Endocrine Abstracts

Although the notion of paracrine and autocrine signalling was already suggested more than 100 years ago, its full recognition dates from the last 30 years. Paracrine communication and autocrine loops have been shown to operate in all hormonal cell types and in folliculo-stellate cells and other non-hormonal cells during fetal and postnatal development and adulthood. More than 100 compounds have been identified that have, or may have, paracrine or autocrine actions, including t...

Aim: To explore if MR-proANP is associated with cardio-metabolic risk factors in patients with med type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) and non-diabetic controls.Methods: MR-proANP was analyzed in 761 middle-aged (54–66years) patients with type 2 diabetes and 184 non-diabetic controls and related cardio-metabolic conventional risk factors as age, sex, previous cardiovascular diseases (atrial fibrillation, myocardial infraction), glucose, LDL cholesterol, ...

The ratio of the glucuronidated epitestosterone (E) and testosterone (T), used in doping tests, is currently under question. The key enzyme involved in E metabolism is UGT2B7 in contrast to T which is mainly metabolised by UGT2B17. Previous results demonstrated that at very high concentrations E acts as a competitive inhibitor to UGT2B17. Similarly, the literature reports competitive inhibition of UGTs by NSAIDS and phenolics that are not substrates of UGT2B17. The aim of this...

Introduction: A newborn baby boy of a family of Asian origin with an uncommon, but logical diagnosis.Case: Of 8 days old, term baby boy. Normal pregnancy, spontaneous delivery, uncomplicated postnatal period. On day 5, jerking movements of the whole body. Fully breastfed, not feeding well lately. Medical and neurological clinical examination normal. Tonic-clonic epileptic fit during the 1 h of admission.Blood results: Calcium 1.48 ...

Recent literature suggests anterior pituitary hormone deficiency (APHD) is common in paediatric patients with idiopathic cranial diabetes insipidus (CDI); this has been attributed to autoimmune panhypopituitarism.1 We therefore determined the frequency of coexisting APHD and autoimmune disease in our cohort of patients with idiopathic adult CDI.Eight patients with idiopathic CDI were reviewed (6 females mean age at diagnosis 30 years, range 7&...

Introduction: Ethanol ablation (EA) of “persistent or recurrent” neck nodal metastases (NNM) in adult papillary thyroid carcinoma (APTC) patients was first introduced in 1993 to clinical endocrine oncologic practice (JCEM 2011;96: 2717). At Mayo Clinic we have been impressed by the efficacy of EA in controlling postoperative NNM in stage I APTC patients. We now describe the long-term outcome results of EA in controlling recurrent NNM in 41 patients consecutively mana...

Introduction: Congenital lipoid adrenal hyperplasia (CLAH) is rare and caused by mutations in the steroidogenic acute regulatory (STAR) gene, which is involved in a key step in the synthesis of pregnenolone from cholesterol. Cases typically present in the first days of life with severe adrenal crisis, salt wasting and severely disrupted androgen secretion which may result in sex reversal in 46, XY individuals.Case report: We present a 21-month-o...

Introduction: Low levels of vitamin D are associated with higher mortality in critically ill patients. Studies on vitamin D levels in adult burn patients and their influence on clinical outcomes are scarce. Therefore, vitamin D status following thermal injury is often overlooked as its clinical implications are poorly understood.Aim: To examine the relationship of major thermal injury on the vitamin D axis and the influence of ...

Reduced renal synthesis of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D) from 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) in end stage renal disease (ESRD) results in low serum 1,25(OH)2D. This appears to be due to reduced renal cell function and elevated serum fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23). Treatment strategies have therefore focussed on 1,25(OH)2D or its synthetic analogues, alfacalcidol or paricalcitol. However this overlooks 25-hydroxyv...

Introduction: Low levels of vitamin D are associated with higher mortality in critically ill patients. Studies on vitamin D levels in adult burn patients and their influence on clinical outcomes are scarce. Therefore, vitamin D status following thermal injury is often overlooked as its clinical implications are poorly understood.Aim: To examine the relationship of major thermal injury on the vitamin D axis and the influence of ...