Endocrine Abstracts

Increasing evidence has recently accumulated suggesting that IGF1 system is involved in the regulation of longevity. While in animal models alterations of IGF1 signalling increase life expectancy, in humans there are contradictory data. Centenarians are an extraordinary model to study human longevity, however, they present a number of drawbacks: rarity, frailty due to extreme age and lack of a control group of the same age. The availability of an age-matched control group is c...

The gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar L., is one of the most destructive phytophagous pests of the northern hemisphere. It shows a tremendous capacity to increase in numbers, and feeds on a wide range of trees and shrubs. However, several different systems driving feeding behavior and digestion of Lymantria dispar L. have not yet been elucidated.Ghrelin along with several other hormones has significant effects on appetite and growth in humans an...

Background: Thyroid hormones increase both serum levels of cystatin C and renal glomerular filtration rate (reflected by lower serum creatinine); the latter is considered the main determinant of cystatin C levels. A potential explanation for this apparently discrepant finding is an increased production, rather than a decreased clearance, of cystatin C. To study whether 3,3′,5-triiodo-L-thyronine (T3) increases the production of cystatin C in a w...

Introduction: Vitamin D deficiency is very common in Northern Europe. Recently, we developed an equation to calculate the vitamin D deficit, based on the serum 25-OH vitamin D3 (25OHD3) level and body weight: vitamin D deficit (IU)=40×(75−serum 25OHD3)×body weight. The calculated deficit gives the amount of cholecalciferol that is required to raise the serum 25OHD3 level to the target of 75 nmol/l.<p class="abstex...

Background: Sales of iodized table salt (household use, bulk containers) have been flat in Germany since 1996/97. Nevertheless, the amount of iodide excreted with the urine has been steadily on the rise in the German population since 1993.Aim of the study: We investigated the beverage iodine levels as possible source of the increased input of iodine into the food chain. No systematic studies on this topic have yet been carried out in Germany.<p class...

Introduction: Severe vitamin D deficiency is very common in northern Europe. It is not limited to the elderly, but occurs in a large variety of subjects. Colecalciferol dosing guidelines for rapid correction of vitamin D deficiency are not available.Objective: To assess the optimal Colecalciferol dose regimen, based on body weight, for rapid correction of vitamin D deficiency, in a variety of subjects.Materials and methods: One hun...

The melanocortin-4-receptor (MC4R) plays an important role in body weight regulation. Mutations in the MC4R gene are the most common genetic cause for obesity. The most frequent Northern European mutation is Y35X, associated with D37V on the same allele. Furthermore, there are two variants with a relatively high frequency: V103I and S127L. In rare cases, we identified the variants V103I and S127L on the same allele. The occurrence of two variants on the same allele makes a fou...

In severe CHI which is unresponsive to medical therapy, pancreatic resection is undertaken to prevent further hypoglycaemia from dysregulated beta-cell insulin secretion. Traditionally, 95% subtotal pancreatectomy has been the surgery of choice (Lovvorn et al. 1999), with associated risks of post-operative complications such as lifelong diabetes and malabsorption. Since the introduction of 18F-DOPA PET-CT imaging, clinicians have been able to effectively differentia...

The past 15 years resulted in a great progress of our understanding regarding the genetic basis, pathogenesis, symptomatology, laboratory diagnosis and differential diagnosis of hypercalcemic disorders both of those occurring seemingly sporadically and of those developing in a familial setting. Since serum calcium measurement takes as part of the routine laboratory screening examinations the number of asymptomatic and also of familial cases of primary hyperparathyroidism are i...

Background: Obesity plays an important role in the aetiology of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Variants in the fat-mass and obesity-associated (FTO) gene have recently been shown to influence adiposity and predispose to common obesity (Frayling et al., Science 2007 316 889–894).Aim: Our aim was to establish whether FTO variants are also implicated in PCOS-susceptibility.Methods: A genetic ...