Endocrine Abstracts

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus results in a two to four-fold increased risk of dying from complications of cardiovascular disease. There is growing evidence that this risk can be reduced by low-dose aspirin. Evidence comes from studies of platelet function and aspirin pharmacology and from trials of primary and secondary prevention. The American Diabetes Association produced a position statement regarding guidelines for aspirin use in 1997.OBJECTIVES: To ...

INTRODUCTION: Gastrinomas usually arise in pancreas or duodenum and may be small and difficult to localize. These tumours are multiple in 50% of sporadic cases but in MEN1 this figure rises to 90%.CASE REPORT: Our patient presented aged 24 with a neck mass. Investigations confirmed primary hyperparathyroidism and four-gland parathyroidectomy confirmed hyperplasia. When normocalcaemic, her fasting plasma gastrin level was noted to be 129 pmol/l (NR<40)...

The gastric hormone ghrelin stimulates feeding whereas the intestinal hormones peptide YY3-36 (PYY3-36) and oxyntomodulin inhibit feeding. In order to determine whether these gut hormones retain their effects in obesity, they were administered in vivo intraperitoneally to unanaesthetised lean and obese mice. Forty eight C57Bl/6 male mice were randomised to receive either low-fat diet (4.5% fat) or high fat diet (60% fat). After 16 weeks, mice fed o...

Objective: Succinate dehydrogenase B (SDHB) germline mutations are associated with predominantly extra-adrenal paraganglioma (PGLs) and high rates of metastatic disease. Bladder paragangliomas are a rare form of chromaffin cell tumours arising from the bladder wall. The aim of the study is to highlight the preponderance of bladder paragangliomas associated with SDHB gene mutations.Design: Retrospective case series.Patients: Five of...

While pituitary adenomas (PA) usually occur as a sporadic disease, an increasing number of patients are recognised with a family member also suffering from a PA. If no other syndromic features are present, these families are categorised as FIPA. In published studies, 20% of the FIPA families, 20% of sporadic childhood and 13% of sporadic young-onset (≤30 years) acromegaly patients carry a germline AIP mutation. As familial disease is more aggressive, family scre...

Objective: To review the diagnostic features and localization accuracy of different investigations for insulinomas diagnosed 1990–2009 at a single tertiary referral centre.Design: A cross-sectional, restrospective analysis, including sporadic tumours and those in multiple endocrine neoplasia syndromes.Methods: Case notes and investigation results were reviewed from patients with biochemically or histologically-proven insulinom...