Endocrine Abstracts

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is the most common cause of the ectopic ACTH syndrome and is characterised by rapid growth and poor prognosis. In the ectopic ACTH syndrome, tumours secrete highly elevated levels of the ACTH precursor, proopiomelanocortin (POMC), compared to ACTH itself (Oliver 2003). This study aimed to develop a mouse model of SCLC capable of secreting high levels of POMC and correlate this with viable tumour mass to assess POMC as a potential biomarker.<p ...

Background: Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) arise from neuroendocrine cells, they are commonly found in the pancreas, small bowel and lung. They are a heterogeneous group of tumours capable of secreting a variety of hormones, therefore the spectrum of symptoms is broad. Treatment options for metastatic NETs include cytoreductive surgery, or interventional radiology procedures such as transarterial embolization (TAE). Aims: Previous studies have shown that ...

The aim of this study was to determine if a change in the amount of fat consumed in the diet influenced female salivary postprandial testosterone and cortisol concentrations and whether any changes affected circadian rhythm.The study was conducted on 9 healthy female subjects aged 21–45 years (BMI mean=22.5±1.61) and has been approved by the University College Ethical Committee. Over 3 non-consecutive days, each subject consumed 2 meals, lunch...

Corpus luteum lifespan is regulated by the secretion of prostaglandins (PGF and PGE) from the endometrium. which are synthesized by cyclo-oxygenase 2 (COX-2). However. corpus luteum lifespan is altered by uterine bacterial infections. causing infertility. Uterine infection is common after parturition in cattle. often involving Escherichia coli. The pathogenic ligand of E. coli. lipopolysaccharide (LPS). is detected by Toll-like Receptor 4 (TLR4). predominantly fo...

Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) is a circulating plasma glycoprotein produced by the liver, which in the blood binds estrogens and androgens with high affinity and regulates its bioavailability. Low plasma SHBG levels are associated with obesity, metabolic syndrome and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Importantly, epidemiological studies have demonstrated that low plasma SHBG levels is a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In the last y...

Late night salivary cortisol measurements have been increasingly used as an initial diagnostic test for the evaluation of patients with a clinical suspicion of Cushing syndrome (CS). Published studies include varying numbers of cases and controls and importantly various assay methods (usually immunoassays), as well as various methods of generating normative values.Materials and methods: We examined the diagnostic utility of salivary cortisol measurement ...

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is distinguished by its neuroendocrine phenotype and secretion of hormone biomarkers. Tumours initially respond well to therapy but almost invariably relapse with a therapy-resistant phenotype. We have previously described pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) as a potential biomarker of SCLC. In this study, we investigated how POMC acts as a biomarker of tumour response to treatment.SCLC cells (DMS 79) were injected subcutaneously in...

Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) are a heterogenous group of tumours that arise from neuroendocrine cells throughout the body. Debulking surgery is offered to patients with metastatic NETs and is recommended in the ENETS guidelines. This study was undertaken to evaluate the impact of debulking surgery and liver directed therapy (TACE, TAE) in metastatic NETs, on quality of life (QoL). Prospective longitudinal cohort study was undertaken at University Hospital Southampton. Patient...

MiR-346 is an Androgen Receptor (AR)-activating miR that associates with DNA damage response (DDR)-linked transcripts in prostate cancer (PC). MiR-346 induces rapid and extensive DNA damage in PC cells through chromatin association, activation of transcription, R-loop formation and DNA replication stress, leading to checkpoint activation and cell cycle arrest. MiR-346 interacts with lncRNA, NORAD, in PC cells, which functions to maintain mitosis, DDR, and chromosomal integrity...

Background: Individuals with hypoparathyroidism often experience a range of symptoms associated with reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and work productivity. Conventional therapy aims to alleviate hypocalcemia and acute symptoms but fails to restore normal parathyroid hormone (PTH) physiology or improve HRQoL. In the PaTHway trial, 79% of participants treated with TransCon PTH vs. 5% placebo (P<0.0001) met the primary efficacy endpoint (normal serum c...