Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Pituitary hormones play a vital role in the development of various organs since birth. Testosterone is essential not only for the development of primary and secondary sexual characteristics but also influences erythropoiesis. We describe a clinically challenging case of hypopituitarism presented as normochromic normocytic anaemia at the age of 74 years.Case: A 74 years gentleman with a background of previous Myocardial Infarction was referr...

Current therapeutics target cGMP in treating erectile dysfunction and other cardiovascular disorders. In the endocrine system, cGMP mediates the vast majority of biological effects of the natriuretic peptides (ANP, BNP and CNP) acting via their specific guanylyl cyclases receptors (GC-A and GC-B). There are severe endocrine consequences for mice and humans exhibiting mutations to GC-B receptors, including achondroplasia, growth hormone deficiency and female infertility. Despit...

PTHrP is an important factor for the regulation of calcium homeostasis around delivery. The aim of this study was to longitudinally analyse PTHrP metabolism and influencing factors looking at mothers and their breastfed newborns from 32 weeks of pregnancy until 8 weeks after delivery. Nineteen families (8 Caucasian, 11 Arabic/Asian) participated in the study. We analysed PTHrP, 25 OH vitamin D, parathyroid hormone (PTH), alkaline phosphatase, albumin; serum and urine calcium, ...

The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in at-risk groups is rising even in sunny countries. Aim of this study was to compare vitamin D status and effect of vitamin D supplementation of moderate risk (mildly pigmented, WHO skin type 2) breastfed newborns from sunny and temperate climate zones. Newborns in Perth (30°S, group 1:5 male, 6 female) did not receive any vitamin D supplementation, newborns in Berlin (52.5°N, 17 male, 23 female) were randomised into n=2...

Renal impairment and electrolyte disorders in hypothyroidism are frequently subtle and rarely observed in clinical practice. Case reports have noted the association but it is rarely found in textbooks. We describe a case of new onset renal dysfunction secondary to hypothyroidism. A 54-year-old male was referred to renal clinic with new renal failure. He described a 3 weeks history of sudden onset peri-orbital, facial and generalised leg swelling and associated muscle ache and ...

In addition to their documented impact on the cardiovascular system, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have also been shown to modulate steroidogenesis. However, the mechanistic nature of PUFA action on steroid synthesis remains unknown. PUFAs are recognised modulators of cholesterol trafficking. Liver X receptor (LXR) is a known cholesterol sensor that regulates a range of genes involved in cholesterol metabolism including Steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) which...

Ovarian hyperthecosis is a rare cause of androgenic alopecia in postmenopausal women. The physiological levels of androgens, secreted by ovarian stromal cells, are greatly increased with hyperplastic or neoplastic transformation leading to possible clinical consequences.We report a case of a 56-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes presenting with hirsuitism and a history of male pattern hair loss over a two year period. Biochemistry showed elevated levels...

We describe our patient, a 50 year old lady who developed Addisons disease 10 years ago with typical signs and symptoms of weight loss, hyperpigmentation, tiredness and postural hypotension. She is under follow up at our clinic for last 4 years. Her identical twin was diagnosed with Addisons disease and hypothyroidism at age 27 and with Coeliac disease when she was 43. Both of them are positive for anti-adrenal and TPO antibodies.Our patient developed le...

We present the case of a Caucasian girl who in 1991 at the age of 4 started virilising and was diagnosed to have 21-hydroxylase deficiency. She started her periods at 10 and has been under regular follow up. In 2004 she underwent vaginoplasty and clitoral reduction and made good recovery. She has been stable on hydrocortisone 10 mg in the morning, 12.5 mg in the evening and fludrocortisone 50 mcg once daily (Testosterone<0.7 mmol/l (0.5–3.0), 17-hydroxy progesterone=1...

TSH receptor (TSHR) expression increases >100-fold during adipogenesis and signals via CREB. Since CREB activation has been reported to be ‘necessary and sufficient to induce adipogenesis’, we investigated whether TSHR activation, a feature of most thyroid dysfunction, has a role in adipocyte biology and evaluated the contribution of Gsα and Gβγ signalling.Retroviral vectors for WT or constitutively active mutant TSHR* or ...