Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Thyrotropin-secreting adenomas are a rare cause of hyperthyroidism. Preferred treatment is pituitary neurosurgery.Case report: A 35 year old lady was first noted to have abnormal thyroid function when presenting with an AV-nodal re-entry tachycardia in 2011. She had tremors, sweating and irritability. FT4 was 35 pmol/l (10-20 pmol/l) with a non-suppressed TSH level of 7.5 U/l (02–6 U/l). Previous meningococcal meninigitis ag...

INTRODUCTION: Hypertension with hypokalaemia suggests primaryaldosteronism, which is confirmed by high plasma aldosterone with low renin concentrations. CT and MRI scans frequently fail to detect small primary aldosteronomas, and may incorrectly identify ' incidentalomas', so adrenal vein sampling is needed.AIM: To review the clincal and biochemical results on 12 patients who had catheter sampling of adrenal and ivc aldosterone(A) and Cortisol (C)with calculation of Aldosteron...

A 64-year-old woman presented acutely with dry cough, difficulty in eating, diarrhoea and weight loss. Her past medical history included cervical carcinoma in situ treated with laser therapy. She was found to be hypercalcaemic, with a corrected calcium of 2.84 mmol/l. During admission, the calcium ranged between 2.8-3.87 mmol/l. The PTH ranged between 0.2-0.4 pmol/l (1.3-9.3 pmol/l). She had raised inflammatory markers and deranged liver function tests. On review, she...

Hypertension or elevated arterial blood pressure (BP) is the most common cause of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The arterial BP is regulated by renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), whereas dysfunctional RAAS may lead to development of hypertension and associated CVDs. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) secreted by parathyroid glands regulates RAAS by directly stimulating aldosterone synthesis in zona glomerulosa cells, which leads to development of hypertension. Conversely, R...

Diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM-2) is a disorder characterized by high blood glucose levels in the context of insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency. DM-2 is typically an outcome of combinations of hereditary elements of impaired insulin release and insulin resistance, and natural variables like obesity, overeating, absence of activity, aging and stress. A number of hormones, such as cortisol and growth (GH), have insulin-antagonistic effects. Cortisol is a predominan...

Diabetes mellitus type-II (DM-2) is a metabolic disorder characterized by high blood glucose levels due to insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency. DM-2 often leads to hypertension, a prolonged condition of elevated blood pressure (BP). Both hypertension and diabetes have a pathological role in causing cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). While renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) regulates arterial BP, any pathology in RAAS system may lead to hypertension and rel...

The hormonally active form of vitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25D) acting via the vitamin D receptor (VDR) is a potent transcriptional regulator, with effects on skeletal and extra-skeletal physiology. We have shown previously that skeletal responses to 1,25D also involve regulation of microRNAs (miRNAs); small non-coding RNAs with an emerging role in epigenetics. To assess the role of miRNAs in innate immune responses to 1,25D we utilised in v...

We present the case of a 32 year old woman presenting to her GP with right lower leg pain. This pain was worse at night, but responded to simple analgesia. She was initially diagnosed with arthritis but the leg pain worsened and became bilateral. She had no other significant past medical history with no history of fevers, trauma, fractures or dental problems. She had no relevant family, social or medication history.On examination, ...

The hormonally active form of vitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25D) acting via the vitamin D receptor (VDR) is a potent transcriptional regulator, with effects on skeletal and extra-skeletal physiology. We have shown previously that skeletal responses to 1,25D also involve regulation of microRNAs (miRNAs); small non-coding RNAs with an emerging role in epigenetics. To assess the role of miRNAs in innate immune responses to 1,25D we utilised in v...

We present the case of a 32 year old woman presenting to her GP with right lower leg pain. This pain was worse at night, but responded to simple analgesia. She was initially diagnosed with arthritis but the leg pain worsened and became bilateral. She had no other significant past medical history with no history of fevers, trauma, fractures or dental problems. She had no relevant family, social or medication history.On examination, ...