Endocrine Abstracts

Raised body mass index (BMI) is seen in 95% of PCOS patients, which is characterised by hyperandrogenaemia, both clinically and biochemically. Weight loss, using calorie restricted diets, have previously been successful in improving androgen profiles and also restoring fertility in obese PCOS patients. A CB1 cannabinoid receptor antagonist, rimonabant is effective in achieving weight loss in subjects with a BMI >27 kg/m.This study aimed to...

Background: The pregnancy-specific condition pre-eclampsia (PE) affects ~2% of women contributing to neonatal and maternal morbidity and has been linked with a deficiency in selenium. The iodothyronine deiodinases all contain selenium and play crucial roles in determining the circulating and intracellular levels of the active thyroid hormone. It is hypothesised that due to the role of deiodinases in extrathyroidal production of T3, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) will be inc...

Background: Stereotactic radiotherapy techniques have been recently employed in the control of skull base tumours, such as pituitary edenomas, craniopharyngiomas and meningiomas.Purpose: To assess the long-term endocrinological effect of fractionated stereotactic conformal radiotherapy (SCRT) in patients with residual and recurrent sellar and parasellar tumours treated at Royal Marsden Hospital.Patients and methods: 245 patients (m...

Background: The rare 46, XX-male syndrome has to be distinguished from more frequent forms of hypogonadism, especially the Klinefelter syndrome (47, XXY). We report 11 cases of SRY-positive XX-males in comparison to 101 age-matched Klinefelter patients and 78 age-matched normal men in a case-control study.Methods: The comparison included results from the physical examination, endocrinological data, semen analysis, cytogenetic and molecular genetic findin...

Constitutive neurogenesis in the adult mammalian brain (sub-ventricular zone, SVZ and dentate gyrus) implies the capacity for self-repair following brain injury. However, brain injury is usually permanently debilitating as neuronal self-repair responses are not sustained and resident neural stem cells (NSC) do not repopulate damaged tissue. Identification of NSC differentiating factors transiently activated post-injury will be key to enhancing NSC mobilisation and differentiat...

Kisspeptins, peptide products of the KiSS-1 gene, are pleiotropic hormones best recognized as novel regulators of puberty onset and the reproductive system. Thus, the hypothalamus expresses both KiSS-1 and its receptor, GPR54. Hypothalamic KiSS-1 is attenuated by food restriction (72 h fast),and this provides a plausible link between negative energy balance and the disruption of reproductive function. Hypothalamic KiSS-1 mRNA levels are also reduced...

Critical clinical changes of pulmonary function and weight occur in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) antecedent to the development of frank Diabetes Mellitus (DM). Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) signifies diminished Insulin secretion and increased peripheral insulin resistance, correlating with worse clinical status, under nutrition and impaired pulmonary function. Insulin therapy has been associated with improvement in anthropometric data and an arrest in decline in force...

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT) in patients with cystic fibrosis(CF) signifies a six fold rise in mortality and is associated with declining pulmonary function. The pathophysiology is multifactorial but largely due to Insulinopenia which is due to global islet cell fibrosis and accompanied by loss of islet alpha cells. Insulin treatment improves weight, the bacterial milieu, and lung function but is associated with hypoglycaemia. These patients may ...

Background: Recent data suggest a direct impact of ghrelin and leptin on the immune system. Ghrelin appears to antagonize these effects. The role of ghrelin and leptin in the context of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AV) has not been reported.Methods: Fasting serum ghrelin, free and bound leptin levels were measured in 44 patients with active AV and 25 in matched healthy controls. Follow-up under immunosuppressive therapy was available in 25 patients (1, 3,...

Purpose: Neuroendocrine dysfunction represents a frequent consequence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) but has not been studied longitudinally as yet. Here we attempt to identify predictors of late endocrine insufficiency following TBI.Methods: 71 consecutive patients (age 18 – 87 yrs) with TBI assessed by an intial CT and the Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) were prospectively studied as to their pituitary function on day 0, 3 and 7 and dynamically 24–...