Endocrine Abstracts

It is recommended that all patients with PA who are suitable for surgery should undergo adrenal CT and AVS unless there is a large unilateral adenoma with a completely normal contralateral gland. We reviewed 100 patients diagnosed with PA. AVS was performed in 93. Different lateralisation criteria for AVS were assessed using ROC curve analysis to determine the optimal one for identifying an adenoma. We reviewed the outcomes of adrenalectomy evaluating which pre-operative chara...

Insulin-resistant diabetes is characterised by progressive pancreatic β-cell dysfunction. Elevated pancreatic islet activity of the intracellular glucocorticoid amplifying enzyme 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) was hypothesized to drive this process in genetically obese rodents. To determine the direct effects of elevated 11β-HSD1 on β-cell function in diabetes in vivo we created a transgenic model overexpressing 11β-HSD1...

Adrenal tumors have an incidence of 2–3% in the general population and the work-up of incidentally discovered adrenal masses represents a major burden to the health system. Differentiating adrenocortical adenoma (ACA) from adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) represents a continuous challenge, with unfavorable sensitivities and specificities provided by tumor size, imaging and even histology. Here, we aimed to develop a reliable screening tool for the detection of adrenal malig...

The multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) gene, which when mutated gives rise to parathyroid, pancreatic and pituitary tumours, has been shown to have a role in embryogenesis, as Men1-null mice (Men1−/−) are embryonic lethal by 12.5 days post coitum (dpc). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are emerging as potent regulators of early mammalian embryogenesis, and we therefore undertook expression profiling of miRNAs in Men1+/+ and M...

Selenocysteine insertion sequence-binding protein 2 (SECISBP2) mediates translational incorporation of selenocysteine into 25 known human selenoproteins, including iodothyronine deiodinases. Two unrelated male subjects, aged 36 years (P1) and 3.6 years (P2), exhibited markedly elevated free thyroxine (fT4), normal/low free triiodothyronine (fT3), but normal thyrotropin (TSH) levels, indicating reduced T4 to T3 conversion:<table b...

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) is characterised by the combined occurrence of pituitary, pancreatic and parathyroid tumours. The MEN1 gene encodes a 610-amino acid tumour suppressor, menin, and MEN1-associated tumours show loss of heterozygosity. This indicates that replacement of the wild-type MEN1 gene may inhibit tumourigenesis. We have previously demonstrated that a recombinant adenoviral vector could be safely injected directly into pituit...

Synovial fibroblasts (SFs) form a substantial component of inflamed rheumatoid synovium and generate endogenous glucocorticoids (GCs) during inflammation. Recently, production of DKK-1 (a Wnt signalling inhibitor that reduces bone formation) by SFs in response to TNFα has been proposed to be the master regulator of inflammatory osteoporosis. We have identified that in addition to TNFα, GCs potently induce DKK-1 secretion. This may provide a novel mechanism whereby lo...

In peripheral target tissues, levels of active glucocorticoid hormones are controlled by 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) which catalyses the reduction of cortisone to cortisol within the endoplasmic reticulum. For functional 11-ketoreductase activity, 11β-HSD1 requires the NADPH-generating enzyme hexose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (H6PDH). Loss of 11-ketoreductase activity results in increased cortisol clearance and activation of the HPA axis wi...