Endocrine Abstracts

Hyponatraemia is the commonest electrolyte abnormality in hospitalised patients. It is often seen in patients with complex medical problems and in the critically ill. We determined the outcome for patients identified to have hyponatraemia over a one month period.Methods: We reviewed all in-patients with severe hyponatraemia, defined as serum sodium <125 mmol/l (135–146) at Hope Hospital during April 2005. Patients were identified retrospectively...

Glucocorticoids regulate transcription of many genes through the binding to the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) however, their intracellular levels are tightly regulated by the microsomal enzyme 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. Two isozymes of this enzyme have been cloned and characterised; 11beta- hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11beta-HSD1) which is mainly expressed in the liver and adipose tissue and 11beta-HSD type 2 expressed in the kidney and placenta. Within 2.5kb...