Endocrine Abstracts

Recent Endocrine Society guidelines advocate IGF-1, random GH and nadir GH after oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) for assessment in acromegaly. In our regional centre the 24 h GH profile has also been used partly because of changing IGF-1 assay methodology but also because of concerns that IGF-1 may not adequately reflect partial therapeutic success. We evaluated 58 GH profiles in 35 patients from April 2008 to November 2012 when both GH and IGF-1 assays remained unchanged. ...

QLS-H is a new, weighted QoL questionnaire developed for patients with hypopituitarism. We evaluated QLS-H data from UK patients in the HypoCCs International surveillance study, and compared results with a sample of the general UK population (n=1090).The QLS-H questionnaire was administered at baseline and at yearly intervals. Scores were corrected for age and gender differences, and expressed as Z-scores based on UK-specific reference ranges. Using this...

QLS-H is a new, weighted QoL questionnaire developed for patients with hypopituitarism. We evaluated QLS-H data from UK patients in the HypoCCs International surveillance study, and compared results with a sample of the general UK population (n=1090).The QLS-H questionnaire was administered at baseline and at yearly intervals. Scores were corrected for age and gender differences, and expressed as Z-scores based on UK-specific reference ranges. Using this...

Tumours caused by mutations in the SDH enzyme complex have a unique tumour metabolome due to a truncated citric acid cycle. The accumulation of the onco-metabolite succinate is believed to drive tumourigenesis. The aim was to investigate the role of MRI spectroscopy (H-MRS) to detect in vivo succinate elevations in suspected SDH deficient tumours including GIST, phaeochromocytoma/paraganglioma (PPGL) and pituitary adenomas (PA). Suitable patients were identified based...

H. gordonii is a supplement of natural origin indigenous to South Africa and known for its appetite suppressant properties. Owing to its acclaimed anorectic activity, the study was aimed to evaluate the effect of H. gordonii supplementation during short-term calorie restriction on appetite regulatory peptides and endocrine markers. Male albino rats were divided into three groups (n=12 in each) – control, calorie restricted (CR, 25% for 5 days), calorie r...

Insulin resistance and androgen excess are the cardinal features of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The severity of hyperandrogenism and metabolic dysfunction in PCOS are closely correlated but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Aldoketoreductase type 1C3 (AKR1C3) is an important source of adipose androgen generation (converting androstenedione to testosterone) and we have postulated that it may have a critical role linking androgen metabolism and meta...

Background: Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) and familial hypercalcaemic hypocalciuria (FHH) can both present with hypercalcaemia, but their management and prognosis are quite distinct. The 24 h urine calcium: creatinine clearance ratio (CCCR) is used to distinguish FHH from PHPT, where patients with FHH have a CCCR of <0.01. This study compares the use of a spot urine sample to measure CCCR with the gold-standard 24-h urine CCCR.Objective: To eval...

Aim: To define a basal Cortisol threshold that could potentially predict the outcome of short synacthen test (SST) and thus reduce the need for performing SST in patients with low clinical probability for adrenal insufficiency.Methods: We analysed SSTs done at our hospital in non-critically ill general medical and endocrine patients, who had abnormal 0900 h Cortisol levels (n=110, male-45, female-65) between January 2016 to March 2016. The SST w...

Background: Short Synacthen tests (SST) are inconvenient and expensive, especially since the cost of tetracosactide recently increased to over £45/ampule. Historic literature on the minimum 9 am cortisol required to avoid a SST ranges from 243 to 500 nmol/l and individual endocrinologist practice varies greatly.Methods: In an audit of all 182 SST’s from 1 year at our institution, either a previous 0900 h cortisol was recorded or the basal corti...

Triple A syndrome is is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterised by achalasia, alacrima, adrenocorticotropin-resistant adrenal insufficiency and a variable and progressive neurological phenotype. The AAAS gene encodes a 60kD WD-repeat nuclear pore protein named ALADIN (alacrima, achalasia, adrenal insufficiency neurologic disorder); its function and tissue distribution are unknown. In this study we performed in situ hybridization with 35S end-labelled AAAS mRNA oligon...