Endocrine Abstracts

Pregnancy is a state of physiological hyperphagia and represents a good model to unravel the mechanisms involved in feeding regulation. The hyperphagia is the main responsible for the positive energy balance in gestation, which is necessary for maintaining maternal energy stores. The presence of high serum leptin levels and hyperphagia during pregnancy is a paradoxical event and reflects a state of leptin resistance. In order to evaluate the mechanisms for hypothalamic leptin ...

Ghrelin is a pleiotropic hormone characterized mainly by its strong orexigenic action and its role as GH secretagogue.Age-related level variation of this hormone has been previously shown in different studies centred in mARN expression and in its plasma levels; however there is no data about its secretion directly from the stomach although this is the main ghrelin producing organ.Objectives: To determine the levels of ghrelin in th...

Introduction: Krüpel-like factor 4 (KLF4) is a zinc-finger-type transcription factor expressed in a range of tissues that plays multiple functions. KLF4 is expressed in neural stem cells and is critical to neuronal differentiation. Recent evidence suggests that KLF4 also plays an important role in the central regulation of energy balance. In vitro studies show that KLF4 is a transcriptional regulator of agouti–related protein (AgRP), essential to the hyperph...

Introduction: Endoglin is a transmembrane auxiliary receptor for transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) that is predominantly expressed on proliferating endothelial cells. It plays a wide range of physiological roles but its importance on energy balance or insulin sensitivity has been unexplored.Material and methods: Heterozygous deficient mice (HZ) were fed standard chow or high fat diet during 16 weeks. Blood glucose levels were measured after ...

Introduction: Smokers around the globe commonly report increased body weight after smoking cessation as a major factor that interferes with their attempts to quit. In addition, numerous controlled studies in both humans and rodents have reported that nicotine exerts a marked anorectic action. Nicotine’s effects on energy homeostasis have been mostly pinpointed in the central nervous system, but the molecular mechanisms controlling its action are still not fully understood...

Introduction: About 30% of all familial isolated pituitary adenoma (FIPA) and 50% of acromegaly families have a mutation in the aryl hydrocarbon receptor-interacting protein gene (AIP; Chahal, TEM, 2010). The functional role of AIP in somatotroph cells is unknown. Recently, it has been proposed that wild type AIP (wtAIP) is a tumor suppressor gene, role that is lost in the different mutant AIPs (mAIP; Leontiou, JCEM, 2008). In the adenomas, mAIPs are usually foun...

Aim: To assess survival rate and prognosis factors in a group of 65 patients with distant metastases from differentiated thyroid carcinoma.Methods: Patients with metastatic differentiated thyroid carcinoma (MDTC) were retrospectively identified from the database of a single institution (1975–2008). Disease-specific survival (DSS) was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method.Results: A total of 65 patients with MDTC were identified....

Aim: To analyze clinical features in a group of 65 patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma and distant metastases.Methods: Retrospective review of 65 patients with Metastatic Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma (MDTC) identified from the database of a tertiary hospital between 1975 and 2008.Results: Sixty five patients were identified (21 males, 44 females) with a mean age of 58,9 years. The median follow-up after discovery of ...

Ghrelin is gastric peptide with appetite stimulating and growth hormone (GH) releasing properties. Circulating ghrelin levels decrease after nutrient ingestion, oral and iv glucose challenge. It has been hypothesized that vagal system may have a major role in initiating this decrease.The aim of this study was to investigate circulating ghrelin levels during oral glucose challenge in gastrectomized (GASTRX)- vagotomized patients. The study was approved by...

Normal linear growth in children is highly complex process, regulated by interaction of genetic, environmental and hormonal factors.We present four growth hormone deficient patients which despite severe growth hormone deficiency according to the provocative tests (ITT or GHRH+GHRP-6) and decreased IGF I level grew normally. This study was approved by Ethical Committee of University Clinical Center Belgrade. Three of our patients had idiopathic multiple p...