Endocrine Abstracts

Successful reproduction in humans at a population level, is reliant on the careful co-ordination of reproductive hormones with associated behaviours. Kisspeptin is a neuropeptide that is critical for normal hypothalamic function of the reproductive hormonal axis. However beyond its hormonal effects, non-human data suggests an emerging role for kisspeptin in a range of animal behaviours through extra-hypothalamic downstream neuroendocrine pathways. Until recently, the roles of ...

Professor Waljit Dhillo is a Professor in Endocrinology and Metabolism and Consultant Endocrinologist, Imperial College London. He completed his medical training at St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical School, University of London in 1994. During this time he also completed an Intercalated BSc in Biochemistry (awarded First Class Honours) funded by the Medical Research Council. He then completed h...

A 38-year-old man presented on the acute medical take with a week’s history of sore throat, dysphagia, neck swelling, and fever. One month prior he had suffered a respiratory tract infection, which resolved without antibiotics. He had no notable past medical and family history. He was a non-smoker and drank 15 units of alcohol per week. On examination he looked well, was afebrile, sweaty and flushed; chest was clear, heart sounds were normal, regular pulse (110 bpm) and B...

Background: Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is widely used for the treatment of symptomatic hypogonadism in men. However, data on prescription behaviours of TRT are limited. The objective of this study was to investigate clinical characteristics associated with the likelihood of being prescribed TRT by general practitioners (GPs) in North West London (NWL).Methods: We carried out a retrospective cohort study using Discover database of GP-registere...

Background: Kisspeptin is an endogenous neuropeptide that regulates GnRH release from the hypothalamus. Kisspeptin-54 has been shown to effectively trigger oocyte maturation during in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment, but with markedly reduced rates of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). The kisspeptin receptor agonist, MVT-602, has a longer half-life than native kisspeptin-54 (1.5–2.2 h vs. 0.5 h) and has potential for development as a novel trigger of oocyte ma...

Introduction: Over half of postmenopausal women suffer symptoms which can sometimes be non-responsive to hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Testosterone is implicated in regulating urogenital and sexual function in women. However, using testosterone therapy in postmenopausal women remains highly controversial, principally due to the lack of syndromic relationship between serum testosterone levels and onset of sexual dysfunction during menopause. Clinical practice is therefore ...

Case history: An 18-year-old Caucasian female presented with primary amenorrhoea after her younger sister aged 16 years old started menstruating. She had a normal childhood and progressed through puberty normally, with no past medical history or family history. BMI was 22.6 with a normal examination including secondary sexual characteristics (Tanner Stage 5) and no signs of hyperandrogenism.Investigations and Results: Bloods showed an elevated LH:FSH rat...

Background: Temporary hypocalcaemia occurs in up to 40% of patients following a total thyroidectomy. Serum calcium and parathyroid hormone (PTH) measurements are currently used to predict post-thyroidectomy hypocalcaemia. However, immediate access to PTH measurement is expensive and not widely available. Serum phosphate responds rapidly to changes in circulating PTH levels and its measurement is readily available in all hospitals. We evaluated the use of serum phosphate to pre...

Background: Kisspeptin is a peptide product of the KiSS-1 gene and a key regulator of the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis. Pregnancy is associated with raised plasma kisspeptin concentrations. However, there is significant variation in the plasma kisspeptin levels quoted in previous studies. We investigated the effects of pre-analytical factors including processing time and anticoagulant type on plasma kisspeptin-immunoreactivity (IR) measurement.Meth...

Kisspeptin is integral to hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis function and overall fertility. Functional deficiency of GnRH/lH secretion in the central reproductive disease, hypothalamic amenorrhoea (HA), indicates diminished kisspeptin signalling. Clinical trials have shown kisspeptin to be a viable therapeutic intervention. However, repeated administration led to the development of tachyphylaxis and so is likely a problem for future implementation. Indeed, elevated LH r...