Endocrine Abstracts

Thyroid cancer remains the most common endocrine malignancy worldwide and its incidence and mortality has increased steadily over the last four decades. In general terms it has a good outcome, however, some patients develop aggressive forms of thyroid cancer that are untreatable and the molecular bases are poorly understood. These aggressive forms have lost NIS (Na/I Symporter) function, one of the most important hallmarks during thyroid cancer progression as it leads to radio...

Generating functional insulin-secreting cells is a major goal of developing cell therapies for diabetes. Studies have shown that insulin+ cells can be derived from non-beta cells by cellular reprogramming. We carried out a genetic screen in mouse to identify adult cell types amenable for direct conversion to insulin+ cells by a cocktail of reprogramming factors (Ngn3, Pdx1, and Mafa, termed NPM factors). Surprisingly, the antral stomach epithelial cells w...

Aim: One of the hallmarks of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is impaired beta cell function, which develops in part as a result of widespread cellular de-differentiation. The current state-of-the-art defines beta cells as a heterogeneous islet population, with the existence of individual subpopulations including specialised ‘pacemakers’. We sought here to understand how overexpression-induced beta cell maturity affects such heterogeneity, befo...

Objectives: Glucocorticoids (GCs) are the first line therapy in moderate to severe, active thyroid eye disease (TED). While their beneficial immunosuppressive effects are well known, direct connective tissue effects are less characterized. The accumulation of extracellular matrix component hyaluronan (HA) and increased proliferation rate of fibroblasts are hallmarks connective tissue changes in TED. We examined the effect of methylprednisolone (MP), prednisolone (P), hydrocort...

Cognitive impairment and neurodegeneration are a few hallmarks of brain insulin resistance, a core feature of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Using a Wistar rat model of a high-fat diet and streptozotocin-induced T2DM, we aimed to determine the potential of Vernonia amygdalina (VA) as a possible treatment for the accompanied neurodegenerative effects of this condition on hippocampal structure and function. T2DM adult rats were prepared by a combination of a high-fat diet and ...

Amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques represent one of the classic hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology in the brain. In rhesus macaques, these plaques start becoming prominent when the animals are 20+ years old, although the underlying cause(s) are unclear. In the present study, our goal was to test the hypothesis that exposure to a Western-style, high-fat, high-sugar diet (WSD) and/or loss of ovarian steroids would advance the development of this histological marker...

Background: Preeclampsia (PE) is a complex condition of pregnancy, associated with substantial perinatal morbidity and mortality, affecting 2% to 8% of pregnancies worldwide. Its hallmarks are high blood pressure (hypertension) and endothelial dysfunction, leading to potential end-organ injury. Affected organ systems include liver, blood, kidneys, brain and placenta. In the present study, we investigated steroid hormones such as progestagens, estrogens, androgens, and glucocor...

Background: Non-classic adrenal hyperplasia (NCAH), comparatively a rare disease, is characterised by mild to moderate hyperandrogenemia, hirsutism, oligomenorrhea, insulin resistance which incidentally are the hallmarks of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)- a common disorder among reproductive aged women. The data on 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP)serum levels in NCAH has been reported globally but there is limited data available regarding the normal range among healthy Indian...

Background: Mitotane is the only drug approved for treatment of adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC). We have found that mitotane leads to endoplasmic reticulum stress and decreased viability in ACC cells. It is not known by which downstream mechanisms cell death is induced by mitotane.Aim: To characterize the mechanisms underlying cell death resulting from mitotane treatment in ACC cells.Methods: Lipid peroxidation in the ACC cell line ...

Accumulating clinical data suggest that women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are at high risk for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, it is not clear whether hyperinsulinemia and hyperandrogenism act concomitantly or independently to induce hepatic steatosis and inflammation, and the molecular mechanisms behind the interactions between insulin resistance and hyperandrogenism in the female liver remain largely unexplored. To achieve hyperinsulinemia, insul...