Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Incidence of non-functioning pituitary macroadenoma (NFPMA) is very rare in pregnancy. We describe a case of complicated non-functioning pituitary macroadenoma presented during pregnancy. 26 year old female at 21 weeks gestation presented to emergency services with worsening headaches, nausea and vomiting for 2-3 months. This was associated with transient double vision and confusion since 2 days. She was admitted to emergency department 3 weeks ago with vomiting an...

Background: Diabetes Insipidus (DI) is uncommon during pregnancy. It may predate pregnancy, be unmasked by pregnancy or arise de novo during pregnancy secondary to other pathology. We present a case of DI in pregnancy to highlight challenges in management.Case Report: A 27-year-old lady at 21 weeks’ gestation, presented to A&E with worsening headache and confusion for three to five months. She was hemodynamically stable, had bitemporal hemianopi...

Hypoparathyridsm and pseudohypoparathyroidsm are the common causes of pathological calcification in the brain though 0.3–1.5% cases are physiological. The clinical presentation of hypoparathyroidsm can vary with the calcium levels and chronicity of hypocalcaemia. We describe a 39-year-old female who had type one diabetes for the last 23 years. She was repeatedly hospitalised with collapse episodes thought to be hypoglycaemic though never proved. She also had primary hypop...

Somatostatin analogues (SSAs) are regularly used in the treatment of neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) to control the symptoms of hormonal hypersecretion. Evidence shows that SSAs can reduce tumour progression, and are therefore also being used in patients with non-functioning tumours. As many NETs present with advanced disease curative therapy is often not possible; therefore, assessing the impact of therapy on quality of life (QoL) is vital to patient management. This is particu...

Severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR) leads to a reduction in cardiac output and an increase in the central venous pressure, resulting in secondary organ dysfunction. Surgery for severe TR is a high-risk procedure, particularly in the presence of uncontrolled carcinoid syndrome (CS) symptoms. Replacement of leaking tricuspid valves can lead to reduction in tumour markers and improvement in carcinoid symptoms. Transcatheter valve implantation into the vena cava may be an alternat...

Introduction: Neuroendocrine tumours of the gastrointestinal tract often cause carcinoid syndrome and in advance cases carcinoid heart disease. These tumours secrete serotonin, which can bind to heart valves and cause fibrosis and eventually valve incompetence. Most cases involve the tricuspid valve +/− pulmonary valve. Medical management comprises diuretics for fluid overload and somatostatin analogues to reduce circulating serotonin. Definitive treatment is heart-valve...

Objectives: Somatostatin (SST) inhibits insulin secretion from pancreatic B-cells through a reduction of intracellular free calcium ([Ca2+]i). The influx of Ca2+ is mediated by voltage-operated Ca2+ channels (VOCCs). The role of VOCCs of the R-type (CaV2.3) in SST-mediated processes is unknown. Therefore, we designed a study to identify SST-receptor subtypes (SSTR) in insulinoma cells (INS-1) and characterize the role of t...

Objectives: Somatostatin (SST) inhibits glucagon and insulin secretion. Five receptor subtypes for SST are known (SSTR1-SSTR5), all of which are expressed in the endocrine pancreas. SSTR2 inhibits glucagon secretion in vitro, however its role in vivo is not well understood. Here, we characterize the role of SSTR2 in regulating glucose homeostasis in mice with diet-induced obesity.Methods: SSTR2-deficient (SSTR2−/−) and control mice...

Background: The global incidence of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs) has witnessed a steady rise in the past three decades. Unfortunately, the survival rates remain low primarily due to late-stage diagnoses and a lack of specific and sensitive diagnostic markers. Therefore, there is an urgent need for improved and efficient early diagnostic biomarkers. Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) have gained significant attention in the field of tumor growth and cancer metast...

Introduction: Appendiceal NENs are usually diagnosed incidentally on histology following an appendicectomy. They include carcinoid tumours (appendiceal neuroendocrine tumours, NETs) and GCC. GCC neoplasms are able to transform to an adenocarcinoma phenotype. There are several important criteria to review when deciding on the treatment and follow up for appendiceal NENs, in particular when to offer further surgery to patients.Aim: To assess whether the ma...