Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Prevalence of prolactinoma is approximately 10/100,000 (men) and 30/100,000 (women) and dopamine agonists remain pharmacological treatment of choice. Cabergoline, an effective dopamine agonist, is preferred due to better tolerability withhigher efficacy in lowering prolactin and reducing tumour size in comparison with bromocriptine. Digital vasospasm, known adverse effect of Bromocriptineis mediated by activation of α1 adrenergic receptors. ...

Arginine vasopressin resistance (AVP-R) (previously termed nephrogenic diabetes insipidus) is well known to be associated with lithium treatment. However, cases are usually mild and patients can almost always compensate for their polyuria with excessive fluid intake. We present the case of a moribund patient who required intensive care admission secondary to AVP-R, developing hypernatraemia to 183mmol/l and serum osmolality of 394mmol/kg. A 68 year old gentleman, on lithium tr...

Cell and tissue damage, particularly to pancreatic β-cells, is an essential characteristic of diabetes mellitus, triggered by autoimmune destruction of β-cells in type-1 (T1D) and by obesity associated factors or insulin resistance in type 2. Thus, stimulating β-cell regeneration has long been a most important goal of diabetes research. Recently, we have shown that pancreatic injury consisting of acinar cell inflammation and β-cell destruction led to islet ...

Introduction: Amiodarone is a class III antiarrhythmic agent widely used in the treatment of atrial and ventricular arrhythmias.Amiodarone is known to cause thyroid dysfunction in three ways; amiodarone induced hypothyroidism, amiodarone induced thyrotoxicosis (AIT) type I and type II.We present a case of a patient with AIT type II who subsequently developed hypothyroidism.Case presentation: A 43-year-old man...

A 37-year-old woman presented with a short history of left arm pain. X-ray indicated a lytic lesion of the scapula. Calcium was elevated at 3.25 mmol/l (normal 2.2–2.6) with parathyroid hormone (PTH) 936 pg/ml (5–70). Upon questioning she reported nocturia, polydipsia and dyspepsia. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed brown tumours in the scapula, clavicle and hand. A superior parathyroid adenoma was excised with normalisation of calcium. Bone biopsy of the scapular ...

Background: Vascular impairment, most commonly due to endothelial dysfunction, is associated with cardiovascular risk in humans with obesity, insulin resistance or Cushing’s syndrome. Similar endocrine disorders in horses, resulting in insulin resistance, are associated with laminitis, a dysfunction of the vasculature supplying the hooves, the mechanism of which is unclear. We hypothesised that horses with insulin resistance have both local and systemic evidence of vascul...

Activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and altered tissue glucocorticoid action in obesity and metabolic syndrome has been attributed to altered peripheral cortisol metabolism. In human obesity, cortisol clearance is increased with up-regulation of A-ring reductases and down-regulation of cortisol-regenerating 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) in liver, while in adipose tissue 11β-HSD1 is up-regulated. Rodent studi...

Introduction: We have developed a highly sensitive LC–MS assay in an attempt to improve the measurement of salivary testosterone in female samples.Methods: A 200 μl saliva sample, calibrators or QC were mixed with 10 μl working internal standard (0.1 μg/l) and 1 ml of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE). Vortex mixed for 4 min and frozen at −80 °C (1 h). Unfrozen organic layer was transferred to a glass tube and evaporated. The ...

Obesity and metabolic syndrome are highly prevalent in horses and ponies worldwide. Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) shares much of the same pathophysiology with its human counterpart including adipose tissue dysfunction and insulin dysregulation. Vitamin D deficiency is strongly associated with obesity and insulin resistance in humans and supplementation is often recommended. In horses our understanding of vitamin D biology is limited and its association with EMS unknown. The ...

Background: Glucocorticoid treatment is commonly used for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) in young people, but is associated with a high incidence of fragility fractures. This systematic review aims to assess the current evidence for pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment for osteoporosis in children and adults with DMD, with the goal of guiding future management strategies.Methods: Three online databases (E...