Bile salt biotransformations by human intestinal bacteria.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the commonest endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age. The classical symptoms are those of hyperandrogenism (hirsutism, persistant acne, androgen dependent alopecia) together with symptoms of anovulation (infertility, amenorrhoea, irregular dysfunctional uterine bleeding).1In the last 10 to 15 years, the use of high resolution pelvic ultrasonography has greatly facilitated identification of polycystic ovaries in women with hirsutism or menstrual disturbance. It is now clear that the range of presenting symptoms of women with polycystic ovaries includes not only non-hirsute women with oligomenorrhoea or amenorrhoea but also hirsute subjects with regular, ovulatory cycles. PCOS occurs in nearly 75% of cases of anovulatory infertility and over 80% of subjects with hirsutism.1 The typical biochemical features of PCOS include hyperandrogenaemia and an increase of serum luteinising hormone (LH) (with normal follicle stimulating hormone) but PCOS is also associated with a characteristic metabolic syndrome that includes hyperinsulinaemia, insulin resistance, and dyslipidaemia.1-4 These features are linked to a significantly increased risk of type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes in later life and women with PCOS may also have a greater chance of developing premature cardiovascular disease.3 5 6 

The presence of polycystic ovaries is necessary for the development of the syndrome but not all women with polycystic ovaries have PCOS. The typical …

Polycystic ovary syndrome.

Various tumours, classically specified as either neuroendocrine or non-neuroendocrine, contain high numbers of somatostatin receptors, which enable in vivo localization of the primary tumour and its metastases by scintigraphy with the radiolabelled somatostatin analogue octreotide. In addition granulomas and autoimmune processes can be visualized because of local accumulation of somatostatin receptor-positive activated mononuclear leucocytes. In many instances a positive scintigram predicts a favourable response to treatment with octreotide. It is tempting to speculate that octreotide labelled with an appropriate radionuclide might be used in cancer therapy. The successful application of radiolabelled octreotide in scintigraphy indicates the possible usefulness of other radiolabelled peptides, either native peptides or derivatives of these, in, for example, nuclear oncology. The small size of these peptides, e.g. bombesin and substance P, is of the utmost importance for a relatively fast blood clearance, thus leading to low background radioactivity. In this way peptides are powerful alternatives to (fragments of) monoclonal antibodies, the application of which to scintigraphic localization of specific cell surface antigen-bearing tumours is plagued by slow blood clearance and, hence, high background levels.

/pdf/somatostatin-receptor-scintigraphy-with-111in-dtpa-d-phe1-4zjyz1r6jz.pdf

Somatostatin receptor scintigraphy with [111In-DTPA-d-Phe1]- and [123I-Tyr3]-octreotide: the Rotterdam experience with more than 1000 patients

https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(14)61375-1.pdf

Cushing's syndrome

I. Introduction IN THE adult ovary, folliculogenesis starts when follicles leave the pool of resting follicles (RF) to enter the growth phase. From there, the early growing follicle undergoes a developmental process including a dramatic course of cellular proliferation and differentiation. In primates, only one follicle commonly reaches the preovulatory stage every cycle; most follicles fail to complete this maturation scheme, dying in the process termed atresia. In recent years, a picture has emerged depicting the classic endocrine control of ovarian function by LH and FSH, entangled in a maze of regulatory systems hinging on cell-cell interactions between follicular cells, via action of a variety of molecules (1–3). Different types of cell-cell interactions have been described. In paracrine regulations, a molecule synthesized by one cellular type is released into the interstitial milieu to act directly on another cellular type. In autocrine regulations, molecules synthesized by one cellular type are rel...

/pdf/regulation-of-ovarian-follicular-development-in-primates-4srrm0fi7f.pdf

Regulation of ovarian follicular development in primates: facts and hypotheses.

The opening speech was delivered by Dr. Marjan Senjur, Slovenian Minister of Economic Relations and Development, who warmly welcomed speakers, panellists and delegates to the Colloquium and indeed to Slovenia. Dr. Senjur highlighted development and reform in Slovenia, pointing to five main areas in which Slovenia is “building its future”. These were the establishment of political freedom, economic freedom, economic development, economic stability, and both internal and national security. Slovenia is working towards all simultaneously, a difficult task given the inevitable trade-off decisions that the government must make. Dr. Senjur hoped that both he and his country would be enlightened by discussions at the Colloquium. The welcoming remarks by the Deputy Secretary General of NATO, mbassador Sergio Balanzino, were read out by the Colloquium Chairman. Ambassador Balanzino described the annual NATO Economics Colloquium as “an integral part of our cooperation activities” and went on to define NATO’s new strategic concept which features a broader definition of security encompassing political, economic, social and environmental elements, as well of course as defence. Economic policy and security are two sides of the same coin. Without effective economic policy, security will suffer. Without a sound security environment, investment and growth will suffer.

Chairman’s Summary

The description of a patient with the irritable bowel syndrome whose symptoms were completely relieved by the administration of somatostatin raised the possibility that a deficiency of somatostatin may be involved in the pathogenesis of the disorder. We have examined this possibility by studying 11 healthy controls (35 +/- 12 years; mean +/- S.D. 8 female) and 10 irritable bowel syndrome patients (39 +/- 14 years; 7 female) complaining of frequency of defaecation of 4 or more times a day. Plasma somatostatin concentrations were determined by specific radioimmunoassay, fasting and at 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120 and 180 min after a standard breakfast. Irritable bowel syndrome patients and controls had similar fasting (27.4 +/- 5.1 vs. 35.2 +/- 4.3 pg/ml; mean +/- S.E.M. and integrated increment of post-prandial (5105 +/- 858 vs. 3885 +/- 793 pg.min/L) plasma concentrations of somatostatin, as assessed by student's t-test. These observations do not support the idea that a state of somatostatin deficiency exists in the irritable bowel syndrome.

J. A. H. Wass

Papers

Chairman’s Summary

Short report: plasma somatostatin concentrations in the irritable bowel syndrome.

Hypothalamic-pituitary effects of cimetidine

The effect of a prostaglandin (PG) agonist and antagonist on postprandial plasma somatostatin and gastrin in man

The pharmacology of post prandial somatostatin release in man