Endocrine Abstracts

Prolactin releasing peptide (PrRP) is reported to decrease plasma growth hormone (GH) levels in the rat but increase GH release from human pituitary cells. A barbiturate anaesthetised model was used in the rat studies (where basal plasma growth hormone is elevated) and in humans the GH stimulatory effects were of a small magnitude and seen only in foetal or tumourous pituitary cells. Our studies have examined the role of PrRP in freely moving male rats without the influence of...

Chemogenetic technologies afford the real-time control of molecularly-defined populations of neurons in a spatially and temporally specific fashion. The ability to remotely activate and silence neurons within the context of genetically-intact freely behaving mice provides unprecedented insight into their physiological function and pathological potential. Used in combination with other genetically-encoded tools this approach facilitates the deconvolution of the neural circuitry...

Open access publishing provides authors with the highest possible visibility for their work, as articles are made freely available online to everyone. Many funding bodies and institutions around the world are adopting policies, which require their researchers to publish their work open access. Do you know how open access policies affect you, and how to comply? This talk will clarify what open access publishing means, including the difference between green and gold open access ...

In 1996, in Monte Carlo’s famous Loewes Hotel, I went from sudden crippling gastric pain to continuous flushing in the space of <24 h, on my return to the UK, I was diagnosed with Carcinoid syndrome. Based on freely available information on the Web at that time, in my mind my life expectancy was going to be 6 years from the point of diagnosis.This session will discuss the impact of a ‘skewed’ sample on the following 6 years of my life ...

A major challenge in physiology and pathology is an understanding of the link between the function of a cell population within its tissue environment and its interactions with other organs. The pituitary gland, regulating a diverse range of essential physiological functions, exemplifies this challenge: stimulation from the brain is relayed as variable hormone pulses (the hypothalamic–pituitary (HP) system), which are decoded by peripheral organs into diff...

Introduction: Pregnancy for women with Graves’ disease is at risk for the mother and the newborn. In fact neonatal hyperthyroidism is uncommon, often transient in the context of maternal Graves’ disease (1% of children). Immediate treatment is essential for a good prognosis, prenatal treatment improves foetal and neonatal development.Case report: We report the case of a patient, known for Graves’ disease since 2006, treated initially with ...

Objective: Biochemical assessment of male hypogonadism relies on estimation of freely available testosterone. Gold standard measurement is by equilibrium dialysis but this is not practical in clinical use. We compared two calculation methods; bioavailable (non-SHBG bound) testosterone (Morris et al.), and free (non-SHBG non-albumin bound) testosterone (Vermeulen et al.) for their diagnostic performance.Design: Free testosterone and bioa...

Introduction: Madelung’s disease is a rare disorder characterized by a disturbance in the adipocyte metabolism. Mainly occurs in alcoholic Mediterranean male, presenting multiple, symmetrical lipomas.Case report: A 49-year-old obese man with a history of alcoholism, complaint of weight gain, soft and slow-growing swelling of the neck, and shoulders. His past history: epilepsy, alcoholic CHD, hypothyroidism, severe sleep apnea, vitiligo and HTA. His ...

Since earlier publications revealed a prominent and versatile impact of the neuromedin peptide family on several neuroendocrine processes, in the present experiments we focused on the effects of a recently discovered member of neuromedines, neuromedine S on such phenomena as open-field behaviour and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) activation. The peptide was administered intracerebroventricularly to freely moving rats and 30 minutes later the aforementioned neuronedocrine...

A current challenge in physiology/pathology is translating cell-transduction processes identified in vitro into the living organism, especially where cell-cell interaction and dynamics have key functional roles. The pituitary gland, regulating a diverse range of essential physiological functions, exemplifies this challenge: stimulation from the brain is relayed as variable hormone pulses (the hypothalamic-pituitary (HP) system), which are decoded by peripheral organs ...