Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Stress induced hyperglycemia is common during acute illness and is related to poorer clinical outcome.Objective: To evaluate the correlation between plasma glucose elevation from baseline and clinical outcome during acute illness.Design: Retrospective, observational cohort of patients presenting to emergency department with plasma glucose concentration >500 mg/dl.Participants: 661 patients vis...

Elongation factor, RNA polymerase II, 2 (ELL2) is an RNA Pol II elongation factor with functional properties similar to ELL that can interact with the prostate tumor suppressor ELL-associated factor 2 (EAF2). In murine models, deletion of Ell2 induced prostate intraepithelial neoplasia similar to that induced by deletion of Eaf2. Since ELL2 and EAF2 can functionally interact and appear to have similar function in regulating prostate homeostasis, we investigated the impact of c...

Prolonged increases in foetal plasma noradrenaline occur in pathologies, including intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Infusion of noradrenaline into healthy sheep foetuses showed continuous suppression of insulin secretion but produced a compensatory beta-cell response after noradrenaline infusion was terminated, similar to findings with adrenergic antagonists in IUGR foetuses. Hyper-insulin secretion responsiveness was confirmed in isolated foetal islets. To identify mol...

Background: Within the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (GGC), many children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) are looked after at the RHSC until the age of 16 years, after which they are transferred to their local adult diabetes services. This is the first longitudinal audit within the GGC looking at the changes in diabetic control of the patient pre-and post-transfer.Method: A cohort of 75 patients referred onto the adult diabetes service from RHSC in ...

Objectives: Along with better recognition of the role of primary aldosteronism (PA) in increasing cardiovascular risk and the potential of targeted therapy for PA, the long-term mortality according to different treatments are poorly understood.Methods: We investigated PA patients using the validated algorithms between 1999 and 2011. Their data were extracted from the whole claims of the Taiwan National Health Insurance. We used Cox regression with time-v...

Hypoparathyroidism is a rare disorder characterised by hypocalcaemia and hyperphosphataemia in the presence of low or inappropriately normal parathyroid hormone levels. Currently there are limited data on the burden of illness and healthcare resource utilisation (HCRU) associated with chronic hypoparathyroidism in Canada. A retrospective cohort analysis with matched controls was conducted to examine HCRU in patients with chronic hypoparathyroidism in Ontario, Canada. Data were...

The gonadotrophin receptors, LH receptor (LHR) and FSH receptor (FSHR) are G-protein coupled receptors, vital in regulating reproductive functions. During the follicular phase of the ovarian cycle, FSHR and LHR are separately localised to discrete cellular compartments, granulosa and theca cells respectively, where they control steroidogenesis and follicle maturation. However, as the follicle develops, LHR expression is induced in granulosa cells, resulting in temporary co-exp...

Background: Primary adrenal insufficiency due to adrenal hemorrhage from anti-phospholipid syndrome (APS) is an uncommon and life threatening disorder. We present a case, highlighting the challenges in the diagnosis and management of this disorder.Case presentation: A 59-year-old Chinese lady presented with a 2-year history of bilateral flank pain, lethargy, poor appetite and weight loss. Initial blood investigations were unremarkable except for a choles...

Introduction: The visceral adipose tissue-derived serine protease inhibitor (vaspin), a novel adipocytokine, has been widely reported to be associated with obesity and insulin resistance. Obesity induced chronic inflammatory process plays a pivotal role in insulin resistance and is characterized by the activation of NF-κB pathway and its target genes. The present study aims to investigate the effects of vaspin on NF-κB pathway and its target genes in basal and TNF-&#...

Introduction: Low testosterone levels are found in up to 50% of male patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and acute illness is associated with further suppression of the central and peripheral gonadal axis. Testosterone supplementation in chronic stable COPD patients has yielded mixed results, demonstrating increased lean body mass, and improved exercise capacity in some studies, but not others. Use of anabolic steroids during acute illness has shown ben...