Endocrine Abstracts

Measurement of plasma cortisol by immunoassay after ACTH1–24 stimulation is used to assess the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) has greater specificity and equilibrium dialysis allows measurement of free plasma cortisol. We investigated whether measuring cortisol by LC–MS/MS improves the sensitivity of ACTH1–24 stimulation testing in pituitary patients. ...

High dose glucocorticoids reduce hepatic and peripheral insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion. However, the metabolic consequences of typical therapeutic glucocorticoid doses (e.g. prednisolone <10 mg/day) are poorly characterised. The aim was to determine the acute effect of low dose prednisolone on carbohydrate metabolism and then assess whether subjects taking chronic prednisolone had increased adiposity that amplified carbohydrate metabolism perturbations.<p cl...