Endocrine Abstracts

Background: There is no effective medical treatment available for non-functioning pituitary neuroendocrine tumours (NF-PitNETs). Recurrence (7-12%) or incomplete resection (30-45%) is a common feature. Thus, finding novel medical therapies to help the management of these tumours would be of great value. By using high-throughput mass spectrometry combined with functional characterisation, we explored novel therapeutic targets for NF-PitNETs.<p class="abstex...

Background: Large series of patients elucidating the natural history of conservatively managed non-functioning pituitary macroadenomas (macroNFPAs) and relevant prognostic factors are not available.Objectives: Clarify long-term outcomes of macroNFPAs in large cohort of patients.Methods: Multi-centre [21 UK endocrine departments-UK NFPA consortium], retrospective, cohort study of ca...

The D2 dopamine receptor (D2R) is a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) known to have key roles in neurotransmission, hypothalamic-pituitary hormone release and glucose homeostasis. Thus, this receptor is a therapeutic target in schizophrenia, neurodegenerative disorders, endocrine tumours and even diabetes. As for many GPCRs, D2R can associate with itself as homodimers or heterodimers with distinct receptors. The balance between monomers, homodimers and heterodimers of D2R has ...

The onset of lactation after childbirth is a key determinant of successful breastfeeding. Copious milk secretion occurs by postpartum day 4 and is mediated by a decline in serum progesterone and high serum prolactin. However, the threshold prolactin concentration required is unclear. It is also unknown if changes in mammary prolactin sensitivity contribute to the initiation of lactation. To investigate this, we recruited 52 healthy pregnant women aged 26-42 years following inf...

One of the most prevalent clinical manifestations of acromegaly is arthropathy which persists despite adequate symptom and biochemical control, and contributes to impaired quality of life. Patients with acromegaly have high psychiatry morbidity and increased prevalence of depression and poor psychological wellbeing. In a large cohort we aim to determine the effects of joint disease and disease control on quality of life in acromegaly. Eighty-five patients (45 women; median age...

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor-interacting protein (AIP) is a highly expressed, evolutionary conserved little-known co-chaperone molecule that can bind to client proteins. Heterozygous loss-of-function mutations of AIP are associated with pituitary adenomas. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that AIP has important functions beyond the pituitary gland. Homozygous loss of AIP is lethal, with cardiac abnormalities seen in mice and failure-to-thrive seen in fruit flies and C.elegans. ...