Endocrine Abstracts

This presentation will review clinical advances in Endocrinology over the last year, highlighting studies selected on the basis of their impact on clinical care....

Hirsutism and hair loss are common and distressing problems for patients with PCOS. Both are associated with significant psychological impact, including symptoms of depression and reduced quality of life. Treatment options for hirsutism include non-pharmacological approaches (lifestyle change, cosmetic treatments, direct hair removal methods) and pharmacotherapy. Lifestyle change resulting in weight loss can result in modest improvements in Ferriman-Gallwey scores in addition ...

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is the commonest endocrine disorder in young women, affecting up to 10% of the premenopausal population. In addition to its reproductive sequelae, PCOS is now established as a metabolic disorder, characterised by defects in insulin secretion and action. These disturbances, along with comorbidities such as obesity and dyslipidaemia, may predispose to an increased risk of cardiometabolic disease in later life. Our studies confirm a higher prevale...

Endocrinologists are faced with three main issues when managing a woman with a prolactinoma contemplating pregnancy: restoration of fertility, consideration of the effects of dopamine agonists on the developing foetus, and the effects of the high oestrogen environment of pregnancy on prolactinoma expansion. Untreated hyperprolactinaemia leads to anovulatory menstrual cycles with resultant amenorrhoea and infertility in most patients. Therefore, treatment is usually required in...

It is ten years since we identified the human melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) as the locus that underpins red hair, freckling and sun sensitivity. The MC1R is not the only gene that is important in human pigmentation, but it does seem to play a significant role. A striking aspect of the MC1R is the degree of genetic diversity. I review how a combination of laboratory and genetic epidemiological studies has shown how a single locus, that in some instances behaves c...

Pituitary folliculostellate (FS) cells were originally described in 1953 and comprise up to 10% of the anterior pituitary cell population. These epithelioid cells are thought to be derived from neuroectodermal cells and express S-100, a nervous tissue-selective protein that is used to define FS phenotype. Unlike their endocrine counterparts, they are devoid of secretory granules and were considered non-secretory until relatively recently. Experiments using pituitary slices hav...

There are just over 600 children in the UK on renal replacement therapy, with an annual take-on rate of around 100. There are many more in chronic renal failure (CRF). The main complications are poor growth, renal osteodystrophy and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in early adulthood, all of which are inter-related.The main player in renal osteodystrophy is hyperparathyroidism, which develops early in the course of CRF. PTH levels can be manip...

Coordinated interaction between the neuroendocrine and immune systems is of paramount importance in regulating the host's response to inflammation and anoxic stress. Adenosine, released under such conditions in high concentration, modulates a number of inflammatory processes and can regulate the activity of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Although adenosine receptors (ARs) have been described in the pituitary gland, the distribution of the receptor subtypes (A1, ...

Hyponatraemia is the commonest electrolyte disturbance in hospitalised patients. Acute severe hyponatraemia is a medical emergency, leading to potential cerebral oedema and death if not actively managed. Prompt intervention with hypertonic saline is recommended to reverse neurological symptoms and prevent brain herniation, aiming for an initial sodium increase of 4 to 6 mmol. Overcorrection runs the risk of osmotic demyelination syndrome, hence further rapid sodium rise (to a ...

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is a genetic endocrine disorder associated with long-term health risks. Supported by the Society for Endocrinology, the original CaHASE study consisted of an initial questionnaire to UK centres providing specialist care to adults with CAH, followed by a nationwide audit. Three hundred and seventy-three patients from 17 centres were contacted between 2004 and 2007, 203 of whom agreed to participate (138 women, 65 men, median age 34 (range 18...