Endocrine Abstracts

Background: A moderately high fructose diet fed to rat dams shifts the secondary sex ratio in the litters towards males. These dams, as well as diabetic pregnant mice, have elevated plasma glucose. Hence, high uterine fluid glucose or a hormone that may mark high glucose, may result in preferential selection of Y-bearing sperm at the point of fertilisation through effects of glucose on sperm motility. In this study, we assessed sperm motility after incubation in media with/wit...

Hirsutism of gradual onset is most commonly caused by polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Measurement of testosterone, sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG), LH and FSH form part of the investigations. It is still a matter of debate at which level of testosterone further investigations are necessary to exclude an androgen-producing tumor.A 31-year-old woman presented with an eight-year history of hirsutism without her fertility and menstrual cycles being affected. Examinatio...

A 48-year-old woman presented to her GP with polyuria and proximal muscle weakness. She was found to have newly developed hypertension at 180/96 and her serum potassium was 2.7 mmol/l. Lisinopril 40 mg od and Slow-K 1 tablet bd were started and she was referred for further investigation.On clinic review blood pressure was 188/110 supine and 190/110 standing. Serum sodium was 147 mmol/l, potassium 3.7 mmol/l and total bicarbonate 29 mmol/l. Her Lisinopril...

Testicular tumours are uncommon causes of precocious puberty (10%). The majority are Leydig cell tumours and require surgical removal plus chemotherapy. We present an 8 years (8.04 years) old male child who presented with rapid onset of pubic hair growth and right testicular swelling. Examination: his height was (143.3 cm, just above 99.6 th centile), weight (32.3 kg, 91st centile). Pubertal staging at A1, P2, G 4. Left testis 2 ml/right 8 ml. Bloods taken showed prepubertal L...

Mutations in the DAX-1 gene are well described in patients with adrenal hypoplasia congenita (AHC) and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism but can be a useful tool in the elucidation of unusual or difficult cases of adrenal insufficiency. As the clinical presentation of congenital adrenal hyperplasia and AHC can be clinically identical, diagnosis in the neonate often depends on the levels of 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP). If these are unavailable or non-diagnostic, gene analysis c...

Introduction: Diagnosing acute abdominal presentations in pregnant women poses challenges due to the physiological and anatomical changes during pregnancy. The differential diagnosis is broad, encompassing both obstetric and non-obstetric causes. Among the rare occurrences, nonhemorrhagic adrenal infarction presents a particularly unusual scenario, lacking established guidelines for management and follow-up. We discuss a case of nonhemorrhagic adrenal infarcti...

Background: Testosterone therapy in transgender men (TM) is aimed at achieving serum testosterone levels in the male reference range. It remains unknown if serum oestradiol levels in TM should be evaluated and/or adjusted. Although reported serum oestradiol levels in TM are variable in the current literature, these values may be affected through two possible mechanisms: serum oestradiol levels may increase through aromatization of exogenous testosterone, while the effects of e...

Objective: Hormonal treatment in trans women (MtF transgender persons) in Europe usually consists of estrogens and anti-androgens, e.g. cyproterone acetate (CPA). After initiation of cross-sex hormone therapy, an elevation in serum prolactin levels is frequently observed in trans women, which was previously attributed to estrogen agents. This analysis evaluates whether CPA contributes to the elevation of prolactin in trans women receiving cross-sex hormones.<p class="abste...

Introduction: Fat distribution is an important secondary sex characteristic, which is generally peripherally or pear-shaped (gynoid) in females and centrally or apple-shaped (android) in males. Total body fat increases in male-to-females (MtFs) and decreases in female-to-males (FtMs) during cross-sex hormone therapy (CSHT), approaching body fat amounts of the desired sex. However, changes in android or gynoid fat distribution might be a better measure for masculinization and f...

Introduction: OPKO Biologics has produced a long-acting human growth hormone (hGH), MOD-4023, containing three copies of a naturally-occurring peptide (C-terminal peptide, CTP) that markedly increases growth hormone’s in vivo residence. We describe the development and validation of a pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) model to characterize the relationship between MOD-4023 dose, serum concentrations (Cserum), and IGF-1 responses in healthy adults, GHD adults, a...