Endocrine Abstracts

Objective: To evaluate the optimal parameters and the cut-off points of captopril challenge test (CCT) in the diagnosis of primary aldosteronism (PA) using chemiluminescence immunoassays (CLIA).Methods: Patients with clinically suspected PA who admitted to our hospital between July 2021 and December 2021 were recruited. Both supine and upright aldosterone to renin ratio (ARR) were calculated in all the participants and 21 healthy volunteers. CCT was perf...

Objective: Previously, we identified that knockdown of calcium/calmodulin-dependent serine protein kinase (Cask) in β cells in vitro resulted in decreased insulin secretion. We then used the Cre-loxP system to specifically delete the Cask gene in β cells of mice, and the mice exhibited impaired glucose tolerance and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion under a normal chow diet. However, under a high-fat diet (HFD), the insulin sensitivity a...

A man in his sixties, with no previous history of thyroid dysfunction (Table 1), was commenced on Amiodarone for atrial fibrillation at the age of 64 years. 24 months after starting on Amiodarone, the patient was found to have a low TSH with markedly elevated fT4 but normal free T3 (fT3). He was asymptomatic, there was no goitre, thyroperoxidase and TSH-receptor antibodies were negative. The thyroid dysfunction was managed by non-interventional observation with gradual resolut...

A 32-year-old man was urgently referred to the endocrinology and neurosurgical teams by the neuro-ophthalmologist. He gave a 3 week history of sudden onset of left-sided visual impairment, with further visual deterioration a week previously. Urgent review in the eye clinic had revealed that the visual acuity in his left eye was reduced to finger counting only, with a pale left optic disc and a relative afferent pupillary defect on examination. Visual field testing demonstrated...

Case presentation: A 34-year-old woman was diagnosed with hypertension from the age of 26 years. She had been investigated in Canada previously and discovered to have a small left adrenal nodule, satisfactory aldosterone and renin levels, but raised urinary free cortisol levels and non-suppressed cortisol levels on overnight 1 mg dexamethasone suppression test. Upon assessment in our service, the patient reported a history of easy bruising and insomnia. Her BMI was 28.1 kg/m&#...

Introduction: Chemerin is a pro-inflammatory adipokine, which has been shown as a mediator between obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS). The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations of chemerin with insulin resistance and the effects of lifestyle interventions on circulating chemerin levels in Chinese obese children.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 225 obese children (101 with MetS and 124 without MetS) and 119 lean control...

Background: We have previously investigated the association between serum ferritin levels and risks of metabolic syndrome (MetS) using the same database from 2009 wave of the China Health and Nutrition Survey (2009 CHNS). We confirmed that MetS components are associated with increased serum ferritin levels in both men and women group, included abdominal obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, low HDL cholesterol, high blood pressure, and abnormal glucose level. Although, the prevalence...

CIDEC is a lipid droplet-targeting protein that promotes triglyceride accumulation and inhibits lipolysis. CIDEC is regulated by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ). Previous studies demonstrate that CIDEC down-regulation is involved in TNFα-induced lipolysis. Here, we focus on the signalling pathway to clarify the mechanism of TNFα-mediated CIDEC down-regulation. CIDEC is significantly decreased in subcutaneous adipose tissue in obese subj...

Background and objective: Children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have impaired growth that leads to short stature in adulthood and treatment with recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) is associated with improved growth. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of daily rhGH (Jintropin®) in children in China with growth failure caused by CKD prior to transplantation.Methods: Prepubertal patients (2–13 years old) with CKD-relate...

Background: The Insulin Tolerance Test (ITT) is the gold standard for assessing pituitary function in adults, but used variably in paediatrics due to concerns of serious adverse events. Our aim was to assess the safety of ITT and identify factors associated with the hypoglycaemic response.Methods: We retrospectively collected the following data from patients who underwent ITT (n=122) under Paediatric Endocrinology from 2019-2021: demography, ant...