Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome affects 10% of women and comes with a 2-3fold increased risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and fatty liver disease. Androgen excess, a cardinal feature of PCOS, has been implicated as a major contributor to metabolic risk. Adrenal-derived 11-oxygenated androgens represent an important component of PCOS-related androgen excess and are preferentially activated in adipose tissue. We aimed to identify PCOS sub-types with distinct androge...

Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects 10% of women and is associated with a 2-3fold risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D), hypertension, fatty liver and cardiovascular disease. Androgen excess has been implicated as a major contributor to metabolic risk in PCOS. We aimed to identify PCOS sub-types with distinct androgen profiles and compare their cardiometabolic risk.Methods: We cross-sectionally studied 488 tre...

Cytological evaluation establishes the diagnosis of a benign or malignant nodule in 70–80% of all cases, but the remaining cases lack the features needed for a definitive diagnosis. Molecular tests have been developed to assist in determining if a nodule with indeterminate cytology is benign or malignant. The first studies focused on the analysis of the most common thyroid cancer (TC) mutation, BRAFV600E. However, since many TCs are driven by other mutations, testing for ...

The evaluation of a thyroid nodule is a very common clinical problem and fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is the only test that can provide a definitive preoperative diagnosis of malignancy. The sensitivity and specificity of FNAB are limited by aspirates that yield insufficient material for definitive diagnosis and those with indeterminate diagnoses, which can account for up to 30–40% of all specimens. The detection of several novel gene mutations in differentiated t...

A role for glucocorticoids (GCs) in the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism and the development of diabetes was first described over 70 years ago. Whilst there is little doubt that systemic GC excess leads to insulin resistance the tissue specific mechanisms underpinning their effect on insulin sensitivity remain to be understood. We have defined tissue specific effects of GCs on insulin sensitivity and lipid metabolism in vitro and in vivo. In skeletal myotube...

The current model of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) action is well established, whereby GR remains inactive in the cytoplasm until bound by ligand, then rapidly translocates to the nucleus to regulate target genes. However, our recent observations challenge the simplicity of this model and suggest a greater range of GR action.We have identified a novel pathway in which the GR is recruited to the plasma membrane through binding to the lipid raft marker cave...

Feline hyperthyroidism (FH) is the commonest endocrinopathy in cats. The mean age at presentation is 13 to 14 years of age, and the incidence has been estimated at 1 cat per 300 cats examined. Hyperthyroidism due to thyroid stimulating autoantibodies (a feline Graves’ disease) has not been reported in cats. FH is analogous, clinically and pathologically, to human toxic nodular goitre (HTNG), though there is no known sex predisposition in cats, unlike the female predisposi...

Thyroid diseases are common disorders. Globally, hypothyroidism is still frequently caused by iodine deficiency. In iodine sufficient areas, the most common cause of hypothyroidism is thyroid autoimmunity. Subclinical hypothyroidism is defined as elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels with free thyroxine (fT4) estimates within the reference range. It is a common disorder that increases with age affecting up to 20% of the elderly, with a higher prevalence in women. S...

Section 1: Case history: A 55 year woman presented with a one month history of fatigue, anxiety, tremor and diarrhoea. She was diagnosed with Grave’s thyrotoxicosis and commenced on Carbimazole 30 mg daily. Thyroid hormones normalised, but after three weeks of therapy she developed rapidly progressive ascending numbness and weakness predominantly affecting her legs. Examination revealed distal symmetrical lower motor neurone weakness and widespread loss of light touch sensatio...

Objevtives: Maternal hyperandrogenism occurs rarely during pregnancy as the consequense of maternal ovarian or adrenal disorders, or placental aromatase deficiency.Case: A 33-year-old pregnant women was referred because of high serum testosterone (240 ng/dl; normal, 20–60 ng/dl) measured at the 7th week of pregnancy. At presentation she had symptoms of moderate hyperandrogenism, which slightly increased until delivery. Abdominal and pelvic ultrasoun...