Endocrine Abstracts

Annexin 1 (ANXA1) plays an essential role in the 'early-delayed' feedback effects of glucocorticoids (GCs) on ACTH release. Evidence that ANXA1 is externalised from pituitary cells in response to GCs, together with the finding that the protein is localised mainly to the folliculo-stellate (FS) cells, has led us to propose that ANXA1 is a paracrine mediator of GC action in the anterior pituitary. To address this hypothesis we have examined ANXA1-dependent GC actions in co-cultu...

Our previous studies have shown that the acute regulatory actions of glucocorticoids (GCs) on the secretion of corticotrophin (ACTH) are dependent upon the translocation of a 37 kDa protein, annexin 1 (ANXA1 [1]) from within the cell to the outer cell surface where it is retained by a Ca2+-dependent mechanism (2). The mechanisms by which ANXA1 is exported from pituitary cells in response to a steroid challenge and acts on the endocrine cells to suppress peptide rele...

Annexin I, a phospholipid and calcium binding protein, plays a well demonstrated role in the early delayed inhibitory feedback actions of glucocorticoids in the pituitary. Annexin I is localized in folliculostellate (FS) cells and glucocorticoids act on these cells to externalize annexin I at specific foci on FS cell processes (Chapman et al, 2002 Endocrinology, in press). Annexin I lacks a signal sequence to direct it into the secretory pathway and the foci of externalized an...

Islet amyloid deposition is a characteristic feature of Type 2 diabetes. Accumulation of IAPP by abnormal intracellular peptide degradation in beta-cell could promote fibril formation. IAPP is present in high concentrations in beta-cell lysosomes. To determine if fibrils form in lysosomes and the pathway for the accumulation human islets were cultured under conditions of elevated production of insulin (11mM glucose) and inhibition of secretion (0.6mM diazoxide) and/or lysosoma...

Objective: To establish the prevalence of Syndrome X in women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and determine which sonographic features of PCO best predict syndrome X.Background: Recently, the third report of the USA national cholesterol education program expert-panel on the detection, evaluation and treatment of high blood cholesterol in adults specifically identified syndrome X, a combination of insulin resistance and compensatory hyperinsulinaemi...

BACKGROUND: We have previously shown that men with coronary artery disease (CAD) have lower serum bioavailable testosterone levels than men with normal coronary arteries and this may have detrimental effects in coronary disease. It has been suggested that low androgen levels in men with CAD could be accounted for by the high prevalence of statin therapy and other factors such as smoking. We investigated the effects of statin therapy and smoking on testosterone in men with CAD....

BACKGROUND: Previous work has demonstrated a relationship between impaired carbohydrate metabolism and low serum levels of androgens in men. Men with diabetes have lower testosterone levels, and administration of physiological doses of testosterone improves glucose tolerance in these men. Men with coronary artery disease (CAD) have lower androgen levels than men with normal coronary arteries. We studied the relationship between testosterone, glucose, hypertension and DM in a p...

Case: An 89 year old gentleman was admitted to hospital following a collapse at home. His capillary blood glucose was found to be 1.4 mmol/l by the paramedics. The patient had experienced multiple collapses at home in the preceding 2 weeks. Each time, he had been found to be hypoglycaemic but treated and discharged from A&E. He complained of reduced appetite, weight loss and change in bowel habit. The patient’s past medical history included a large fibroma of the left...

Intro/Aims: Maternal obesity is a major risk factor for the development of first onset of diabetes in pregnancy, also known as gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Recent studies also indicate that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an independent predictor of GDM. Sulforaphane (SFN) is a well-known dietary activator of the redox-sensitive transcription factor Nrf2, with reported anti-adipogenic and NAFLD ameliorating effects in non-pregnant obese rodent models. In t...

The incidence of maternal obese and/or gestational diabetic (GDM) pregnancy are increasing globally, with ~10-20% of mothers classified as obese and/or GDM within the U.K. Both obese and GDM pregnancy are associated with increased risk of cardiometabolic disease, with mothers and their children at greater risk of developing later-life Type 2 diabetes, obesity and/or cardiovascular disease. Higher adiposity in pregnancy leads to increased inflammation, which may be countered by...