Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Individuals with Down Syndrome are at increased risk of developing thyroid disease. Given thyroid disorders represent a preventable cause of neurodevelopmental impairment, early detection and treatment are essential to maximise cognitive abilities in this already impaired population. This service evaluation sought to assess the efficacy of the Down Syndrome Hypothyroid Screening programme in its uptake and subsequent diagnosis of hypothyroidism.<p class="abstex...

Introduction: The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that in an iodine sufficient population <3% of neonatal TSH values will exceed 5 mU/l. In Belgium and Wales 2.6 and 1.5% of values were above 5 mU/l respectively.Methods: Neonatal TSH (neoTSH) levels (AutoDELFIA fluoroimmunoassay, 2006–2013, Scotland) were analysed for prevalence of high value according to cut-off, season and feeding mode (IBM SPSS 22).Results: Out o...

Feral cat numbers in the UK are thought to number around one million and the Dogs Trust estimates it dealt with just over 110 000 stray and abandoned dogs in 2013. This scenario is common across the world and in the developing world in particular the control of feral populations is an ongoing challenge as well as a huge welfare issue. The only options currently available are expensive surgical neutering, or euthanasia of otherwise healthy animals. There is an urgent need to de...

The propensity for prolactin (PRL) to form high molecular mass complexes in serum is well described. Macroprolactin (mPRL), a PRL-immunoglobulin complex (>100 kDa), is the predominant form of PRL in up to 20% of patients with hyperprolactinaemia. Big PRL (bPRL, 40–50 kDa) is a ubiquitous, minor component of serum PRL rarely the major immunoreactive form, the nature of which is unclear. Using gel filtration chromatography (GFC) we have investigated the relative abundan...