Endocrine Abstracts

Vasotocin (AVT), the avian homolog of vasopressin, is synthesized in the BSTM of chickens in addition to the hypothalamo hypophysial axis. In previous reports, sex specific AVT–immunoreactivity(ir) in male BSTM (Jurkevich et al. 1999) and it’s ontogeny were demonstrated (Grossmann et al. 2002). In addition, galanin (Gal) was found in male BSTM co-localized to AVT. In the present study, the ontogeny of AVT- and Gal-ir was investigated in the SON as part ...

This prestigious prize is intended for established workers in the field of basic and clinical neuroendocrinology and is generously supported by Ipsen. This year’s recipient is Prof. Ashley Grossman. The prize will be presented as part of the ECE 2014 opening ceremony where Prof. Grossman will deliver his lecture. Prof. Grossman will also deliver two other lectures at future ESE scientific meetings. Further information can be found at <a href="http://www.ese-hormones.org/p...

Ashley Grossman, Department of Endocrinology, St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London, UK AbstractAshley Grossman initially graduated with a BA in Psychology and Social Anthropology from the University of London, then entered University College Hospital Medical School in London where he graduated with an MBBS, and with a BSc in Neuroscience. He joined the Department of Endocrinology at St. Bartholomew's Hospital in 1978, ...

Pituitary adenomas are not rare, with a prevalence of around 1/1000 population. However, their pathogenesis has defied decades of careful study. Many groups including our own have shown a plethora of changes within these tumours, with silencing, often epigenetic, of many tumour suppressors, suggesting activation of a pro-proliferative programme. However, apart from the Milan group’s Gsp mutation in somatotrophinomas no single mutational oncogenic event has been demonstrat...

The gases nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO) function as intercellular messengers in a completely novel manner, providing a medium of cellular communication quite distinct from the classical neuroregulators. These agents will diffuse according to their physicochemical characteristics, in evanescent 'puffs' with spherical limits, unconstrained by formal cell boundaries. Most work has concentrated on their roles in inflammation and control of the vascular tree, but there...

The majority of space-occupying lesions in the region of the pituitary are adenomas, but a substantial minority (c. 10%) are either non-adenomatous pituitary 'tumors', or are hypothalamic lesions. A useful clue is that primary pituitary adenomas only very rarely present with diabetes insipidus. In the case of a hypothalamic lesion, problems with appetite, thirst control and short-term memory can be therapeutically highly problematic. Apart from craniopharyngiomas, the most com...

In birds similar to mammalian species, the reproductive performance in females deteriorates with age. In the present study, relationships between the growth of preovulatory follicles (PF), reproductive aging and sex steroids were investigated using young hens with long clutch (YLC), old hens with long clutch (OLC) and old hens with short clutch (OSC). 1) hens were killed 1.5 and 14.5 h after assumed ovulation. 2) YLC hens were killed 3.5 h after treatments with LH and/or amino...

THE SENSITIVITY OF 123I-MIBG IN THE DETECTION OF HISTOLOGICALLY CONFIRMED CATECHOLAMINE-PRODUCING TUMOURS.M Ismail, R Foley, WM Drake, AB Grossman, PJ Jenkins, SL Chew, GMBesser, R Reznek, K Britton, JP MonsonDepartments of Endocrinology, Nuclear Medicine and Radiology, StBartholomew's Hospital (QMUL), London EC1A 7BERadionuclide imaging is widely used for the loc...

Neuroendocrine tumours, or NETs, are a heterogeneous group of tumours which may arise from many sites, but primarily from the gastro-entero-pancreatic (GEP) system, and the respiratory system as bronchial and occasionally thymic NETs. Many small NETs are diagnosed incidentally as appendiceal or gastric NETs, and generally act in a totally benign manner. Diagnosis is contingent on positive histopathology (positive chromogranin immunostaining, grading 1-3 based on the Ki-67 inde...

In 1547 Henry VIII died, and was succeeded by his young son from his marriage to Jane Seymour; the boy was only 9 years old, and became Edward VI. However, he was a sickly child, and only survived to the age of 15 years, probably dying of TB. With no living male heir, there was an attempt at continuing with a Protestant monarch, but this lasted only 9-days with the unfortunate Lady Jane Grey. The crown then fell to Mary, the child of the marriage of Henry to Catherine of Arago...