Endocrine Abstracts

Hypothalamic MC4R receptors are Galphas-coupled GPCR’s that mediate the satiety response to αMSH. MC4R expression predominates in the PVN/VMH regions of the hypothalamus, regulating satiety gene expression (e.g. Bdnf). Human MC4R mutations often result in compromised Galphas-cAMP-PKA signalling and obesity onset. However, downstream signalling pathways have yet to be elucidated. We have investigated the potential for αMSH to stimulat...

Neuropeptide S (NPS) is a recently discovered peptide shown to be involved in the modulation of arousal and fear responses. It has also been shown that lateral ventricle administration of NPS causes a significant decrease in food intake. Neuropeptides involved in the modulation of arousal have been shown to be involved in the regulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis and food intake.Objective: To examine the effect of NPS on the regulati...

The Charcot joint was originally described as tabetic arthopathy and published in 1868. This occurs in approximately 0.2% of people with diabetes and usually involves a prior peripheral neuropathy. Other factors involved in the pathogenesis of this osteoarthropathy are autonomic neuropathy & trauma.A 74-year-old male presented in August 2004 with a subacute history of right foot swelling & discomfort. There was no discreet history of preceding tr...

ObjectiveBariatric surgery has an important role in the management of morbidly obese patients. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is an established bariatric procedure. In this study, we aimed to investigate prospective changes in the entero-hypothalamic endocrine axis following RYGB, examining the meal-stimulated responses of peptide-YY (PYY), glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and ghrelin.MethodsSix female patien...

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine produced by peripheral immune cells and also by pituitary endocrine cells. MIF exerts its pro-inflammatory actions in the host defence system by blocking the inhibitory effects of glucocorticoids on the release of other pro-inflammatory cytokines. Reports that pituitary folliculo-stellate (FS) cells show characteristics of immune cells led us to propose that FS cells may serve as an additional source o...

The endogenous growth hormone secretagogue (GHS), ghrelin, is an important regulator of energy homeostasis. Peripheral and central administration of ghrelin increase food intake, body weight and fat mass, effects which are mediated by the growth hormone secretagogue receptor type 1a (GHS-R 1a). Although the central actions of ghrelin on adiposity have been extensively studied, the direct peripheral effects of ghrelin on adipose tissue remain poorly understood. This study aimed...

IntroductionThe metabolic syndrome is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system has been implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease and glucose intolerance. We have previously shown that a low IGFBP-1 concentration coupled with a low circulating IGF-I predicts worsening glucose tolerance. In this study we further investigated relationships between the IGF-system and...

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 ...

Regulation of many pituitary-specific genes involves calcium signalling, yet the mechanisms and signalling molecules involved have yet to be established. CaMK's are expressed in a wide variety of tissues, and are known to modulate transcriptional regulators such as MAPK's and CREB. It is unclear as to which anterior pituitary cell types express CaMK's, or which isoforms are present. We have examined the presence and localisation of type II and IV CaMK's in alphaT3-1, LbetaT2 (...

Introduction: Vitamin D (vitD) deficiency is a worldwide epidemic health problem, with a prevalence of about 70–100% in general Indian population. The objective of this cross-sectional, clinico-epidemiological, Pan-India study was to evaluate the prevalence of vitD deficiency in patients with Type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) or hypertension (HT) or both T2DM and HT and to understand the management practices in Indian real-world setting.Methods: Adult...