Endocrine Abstracts

A 75-year-old lady presented with hypertension, weight gain, ankle oedema and proximal myopathy. She had clinical features of Cushing’s syndrome. Blood pressure was 180/99 mmHg. Her visual fields were normal. Investigations confirmed Cushing’s syndrome with high 24-hour free urinary cortisol levels (2264 nmol/l and 3295 nmol/l; normal range 40–305) and a high serum cortisol level following overnight dexamethasone suppression test (serum cortisol 1,550 nmol/l). F...

Clinical biochemistry is a branch of laboratory medicine in which chemical and biochemical methods are used to detect changes in the composition of body fluids (e.g. blood) as a result of disease. The results of biochemical tests may be of use in screening for disease, diagnosis, monitoring treatment and assessing prognosis. This presentation will focus on the role of the clinical biochemist, who works as part of a team including chemical pathologists and biomedical scientists...

Annexin A1 (AnxA1), an endogenous glucocorticoid regulated protein, is a pivotal homeostatic regulator of the magnitude of the inflammatory response. We have previously demonstrated that plasma AnxA1 protein is significantly inversely correlated with waist to hip ratio (P=0.017). Given that low-level systemic inflammation is seen in metabolic syndrome-associated chronic pathologies, here, we investigate if AnxA1 is also involved in the regulation of adipose tissue infla...

Andrew Hattersley, Peninsula Medical School, Plymouth, UK AbstractAndrew Hattersley qualified from Oxford in 1984. He trained in Diabetes at the Hammersmith Hospital, Oxford and Birmingham before taking up his present post as a consultant Diabetologist in Exeter in 1995.His principal area of research is the molecular genetics of diabetes with a particular emphasis on monogenic diabetes. He has ta...

A 55-year-old female presented to her General Practitioner with hirsutism, male pattern baldness, weight gain and a deepening of voice. Her past medical history included well controlled type 2 diabetes on gliclazide, and hysterectomy for menorrhagia. She had an elevated serum testosterone after solvent extraction (18 nmol/l) and free androgen index (17.6). The patient was referred for further investigation.17-Hydroxyprogesterone and dehydroepiandrosteron...

Epigenetic dysregulation may be one mechanism underpinning the link between early life conditions and later cardiometabolic risk. In animal models, environmental manipulations including modified maternal diet change DNA methylation and offspring phenotype. Manipulations altering the epigenetic state reverse the phenotype suggesting causality. We have previously reported higher blood pressure (BP) and cortisol in an adult cohort whose mothers were advised to eat a high-protein,...

Previous studies demonstrated that the N-terminal peptide of annexin A1 (AnxA1) (peptide Ac2-26) can mimic the anti-inflammatory actions of the full-length protein in various systems. In the current study, we report the effectiveness of the peptide Ac2-26 as an anti-inflammatory agent in a model of human SGBS adipocytes. We have previously demonstrated that plasma AnxA1 protein is significantly inversely correlated with BMI, body fat level and waist to hip ratio. We have also ...

Background: 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (11β-HSD1&2) interconvert cortisol (F) and cortisone (E). Although 11β-HSD1 reductase activity has been measured in vivo, E production (dehydrogenase activity) has not been quantified using a Gold Standard technique, steady state tracer infusion.Aim: To develop a method to measure E production in vivo using the stable isotope tracer d2-cortisone (d2E).Me...

The escalating public health problem represented by obesity has spurred multidisciplinary research into adipose tissue and importantly, the molecular biology of the adipocyte. Recent studies suggest that obesity related metabolic disorders are characterised by chronic mild inflammation as a result of adipocytokine production from fat tissue leading to dysregulation in the pro/anti-inflammatory systemic balance. Adipokines and pro-inflammatory markers are implicated in insulin ...

Adrenal insufficiency (Adr-I) and congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) are important conditions requiring specialist attention and management. Recent CAH genotype–phenotype studies have linked mutations with enzyme functioning and disease severity. Accurate diagnosis for the cause of adrenal insufficiency and the genetic cause of CAH is vital as it impacts management and prognosis.Methods: We audited patients with Adr-I and CAH seen in outpatients f...