Endocrine Abstracts

FH, a 36-year-old female of Afghan origin, resident in the UK for 4 years, was referred to the medical services by her obstetrician 9 days postpartum with symptomatic hypocalcaemia. Biochemical investigations confirmed a low corrected calcium (1.43 mmol/l, 2.1–2.6 mmol/l), elevated phosphate (1.76, 0.8–1.45 mmol/l) and alkaline phosphatase (156, 30–130 U/l). Twenty-five hydroxy vitamin D was 16 nmol/l (15–100) with elevated PTH (21.76 pmol/l, 1.05–6.83...

The propensity for prolactin (PRL) to form high molecular mass complexes in serum is well described. Macroprolactin (mPRL), a PRL-immunoglobulin complex (>100 kDa), is the predominant form of PRL in up to 20% of patients with hyperprolactinaemia. Big PRL (bPRL, 40–50 kDa) is a ubiquitous, minor component of serum PRL rarely the major immunoreactive form, the nature of which is unclear. Using gel filtration chromatography (GFC) we have investigated the relative abundan...