Endocrine Abstracts

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a condition characterised by raised intracranial pressure (ICP) that primarily affects obese women of reproductive age. The aetiology is poorly understood but involves imbalance of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) secretion and absorption. IIH patients share similar phenotypic characteristics to PCOS patients, a condition with a distinct androgen signature. We hypothesise that obesity and androgen excess maybe...

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a condition characterised by raised intracranial pressure (ICP) that primarily affects obese women of reproductive age. The aetiology is poorly understood but involves imbalance of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) secretion and absorption. IIH patients share similar phenotypic characteristics to PCOS patients, a condition with a distinct androgen signature. We hypothesise that obesity and androgen excess maybe...

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is characterised by raised intracranial pressure (ICP) and papilloedema, diagnosed primarily in obese women of reproductive age, with the incidence rising with the global epidemic of obesity. Weight-loss lowers ICP and treats IIH. No mechanism explains the link between obesity and raised ICP. We hypothesise that adipose tissue from IIH patients has a metabolically distinct profile that contributes to raised ICP. Our previous data demo...

Background: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) predominantly affects obese women of childbearing age. IIH is characterised by increased intracranial pressure (ICP) which results in visual loss and disabling headaches. ICP dis-regulation results from imbalance of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) production rate (at the choroid plexus epithelial cells) and drainage. Treatments for IIH are limited but weight loss is established as disease modifying.Glucago...

Introduction: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) occurs in young obese women (>90%) but little is known about the metabolic characteristics in these patients. We aimed to characterise IIH fat distribution, metabolic phenotype and evaluate alterations following weight loss.Methods: IIH and matched (BMI/sex) healthy obese controls were recruited. Metabolic indices (fasting lipid, glucose, insulin), anthropological measures and body composition ...

Ocular and orbital tissues are extremely susceptible to damage by immune-mediated inflammatory conditions, such as thyroid-associated-ophthalmopathy (TAO). Recent studies have implicated fibroblasts in the development of chronic inflammation. Once activated by inflammatory cytokines, fibroblasts secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines perpetuating the inflammatory process, causing significant tissue damage. Synovial fibroblasts have been reported to regulate inflammation by increas...

Background: Current therapies for reducing raised intracranial pressure (ICP) in conditions such as idiopathic intracranial hypertension have limited efficacy and tolerability. As such, there is a pressing need to identify novel drugs. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists are used to treat diabetes and promote weight loss but have also been shown to affect fluid homeostasis in the kidney. Here, we investigate whether exendin-4, a GLP-1R agonist, is able to modula...

Background: Current therapies for reducing raised intracranial pressure (ICP) in conditions such as idiopathic intracranial hypertension have limited efficacy and tolerability. As such, there is a pressing need to identify novel drugs. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists are used to treat diabetes and promote weight loss but have also been shown to affect fluid homeostasis in the kidney. Here, we investigate whether exendin-4, a GLP-1R agonist, is able to modula...

Context: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is characterised by elevated intracranial pressure and occurs predominantly in obese premenopausal women. Signs and symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) often coexist in IIH. Here we compared the androgenic and metabolic phenotypes in IIH, PCOS and simple obesity.Patients and Methods: We studied 25 patients with IIH (mean age 34.4±9.2 years; mean BMI 37.8±5.2 kg/m2), in comp...

Meningitis is associated with high mortality and morbidity predominantly driven by meningeal inflammation. Herpes Simplex virus (HSV) is a major cause of viral meningitis typically progressing to HSV encephalitis. Numerous studies highlight the importance of glucocorticoids in lowering inflammation in bacterial meningitis, but very limited data exists on the use of glucocorticoids in viral meningitis. We aimed to characterise 11β-HSD1 (which interconverts inactive cortiso...