Administration of human leptin differentially affects parameters of cortisol secretion in socially housed female rhesus monkeys.

Chronic exposure to psychosocial stress may lead to a dysregulation of the limbic-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis that results in a number of adverse health outcomes. The fat-derived hormone leptin has been indicated as a potential key component to maintaining homeostasis by enhancing glucocorticoid negative feedback. Using an established model of nonhuman primate social stress, notably social subordination, this study examined the effects of continuous leptin administration on cortisol secretion in female rhesus monkeys.

The Trp64Arg polymorphism of the beta3-adrenergic receptor is not increased in women with preeclampsia.

Objective: Insulin resistance is greater and obesity is more common in women with preeclampsia. The Trp64Arg polymorphism in the beta(3)-adrenergic receptor is associated with these metabolic changes. This study investigated whether the Trp64Arg polymorphism is more common in women with preeclampsia.