Endocrine Abstracts

A 58-year-old female presented with a 20-year history of resistant hypertension and hypokalaemia, with normal renal function. Investigations confirmed primary hyperaldosteronism that was not suppressed following a standard saline infusion test. CT scanning revealed a right-sided adrenal mass of 1.3 cm, with a signal intensity of −1 HU. The left adrenal was normal in appearance. A LDDST excluded ACTH-independent Cushing’s syndrome. Adrenal vein sampling confirmed rig...

Malignant neoplasm of the Adrenal gland is rare and carries a poor prognosis. Presentation is with either symptoms of hormone excess; Cushings Syndrome (Steroids), Conns Syndrome (Aldosterone), Virilisation (Androgens), Feminisation (Oestrogens), Phaeochromocytoma (Catecholamines) or abdominal mass, and patients often present with hypertension. Laboratory investigations confirm clinical suspicion of isolated hormone excess. Surgical resection offers the best chance for long-te...

Introduction: Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. LVH defined by ECG (ECG-LVH) has been evaluated using standard voltage criteria by Sokolow and Lyon (SL-LVH) and more recently using the Cornell product criteria (CP-LVH). Evaluation of CP-LVH is beneficial in hypertensive patients: however, in patients with primary aldosteronism (PA) whose incidence of cardiovascular events is higher than essential hypertension (EHT), there ...

Background: Bone toxicity and more specifically Radiotherapy Related Insufficiency Fractures (RRIFs) are common late effects of pelvic radiotherapy, associated with increased morbidity and reduced quality of life, while their cost to the health system is currently unknown. The mechanisms underlying RRIFs are not well understood. Effective preventive techniques and management pathways need to be developed and validated with robust clinical and health economic analyses. The RadB...

The formylated peptide receptors comprise a polymorphic family of seven transmembrane domain Gi-protein-coupled receptors. Three family members have been characterised in man (FPR, FPRL1 and FPRL2) and eight in mice (Fpr1, Fpr-rs1 to Fpr-rs7) (1). FPR was originally identified as a receptor for formylated bacterial peptides but recent studies suggest that it is also a target for annexin 1 (ANXA1) (2), a protein mediator of glucocorticoid action in the neuroendocrine system (3)...

Objectives: Reducing length of inpatient stay following trans-sphenoidal pituitary adenectomy (TSA) could create significant financial saving for the NHS. We assessed early complication rates post-TSA to determine feasibility of early hospital discharge (3 days) post-TSA.Methods: We identified retrospectively 60 patients who underwent TSA at the John Radcliffe Hospital. These consisted of patients with a pre-operative confirmed diagnosis of non-functioni...

Prolactin secretion is sexually dimorphic and sensitive to changes in gonadal steroid and glucocorticoid status. Reports that the regulatory effects of glucocorticoids on prolactin release are mediated in part via annexin 1 (ANXA1, 1), have led us to compare prolactin secretion and lactotroph morphology in ANXA1 knockout (KO) and wildtype (WT) mice and to determine the effects gonadectomy +/- testosterone replacement (80 micrograms per day, s.c.) on (a) the plasma prolactin co...

Introduction: There has recently been a suggested link between central adrenal insufficiency and the high rate of sudden death in children and adolescents with Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS). This finding has important implications for PWS management, since steroid cover could exacerbate the existing tendency towards obesity. We have retrospectively examined our data for both mortality and pituitary–adrenal axis status in subjects attending the dedicated PWS clinic at t...

Von-Hippel-Lindau syndrome (VHL) is an autosomal-dominant disorder associated with CNS haemangioblastomas, phaeochromocytomas, renal carcinomas and retinal haemangiomas. We present the case of a 33-year-old woman with VHL who developed clinical progression of a CNS lesion during pregnancy. The patient had undergone removal of a cerebellar haemangioblastoma at age 18, and bilateral phaeochromocytomas were removed at age 27. The only other abnormality on regular review was a mix...

Autoimmune hypophysitis is a rare cause of pituitary failure. It’s aetiology and natural history are not well understood. We present a case of pituitary failure that showed spontaneous resolution of radiological and clinical features, consistent with autoimmune hypophysitis.Case report: An 18 year old male presented with a 7 month history of polyuria and headaches. No significant past medical history or family history were noted. A water deprivation...