Endocrine Abstracts

Tpit is a pituitary-specific transcription factor that is important for corticotroph terminal differentiation. In TPit null mice corticotroph cells do not differentiate and cells immunopositive for SF1, LH and FSH are observed in the intermediate lobe (Pulichino et al. 2003 Genes Dev). As the anterior lobe in TPit null mice showed a 50% decrease in cell number compared to wild-type (WT), and corticotrophs comprise only 5–7% of anterior lobe cells, we investigated c...

Successful surgery for pancreatic neuro-endocrine tumours (NET) requires accurate tumour localisation. Interpretation of cross-sectional imaging is often difficult, particularly after pancreatic surgery. Imaging by somatostatin-receptor-scintigraphy with indium-labelled octreotide may be useful in identifying recurrent disease; however, octreotide scans may be negative in some pancreatic NET, due to a low level of expression of somatostatin receptors. The GLP-1 receptor is abu...

Therapy with labeled somatostatin analogues is the modern approach to patients with disseminated or unresectable NETs expressing somatostatin receptors (SSTR). Octreotate is the somatostatin analogue with high affinity to SSTR type 2, most commonly present in NETs. The aim of the study was to assess the efficacy and toxicity of peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) with the use of 90Y labelled Tyr3-octreotate, (90Y-DOTATATE) in NETs....

It has been hypothesised that the hypothalamo–pituitary gland complex is a prime target through which environmental chemicals may alter reproductive physiology. The aim of this study was to investigate whether exposure to an environmentally relevant mix of chemicals during in utero and post-natal development can alter pituitary function. Pituitary glands were collected from 110 day-old foetuses (8 control and 8 treated) and 18 month old, post-pubertal sheep (8 cont...

Background and aims: Dehydroepiandrosterone fatty acid esters (DHEA-FAEs) belong to a unique family of naturally occurring hydrophobic steroid hormone derivatives with long-lasting hormonal activity. DHEA-FAEs function through hydrolysis of DHEA-FAEs into free DHEA and further metabolized to biologically active steroids. The lysosomal acid lipase (LAL) mediates the intracellular hydrolysis of cholesterol esters. This study aims to study the possible role of LAL on the hydrolys...

Background and aims: Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is an important prohormone and precursor of all sex steroids. DHEA fatty acid esters (DHEA-FAEs) belong to a unique family of naturally occurring hydrophobic steroid hormone derivatives with long-lasting hormonal activity, which are exclusively transported in lipoproteins. In the circulation, DHEA is esterified in a reaction catalyzed by lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase associated with HDL particles. The physiological role...

Immunoassays for testosterone produce sometimes incorrectly high results in female samples. The reasons of this phenomenon are not fully understood, but interference by cross-reacting substances and inaccurate calibration can be critical. One known endogenous interfering substance is dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-S). Other substances still have to be identified.An Elecsys® Testosterone II assay using a new high affinity sheep mono...

Positron emission tomography (PET) is an imaging technique that enables direct observation of tissue radioactivity concentration over time in vivo. Unlimited number of natural substrates (e.g. glucose, fatty acid), substrate analogs can be labelled for use with PET. PET combined with tracer kinetic models measures blood flow, membrane transport, metabolism, ligand receptor interactions and recently also gene expression noninvasively and quantitatively.An...

“Ligand” (or “binding”) assays – a class of methods of which for many years immunoassay long constituted the most widely used example – were first applied (in the late 50 s/early 60 s) to measurements of hormone concentrations in body fluids, but were later extended to the assay of other substances present in samples at low concentrations. This presentation reviews the main developments in this field, including those presently occurring (which...

IntroductionSomatostatin has antiproliferative, anti-angiogenic and pro-apoptotic actions through 5 G-protein receptors (Sstr). In view of the anti-angiogenic effects of Sstrs their relationship to the distribution of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was undertaken in non-malignant Reinke's Oedema of the larynx and squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx.MethodsSix Reinke's oedema (non malignant) and 1...