Endocrine Abstracts

Objective: Untreated overt hyperthyroidism is known to predispose the patient to cardiovascular diseases, while predisposition in subclinical hyperthyroidism has been debated. The1 cut-off point of TSH for initiating treatment in subclinical hyperthyroidism is still undefined.Method: A community-based prospective study including non-hospitalised participants, aged 51 to 91 years, living in Copenhagen, Denmark were examined between September 1998 and Janu...

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Background: Klinefelter’s syndrome (KS) is a genetic condition affecting men with the potential to severely reduce their testosterone levels and affect their physical appearance. Being a syndrome there are a variety of different symptoms which individuals may experience to a great or lesser extent. While much research has been directed at understanding the cognitive impact of KS much less research has been undertaken considering the psycho-social impact of living with the...

Background: Evidence from a Needs Analysis (2006) and Patient Satisfaction Survey (2008) for people with pituitary conditions, suggested infertility was a key yet unexpected problem for the majority of respondents. Being infertile without the co-morbidity of having a pituitary condition confers a huge emotional burden on the couple concerned. The aim of this study was to explore in detail the effects infertility imposed on people with a pituitary condition.<p class="abstex...

Integration of genetics and epigenetics has emerged as a powerful approach to study cellular differentiation and tumourigenesis. The study of DNA methylation is of particular importance in cancer as causal involvement has been demonstrated and it is the most stable of all epigenetic modifications, making it a desirable marker for both early detection and treatment of tumours. Hypermethylation of CpG sites in gene promoter regions leads to decreased gene expression, if such a g...

Introduction: Determining the radiation dose to both the kidneys and malignant lesions from therapeutic administrations of Y-90 DOTATOC is critical for optimal management of neuroendocrine cancer patients. Here, a new dosimetric approach uses PET/CT to quantify the absolute activity of Y-90 immediately after administration to calibrate subsequent tissue clearance monitored with bremsstrahlung SPECT. The dosimetric information is used to personalize subsequent Y-90 DOTATOC dose...

Progesterone receptors (PR) are long recognized to suppress estrogen receptor (ER) mediated transcription in breast cancers. However, a mechanistic basis for this repression has been lacking. Recent reports indicate this occurs, in part, through global repositioning of ER on chromatin in the presence of selective PR modulators (SPRMS), both agonists and antagonists [1, 2]. The goal of our studies was to further understand the mechanisms by which PR impacts estrogen-dependent g...

Introduction: The plasma cortisol response to the ACTH test is known to vary significantly by assays. An automated cortisol immunoassays with increased specificity due to the shift from polyclonal to MABs, and standardized against mass spectrometry was recently introduced, with an expected decrease in cortisol concentrations by 20%. Cut-offs used in clinical practice for patient evaluation will thus have to be adjusted. We aimed to assess the normal cortisol response to ACTH s...

Background: In women with autoimmune primary adrenal failure (AD) there is a high prevalence of autoimmune primary ovarian failure (POI). Whether the oophoritis is caused by an unknown ovary-specific autoantibodyor cross-autoimmunity with steroid hormone producing cells in the adrenal cortex is unknown. Autoimmune POI can also affect women without AD. Autoantibodies against steroidogenic enzymes are useful diagnostic markers in AD but are of uncertain value in idiopathic POI.<...

Introduction: Klinefelter’s Syndrome (KS) is a genetic condition affecting men with the potential to severely reduce testosterone levels and affect physical appearance. Being a syndrome there are a variety of different symptoms which individuals may experience to a great or lesser extent. With no screening programme in place, KS may not be detected until puberty, or until men have problems starting a family. As a result, many different healthcare professionals (HCPs) are ...