Endocrine Abstracts

There is limited evidence on the effect of potassium (K+) supplementation on endothelial function. Three studies suggest a beneficial effect in healthy volunteers and mild hypertensives. However potassium increases aldosterone due to a direct effect on the adrenal gland and there is evidence that aldosterone excess is detrimental to cardiovascular health. We therefore aimed to determine the effect of potassium supplementation on endothelial function in patients with...

Overt hypothyroidism (OH) and more controversially subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) are associated with abnormal lipid metabolism and endothelial dysfunction under fasting conditions. Little data exists regarding the metabolic and vascular effects of OH or SCH under postprandial conditions.We aimed to characterize postprandial metabolism with emphasis on intestinally derived lipoproteins, HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) and endothelial function in patients with ...

Sclerotic bone lesions are a rare cause of hypocalcaemia. Calcium and vitamin D malabsorption are recognised complications of gastric bypass surgery. We describe the case of a 45 year-old woman with severe persistent symptomatic hypocalcaemia secondary to metastatic breast cancer, complicated by a previous Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, and the development of hypoparathyroidism. Her corrected calcium levels fell repeatedly and precipitously despite treatment with up to 8g/day oral ...

Observational studies suggest reduced vitamin D levels are associated with an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus. We examined the relationship with insulin resistance (assessed using a two-step euglycaemic hyperinsulinaemic clamp technique) in 92 overweight, non-diabetic individuals with no history of cardiovascular disease - mean age 56 years (range 40–77 years), 64% males, 36% females, BMI 30.9 kg/m2 (range 26.4–36.9 kg/m2), fasti...

Introduction: Recently low circulating levels of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) have been shown to be a strong predictor of the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Genetic studies suggest that this may be a primary causal abnormality and the mechanism may relate to effects on insulin resistance.Methods: Insulin resistance was assessed using a two-step euglycaemic hyperinsulinaemic clamp (EHC) in 87 (59 male and 28 post-menopausal female) overweight ...

Iodine is a trace element required for thyroid hormone production. Requirements increase in pregnancy, when even mild deficiency may affect offspring neurocognitive development.The gold standard for assessing iodine status is population surveys of urinary iodine concentration (UIC). The WHO also suggests a population prevalence of >3% of TSH values > 5 mIU/L indicates deficiency. A recent UK survey of 700 teenage girls demonstrated ...

Iodine is a trace element required for thyroid hormone production. Requirements increase in pregnancy, when even mild deficiency may affect offspring neurocognitive development.The gold standard for assessing iodine status is population surveys of urinary iodine concentration (UIC). The WHO also suggests a population prevalence of >3% of TSH values > 5 mIU/L indicates deficiency. A recent UK survey of 700 teenage girls demonstrated ...