Endocrine Abstracts

With over 650 million people obese in 2016 and 2.8 million people dying a year from being overweight or obese, the obesity epidemic is now linked to more deaths worldwide than being underweight. This high mortality rate and disease burden are potentially preventable if risk factors such as unhealthy diet and physical inactivity were eliminated. The classification of obesity is defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) equal to or above 30 kg/m2. Weight management services ...

Background: Primary hyperaldosteronism (PHA) typically manifests as resistant hypertension, hypokalaemia and metabolic alkalosis. We present a case of PHA who subsequently exposed type 4 renal tubular acidosis (RTA) after surgical intervention.Case history: A 62 year old man underwent investigation for chronic resistant hypertension, which had failed to respond to titration of three antihypertensive agents including Perindopril, Amlodipine and Doxazosin....

Background: Denosumab is a monoclonal antibody against RANK ligand used for the treatment of osteoporosis. Although clinical trials demonstrate that denosumab is highly effective at reducing fragility fractures in postmenopausal osteoporosis, there have been few studies looking at real world outcomes. Our primary aim was to assess the efficacy of denosumab in practice.Methods: We retrospectively formed a database of 257 patients seen in endocrinology out...

Background: Denosumab, given 6 monthly as a subcutaneous injection, is well established as a treatment for osteoporosis. In the UK it is initiated in secondary care with most patients continuing with injections in primary care. Given concerns with hypocalcaemia and possible adverse effects on fracture risk due to abrupt cessation, robust monitoring in primary care is important. Our study compares two groups of patients on denosumab, one following a well-defined treatment pathw...

Bisphosphonates are the mainstay of treatment for metabolic bone diseases such as post-menopausal osteoporosis and Paget’s disease. Enormous progress has been made over the last few years in understanding how these drugs act at the molecular level. After targeting bone and selective internalisation by osteoclasts, simple bisphosphonates are incorporated into cytotoxic, non-hydrolysable analogues of ATP. By contrast, the more potent nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates inhi...

Bisphosphonates are powerful inhibitors of bone resorption and have become blockbuster drugs in the treatment of metabolic bone diseases. Enormous progress has been made over the last few years in understanding exactly how bisphosphonate drugs act at the molecular level. After targeting bone and selective internalisation by osteoclasts, nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates potently inhibit FPP synthase. Inhibition of this enzyme disrupts the flux through the mevalonate pathway,...

Pregnancy is associated with changes in both size and function of the pituitary gland. Thus diagnosing pituitary dysfunction during pregnancy can be challenging. For women with a pre-existing adenoma, there is limited evidence regarding safety in pregnancy for medical therapies used to control hormonal excess. Management includes optimisation of hormonal function and close monitoring for signs of tumour progression. Most women can be managed conservati...

Rates of among women of reproductive age are rising such that 1 in 5 women in the UK are obese at antenatal booking. Female obesity is associated with reduced fertility including ovulatory dysfunction and increased time to pregnancy. Obese pregnancy is associated with increased pregnancy loss and stillbirth, and with increased risk of major pregnancy complications including gestational diabetes and preeclampsia. In addition there are short and long-term complications for the o...

Since completing a PhD in Developmental Neurobiology at King’s College London, I have worked as a Grants Adviser at the Wellcome Trust. Not-for-profit organisations like the Wellcome Trust hold a diverse range of career opportunities for scientists with PhD and post-doctoral experience, from communications to research management. In this short overview talk I’ll give an insight into the role of the Grants Adviser, the opportunities for scientists in the charitable se...

Rates of among women of reproductive age are rising such that 1 in 5 women in the UK are obese at antenatal booking. Female obesity is associated with reduced fertility including ovulatory dysfunction and increased time to pregnancy. Obese pregnancy is associated with increased pregnancy loss and stillbirth, and with increased risk of major pregnancy complications including gestational diabetes and preeclampsia. In addition there are short and long-term complications for the o...