Endocrine Abstracts

In 2007 a genome wide association study linked SNPs in intron 1 of FTO with an increased body mass index. Individuals with the ‘risk’ allele are on average 3 kg heavier than those with the ‘protective’ allele. Furthermore, those with the ‘risk’ allele have demonstrated greater energy intake. Mouse models of FTO have been generated including a conditional overexpression allele of FTO, which has 2 additional copies of FTO (FTO-4). These mice have in...

Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHP) during pregnancy is associated with high risk of maternal, foetal and neonatal mortality. Maternal and foetal complications have been reported in 67 and 80% of cases respectively. Guidelines for the management of PHP in adults exist, but there is no clear consensus regarding optimal management of PHP during pregnancy. We describe a case of PHP managed conservatively during pregnancy, resulting in the delivery of a healthy baby.<p class="ab...

Background: Military training has been associated with changes in the hypothalamic–pituitary–testicular axis that are consistent with central hypogonadism (fall in testosterone, LH and FSH concentrations). The effects on the hypothalamic–pituitary–testicular axis of deployment to a combat zone are not known. The aim of this study was to clarify this situation.Methods: Military personnel were investigated pre-deployment (Pre-) and foll...

Introduction: Daily administration of Pegvisomant normalizes IGF1 levels >71% of acromegalics (1). Few studies have assessed the efficacy of weekly administration. We assessed the efficacy of weekly pegvisomant for 12 months, after withdrawal of long-acting somatostatin analogs (SSA) in acromegalics previously controlled on combination therapy.Design: Fifteen subjects (8 males), age 58 (35–80) (median (range)) years on combination therapy of hig...

Multiple myeloma is a hematologic malignancy characterized by osteolytic bone destruction which follows the increased osteoclastic resorption of bone that is not accompanied by increased bone formation. This can lead to bone pain, diffuse osteopenia, focal lytic lesions, pathologic fractures, spinal cord compression, and hypercalcemia, so it is evident that osteolytic bone disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with multiple myeloma. Long-term monthly ...

Background: Military personnel on operational deployment commonly lose weight despite the adequate supply of rations. Moderate weight loss (~5% body mass) occurred during the initial phase of a 6-month deployment to Afghanistan without affecting physical fitness. Reasons for this weight loss are presently unknown. We sought to establish whether changes in appetite regulatory hormones contribute to the observed weight loss.Methods: Body mass and body comp...

Introduction: Refractory hypothyroidism is associated with significantly increased morbidity and healthcare costs. During the evaluation of refractory disease, a thyroxine absorption test is frequently performed using different protocols. We assessed the usefulness of the supervised rapid thyroxine absorption test in a low-resource setting and formulated a useful model to determine the expected FT4 rise in hypothyroid patients without known malabsorption.<p class="abstext"...