Endocrine Abstracts

The multisystem disorder POEMS (polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy, and skin changes) is a rare plasma cell dyscrasia. Elevated cytokines may contribute to its pathogenesis. We describe a POEMS patient with elevated plasma cytokines and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS).A 39-year-old white woman with IgA lambda and IgG kappa paraproteinaemia, peripheral axonal sensorimotor neuropathy, moderate anascara, skin thickening a...

A 92-year-old man presented with a one-month history of episodic aggression, confusion, urinary incontinence and auditory hallucinations. Episodes lasted 30 - 150 minutes, occurred daily and were abruptly self-terminating. Between episodes he was cognitively intact and lived independently. Initial investigations revealed a plasma glucose of 11.0 millimoles per litre, other biochemical tests were normal.He was known to have a pleural mass at the left lung...

Introduction. Adiponectin is a novel circulating adipocyte derived protein, whose plasma concentrations paradoxically decrease with increasing fat mass. Adiponectin has been shown to improve both glucose and lipid metabolism, and circulating concentrations are inversely correlated with insulin resistance. The factors regulating adiponectin expression and secretion are poorly understood. No study has previously examined the acute post-prandial regulation of adiponectin s...

Background: Testosterone acts as a coronary vasodilator, and improves myocardial ischaemia in men with coronary artery disease. The dilatory mechanism of testosterone is independent of the classical androgen receptor and also of the release of endothelial-derived vasodilators. The aim of the present study was to determine whether testosterone has any demonstrable calcium antagonistic action, and if so to determine whether this is via inhibition of voltage-operated calcium chan...

Background: Testosterone is a coronary vasodilator, and improves myocardial ischaemia in men with coronary artery disease. The dilatory mechanism of testosterone is independent of the classical androgen receptor and endothelial-derived vasodilators. The aim of this study was to determine whether testosterone increases cAMP production in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) derived from the primary culture of rat thoracic aortae or in a VSMC cell line (A7r5).<p class="abste...

Background: The testicular feminised (Tfm) mouse exhibits an X-linked single base-pair deletion in the gene encoding the androgen receptor. Gene transcription produces a truncated form of the receptor protein, which has a conformational change in the androgen binding site, preventing androgen binding. Affected male animals (XTfmY) are rendered androgen insensitive and 17-alpha hydroxylase deficient, a key enzyme in the steroidogenesis pathway. XTfmY males have reduced circulat...

Introduction: The MEN1 is inherited as autosomal dominant trait. In MEN 1 families a deletional mechanism of the regulatory gene appears to be the base of the syndrome.Case 1: 40-year-old lady presented with a two-day history of headaches, blurred vision and funny turns, culminating in loss of consciousness and a generalised tonic-clonic seizure. Her GCS was 3; she was intubated, ventilated and referred to ICU. U+Es normal, Calcium high, phosphate low, a...