Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Obesity is strongly associated with insulin resistance (IR). IR at the molecular level may be defined as a diminished activation of PI3K/Akt signaling and its related molecules (IRS-1/Akt/AS160) as well as reduced glucose uptake. Subjects with obesity have elevated plasma levels of saturated fatty acids, such as palmitic acid (PA), which triggers insulin signaling disruption in vivo and in vitro. Oregano (Origanum vulgare L.) is a plant u...

Childhood obesity is a highly prevalent, chronic, and progressive disease. While lifestyle therapy is the cornerstone of obesity treatment, this intervention is usually ineffective for achieving clinically significant and durable BMI reduction. The limitations of lifestyle therapy stem from the fact that this intervention does not address the underlying pathophysiology of obesity. Anti-obesity pharmacotherapy, in contrast, directly addresses the pathophysiology, thereby enhanc...

A 53-year-old caucasian female presented with tremor, palpitations, sweating, breathlessness and chest discomfort. Examination revealed a non-tender, large diffuse goitre and TFT showed an elevated T4 and undetectable TSH. Thyroid antibodies were elevated; 115 IU/ml (NR <35) and thyroid ultrasound confirmed diffuse vascular goitre. Patient was diagnosed with thyrotoxicosis with a likely aetiology of Grave’s disease.Carbimazole was com...

Pregnancy is a puzzling phenomenon for researches as it defies the rules of immunology. The immune system of a pregnant woman is able to both tolerate the foreign while being alert to possible harm. It is now known that paternal antigens expressed by the fetus are not ignored but actively tolerated by the maternal immune system. Pregnancy hormones may have a pivotal role on the modulation of immune cell functions. We have described the important participation of the pregnancy ...

Cellular transplantation has enormous potential for treating a variety of degenerative or malignant conditions. While adult stem cells display limitations in expansion capacity and developmental potential, embryonic stem (ES) cells are an inexhaustable source of tissues for research and therapy. During the last decade, human ES cells have been isolated, and differentiated to several tissue-specific progenitors. In vitro differentiating ES cells recapitulate early steps ...

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Addison’s disease (AD), also known as primary adrenal insufficiency, is caused by destruction or dysfunction of the adrenal cortex, resulting in hypocortisolism. The usual clinical features of chronic AD are non-specific and include fatigue, nausea, vomiting and hyperpigmentation. We describe the case of a 58-year-old African black male with AD presenting with recurring severe hypoglycaemia. The patient was admitted several times to the emergency department with hypoglyca...

Pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP) is a rare group of genetic disorders characterised by end-organ resistance to parathyroid hormone (PTH). We describe the case of a 34-year-old Caucasian female with severe hypocalcaemia presenting with a first generalised seizure. Her medical history was significant for bilateral cataract. She had three healthy children, and no family history of note. On examination, she had positive Chvostek’s sign. Biochemical analysis showed serum calcium...

Background: Clinically non-functioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs) are among the most common pituitary lesions. Its management includes surgery, radiation or observation. The authors aim to compare clinical characteristics and outcomes between patients submitted to surgery or expectant observation (EO).Methods: Retrospective review of medical records from 1996 to 2016. In our centre, there is only 1 pituitary surgeon and NFPAs patients are referred to sur...