Endocrine Abstracts

A series of reports have highlighted the lack of career structure and incentive for both clinical and non-clinical scientists wishing to pursue an academic career. For non-clinical personnel this is particularly critical as Endocrinology risks losing some of its identity to newer disciplines such as cell biology and signalling. The current inability to train clinical academics and basic scientists in Endocrinology represents a major threat to the discipline as a whole and must...

A greater understanding of mineralocorticoid hormone action in recent years has facilitated the elucidation of the molecular basis of several 'salt-wasting' and 'salt-retaining' disorders.In mineralocorticoid-responsive salt transporting epithelial cells of the distal nephron, colon and salivary gland, aldosterone or, depending upon the activity of 11beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11beta HSD2), cortisol, interacts with the mineralocorticoid re...

Patients with Cushing's syndrome emphasize the importance of cortisol in regulating body fat mass and distribution, bone mineral density and intraocular pressure. However, patients with the prevalent diseases, obesity, osteoporosis and glaucoma, invariably have normal circulating cortisol concentrations. We have focussed on the concept of 'pre-receptor' metabolism as a mechanism of modulating the action of cortisol in a tissue-specific fashion. Two isozymes of 11b-hydroxystero...

Paul Stewart, Division of Medical Sciences, University of Birmingham, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, UK AbstractBorn in Harrogate in 1959, Paul received his undergraduate medical training at Edinburgh University. His house officer and senior house officer posts were undertaken at the Royal Infirmary and Western General Hospital Edinburgh, and it was here that his interest in endocrinology was kindled, largely th...

Clinical observations on patients with Cushing's syndrome highlight the importance of cortisol in regulating blood pressure and body fat mass. However, most patients with hypertension and obesity have normal circulating cortisol concentrations. We have focussed on the concept of 'pre-receptor' metabolism as a mechanism of modulating the action of cortisol in a tissue-specific fashion. Two isozymes of 11b-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11b-HSD) catalyse the interconversion of ac...

Paul Stewart, University of Birmingham, UK AbstractBorn in Harrogate in 1959, Paul received his undergraduate Medical training at Edinburgh University. His house officer and senior house officer posts were undertaken at the Royal Infirmary and Western General Hospital Edinburgh, and it was here that his interest in endocrinology was kindled, largely thanks to the clinical skills and mentorship of Christopher Edwards a...

During the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle aldosterone increases mainly due to the antagonistic properties of progesterone at the MR and due to estrogen-mediated stimulation of angiotensinogen. Little is known about other steroid-metabolizing enzymes that may influence steroid receptor binding, eg 11beta-HSDs, A-ring reductases. Therefore a group of ten normotensive female volunteers with regular menstrual cycles were studied on day 7 (follicular phase) and day 21 (luteal ...

Glucocorticoids have potent but paradoxical effects on bone. In vitro they are required for the differentiation of osteoblasts but in excess can cause suppression of the mature osteoblast phenotype by reducing proliferation and inducing apoptosis. In vivo, glucocorticoids are anabolic at physiological concentrations, but in excess have an adverse effect on the skeleton most clearly seen in steroid-induced osteoporosis. We have postulated that this paradox may be ...

Background: The adverse effects of corticosteroid therapy are similar to those of endogenous glucocorticoid excess. Previous studies have established the usage patterns of oral corticosteroids in the primary healthcare setting, but these have concentrated on corticosteroid-induced osteoporosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and morbidity of long-term oral corticosteroids in a General Practice setting.Methods: From a population ...

The detrimental effect of excessive obesity on insulin resistance is well established. The expansion of adipose tissue is dependent on two processes: adipogenesis and angiogenesis and the Wnt signalling pathway has been reported to affect both. In adipose tissue the Wnt signalling pathway functions in a converse manner: increasing commitment of mesenchymal stem cells to preadipocytes and inhibiting differentiation of preadipocytes to mature adipocytes by decreasing expression ...