Endocrine Abstracts

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...

Background: Thyroid hormone plays a potent role in many physiological processes, including the impact on blood coagulation. But, there are some contradictory results on the effect of hypothyroidism on the changes in homeostasis. Venous thromboembolism (VTE), commonly defined as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE), is a major health problem worldwide. Little was known about the association between hypothyroidism and VTE. Our study aimed to evaluate the associa...

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...

In addition to regular functions in controlling muscle contraction and energy homeostasis, recent studies have reported the neuromedin U (NMU) signaling plays important roles in cancer progression. Intriguingly, we observed that both NMU and one of its receptors, NMUR2, are highly expressed and co-localized in the mouse uterine endometrial luminal epithelium during the estrus stage. We also found that the NMU transcript is dramatically augmented in patients with high-...

Background/Aims: More young people with gender dysphoria are undergoing hormonal intervention with GnRHa treatment. The impact on bone density is not known in the very young transgender adolescents, with guidelines mentioning that Bone Mineral Density (BMD) should be monitored without a suggestion on how. This study aimed to investigate whether there were any changes in BMD or Bone Mineral Apparent Density (BMAD) whilst on GnRHa therapy.Methods: A retros...

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...