Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Islet transplantation (ITx) is a therapeutic option for patients with Type 1 diabetes. However there is attrition of graft function and the majority of patients require exogenous insulin injections and/or further transplants, within five years. Mouse models help elucidate mechanisms of islet graft failure and the NOD/Lt-scid IL2rγnull (NSG) mouse is useful to study human islet engraftment but few published studies exist. As diffe...

A 19-year-old student was referred with a history of increasing anxiety attacks, palpitations and breathlessness. Blood pressure and urinary catecholamine levels were elevated. MRI imaging confirmed a para-aortic paraganglionoma and MIBG scan highlighted bony metastases. The patient underwent surgery for the primary lesion and targeted MIBG therapy for metastases.Age of onset, malignant disease and metastases increase the likelihood of a genetic cause an...

Background: Millions of men worldwide take anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) to boost muscle growth, but risk psychosis, cardiomyopathy, stroke and death. Users avoid stopping AAS because they are fearful of low testosterone symptoms including sexual dysfunction, depression and suicidality. To avoid these symptoms, men often illicitly self-medicate a 2–12-week course of drugs including selective oestrogen receptor modulators to boost testicular function ...