Endocrine Abstracts

Objective: The terminology used to describe abnormalities of sex determination and sex differentiation was revised in 2006. It was anticipated that new terms, such as “disorder of sex development” (DSD), would improve communication between health professionals, aid parental understanding and be acceptable to affected individuals. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the new terminology has been an improvement compared to previous nomenclature.<p clas...

Selective transsphenoidal adenomectomy remains the accepted first line treatment for Cushing’s disease (CD), until recently by microscopic (sublabial) transsphenoidal pituitary surgery. Endonasal transsphenoidal endoscopic surgery is emerging as a novel, less invasive treatment for pituitary adenomas with lower postoperative complications and morbidity. The safety of endoscopic surgery has been extensively reviewed in adult patients and is now considered best practice for...

A number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been identified in the GHRH receptor gene. Two of these SNPs, A57T and V225I, have been found to cause an increased cAMP response to GHRH stimulation in vitro, and it has been suggested that they may be associated with the abnormal biochemistry in patients with somatotroph adenomas. The objective of this study was to clarify the frequencies of these SNPs in the normal population and in subjects with short stature. The sub...

Kisspeptin is a 54 amino acid peptide, encoded by the anti-metastasis gene KiSS-1, that activates the G-protein-coupled receptor, GPR54. The kisspeptin/GPR54 system is critical to normal reproductive development. KiSS-1 gene expression is increased in the human placenta in normal and molar pregnancies. Circulating kisspeptin is dramatically increased in normal pregnancy but levels in gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) have not previously been reported. The...