Endocrine Abstracts

Very low calorie diets (VLCD) have been a time-honored means of losing weight for many decades. The DiRECT trial has put VLCD back in the limelight and now NHS England and Scotland have committed resources to piloting VLCD as an intervention for Type 2 diabetes. Is this premature, or is it the solution for the tsunami of Type 2 diabetes that we face? Prof Tricia Tan and Dr Abd Tahrani will debate the utility of VLCD in the treatment paradigm of Type 2 diabetes....

Background: Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) enzyme plays a central role in lipid metabolism. The primary function of LPL enzyme is the hydrolysis of the core triglycerides of circulating chylomicrons and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL). It releases monoglycerides and free fatty acids, which are taken up by skeletal muscle or adipose tissue.Aim: The present work aimed to study the association of the common variant of LPL HindIII (H+) and hypertens...

Background: In polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), insulin resistance (IR) might be involved in the development of endocrine and metabolic abnormalities. Visfatin, a protein secreted by adipose tissue, is suggested to play a role in pathogenesis of insulin resistance. However, the biological activity and regulation of this novel adipokine are still unknown.Objectives: To study the visfatin level in PCOS in Egyptian women and its relationship with IR and ma...

Background: Severe hyponatremia can be associated with oxytocin infusion. The incidence of hyponatraemia after oxytocin is around 5%. There are reported cases of serious neurological complications including seizures, coma and maternal death.Case report: A 37-year-old female with known partial central diabetes insipidus following a head injury was established on Desmopressin nasal spray 10 mg twice a day. She had an uneventful pregnancy on the same dose. ...

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is a common autosomal recessive genetic disorder. Impaired cortisol production leads to increased adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels. Testicular adrenal rest tumor (TART) is a complication of CAH. It is a rare clinical condition usually presented as testicular masses. TARTs may be misdiagnosed as testicular Leydig cell tumors. We report a case of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) due to 11-beta hydroxylase enzyme deficiency who un...

Objective: To test the hypothesis that poor adolescent diabetic control results in poor adult control.Methods: We conducted a retrospective case notes study involving 57 patients (M:F 30:27) in a teaching hospital. Patients who had diabetes atleast for a minimum period of 10 years were selected and their HbA1c when they were between 17 and 19 years of age were compared with the most recent HbA1c.The adolescent control was divided i...

Insulinoma is a tumour of the endocrine pancreas, usually benign, with an annual incidence of 1–2 new cases per million population. We describe a case of Insulinoma complicated by the simultaneous development of diabetes.A 72year old lady had episodes of funny turns and confusion following her meal. She had lost a stone in weight over 6–8 months. There was no history of sulphonylurea ingestion. Examination revealed low BMI and no evidence of ra...

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is known for its morbidity and mortality all over the globe. It has been demonstrated in recent studies that abnormal levels of adipocytokines may contribute to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.Objectives: The aim of the present study was to assess the relation between serum leptin levels and insulin resistance syndrome in type 2 diabetic patients.Methods: Eighty persons were enrolled in this study an...

Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) represents an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD), being characterized by a continuous low-grade inflammation and endothelial activation state. Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) may have a pro-inflammatory role as growing evidence suggests that it acts in several pathways that contribute to atherogenesis.Objective: The objective is to study Lp-PLA2 a...

Introduction: Mast cells are critical effectors in inflammatory diseases, including cardiovascular and metabolic diseases and their associated complications. These cells exert their physiological and pathological activities by releasing granules containing histamine, cytokines, chemokines, and proteases, including mast cell-specific chymases and tryptases.Aim of the study: To detect the role of mast cell in diabetic obese and correlation to different dia...