Endocrine Abstracts

Glucocorticoids affect the growth and maturation of fetal organ systems, but overexposure to exogenous glucocorticoids retard fetal growth and may alter developmental process in sensitive tissues. On the other hand, fetal ovary is not characterized by definitive follicular structure, but the clusters of germinative cells are predominant. Germ cells may be in meiotic prophase or with sign of degeneration.The aim of this study was to determine whether pren...

Recent statistics indicate that prostate cancer (PC) is the most frequent cancer in men worldwide and is the leading cause of cancer death in men above 50 years of age. The Androgen receptor (AR), a member of the superfamily of nuclear hormone receptors, plays a well-established role in the development and progression of the disease. PC localized to the prostate is commonly treated with surgical removal of the gland and is often associated with a favorable outcome. However, me...

Infection by hepatitis B virus (HBV) accounts for 50~80% of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development worldwide, in which the HBV encoded X protein (HBx) plays critical role in the induction of carcinogenesis. Several studies have shown that thyroid hormone (TH) suppresses HCC development and protects hepatocytes from HBx induced damage, thus it is of interest to examine whether TH can protect hepatocytes from HBx-induced carcinogenesis. By treating HBx- transgenic mice with ...

Requirement for daily rhGH injections is a treatment burden that can compromise adherence and efficacy in patients with GHD. Somavaratan is a novel long-acting rhGH fusion protein in clinical development for pediatric and adult GHD. In a multicenter, randomized Phase 1b/2a study, somavaratan significantly improved height velocity (HV) and IGF-I in pre-pubertal children with GHD. Preliminary efficacy and safety in subjects who have completed 3 years of somavaratan treatment are...

Efficacy of rhGH for treatment of pediatric GH deficiency (PGHD) may depend on several variables at treatment initiation (age, body weight, height velocity (HV), IGF-I SDS, skeletal maturation, GHmax), but may be compromised by poor adherence to required daily injections. Somavaratan is a novel, long-acting rhGH fusion protein that demonstrated clinically meaningful improvements in HV and IGF-I concentration in PGHD patients. Over 200 pre-pubertal GHD subjects have enrolled in...

Gonadotropin levels in all Turner syndrome (TS) patients present a diphasic pattern: highest in early childhood, declining at 6–10 years of age, and then increasing again. Here, we have investigated whether karyotype or FSH&LH can be used as indicators of spontaneous puberty in TS. From a consecutive group of 139 TS girls treated at one clinical center (1996–2015) the clinical & biochemical data were finally analyzed in 110 TS patients (1268 visits). The stud...

Context: Prior studies of children with endogenous Cushing syndrome (CS) have identified cognitive decline despite reversal of brain atrophy after remission as well as residual impairment of quality of life measures. Although parental observations support personality changes with CS, significant psychopathology has not been described. We investigated the feasibility of using paediatric Patient-reported outcomes (PROMIS) using a computer interface to assess patient perception o...

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the hepatic manifestation of metabolic disease. 5β-reductase (AKR1D1) is highly expressed in human liver where it inactivates steroid hormones and catalyzes a fundamental step in bile acid synthesis. Steroid hormones, including glucocorticoids, as well as bile acids are established regulators of metabolic phenotype. We hypothesized that AKR1D1 plays a crucial regulatory role in hepatic metabolic homeostasis. Genetic manipulatio...

Introduction: Glucocorticoids (GC) are prescribed to 2–3% of the population of the UK and USA. Their use is associated with a significant side effect profile that includes the development of central obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. 5α-reductase (5αR) inhibitors (Finasteride and Dutasteride) are also commonly prescribed in the context of prostate disease, where they inhibit the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone. Additionally, they ...