Endocrine Abstracts

Polyglandular autoimmune syndrome (PAS) is characterised by the coexistence of two or more autoimmune mediated disorders. While the pathophysiology remains poorly understood, environmental triggers and genetic susceptibility are thought to contribute to the dysregulated immune response. PAS has been classified into three main subgroups: Type 1 is seen in the paediatric population while types 2 and 3 are found in adults with autoimmune thyroid disease and insulin-requiring diab...

IntroductionRecent studies have confirmed that IGF-I is an important determinant of future glucose homeostasis and cardiovascular risk. Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) is the principal carrier protein for IGF-I in the circulation. Therefore we tested the relationship of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 to insulin resistance in an ethnic group with a high incidence of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.Methods. In a population-based study 100 subjects of...

Introduction: Adiposity has been well known to influence blood pressure. Adipokines are peptides secreted from the adipose tissue. TNF-alpha and IL-6 are pro-inflammatory adipokines while adiponectin and leptin have been known to be influencing vascular function. The influence of adipokines on blood pressure is not yet known. Our hypothesis was that all adipokines positively influenced both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.Patients and methods: One ...

Patients with acromegaly die prematurely from CVD. Hypertension is more prevalent with increased peripheral vascular resistance thought to be due to structural remodelling of resistance vessels.We investigated structural properties and reactivity of small arteries in 20 healthy controls(55±11 years, 10 m) and 43 patients with acromegaly (55±14 years, 29 m), split into active disease (AD, n=17, 56±15 years, 13 m) or remission (CD, <i...

Virilization in post-menopausal women is usually the result of androgen production by ovarian or adrenal tumours. Androgen secreting tumours account for less than 1 % of all ovarian tumours and include granulosa cell tumours, thecomas, lipoid cell tumours and luteomas. We present a case of an occult virilizing ovarian luteoma diagnosed by selective ovarian venous sampling.A 68 year old nulliparous woman presented with a 15 month history of hirsutism and ...

Introduction: As in most sub-Saharan Africa, hypertension and its complications are increasingly common in Nigeria, where malaria is hyper-endemic. We established a birth cohort in Ibadan to assess the impact of maternal malaria on blood pressure (BP) in Nigerian infants over their first year.Methods: Healthy pregnant women with singleton pregnancies were followed to delivery. They had regular blood films for malaria parasites through to delivery. Growth...

Malaria is commoner amongst pregnant than non-pregnant women in Nigeria and is associated with a significant risk of having a low birth weight (LBW) baby which increases later risk of disease, in particular hypertensive heart disease in this population.We have established a birth cohort in Nigeria and in this study; we aimed to identify possible biomarkers in maternal and/or cord blood related to birth size on the background of malarial status in pregnan...

Introduction: Data are conflicting on whether and how serum adipokines alter following acute dietary intake. Here, we used the specific challenge of standard 75 g glucose tolerance tests (GTT) to assess timed changes in TNF-α, IL-6, leptin and adiponectin in healthy younger women and how these would be affected by adiposity.Methods: Consenting participants in the Manchester Mothers’ Heart and Vascular health study had serum adipokines measured ...

Introduction: IGF-I and its binding proteins may modulate cardiovascular risk. As part of our Manchester Mothers’ Cardiovascular study, we tested in pre-menopausal women the hypothesis that higher circulating IGF-I concentrations would be associated with lesser arterial stiffness and lower cardiac (LV) mass, while higher IGFBP1, reflecting less pre-hepatic insulin, would be positively related to small vessel function.Methods: About 193 women aged 32...

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...