Growth hormone is necessary for the p53-mediated, obesity-induced insulin resistance in male C57BL/6J x CBA mice.

Insulin resistance is a key marker of both obesity and GH excess. The purpose of the study was to assess the role of GH on p53-mediated insulin resistance of male mice with obesity due to a high-fat diet. C57BL/6J × CBA male mice fed on a high-fat diet (Obe) were studied; male mice fed a normal diet (Lean) or transgenic mice for bovine GH under the same genetic background (Acro) served as controls.

Cardiac extrinsic apoptotic pathway is silent in young but activated in elder mice overexpressing bovine GH: interplay with the intrinsic pathway.

Apoptosis may occur through the mitochondrial (intrinsic) pathway and activation of death receptors (extrinsic pathway). Young acromegalic mice have reduced cardiac apoptosis whereas elder animals have increased cardiac apoptosis. Multiple intrinsic apoptotic pathways have been shown to be modulated by GH and other stimuli in the heart of acromegalic mice.

Regulation of cardiac fatty acids metabolism in transgenic mice overexpressing bovine GH.

Cardiac energy metabolism depends mainly on fatty acid (FA) oxidation; however, regulation of FA metabolism in acromegalic (Acro) heart is unknown. The aim of the study was to evaluate cardiac expression of key proteins of FA metabolism in young and elder transgenic mice overexpressing bovine GH Acro. Expression of proteins regulating FA entry into the cells, their uptake by mitochondria and beta-oxidation were evaluated by western blot, while FA content by Fourier transform infrared microspectrometry.

Reduced colonic apoptosis in mice overexpressing bovine growth hormone occurs through changes in several kinase pathways.

Objective: Growth hormone (GH) has antiapoptotic effects in several cell lines, including human colonic adenocarcinoma cells. In addition, it has been reported that patients with acromegaly have reduced apoptosis in colonic mucosa. The aim of the study was to investigate colonic apoptosis and underlying molecular mechanisms in transgenic mice overexpressing bovine GH (Acro) aged 3 months (young) or 9 months (elder).

Changes in the expression of suppressor of cytokine signalling (SOCS) 2 in the colonic mucosa of acromegalic patients are associated with hyperplastic polyps.

Background: Acromegalic patients have increased prevalence of colonic polyps. Development of hyperplastic polyps was related to suppressor of cytokine signalling (SOCS) 2 haploinsufficiency in animal models of acromegaly.

Objective And Patients: To evaluate whether variations in SOCS2 expression in the colonic mucosa of acromegalic patients might be associated to hyperplastic polyps, patients with active acromegaly or disease in remission with or without hyperplastic polyps were studied; controls were non-acromegalic subjects age- and sex- matched with or without polyps.

Serum pituitary antibodies in normal pregnancy and in patients with postpartum thyroiditis: a nested case-control study.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate antipituitary antibody (APA) prevalence in a series of patients with postpartum thyroiditis (PPT) during pregnancy and in the postpartum.

Design: We conducted a nested case-control study on consecutive PPT and normal pregnant women at the Centre for Endocrine and Diabetes Sciences in Cardiff and at the Department of Endocrinology in Pisa.

Methods: We enrolled 30 women with PPT: 17 were hypothyroid (Hypo), 7 with hyperthyroidism (Hyper) and 6 with a transient hyperthyroidism followed by hypothyroidism (Biphasic).

Transgenic mice overexpressing growth hormone (GH) have reduced or increased cardiac apoptosis through activation of multiple GH-dependent or -independent cell death pathways.

GH has antiapoptotic effects in cardiac or noncardiac cell lines; however, increased apoptosis has been found in myocardial samples of patients with acromegaly. The aim of this study was to investigate cardiac apoptosis and underlying molecular mechanisms in transgenic mice overexpressing bovine GH [acromegalic mice (Acro)] aged 3 or 9 months. Cardiomyocyte apoptosis was evaluated by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase assay and annexin V; expression of pro- or antiapoptotic proteins was assessed by Western blot.

Cardiac expression of adenine nucleotide translocase-1 in transgenic mice overexpressing bovine GH.

Heart hypertrophy is a common finding of acromegaly, a syndrome due to GH excess. Impairment of adenine nucleotide translocase-1 (ANT-1) gene, the main mitochondrial ADP/ATP exchanger, leads to cardiac hypertrophy. The aim of the study was to evaluate cardiac expression and the functional role of ANT-1 in 1- to 12-month-old transgenic mice overexpressing bovine GH (acromegalic mice, Acro) and littermate controls (wild-type mice, Wt).

Abnormal expression of PPAR gamma isoforms in the subcutaneous adipose tissue of patients with Cushing's disease.

Background: Obesity is a clinical feature of patients with Cushing's disease. Peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor (PPAR)gamma is the master regulator of adipogenesis; however, the expression of PPARgamma isoforms in the subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) of patients with Cushing's disease is unknown.

Aim And Methods: The expression of PPARgamma1 and PPARgamma2 was evaluated by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunofluorescence (PPARgamma2 only) in SAT samples of 7 patients with untreated active Cushing's disease (Cushing(UNTR)), 8 with Cushing's disease in remission (Cushing(REM)) after pituitary adenomectomy, 15 normal lean subjects (Control(LEAN)), and 15 obese patients (Control(OBE)).

Apoptosis is reduced in the colonic mucosa of patients with acromegaly.

Background: Patients with acromegaly have an increased risk of developing colonic tumours; reduced apoptosis is considered a leading mechanism in tumorigenesis. GH and IGF-1 decrease apoptosis in several cell lines including human colonic adenocarcinoma, but it is unknown whether epithelial cells of colonic mucosa of patients with acromegaly have reduced apoptosis.

Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the degree of apoptosis in a cross-sectional study, in biopsy samples of colonic mucosa obtained from patients with acromegaly.

PPARgamma inhibits GH synthesis and secretion and increases apoptosis of pituitary GH-secreting adenomas.

Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate the expression and functional activity of Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) gamma in pituitary adenomas from 14 consecutive acromegalic patients and to establish its role in apoptosis.

Subjects And Methods: Fourteen consecutive acromegalic patients were enrolled in the study. Wistar-Furth rats were used for in vivo studies.

Growth hormone inhibits apoptosis in human colonic cancer cell lines: antagonistic effects of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-gamma ligands.

GH has antiapoptotic effects on several cells. However, the antiapoptotic mechanisms of GH on colonic mucosa cells are not completely understood. Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-gamma (PPARgamma) activation enhances apoptosis, and a link between GH and PPARgamma in the colonic epithelium of acromegalic patients has been suggested.

Changes in the expression of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma gene in the colonic polyps and colonic mucosa of acromegalic patients.

Acromegalic patients have an increased prevalence of colonic neoplasms and lower peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) levels, the latter acting as a tumor suppressor gene. In this study we evaluated the expression of PPARgamma in the biopsy samples of the polyps and outside polyps colonic mucosa from seven patients with active, untreated acromegaly, 11 with cured disease, and 15 controls. Serum GH and IGF-I levels were higher in patients with untreated acromegaly than in those with acromegaly in remission or controls (P = 0.