Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Patients with secondary adrenal insufficiency show increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Higher doses of glucocorticoid replacement are related to an unfavourable metabolic profile. In the absence of randomized controlled trials assessing the effect of hydrocortisone dose on haemodynamics and blood pressure regulation, we determined effects of a higher vs a lower glucocorticoid replacement dose on blood pressure, the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) ...

Background: The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a combination of unfavourable health factors including visceral obesity, dyslipidaemia, hypertension and impaired fasting glucose. It is also strongly associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes. We assessed which factors contribute to the prevalence of MetS in people within different weight and age categories.Methods: 64 046 western European participants aged 18–80 ...

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is very common in older persons. It is not clear how serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels change during aging.Objective: To examine longitudinal changes in serum 25(OH)D levels in two representative cohorts of Dutch older persons during 6 and 13 years of follow-up, respectively.Methods: Data of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) were used, an ongoing cohort study in older persons. T...

Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH, Müllerian inhibiting substance) is a protein hormone expressed by the Sertoli cells of the testes and the granulosa cells of the ovaries. AMH is best known for its paracrine functions in reproductive organ development and function. The hormonal roles of AMH are largely unexplored, but functions are emerging in growth and brain development. To date, there is no putative function for AMH in the blood of adults. AMH belongs to the TGF-β...

Background: A minority of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is lean, and several individuals have no signs of hyperandrogenaemia. Earlier we showed that lean PCOS patients have no increased visceral adiposity. The aim of the present study was study is to characterize the metabolic and hormonal status a group of lean PCOS cases.Methods: In this cross-sectional study ten Caucasian women with PCOS and ten controls carefully matched for age and BMI...

Introduction: Multi Nodular Goitre(MNG) has a slow, progressive growth. An apparently asymptomatic MNG can already have caused retrosternal upper airway obstruction. Yet MNG can also cause compressive manifestations without retrosternal extension. Timing of surgery can be critical for patients with a large goitre. The evidence is poor to guide management of large MNG with absolute indications for surgery. The aim of this uni-centre study is to analyze patients with large MNG a...

There is an accumulating amount of evidence that the metabolic adaptations to endurance exercise that result in increased intramuscular triglyceride (IMTG) stores and IMTG oxidation during exercise, also exert a protective effect on muscle insulin sensitivity. This seems to be a contradiction (known as the athlete's paradox) as large IMTG stores in sedentary and obese individuals coexist with high levels of fatty acid (FA) metabolites (specifically long-chain acylCoA, DAG and ...

Available evidence suggests that Syzygium spp ethyl acetate extract solubles (EAS) contain triterpene constituents; oleanolic acid (OA), ursolic acid (UA) and methyl maslinate with hypoglycaemic properties. The effects of maslinic acid (MA) on blood glucose in type 1 diabetes mellitus are, however, unclear. Accordingly, we evaluated anti-hyperglycaemic effects of MA in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats, an experimental model for type 1 diabetes. Extraction and fractio...

Introduction: The biological activity of thyroid hormone (TH) is largely mediated by binding of T3 to nuclear T3 receptors (TRs). Before TH can mediate its effects, it needs to be transported across the plasma membrane. Several TH transporters, such as MCT8, facilitate this transport. Inactivating mutations in MCT8 lead to a severe phenotype of psychomotor retardation. In addition to transport into the cell, MCT8 is also able to transport TH out of the ce...

Background: Currently, physicians remain uncertain whether to screen and/or treat subclinical thyroid disease. Many observational studies, including cross-sectional, case–control, and prospective cohort studies, have reported on the association between subclinical thyroid disease and an ‘outcome of interest’. All cause mortality, coronary heart disease, fracture risk, and pregnancy outcome may drive the decision to screen or treat subclinical thyroid disease.</p...