Endocrine Abstracts

Overweight and obesity is an escalating global health problem, affecting 40% of the population and being the 5th largest cause of death worldwide. Treatment options are limited, with pharmaceutical approaches being inadequate and the success of bariatric surgery being limited by its invasive nature. The regulation of appetite by small bioactive compounds in the gastrointestinal tract is an important target in antiobesity research. Metabolites from diet and both host and microb...

Background: Growing evidence suggests that hypothalamic lipid sensing plays a key role in controlling food intake, fat deposition and energy balance and that its dysregulation could lead to obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Recent investigations reported that sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is involved in the hypothalamic control of energy homeostasis. Intra-cerebroventricular administration of S1P decreased food intake and increased energy expenditure in rodents.<p class="...

Chemerin is a newly discovered chemoattractant adipokine and is a natural ligand for the G protein coupled receptor CMKLR1. Its role in the regulation of energy metabolism and inflammation makes it a promising candidate for urgently needed pharmacological treatment strategies for obesity. To demonstrate a central role of chemerin, we manipulated chemerin signalling in the arcuate nucleus, a specific hypothalamic region associated with appetite regulation. We designed a short-h...

Background: Dexamethasone significantly improved outcomes in patients requiring supplementary oxygen and in ventilated patients with COVID-19 in the RECOVERY trial. Consequently, dexamethasone is now routinely used in these patients. However, dysglycaemia is commonly associated with steroid use and is an established risk factor for poorer outcomes in COVID-19. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the effect of dexamethasone use in patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in a real-...