Endocrine Abstracts

Optimising postprandial glycaemia remains one of the most challenging aspects of diabetes management. The addition of fat and protein to a meal containing carbohydrate increases the post prandial glycaemic excursion but current meal insulin dose algorithms are generally based on the carbohydrate content of the meal and until recently have not included the influence of fat and protein on postprandial glucose excursions. Traditionally several factors are used to account for the effects o...

Obesity prevalence is increasing across the globe. This includes women of childbearing age with recent statistics reporting that over half of women are now either overweight or obese during pregnancy in the UK. This is accompanied by an increased prevalence of gestational diabetes with some reports suggesting that one in seven babies in the world are born from a diabetic pregnancy. This is a major concern as evidence from humans and animal models suggests that developing in ut...

ERCUSYN owned by ESE, was set up in 2007 with European funding for 3 years. Sustainability has been achieved by agreements with pharma, and generous support from funding partners and Lohmann and Birkner GmBH, who established and maintained the on-line registry and web (www.ercusyn.eu).On-line brochures for patients and physicians are available in different languages, as well as details on >50 participating centres ...

It is over twenty years since epidemiological studies revealed that there was a relationship between patterns of early growth and risk of conditions such as type 2 diabetes in later life. Studies of identical twins, individuals who were in utero during periods of famine and animal models have provided strong evidence that the early environment, including early nutrition, plays an important role in mediating these relationships. The concept of “early life programming”...

Cushing syndrome (CS) is associated with systemic complications, like central obesity, ‘moon’ face, limb atrophy, increased fat mass and reduced bone and lean body mass, excessive fatigue, purple striae, easy bruising and skin ulceration, hirsutism, hypogonadism and decreased libido. Morbidity like hypertension, insulin resistance and/or diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, prothrombotic state, vascular disease, atherosclerosis and increased cardiovascular risk, acquired...

‘Androgen replacement therapy’ is a term loosely used in the medical and lay literature, however in the context of this discussion it will be limited to the use of testosterone as a pharmacotherapy. Furthermore, whether the term ‘hypogonadal’ includes naturally menopausal women can also be considered contentious, as the postmenopausal ovary is an ongoing source of sex steroids and thus in the strictest terms such women are not necessarily hypogonadal. Indee...

Clinical biochemistry is a branch of laboratory medicine in which chemical and biochemical methods are used to detect changes in the composition of body fluids (e.g. blood) as a result of disease. The results of biochemical tests may be of use in screening for disease, diagnosis, monitoring treatment and assessing prognosis. This presentation will focus on the role of the clinical biochemist, who works as part of a team including chemical pathologists and biomedical scientists...

Strong evidence from studies in humans and animal models suggests that the nutritional environment to which a developing fetus is exposed impacts on long-term cardio-metabolic health. This concept has been termed nutritional programming. Although initial focus was on the detrimental consequences of fetal under-nutrition, the growing prevalence of obesity across the globe has focussed attention towards fetal over-nutrition. Obesity prevalence is increasing in all age groups, in...

Background: Prolactinomas are the most common functioning pituitary tumours, accounting for 40% of all pituitary adenomas. Prolactinomas may enlarge in pregnancy, the management of which may prove challenging. Case Presentation: A 23 year old lady was referred to the endocrine clinic with secondary amenorrhoea and bifrontal headaches in 2012. Biochemical tests on referral revealed: FT4- 5.8 pmol/l, TSH-1.1 mU/l, Prolactin-4432 mIU/l, LH- 4.8 IU/l, FSH- 4...

History: A 52-year-old woman was referred by her GP for colonoscopy in view of 7 months” history of unexplained weight loss of nearly 2.5 stones, constipation and recently detected normocytic anaemia. Her past medical history was unremarkable except for bronchial asthma that was managed with albuterol. However, on the day of the scheduled colonoscopy, she was noted to be hypotensive (BP- 63/38 mm Hg, heart rate 93 bpm) and was hence admitted for fluid resuscitation. Follo...