Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction-Cushing's syndrome is characterised by hypercortisolaemia, loss of the diurnal rhythm of cortisol secretion and loss of negative hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) feedback. Patients with adrenal incidentalomas may manifest some signs of cortisol excess before developing overt Cushing's syndrome. This can be considered as 'Cushing's syndrome in evolution'.Case History-A 47 year old lady with ty...

11β hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11βHSD) type 2 inactivates cortisol and has not been previously found in ovine or human adipose tissue (1,2). Early-mid nutrient restriction (NR) increases adipose tissue stores in term offspring and upregulates 11βHSD1 mRNA expression in perirenal adipose tissue. We determined the presence of 11βHSD2 mRNA expression in omental adipose tissue of neonatal lambs after early-mid maternal NR.19 twin-beari...

We present two patients who were originally diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). A 23 year old was referred with deteriorating hirsutism. Her menstrual cycle was reported as entirely regular following the menarche at age 13. Examination revealed her to be obese with a body mass index of 33 and hirsute, with a Ferriman and Gallway score of 19. She had a typical PCOS appearance on trans-vaginal ultrasound scan. Additional investigations in endocrine clinic revealed...

An 82-year-old male was referred to the breast clinic with a four month history of painful right gynaecomastia (GM), without nipple discharge. A 4 cm plaque of tender, soft tissue was palpable. Physical examination and external genitalia were normal. There was no relevant drug history. Prolactin, Testosterone (T), CXR, Ultrasound and FNA of the breast were normal. LH 13.0 IU (1.5-10.0) and FSH 18.1 IU (1.5-10.0) were raised. FT3 was raised at 7.3 pmol/L (3.5-5.5) with TSH supp...

Background: The pro-proliferative and anti-apoptotic IGF-I is implicated in the development of colorectal cancer (CRC) in both the general population and patients with acromegaly. The local intracolonic environment is also likely to be important, particularly unconjugated bile acids such as deoxycholic acid (DCA). Whilst low faecal concentrations may be proliferative, high levels are toxic to colonic epithelial cells.High levels of DCA have been linked t...

Background. Recent studies have linked high serum levels of IGF-1 and low levels of IGFBP-3 with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. BP3 has been shown to have IGF-1 independent effects on cell proliferation in breast and prostate cells, but its effects on colon cancer cells is largely unknown. Aims. To determine: 1) the effects of BP-3 on colonic epithelial cell proliferation and apoptosis, and 2) whether any effects are independent of IGF-1. Methods....

A 22 year old lady, in her third pregnancy, presented at 35 weeks gestation with modest hypertension (BP 130/90). She was known to carry a high risk mutation for Von Hippel Lindau syndrome with no prior disease manifestations. Urinary catecholamine levels were normal at 18 weeks gestation and she remained asymptomatic throughout her pregnancy. Repeat measurement at 35 weeks demonstrated elevated noradrenaline and normetadrenaline values (1761 nmol/24h and 9.69 micromol/24h res...

The association between Cushing's syndrome and pregnancy is uncommon due to associated sub-fertility. Recognising this is important, as there implications for both mother and foetus.A twenty year old presented at twenty three weeks gestation. Insulin requiring diabetes had developed as had oedema. Pigmented abdominal striae were prominent. Her serum sodium concentration was noted to be low (3 mmol/l). 24 hour urinary free cortisol was elevated (>1380 ...

Introduction: Somatostatin and its analogues (SSA) have been reported to have anti-proliferative effects. We have recently demonstrated expression of all 5 somatostatin receptor sub-types in normal and malignant colonic tissue. SOM-230 (Novartis) is a novel SSA that has a wider binding affinity to somatostatin receptors compared to octreotide (OCT). Its effects on proliferation of colonic cancer cells are unknown.Aims: To determine the effects of SOM-230...

Maternal nutrient restriction at specific gestational stages compromises fetal growth and development, in particular, fetal adipose tissue deposition. The extent to which nutritional supplementation can promote growth and development of specific fetal organs is unknown. This study aimed to determine whether protein supplementation of the maternal diet at defined stages of gestation promoted the abundance of the key mitochondrial proteins; uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), cytochrom...