Endocrine Abstracts

Tom Armstrong will present evidence to support the role of surgical resection NET liver in the case based discussion detailed above....

The early embryo before implantation, in addition to undergoing the intrinsic steps of morphogenesis, demonstrates external ’awareness’ of environmental conditions in particular maternal nutritional quality. These nutritional cues are used to optimise the developmental programme for long-term survival, a form of developmental plasticity. Thus, maternal protein restriction exclusively during mouse preimplantation development with normal nutrition thereafter and postna...

Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) accounts for 5–10% of all thyroid cancers and can be either sporadic (75%) or familial (25%). Familial MTC is associated with hereditary syndromes such as Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia (MEN) type 2A or 2B and Familial Medullary Thyroid Cancer (FMTC). Sporadic MTC most often present as thyroid nodule and fine needle aspiration cytology combined with elevated plasma calcitonin levels is diagnostic in about 90% of cases. Hereditary forms of MTC ...

The MRC currently operates a ‘highlight notice’ in systems biology for medicine. Highlight notices are requests for applications through the normal response mode route – they represent a priority but do not have a specific budget attached. This notice is of considerable relevance to endocrinology research, as will be discussed at the March meeting. MRC-funded endocrinology researchers are already beginning to use systems approaches with some success, but there i...

Primary Hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is, after diabetes and thyroid diseases, the third commonest endocrine disorder and its incidence and prevalence is rising globally. In the United Kingdom, the incidence of PHPT has been estimated to be 25/100,000, and prevalence has risen from 1.8 to 6.7 per 1000 between 1997-2006, implying that in the UK alone, about half a million people suffer from this condition and 12.000 develop it each year. Recognition of increased PHPT related morbi...

Genetic testing for RET gene was available in the United Kingdom within few years of its discovery, undoubtedly another bonus of universal, nationwide health care system. It was the beginning of Precision Medicine era, which became a watchword for preventative and personalized treatments based on phenotypic, biomarker and genetic characteristics. Surgical Precision on the other hand is an idiom for doing something very well and with meticulous attention to detail. In my presen...

Phaeochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PPGL) are rare neuroendocrine tumours arising from chromaffine cells either from adrenal medulla (phaeochromocytoma) or extra-adrenal paraganglia (paraganglioma). Phaeochromocytomas and sympathetic paragangliomas (arising from thoracic, abdominal, or pelvic sympathetic ganglia) may secrete catecholamines which are associated with the most clinical symptoms and signs whereas parasympathetic paragangliomas (arising from parasympathetic gangli...

Background: Insulin autoimmune syndrome (Hirata disease) is a very rare cause of hypoglycaemia; approximately 400 cases have been described. The presence of insulin autoantibodies leads to the formation of insulin-Ig complexes, with subsequent dissociation of insulin resulting in episodes of severe hypoglycaemia. The condition can present a diagnostic and management challenge.Case Report: A 77-year-old man was attended by paramedics with a GCS of 8 and s...

Hypoglycaemia is a one of the commonest presentation of an ill child. Hyponatraemia during illness is mostly presumed to be related to syndrome of inappropriate anti diuretic hormone secretion (SIADH). We would like to present an interesting case of hypoglycaemia and hyponatraemia.A four-year-old boy presented with a two-day history of intermittent fever, vacant episodes, and seizures. He was noted to be hypoglycaemic with laboratory glucose of 1.2 mmol/...

The hepatic enzyme 5β-reductase (AKR1D1) sits at the interface between two metabolic pathways, converting steroid hormones to their inactive 5β-reduced metabolites during steroid clearance, and as a step in the synthesis of bile acids from cholesterol. Both the steroid substrates and the bile acid products of AKR1D1 are potent hormones that regulate hepatic energy metabolism and inflammation. It is not known how these two functions are spatially organised within hepa...