Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Environmental factors play a role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune conditions. The incidence of type 1 diabetes is higher in winter. It is unclear whether autoimmune thyroid disease is similarly affected by seasonal variation. We aimed to study the variation in anti thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibodies in relation to calendar month of sampling.Methods: We obtained TPO-antibody results for the 12 months (October 2009 till September 2010). Indi...

The ratio of the glucuronidated epitestosterone (E) and testosterone (T), used in doping tests, is currently under question. The key enzyme involved in E metabolism is UGT2B7 in contrast to T which is mainly metabolised by UGT2B17. Previous results demonstrated that at very high concentrations E acts as a competitive inhibitor to UGT2B17. Similarly, the literature reports competitive inhibition of UGTs by NSAIDS and phenolics that are not substrates of UGT2B17. The aim of this...

The vasoactive peptide adrenomedullin (ADM) has effects on several vascular beds including the cerebral circulation. The peptide has a positive impact on blood-brain-barrier (BBB) integrity, and transcription of ADM mRNA is enhanced by pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-1 and TNF-alpha in neuronal cell types. The current study has investigated whether ADM may be a marker for disease progression, in vivo in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model of the human disease...

Background: Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and associated mitochondrial dysfunction contribute to the pathogenesis of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Studies show broccoli can reduce inflammation in cancer and may therefore mitigate inflammation-induced cellular disruption that precedes insulin resistance in human adipocytes. Therefore these studies investigated the impact of freeze-dried broccoli extracts (BE) on ER stress and mitochondrial dy...

Background: Consumption of a high-meat, low carbohydrate diet in late pregnancy is associated with fetal growth restriction, and raised blood pressure and glucose intolerance in the offspring. In a recent study in Motherwell, Scotland, where pregnant women had been advised to eat one pound (0.45 kg) of red meat per day during pregnancy and to avoid carbohydrate-rich foods, we found elevated fasting plasma cortisol levels in men and women whose mothers reported higher protein c...

Endogenous Cushing’s syndrome poses considerable diagnostic challenges. It is recommended to use two screening tests to confirm hypercortisolaemia. While late-night salivary cortisol assessment (LNSC) is reported to have good specificity and sensitivity and deemed to be cost-effective, it is the least widely biochemical tool used both nationally and in Europe. We aim to compare the specificity and sensitivity of LNSC against and in combination with other diagnostic tests,...

Background: Delivery of nutrient excess in obesity can disrupt protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) within adipose tissue; this activates the unfolded protein response (UPR) and contributes to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) risk. Thus, the aims of this study were to utilise freeze-dried broccoli extract (BE) as a nutrient to mitigate such cellular damage in human adipocytes, understand the relevance of associated pathways, and create a mathematical model of the U...

Objective: To determine the impact on quality of life and metabolic control of insulin pump therapy in a cohort of young people in south London.Methods: Seventeen children and young people with type 1 diabetes aged 5–17 undergoing assessment for pump therapy were routinely seen by a clinical psychologist as part of their assessment. The majority were aged 13–17. Measures quantifying quality of life (PEDS-QL generic and diabetes specific modules...

It is unclear why GHD is associated with a reduced quality of life. Previous studies of GHD have shown impaired cardiovascular function and an increased cardiovascular mortality. We investigated whether the reduced quality of life is correlated with cardiac function and levels of cardiorespiratory fitness.Eighteen adults (9 male) with severe, untreated, GHD were studied. Cardiac power and cardiorespiratory fitness were investigated using a new, non-invas...

Introduction: Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH, higher serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) with normal thyroid hormone) is associated with an increased risk of ischaemic heart disease (IHD). Subclinical thyrotoxicosis (SCT, lower serum TSH with normal thyroid hormone) is also associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation, cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.Aim and methods: To examine the relationship between IHD and thyroid disorders in...