Endocrine Abstracts

Abstract unavailable...

Long-acting somatostatin analogues normalize serum IGF-I levels in about 65% of acromegalic patients. Somatostatin analogs reduce GH secretion but also induce GH resistance of the liver because of low portal insulin levels; i.e. patients have a relative high GH level and a GH resistance of the liver which results in a relative low IGF-I action because of high IGFBP1 levels, but the other tissues still have normal GH sensitivity. One might predict that long-term follow-up of tr...

Central dopamine and oxytocin have been shown in many studies to facilitate aspects of male sexual function. However, it is poorly understood how these two neuromodulators interact to mediate sexual behaviour or which receptors are involved. Much evidence has recently implicated a role for the dopamine D2 receptor in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and supraoptic nucleus (SON) in regulating aspects of male sexual behaviour. Using Sprague-Dawley male rats (225–250 g), we...

Apparent Mineralocorticoid Excess (AME) resulting from liquorice ingestion is rare. Liquorice is still popular, however, and must be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with hypertension and hypokalaemia.A 62 year-old woman presented with refractory hypertension (blood pressure 200/118 mmHg) and hypokalaemic alkalosis (serum K 2.98 millimoles per litre; bicarbonate 30 millimoles per litre). There was no sign of Cushing's Syndr...

Brown tumours (osteitis fibrosa cystica) are the classic bone disease of hyperparathyroidism. Parathyroid carcinoma is an uncommon cause of PTH dependent hypercalcaemia. We present the case of a 63-year-old man who presented to the ENT department with persistent right-sided nasal obstruction and nasal swelling. He was otherwise asymptomatic. He had a long history of nasal polyps, which had recently been resected. Brown’s tumour of the maxilla was demonstrated on nasal bio...

Thyroid cancer is rarely seen in the hyperthyroid patient.We present the case of a 59 year-old lady who presented with marked weight loss of more than 30 kg in less than 6 months, lethargy, palpitations and sweats. Clinically she was obese and thyrotoxic with sweaty palms and a tachycardia. No goitre or neck masses were detected. Thyroid function tests confirmed thyrotoxicosis with free T4 89.1 pmol/l (Normal range 9.8–23.1), free T3 20.2 pmol/l (No...

Introduction: Thyroid eye disease affects an estimated 400,000 people in the UK and for a sizeable minority this is an extremely unpleasant condition. Radioactive iodine treatment with I131 for thyrotoxicosis can cause sight-threatening flare-up of dysthyroid eye disease. Patients with dysthyroid eye signs should undergo specialist ophthalmology assessment prior to administration of I131.Case history: A 56 year old gentleman presented with symptoms of th...

Hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis responses to stress are attenuated perinatally in mother rodents. We have now investigated the peripheral sympathetic and adrenal medulla responses to stress in pregnancy by measuring noradrenaline and adrenaline secretion after stress. Virgin and pregnant rats were blood sampled before and after exposure to airpuff startle stress in their home cages, and samples analysed for adrenaline, noradrenaline and ACTH concentration by RIA. Airp...

Thyroid hormones stimulate bone formation and linear growth in children. Paradoxically, childhood thyrotoxicosis causes short stature and craniosynostosis due to early closure of the growth plates and skull sutures. In adults, however, thyroid hormone excess increases bone turnover and results in progressive bone loss and osteoporosis. Activating mutations of fibroblast growth factor receptor-3 (FGFR3) cause achondroplastic dwarfism and we have shown that T3 augments FGFR sign...

Background: Many Endocrinologists believe that preoperative localisation/lateralization in patients undergoing initial neck exploration for primary hyperparathyroidism is unimportant because of high cure rate in the hands of experienced surgeons. Tcm-MIBI imaging has a sensitivity of 70 to 95% in localizing parathyroid tumors. Ultrasonography has lower sensitivity but is noninvasive and relatively cheap. Unilateral surgical exploration has potential benefits including reduced ...