Endocrine Abstracts

An increased number of medium-sized antral follicles is one of the characteristic features of polycystic ovaries (PCO) but little is known of the preantral stages of follicle development. The aim of this work was to explore small preantral follicle development in ovulatory and anovulatory PCO and to compare it with that in normal ovaries. Small ovarian cortical biopsies were obtained with informed consent and local ethics committee approval from 27 women with PCO, 13 anovulato...

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder, affecting 5–10% of women of reproductive age. The underlying pathogenesis is complex and incompletely understood. There is evidence that gonadotropin and gonadotropin receptor action play a role in the pathogenesis of PCOS with genome wide association studies in PCOS also implicating altered gonadotropin action in the aetiology of PCOS. Furthermore, our recent studies have demonstrated that gonad...

The luteinising hormone/chorionic gonadotropin receptor (LHCGR) plays an essential role in ovarian follicular function, mediating the action of LH on theca cell steroidogenesis and, in the preovulatory follicle, on granulosa cell (GC) steroid production and the ovulatory cascade. Following ovulation, LH (and CG) are responsible for maintenance and function of the corpus luteum. Arrested antral follicle development in PCOS is characterised by premature responsiveness of GCs to ...

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a multifactorial, complex endocrine disorder affecting a significant proportion of the global population. Aberrant secretion and/or action of gonadotropins is implicated in PCOS, but, to date, we have only limited knowledge about the precise mechanisms involved. We therefore studied LHR expression, signalling and trafficking in GLCs from women with and without PCOS. GLCs from women with PCOS exhibited enhanced Gαs-cAMP signalling respon...

Most aldosterone-producing adenomas (APAs) have gain-of-function somatic mutations of ion channels or transporters. However, their frequency in aldosterone-producing cell-clusters of normal adrenals could suggest the existence of co-driver mutations which influence the development or phenotype of APAs [1]. Gain-of-function mutations in both CTNNB1 and the G-protein coupled receptor GNA11 were found by whole exome sequencing in 3/10 APAs. Further sequencing of...

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) present sex specific characteristics, suggesting sex-hormones playing a role in the pathophysiology of CVDs. Hyperandrogenemia (HA) is a common condition in fertile age women but whether HA is a risk factor for CVD is still controversial.Aims: To clarify the association of HA with the development of hypertension and CVDs in women.Study population and methods: A general population-based birt...

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrinopathy that is associated with anovulatory infertility, menstrual disturbances and an adverse metabolic profile. Although the pathophysiology of PCOS remains unclear, dysregulation of gene expression has been previously shown in theca and granulosa cells. In this study, we used RNA-Sequencing to compare the transcriptomes of human granulosa cells from women with and without PCOS. Granulosa cells were retri...

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrinopathy that is associated with anovulatory infertility, menstrual disturbances and an adverse metabolic profile. Although the pathophysiology of PCOS remains unclear, dysregulation of gene expression has been previously shown in theca and granulosa cells. In this study, we used RNA-Sequencing to compare the transcriptomes of human granulosa cells from women with and without PCOS. Granulosa cells were retri...

Introduction: Over half of postmenopausal women suffer symptoms which can sometimes be non-responsive to hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Testosterone is implicated in regulating urogenital and sexual function in women. However, using testosterone therapy in postmenopausal women remains highly controversial, principally due to the lack of syndromic relationship between serum testosterone levels and onset of sexual dysfunction during menopause. Clinical practice is therefore ...

Case history: An 18-year-old Caucasian female presented with primary amenorrhoea after her younger sister aged 16 years old started menstruating. She had a normal childhood and progressed through puberty normally, with no past medical history or family history. BMI was 22.6 with a normal examination including secondary sexual characteristics (Tanner Stage 5) and no signs of hyperandrogenism.Investigations and Results: Bloods showed an elevated LH:FSH rat...