Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a regulator of cellular and systemic energy homeostasis. Many of the changes seen in glucocorticoid excess correspond to the metabolic steps regulated by AMPK. In the hypothalamus and adipose tissues, glucocorticoids and cannabiniods share the same tissue specific effects on AMPK activity. Cannabinoids have central orexigenic and peripheral metabolic effects via the cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1). The ...

Aim: To analyse the epidemiology and presentation of pituitary tumours in Uzbekistan.Materials and methods: Over a period of 1.5 years, we studied 53 consecutive patients with tumours in the sellar and suprasellar region (mean age 41.5 years) in terms of neurological and ophthalmological status, MRI imaging and detailed neuroendocrine functional assessment. A detailed examination of the sellar area by means of computer and magnetic resonance tomography w...

Aim of the research: To study the visual complications rate in patients with different pituitary adenomas.Patients and methods: We observed 24 patients with different pituitary adenomas, among them 14 women and 10 men. Mean age of patients was 36.4 years-old. According to the ethiology pattern patients were divided as follow; 17 patients with non-functioning pituitary adenomas, 1 patient with craniopharingioma, 2 patients with Cushing disease, 2 patients...

Background: Recently, germline mutations in the aryl-hydrocarbon-receptor-interacting-protein (AIP) gene have been found to occur in familial and sometimes in early onset sporadic somatotroph adenomas. These tumours tend to respond less well to somatostatin analogues (SSA). It has been shown previously that AIP can upregulate the transcription factor Zac1 in liver cells, and we were able to also demonstrate this in pituitary cells. On the other hand, Zac1 is upregulated in res...

Background: Pituitary adenomas are relatively common in the general population, but the pathogenesis of these tumours remains largely unknown. Recently, germline mutations have been described in the AIP (aryl hydrocarbon receptor interacting protein) gene in several patients with familial isolated pituitary adenomas (FIPA). This gene is located on chromosome 11q13 and loss of heterozygosity at this locus as well as functional data from our group demonstrates a tumour suppresso...

Background: Pituitary adenomas usually occur as sporadic tumours, but familial cases are increasingly identified. Patients of 15–40% with familial-isolated-pituitary-adenoma (FIPA) harbour germline mutations in the aryl-hydrocarbon receptor interacting gene (AIP). AIP is thought to act as a tumour suppressor gene, with loss of heterozygosity shown in pituitary tumour samples at the 11q13 locus, where AIP is located. Previously we have shown AIP has properties consistent w...

Background: Recently mutations in the aryl hydrocarbon receptor interacting protein (AIP) gene have been found to occur in familial and sporadic somatotroph adenomas. These tumours tend to respond less well to somatostatin analogues, are diagnosed at an earlier age and behave more aggressively. AIP is expressed in sporadic somatotroph adenomas (Leontiou, JCEM, 2008).Aim: To evaluate the change in AIP immunostaining in sporadic acromegaly patients treated...

Aim: Aim of research is to study special features of pituitary adenoma (PA).Materials and methods: Seventy-four operations on CST were performed. Outcomes of surgery in 66 patients with PA were analyzed. Age of patients at surgery was from 18 to 71 years. Mean age of patients – 44 years. Four patients (6%) had a corticotropinoma, 11 patients (17%) had somatotropinoma, 11 patients (17%) had prolactinoma and remaining 40 patients (60%) had non-functio...

Introduction: Ghrelin is a potent orexigenic brain-gut peptide with lipogenic and diabetogenic effects, possibly mediated by GHS-R. Cannabinoids also have orexigenic and lipogenic effects. AMPK is a regulator of energy homeostasis and we have previously shown that ghrelin and cannabinoids stimulate hypothalamic AMPK activity while inhibiting it in liver and adipose tissue, suggesting that AMPK mediates both the central appetite-inducing and peripheral effects of ghrelin and ca...

Background: Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) cascades are key signaling pathways involved in regulation of normal cell proliferation, survival and differentiation. Abberrant regulation of the ERK pathway contributes to tumourigenesis. The ERK signalling cascade partially controls transcription of the cell cycle regulator cyclin D1 and also expression and protein stability of the c-Myc proto-oncogene.Methods: Western Blotting was used to invest...