Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Urinary concentrations of the major progesterone metabolite pregnanediol glucuronide (P3G) are used clinically and in research to monitor ovulation. This ELISA is laborious and costly. If it could be replaced by the automated sensitive chemiluminescence assays routinely used for serum this would be of great value.Objective: We aimed to determine the validity of urine progesterone as measured by two widely used automated assays in comparison t...

Obesity in pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of complications for mother and child. Epigenetic modifications have been proposed as an important underlying mechanism. As the placenta plays a key role in fetal nutrition and metabolism we hypothesized there would be placental DNA methylation differences between lean and obese placenta. DNA methylation array (Human Methylation 450K) was performed on placentas from n=31 obese (BMI&...

Background: Urinary concentrations of the major progesterone metabolite pregnanediol glucuronide (P3G) are used clinically and in research to monitor ovulation. This ELISA is laborious and costly. If it could be replaced by the automated sensitive chemiluminescence assays routinely used for serum this would be of great value.Objective: We aimed to determine the validity of urine progesterone as measured by two widely used automated assays in comparison t...

Background: Patients with adrenal incidentaloma (AI) and cortisol levels of 50-138 nmol/l on overnight dexamethasone suppression tests (ONDST) may have “mild autonomous cortisol secretion” (MACS). MACS is associated with increased morbidity, including osteoporosis, but this is infrequently systematically evaluated. We compared fracture risk and fracture prevalence in patients with AI, both with and without MACS.Methods: Data were collected retr...

Background: Hypercalcaemia is common in renal transplant recipients, the majority of whom have PTH-dependent hypercalcaemia due to tertiary hyperparathyroidism. PTH-independent hypercalcaemia is less common and is associated with significant, treatable underlying pathologies. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence and aetiology of PTH-independent hypercalcaemia in post-renal transplant patients.Method: This was a retrospective, single-centre ...

Background: Adrenal incidentalomas are common and require investigation to exclude malignancy and evidence of hormone overproduction. Prospective screening programmes are essential for early detection of cancer but often lead to incidental findings which have potential health economic implications and may increase patient anxiety. With regards to investigation of incidental adrenal nodules, current national lung cancer screening recommendations are not in keeping with current ...

A 58 year old female, with a 15 year history of hypertension and recent poor control, was admitted to the emergency department after an out of hospital cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation requiring DC cardioversion. Initial investigations showed a metabolic alkalosis with profound hypokalaemia at 1.7 mmol/l. In view of lateral ST depression on the ECG post-resuscitation, she underwent an urgent coronary angiogram which demonstrated unobstructed coronary arteries. Wh...

Background: GLP-1/glucagon dual agonists are being developed as treatments for obesity due to their combined effect of reducing food intake while increase energy expenditure. Though the effect of the dual agonist on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism is well studied, little is known about the effects on protein metabolism. This study aimed to examine the acute and chronic effects of the GLP-1/glucagon dual agonist on amino acid metabolism.Methods: The lon...

Background: Thyroid disease in pregnancy can have a profound impact on both mother and fetus. Guidelines on diagnosis and management are lacking in the UK and there is significant variation between European and US guidelines. This survey aimed to gather data on current management by endocrinologists in Scotland.Methods: An online survey was created using Google Forms and emailed to endocrinology trainees and consultants in Scotland (April 2019). The surv...

Introduction: Prader–Willi Syndrome (PWS) is a rare genetic disorder due to loss of paternally inherited genes on chromosome 15q11-13. It is characterised by neonatal hypotonia, childhood hyperphagia and obesity, hypogonadism, cognitive and behavioural disabilities, and development of scoliosis. PWS multidisciplinary (MDT) clinics were introduced from 2004 at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, a tertiary paediatric centre. This enabled centralised coordination of growth...