinics and MDTs with a particular emphasis on educating referring specialties on NETs. Data has shown patient experience, satisfaction rates, quality of life and gastrointestinal symptom scores have all improved. This study aims to describe findings from new NET service data for: referrals into the service, diagnosis times after symptoms, and initial s...