Endocrine Abstracts

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARgamma) is one of the isoforms of the PPAR-family of nuclear hormone receptors. Ligand activated PPARs dimerise with retinoid X receptor and act as transcription factors translating nutritional, pharmacological and metabolic stimuli into changes in the expression of genes. PPARgamma is thought to serve several roles in adipocyte differentiation, fatty acid and lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity. PPARgamma has also been...

Prolactin is expressed in lymphoid cells and differentiating (decidualised) endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) under the control of an alternative upstream promoter, distinct from the pituitary-specific promoter. Local prolactin action may have immunomodulatory effects. Th1/Th2 imbalance may be an important cause of habitual abortions in man but the mechanism is unknown. Recently, we characterised a G/T SNP at position -1149 that altered prolactin production by lymphocytes, and ...

Lipocortin 1 (LC1) is a well-characterized anti-inflammatory, -anti mitotic and anti-proliferative member of a structurally related family of Ca2+ and phospholipid-binding proteins. LC1 is readily detectable in the neuroendocrine system by Western blot analysis, ELISA, and immunohistochemistry (1). In these tissues, glucocorticoids regulate both the expression and subcellular distribution of LC1. Other studies have also demonstrated the presence of LC1 in endometrium tissue th...

Introduction: Overfeeding adolescent ewes with singleton pregnancies results in reduced placental size and low lamb birth weight at term. We have investigated if reduced placental size is associated with altered placental cell proliferation and apoptosis at day 80 of pregnancy (peak placental growth period). Methods: Singleton pregnancies to a single sire were established by embryo transfer to adolescent recipient dams. Pregnant ewes were offered high (H, n = 14) or moderate (...

Adverse events in utero permanently alter the structure and physiology of adult offspring, a phenomenon termed 'foetal programming'. In particular, low birth-weight is associated with an increased risk of adulthood hypertension. Glucocorticoid (GC) administration during pregnancy reduces offspring birth-weight and GCs directly elevate blood pressure (BP) in both humans and rodents. Circulating and local renin-angiotensin-aldosterone (RAAS) system(s) may be involved in programm...

Animal studies suggest that circulating IGF-1 concentrations are influenced by hypoxia. To test whether a similar situation pertains in humans we related cord IGF-1 concentrations to cord pH in the babies of 1650 Caucasian mothers delivering at term. All pregnancies were singleton and antenatal growth and uterine blood flow was assessed at 20 and 32 weeks gestation. Hypoxia was chronic if associated with preeclampsia in non-smokers and acute based on cord pH. Effects of cigare...

Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with insulin resistance and hyperandrogenism. In many cases this leads to hirsutism, for which a common treatment is combined anti-androgen and estrogen therapy (Dianette; Schering Ltd). The insulin sensitising agent metformin has been reported to reduce hyperandrogenism in women with PCOS.The aim of this study was to compare the clinical efficacy of Dianette with metformin (Glucophage; Merck, 500mgs tds) in the ...

IntroductionCardiovascular complications are the main cause of increased mortality in Turner Syndrome (TS). We have previously described a high prevalence of occult aortic dysmorphology in women with TS. The aim of this study was to introduce a classification system for the variety of appearances seen by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).Method98 women (median age 29.0, range 18.1-64.2 years) underwent MRI scanning of the aorta. MRI appearances were correlated with ...