Endocrine Abstracts

The glycosyl components of serum gonadotrophins are important determinants of biological half life, receptor binding and bioactivity of these hormones. We have compared serum FSH glycosylation from healthy women with regular ovulatory cycles (group A; n=8) to those identified inpharmacological preparations gonadotrophins (group B merional and group C puregon). Blood samples were taken within 4 days of the onset of menstruation in the control group (group A). Pharmaceuti...

Background/objective: The prevalence of low serum TSH in the general population is in the order of 2.5–3.9%, and increases with age. True subclinical hyperthyroidism (SH) (low/suppressed serum TSH, normal serum fT4 and fT3) is less common. In one population based study of 1193 subjects, 66 (5.5%) were found to fit the criteria for SH. Of these, 75% had serum TSH 0.05–0.5 mIU/l, of whom 76% normalised within 12 months. At 12 months 87.5% subjects with serum TSH <0...

Introduction: Calcium and vitamin D (CaD3) supplementation is routinely offered to care home residents in the UK to treat prevalent vitamin D insufficiency. However, blanket prescribing may be ineffective where secondary hyperparathyroidism is due to chronic kidney disease (CKD) and dangerous if undiagnosed primary hyperparathyroidism is present. In this base-line audit, we aimed to estimate the frequency and appropriateness of CaD3 prescription, and the prevalence of primary ...

Background/objective: We have shown that expression of maternal serum human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) oligossacharides in uncomplicated pregnancy differs from that seen in pregnancy complicated by maternal type1 diabetes mellitus. Whether this observed oligosaccharide heterogeneity in type1 diabetes is specific to hCG or represents a more general phenomenon amongst placental oligosaccharides is not known. The oligosaccharide distribution in placentas from pregnancies compl...