Endocrine Abstracts

Objective: We have developed (123/131I)iodometomidate (IMTO) for specific adrenal imaging and radiotherapy of adrenocortical carcinoma. IMTO binds with high affinity and specificity to the two adrenocortical enzymes aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) and 11β-hydroxylase (CYP11B1). Metabolic analysis has revealed very rapid metabolization of IMTO both in vitro and in vivo by hepatic esterases. Due to the low metabolic stability of (123/131</su...

Introduction: LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) is usualy estimated using the Friedewald equation. This equation assumes a fixed factor of 5 for the ratio of triglycerides to very LPL cholesterol (TG:VLDL-C); however, the actual TG:VLDL-C ratio varies significantly across the range of triglyceride and cholesterol levels. A new method was proposed by Martin, S and co-workers using NHANES data. We aimed to evaluate the concordance Friedewald formula with the new method for LDL-C estimatio...

Background: We have recently introduced [123/131I]iodometomidate (IMTO) which selectively binds to the adrenocortical enzymes aldosterone synthase and 11ß-hydroxylase as SPECT tracer. IMTO has been proven to be useful for molecular adrenal imaging and radiotherapy in adrenal cancer (ACC). As IMTO is rapidly inactivated by endogenous esterases which may impair target tissue to background activity and therapeutic efficacy, >50 new IMTO derivatives have been d...

The European Journal of Endocrinology Prize is awarded to a candidate who has contributed significantly to the advancement of the knowledge in the field of endocrinology through publication. Further information on the prize can be found at http://www.ese-hormones.org/prizes/eje.aspx. This year’s recipient is Prof. Martin Fassnacht. The prize will be presented as part of the ECE 2014 opening ceremony where ...

Establishing failure of trans-sphenoidal surgery (TSS) to cure Cushing’s disease in the immediate post-operative period is essential for early surgical re-exploration. However, there is no consensus regarding the definition of apparent cure. We studied whether the dexamethasone-suppressed corticotrophin-releasing hormone test (LDDST-CRH test) immediately following TSS could accurately identify those with Cushing’s disease requiring further definitive treatment.<p...

I am committed to undergraduate and postgraduate education. As Endocrinology course lead, Imperial College Medical School, I have designed a course to consolidate key principles of Endocrine pathology and physiology. Clinical reasoning is a cornerstone of clinical practice and a key learning requirement in undergraduate medical education. I have focused on developing clinical reasoning skills throughout the Endocrinology course using interactive clinical cases. The students ha...

As a clinical trainee, you may be presented with teaching opportunities, but these are often opportunistic. Clinical training rarely provides sufficient flexibility to commit to developing substantial teaching roles. As you progress towards CCT and into a consultant post, you may be interested in developing a clinical teaching career but feel unclear about how to navigate this. Many skills that you h...

Refractory thyroid cancer is rare (4–5 cases/million population/year) and is responsible for most thyroid cancer related death. It includes patients with at least one tumor focus that does not concentrate radioiodine (RAI) or who progress within one year after RAI treatment despite uptake in all lesions.Treatment consists in levothyroxine to maintain a low TSH level and focal treatment modalities (surgery, EBRT, thermo-ablation). In case of multiple...

‘Clinicians who have never missed the diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome or have never been fooled by attempting to establish its cause should refer their patients with suspected hypercortisolism to someone who has.’ This quote, by Professor James Findling, an expert in Cushing’s syndrome, is a reminder of the difficulties in diagnosing Cushing’s syndrome. These difficulties in part reflect the increasing incidence of obesity, hypertension and type 2 diabetes....

Refractory thyroid cancer is rare (4–5 cases/million population/year) and is responsible for most thyroid cancer related death. It includes patients with at least one tumor focus that does not concentrate radioiodine (RAI) or who progress within one year after RAI treatment despite uptake in all lesions.Treatment consists in levothyroxine to maintain a low TSH level and focal treatment modalities (surgery, EBRT, thermo-ablation). In case of multiple...