Endocrine Abstracts

Renal resistance to vasopressin has been demonstrated in type 1 diabetes, and in type 2 diabetes with nephropathy. However, renal response to vasopressin in type 2 diabetes without nephropathy, has not been studied.We studied 10 subjects with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes (PCDS, HbA1c > 9 %), 10 subjects with well-controlled type 2 diabetes (WCDS, HbA1c < 7 %), and 10 matched non-diabetic control subjects (NDCS), during a euglycaemic 8-hour wat...

Prolactin secretion is sexually dimorphic and sensitive to changes in gonadal steroid and glucocorticoid status. Reports that the regulatory effects of glucocorticoids on prolactin release are mediated in part via annexin 1 (ANXA1, 1), have led us to compare prolactin secretion and lactotroph morphology in ANXA1 knockout (KO) and wildtype (WT) mice and to determine the effects gonadectomy +/- testosterone replacement (80 micrograms per day, s.c.) on (a) the plasma prolactin co...

Mitogenic signaling by receptor tyrosine kinases that involve increased activity of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) and over-activation of protein kinase B (PKB/Akt) triggers a cascade of responses that drive tumour progression in a variety of human cancers. Some of these events have been associated with diminished expression of the cell cycle inhibitor p27 through inhibition of a Forkhead transcription factor (FKHR-L1) by Akt, while some others have recently been reporte...

There is now substantial evidence to suggest that the early life environment can have a permanent effect on adult physiology. Recently we have shown that early postnatal glucocorticoid (GC) exposure produces alterations in midbrain dopaminergic cell number in the adult rat, in a gender-specific manner (McArthur et al., Brit. Neurosci. Assoc. Abstr. 2003;17:27). Since the protein annexin 1 (ANXA1) mediates some aspects of the effects of GCs within the immune system and the hypo...

We(1) and others have established that men with coronary heart disease (CHD) have lower serum testosterone levels than men with normal coronaries. Hypotestosteronaemia is associated with dyslipidaemia, visceral obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension and a prothrombotic state.The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of hypogonadism in men with CHD proven by either greater than 70 per cent stenosis of one or more epicardial or greater than 50 per cent stenosi...

Backround: Androgenic anabolic steroids (AAS) are reported to increase cardiovascular risk by causing adverse changes in lipid profiles, impaired glucose tolerance, hyperhomocystinaemia and hypertension. Recent studies have also suggested impaired vascular reactivity in this group.Aim: To assess cardiovascular risk factors and arterial stiffness in AAS using and non-steroid using male bodybuilders and to compare them with healthy controls.Methods: Studies were conducte...

Background: Although androgens are traditionally considered to be pro-atherogenic, there is increasing evidence to suggest an inverse relationship between testosterone and cardiovascular risk. Endothelial dysfunction is an early event in the process of atherogenesis and may occur as a result of vascular oxidative damage. In vivo, human monocytes release reactive oxygen intermediates as part of a normal immune response.Aim: This study assessed the contribution of testostero...

BACKGROUND: Ghrelin is a novel 28-amino acid peptide which was isolated from the rat stomach and has now been shown to have a widespread tissue distribution. Ghrelin is the endogenous ligand of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor type 1a (GHS-R1a), and stimulates growth hormone (GH) release via the hypothalamus as well as by a direct action on the pituitary GHS-R1a. Ghrelin and the GHS-R1a also coexist within the pituitary. There are conflicting data regarding the effects...

The proto-oncogene Gsalpha has been implicated in a significant minority of somatotrophinomas, but the search for candidate oncogenes in the remaining somatotrophinomas, and in the great majority of other types of benign pituitary adenomas, has so far been unsuccessful. Microarray-based comparative genomic hybridisation (microarray-CGH) is a novel DNA microarray technique that has been shown to identify gain or loss at the gene level, and has been proposed as a tool to screen ...

Introduction: Early onset diabetes mellitus and poor glycaemic control can predispose to various long-term complications. NICE recommends regular assessment starting at 12 years of age to diagnose micro/macro vascular complications and neuropathy for appropriate management. Rare undiagnosed metabolic disorders could pose diagnostic and management challenges. We report an unusual presentation of a rare metabolic disorder in an adolescent with type-1 diabetes mellitus (T1D)....