Endocrine Abstracts

Objective: To report a case of thalassemia major diagnosed per chance when investigated for undetectable HbA1C.Clinical Presentation: A 2-year-old male patient presented with fever since 3 days and moderate pallor. His blood was sent to Biochemistry laboratory for the estimation of HbA1C. Later on it was found that there was no indication for this test in this case. When assayed, his haemoglobin (Hb)A1C was not detectable on a BioRad D10 HPLC ...

The incidence of childhood thyrotoxicosis in the UK and Ireland is unknown. The commonest cause worldwide is Graves’ disease (60–90% of cases), with reported incidences varying from 0.79 (Denmark) to 6.5 (Hong Kong) per 100,000 pop./yr. Mean age at diagnosis is reported as 11.3 years with a F:M ratio of 5.5:1. Some countries have recently reported an increasing incidence.To ascertain the UK and Ireland incidence of childhood thyrotoxicosis and ...

Phytoestrogens bind weakly to oestrogen receptors and can initiate oestrogen-dependent transcription. They are promoted as natural alternatives to HRT and yet epidemiological evidence suggests that they may protect against breast and prostate cancer. Studies in cell-free preparations have shown that phytoestrogens can inhibit the activity of aromatase and that the inhibition is, at least partly, competitive with androgen substrates. The question as to whether chronic exposure ...

We present two cases of postmenopausal, gonadotrophin-dependent androgen excess.Case 1: A 59-year-old postmenopausal female presented with a 4-year history of hirsuitism and male pattern balding. Past medical history included Type II diabetes, hypertension, and polycystic ovarian syndrome. Investigations revealed androgen excess (testosterone 8.9 nmol/l [ref range<2.5], free androgen index 31.8 [ref 0-7], androstenedione 13.7 nmol/l [ref<6.8], DH...

Insulin resistance states are associated with endothelial dysfunction, but the molecular mechanisms underlying this association are incompletely understood. Impairment of insulin stimulated endothelial NO production is proposed to be a key mechanism in this process. In cultured human aortic endothelial cell (HAEC) models, insulin stimulates an intracellular signalling cascade resulting in activating phosphorylation of Insulin Receptor Substrate-1 (IRS-1), Protein kinase B (PKB...

Phytoestrogens (PEs) have a weak affinity for the oestrogen receptor. There is, however, no consistent evidence that, on a normal diet, circulating levels of PEs reach sufficient concentrations to exert significant oestrogenic/anti-oestrogenic effects. Phytoestrogens have been implicated in other cellular actions, not all of which necessarily involve the oestrogen receptor. Studies on cell-free systems and cell lines have demonstrated dose-dependent inhibitory effects of PEs o...

Introduction: Thyroid incidentaloma in 18F-FDG PET-CT is relatively common and the most focal uptake are benign. However, the risk of malignancy of thyroid lesions with focal uptake on 18F-FDG PET-CT is 34.8%. Metastasis to the thyroid is uncommon (less than 0.2% of thyroid fine needle aspiration – FNA - puncture findings), with renal neoplasms being the most frequently associated (48.1%) and, more rarely, those from the breast (7.8%).Case report: A...

Background: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is one of the most common illness of pregnancy. Despite its frequency, there’s no worldwide accepted screening criteria for GDM. In 2011, Carpenter and Coustan (CC) screening (50-g glucose challenge test (GCT) followed by 100-g glucose tolerance test (OGTT) if GCT screen was positive) was abandoned and began the implementation of the screening of the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Group (IADPSG) 20...

Introduction: Acromegaly is usually caused by a pituitary adenoma; ectopic or eutopic secretion of GHRH is a rare condition, responsible for <1% of the cases. Ectopic secretion of GH itself is even rarer.Case report: A 34-year-old woman was referred to the Endocrine Clinic with a multinodular goiter. However, on physical examination there were some physical signs of acromegaly: coarsening of facial features, protusion of the lower jaw and thick, oily...

Introduction: The acute onset of pulmonary edema and severe congestive heart failure secondary to catecholamine overproduction from a pheochromocytoma is a rare entity, especially in the absence of other signs or symptoms suspicious of this tumour. Myocardial involvement can include angina pectoris, acute heart failure, dilated cardiomyopathy, myocardial infartion and arrhytmias. Here, we present the case of a young man with no significant medical history who presented with ac...