Endocrine Abstracts

Steroid receptors (SR) respond to binding of their ligands with rapid signal transduction resulting from engaging extra-nuclear receptors. This occurs in addition to the conventional aspects of steroids/nuclear SR that regulate gene transcription. In breast cancer, estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER, PR) are present at the plasma membrane in addition to the nucleus. Here the receptors activate many pathways as G-protein coupled receptors, resulting in epigenetic and genet...

Steroid receptors (SR) respond to binding of their ligands with rapid signal transduction resulting from engaging extra-nuclear receptors. This occurs in addition to the conventional aspects of steroids/nuclear SR that regulate gene transcription. In breast cancer, estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER, PR) are present at the plasma membrane in addition to the nucleus. Here the receptors activate many pathways as G-protein coupled receptors, resulting in epigenetic and genet...

Neuroendocrine cancers represent the tenth most prevalent type of cancer in England. However, people with neuroendocrine cancer currently face significant inequities throughout the entire care pathway – from suspected cancer to follow-up care. Despite expert clinical guidelines, there is no currently available national Neuroendocrine Cancer Patient Referral and Care Pathway. Guiding principles of optimal patient pathways include the promotion of earlier, accurate diagnosi...

Case History: A 57 year old male, who was known to have primary hyperparathyroidism was admitted to hospital due to hypercalcaemia on routine blood tests (adjusted S. calcium- 3.44 mmol/l.) He had no symptoms due to hypercalcaemia. This was his 5th admission since the diagnosis 18 months ago, each admission requiring treatment with IV fluids and IV bisphosphonates. SESTAMIBI and ultrasound scans of the thyroid and parathyroids had previously localised a likely right inferior p...

It is important to identify whether benign adrenal incidentalomas are hormonally active. Traditionally, investigations were arranged during the first medical consultation and relied heavily on the patient remembering a considerable number of instructions. The patient was required to collect urine bottles from pathology, a prescription from pharmacy and perform multiple tests including renin, which was often incorrectly performed in outpatients. Due to the cumbersome nature of ...

The pharmacology and function of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is frequently studied following expression of a single receptor in heterologous cell lines. However, many GPCRs are co-expressed. We wished to investigate how expression of pairs of receptors might modulate their function. Using a Human Embryonic Kidney 293 cell line in which the CB1 cannabinoid receptor was expressed constitutively and in which varying levels of expression of the orexin-1 receptor could be i...

Prolactin is present in serum in a variety of forms defined by different molecular masses. Macroprolactin is the best-known variant, a high molecular mass (150–170 kD) form of prolactin usually representing a prolactin–IgG complex which reacts in immunoassays causing apparent hyperprolactinaemia. Big-prolactin is a smaller high molecular mass (50–60 kDa) form of prolactin found more commonly than macroprolactin; however, the origin and significance of big-prolac...

There is increasing reliance on published consensus criteria for clinical decision-making in states of GH excess and deficiency. NICE eligibility criteria for GH treatment include a peak GH response <9 mU/L during an ITT. To determine the adequacy of GH assay performance for diagnosing GH deficiency (GHD), we have assessed the variability in 101 UKNEQAS reported results from a single sample with a value close to 9.0 mU/L. For all laboratories (n=101) median GH was 11.1 mU/L...

Background: Liver transplantation for cancer is evolving offering new opportunities for selected Neuroendocrine Cancer patients in terms of improvements in survival and quality of life. According to the British Medical Association, good quality patient information is fundamental to effective, patient-centred, quality care. It rightly considers patients as partners in their care, empowering them to have a better understanding of their health or illness, to make...

We have previously shown that the current guidelines for monitoring thyroid function post radioiodine (RI), may not detect hypothyroidism until it has become severe, in a significant proportion of cases (J Endocrinol Invest 2012 35 82–86). An alternative more intense follow-up strategy was used whereby patients had TSH and FT4 measured at 4-week intervals post RI for 6 months. Endocrine specialist nurse-led telephone and nurse-led out-...