Endocrine Abstracts

Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) implicate the CYP17A1 locus in human blood pressure regulation. This gene is important in steroidogenesis, regulating both glucocorticoid and androgen synthesis through catalysis of 17α-hydroxylation and 17,20 lyase reactions. We hypothesised that functional CYP17A1 polymorphisms linked to those identified by GWAS influence blood pressure levels. We therefore screened the entire CYP17A1 locus by dire...

Background: Serum prolactin levels at presentation can be useful in distinguishing between non-functioning pituitary macroadenomas and prolactinomas in order to guide appropriate therapy. Although thresholds have been suggested to distinguish between the two tumour-types, there remains some debate regarding discriminatory levels.Objective: To assess the baseline serum prolactin levels in a series of patients with histologically-proven non-functioning pit...

Development of the fetal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is important for normal maturation of the fetus and the timing of parturition. In hypothyroid fetuses, gestational length may be prolonged and maturational processes delayed, although the role of the HPA axis is unknown. This study investigated the effects of hypothyroidism before birth on the structure and function of the anterior pituitary and adrenal glands in fetal sheep near term.All...

The Society for Endocrinology Nurse Committee provides national, international and local guidance, support and networking for nurses working in Endocrinology. Following review and revalidation of the endocrine nurse certificate, the Nurse Committee looked to explicate adult endocrine nurse competencies. The need for core competencies to standardise role expectations was a concern voiced from nurses and committee members. Up to the introduction of paediatric endocrine nurse com...

Background: Primary Aldosteronism (PA) is common and associates with excess cardiovascular morbidity independent of blood pressure. Animal and in vitro studies have demonstrated that exposure to aldosterone and sodium leads to cardiac fibrosis and hypertrophy and this may, partly, be mediated by inflammation and oxidative stress. We aimed to clarify the effects of aldosterone excess on myocardial structure and composition in humans using contrast-enhanced cardiac MRI as well a...

Aim: Increasing left ventricular mass index (LVMI) is associated with a poor prognosis in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Blockade of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) in CKD leads to improvement in proteinuria and LV mass. However, the MR can be activated by aldosterone, cortisol and deoxycorticosterone (DOC) and their relative contribution to adverse events in CKD is unclear. We aimed to assess the correlation between mineralocorticoid excretion and LVMI in pat...

Introduction: Two insulin regimes are commonly used in type 1 diabetes (T1D): twice daily (BD) premixed insulin (short and intermediate acting), and multiple daily injections (MDI) of short acting insulin with once daily bolus of long acting insulin. MDI is associated with better glucose control in adults, but the evidence base is weaker for children.Objectives: We aimed to compare children started on MDI to BD from diagnosis, on HbA1c as a measure of gl...

Background: In most people, prolactin circulates predominantly as a 23-kDa monomer, and a high-molecular-weight form which in the vast majority of cases consists of a complex of prolactin and an anti-prolactin IgG autoantibody, commonly referred to as macroprolactin. This cross-reacts with conventional laboratory assays for prolactin.Report: In a consecutive series of 218 patients with prolactin elevated to 400 μ/l or more in men (normal range &#880...

Glucocorticoids mediate the stress response, regulated via the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. The HPA axis is down-regulated and its responsiveness to stress is impaired in cholestasis. The mechanisms are unknown, but may involve reduced glucocorticoid clearance. Hepatic 5beta-reductase is involved in glucocorticoid inactivation and bile acid biosynthesis. We showed previously that bile acids are potent competitive inhibitors and transcriptional regulator...

Aldosterone plays a key role regulating electrolyte homeostasis and blood pressure. An elevated aldosterone to renin ratio is present in 15% of hypertensive patients but the causes of aldosterone excess are not fully understood. There is evidence of interaction between the polymorphisms in the aldosterone synthase gene (CYP11B2) and aldosterone levels in plasma and urine. However, the most consistent associations between variation at this locus and altered steroid synth...