Endocrine Abstracts

Bone Marrow Adipose Tissue (BMAT) has only recently become an emerging topic in both medical and basic research. As secretory cells found either packed or scattered within the BM, these adipocytes are likely contributors to haematopoiesis- or bone- related diseases. Indeed, clinical studies have consistently reported that BMAT amount is associated with bone loss in diverse types of osteoporosis such as that of ageing, post-menopause and anorexia nervosa. Since BM adipocytes an...

Adrenal insufficiency is an uncommon endocrine condition with an incidence of 4 cases per million. Common non-iatrogenic causes include autoimmunity, infections and infiltrations. We describe a case of acute adrenal insufficiency secondary to an unusual cause.A 77-year old female was admitted under the surgeons with abdominal pain and pyrexia. Abdominal ultrasonography showed large stones within a thickened gallbladder and a pr...

Adrenal insufficiency is an uncommon endocrine condition with an incidence of 4 cases per million. Common non-iatrogenic causes include autoimmunity, infections and infiltrations. We describe a case of acute adrenal insufficiency secondary to an unusual cause.A 77-year old female was admitted under the surgeons with abdominal pain and pyrexia. Abdominal ultrasonography showed large stones within a thickened gallbladder and a pr...

Introduction: Hyponatraemia is common and associated with significant morbidity and mortality. However, it’s often not recognised as a serious diagnosis and therefore inadequately investigated and poorly managed. An audit of the management of patients admitted to The Great Western Hospital (GWH) with hyponatraemia confirmed these problems. A hyponatraemia guideline was produced in order to improve diagnosis, investigation, and management of patients with hyponatraemia.</p...

We have investigated inter-individual transfer of 17β-estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P-4), and related it to mammalian ‘pheromonal’ effects. Assays of unconjugated E2 and P4 revealed their presence in male and female urine of laboratory mice and big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus), which are phylogenetically very distant from each other. These small and lipophilic steroids readily pass through biological membr...

In utero exposure to maternal obesity programs an increased risk of obesity. Animal models have shown that offspring obesity is often preceded by increased food intake, however, the mechanisms that mediate these changes are not understood. Using a mouse model of maternal diet-induced obesity we observed increased intake specifically of a high-fat pellet in adult offspring of obese mothers. Through small RNA sequencing, we identified programmed overexpression of miR-505-5p in t...

Background: Prolactinomas (PRL) are pituitary adenomas mainly characterized by hyperprolactinemia. In addition to the endocrine effects of prolactin, metabolic alterations have been described in PRL patients. Changes in inflammatory parameters have recently been identified in pituitary adenoma patients. Since both, metabolic (MM) and inflammatory markers (IM) showed promising results in characterization/prognosis of tumor patients, it is tempting to speculate whether those mig...

Background: Fractures are reported in 1/3 of children who have been abused. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) recommends that assessment of fractures where there is suspicion of physical abuse should include bone biochemistry: calcium (Ca), phosphate (Ph), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), parathyroid hormone (PTH) and Vitamin D (VitD).Objectives: To describe the pattern of bone biochemistry in children with fractures when non-accidenta...

Introduction: Osilodrostat is the newest approved steroidogenic inhibitor drug for the treatment of Cushing’s syndrome (CS). In this presentation, we describe 3 patients who experienced an unexpectedly prolonged adrenal insufficiency following interruption of this treatment.Methods: A monocentric retrospective analysis (October 2019 to January 2023) of ACTH-dependent CS patients controlled with Osilodrostat was performed to identify patients with pr...

Changes in the composition of the extracellular matrix (ECM) induce different cell signaling in normal tissues and in pathological conditions. ECM alteration in the adrenal microenvironment may contribute to both the development and function of adrenal gland. The adrenal gland consists of a cortex, with three concentric zones, glomerulosa (ZG), fasciculata (ZF) and reticularis (ZR), and the medulla (M), surrounded by a capsule. Here, we describe the differences among the ECM s...