Endocrine Abstracts

In type 1 diabetes mellitus the insulin-secreting β-cells in pancreatic islets of Langerhans are selectively destroyed by autoimmune assault. Since diabetes is caused by the loss of a single cell type it is amenable to treatment by cell replacement therapy. Advances in islet transplantation procedures have demonstrated that people with type 1 diabetes can be cured by human islet transplantation, but the severely limited availability of donor islets has restricted the wide...

Background: There is no published guidance on when to request a pituitary MRI in hypogonadal men. The presence of low or low normal gonadotrophins is common in men with symptomatic testosterone deficiency and metabolic syndrome and/or type 2 diabetes. Our practise is to perform pituitary MRI scans in men with isolated hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism who have LH< 4 Iu/l.Method: One hundred and eighty-one patients that had a pituitary MRI scan between J...

Aim: Audit the management of patients with thyrotoxicosis in the thyroid clinic at a District General Hospital, focusing on treatment methods and long term follow up.Method: Prospective data collected from randomly selected 50 case notes and laboratory results over 4 months. Titration dose with Carbimazole or Propylthiouracil with close monitoring of thyroid function test is the treatment method followed.Results: Eighty-six percent...

We present the case of a 40-year-old female who was referred to our Department in 1993, for further management following the diagnosis of Cushing’s disease. She proceeded to a transsphenoidal adenenomatectomy (TSA) which resulted in a biochemical cure.In 1998 she presented with recurrence of Cushing’s Disease, which was managed by a 2nd TSA followed by external beam irradiation.Bilateral adrenalectomy followed a year late...

Acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) is an autosomal dominant disease due to deficient Porphobilinogen (PBG) deaminase activity. Hyponatremia, found in approximately 20% of symptomatic AIP, is often due to inappropriate ADH secretion (SIADH). An association between AIP and hyperthyroidism is not clearly established. We describe a patient with AIP and SIADH who presented with Graves’ hyperthyroidism. A 35-year-old lady was admitted with lower abdominal pain. Physical examina...

Male hypogonadism can occur either due to disorders at the hypothalamic or pituitary levels or as a result of primary testicular failure. Conventionally, testosterone is replaced by depot intramuscular injections of testoterone esters or as implants producing non-physiological levels of serum testosterone. Human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) given twice-weekly s.c., stimulates endogenous testosterone secretion through its LH like action resulting in physiological serum testost...

Testosterone (T) acts as a coronary vasodilator and reduces myocardial ischemia in men with coronary heart disease. We have previously demonstrated that T inhibits the pore forming alpha1c subunit of the cardiovascular L-type calcium channel in HEK293 cells. In this study we investigated the effects of T and 5β-dihydrotestosterone (5β-DHT) on extracellular calcium entry in A7r5 vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). A7r5 cells grown on coverslips in 12-well plates in ...

Background: This study was carried out to assess the vasodilatory effect of oestrogen in the human pulmonary circulation. The influence of gender upon the response to oestrogen was also assessed.Method: Isolated human pulmonary arteries were studied by wire myography. Vessels were obtained from male (n=6, age 70±9 years) and female (n=6, age 59±9 years) patients. The study was approved by the local ethics committee. Vessels were p...

Low endogenous testosterone is associated with atherosclerosis in elderly men. The aim of this study was to examine the role of the androgen receptor (AR) in the development of atherosclerosis and determine whether an inactive AR coupled with testosterone deficiency, inherent to the testicular feminised (Tfm) mouse, is associated with atherosclerosis following cholesterol feeding compared to surgically-castrated male littermates with AR intact.Ten-week-o...

We have previously shown that Tfm mice which have a non-functional androgen receptor (AR) and low endogenous levels of testosterone exhibit increased fatty streak formation within the aortic root. The aim of the present study was to administer varying degrees of testosterone to these animals in comparison to littermate controls to determine the role of the AR in the anti-atherogenic action of testosterone.Eight-week-old Tfm mice (n=24) and XY litt...