Cardiac function and coronary plaque development following masculinizing gender-affirming hormone therapy: A prospective cohort study.

Introduction: Myocardial dysfunction and the presence of calcified and non-calcified coronary plaques are predictors of cardiovascular disease. Masculinizing gender-affirming hormone therapy may increase cardiovascular risk, highlighting the need for prospective studies to evaluate cardiovascular outcomes during gender-affirming hormone therapy.

Objectives: To evaluate changes in cardiac morphology, systolic and diastolic function, and development of coronary plaques after masculinizing gender-affirming hormone therapy.

Growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor I axis in health and disease states: an update on the role of intra-portal insulin.

Growth hormone (GH) is the key regulator of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) generation in healthy states. However, portal insulin delivery is also an essential co-player in the regulation of the GH/IGF-I axis by affecting and regulating hepatic GH receptor synthesis, and subsequently altering hepatic GH sensitivity and IGF-I generation. Disease states of GH excess (e.

The pro-atherogenic enzyme PAPP-A is active in eluates from human carotid and femoral atherosclerotic plaques.

Background: Pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) regulates bioavailability of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) in various tissues by proteolytic cleavage of a subset of IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs). Pre-clinical studies have established a role of PAPP-A in atherosclerosis and proposed that targeting the proteolytic activity of PAPP-A has therapeutic value.This study aimed to investigate whether human atherosclerotic plaques contain proteolytically active PAPP-A, a prerequisite for further considering PAPP-A as a therapeutic target in patients.

The IGF-PAPP-A-Stanniocalcin Axis in Serum and Ascites Associates with Prognosis in Patients with Ovarian Cancer.

Pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) and PAPP-A2 modulate insulin-like growth factor (IGF) action and are inhibited by the stanniocalcins (STC1 and STC2). We previously demonstrated increased PAPP-A and IGF activity in ascites from women with ovarian carcinomas. In this prospective, longitudinal study of 107 women with ovarian cancer and ascites accumulation, we determined corresponding serum and ascites levels of IGF-1, IGF-2, PAPP-A, PAPP-A2, STC1, and STC2 and assessed their relationship with mortality.

Associations between insulin-like growth factor binding protein-2 and insulin sensitivity, metformin, and mortality in persons with T2D.

Aims: Serum insulin-like growth factor binding protein-2 (IGFBP-2) is low in persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) and possibly regulated by metformin. Counter-intuitively, high IGFBP-2 associates with mortality. We investigated the association between IGFBP-2, metformin-treatment, and indices of insulin sensitivity, and assessed IGFBP-2 in relation to prior comorbidity and mortality during five-year follow-up.