Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Behavioural interventions have been developed to empower patients with adrenal insufficiency and prevent adrenal crisis. Behavioural theory, such as the theoretical domains framework, can inform future intervention development. The current systematic review aims to describe what techniques have been employed in previous interventions and highlight neglected behavioural barriers that could be targeted in future interventions.Methods: We perfor...

Background: The clinical manifestations of thyrotoxicosis do not always correlate with the extent of thyroid biochemical abnormalities. Here, we report the case of a COVID-19 positive patient who presented with congestive heart failure as a first-time presentation of thyrotoxicosis. Case report: A 40-year-old female presented to Emergency Department with two days history of lower limb oedema and abdominal distension. She denied dyspnoea, chest pain, palp...

Background: Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) are a rare, understudied form of cancer with few curative options, and their occurrence is rising. With approximately 4,000 new cases diagnosed per year in the US, and a 5-year relative survival rate of 54%, it’s imperative to understand the molecular mechanisms governing PNET carcinogenesis. To date, most studies used whole-tumor sequencing to characterize PNETs, which hampers the discovery of their microenvironment, c...

Autosomal dominant hypocalcemia type 1 (ADH1), caused by gain-of-function calcium-sensing receptor gene (CASR) variants, is characterized by low parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels, hypocalcemia, hypercalciuria, hyperphosphatemia and hypomagnesemia. Conventional therapy (calcium and active vitamin D) worsens hypercalciuria, which may result in renal complications. Calcilytics, such as encaleret, are negative allosteric modulators of the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR). T...

Islet transplantation, an effective treatment for Type I Diabetes, is compromised by transient ischemia. Ischemia reduces the viability and function of transplanted islets and may also promote signals that lower islet efficacy. In order to characterize the response of human islets to transient ischemia, high-throughput sequencing was employed to determine global gene expression. Islets isolated from healthy donors (n=4) were either pelleted in microcentrifuge tubes (i...

Background: Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) may have increased cardiovascular (CV) risk but the mechanisms are unclear. Microparticles (MP), small circulating vesicles released from platelets, monocytes and endothelial cells, are elevated in patients with CV disease, and may increase CV risk through altered cell content and/or increased surface exposure of procoagulant phosphatidylserine (PS).Aims: To compare MP characteristics between women ...

Introduction and aims: The short Synacthen test (SST) is used to diagnose underactivity of the HPA axis, with a cortisol response <550 nmol/l at 30 min widely accepted as diagnostic of adrenal insufficiency. Earlier studies of the SST have shown variation in cortisol concentrations measured by different immunoassays, suggesting the need for method-specific cut-offs. We sought to define the cortisol response to Synacthen in healthy volunteers (HV) and establish method-speci...

Introduction: Somatostatin and its analogues (SSA) have been reported to have anti-proliferative effects. We have recently demonstrated expression of all 5 somatostatin receptor sub-types in normal and malignant colonic tissue. SOM-230 (Novartis) is a novel SSA that has a wider binding affinity to somatostatin receptors compared to octreotide (OCT). Its effects on proliferation of colonic cancer cells are unknown.Aims: To determine the effects of SOM-230...

Background:Circulating levels of IGFBP-3 are inversely associated with the risk of developing colorectal cancers (CRC). In addition to modulating IGF bioavailability, IGFBP-3 also exerts independent pro-apoptotic effects. Furthermore, the mode of action of several apoptotic and antiproliferative agents, including vitamin D, has been shown to involve induction of IGFBP-3.Aims:To quantitate and compare IGFBP-3 ...

Autosomal dominant hypocalcemia type 1 (ADH1), caused by gain-of-function calcium-sensing receptor gene (CASR ) variants, is characterized by low parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels, hypocalcemia, hypercalciuria, hyperphosphatemia and hypomagnesemia. Conventional therapy (calcium and active vitamin D) can exacerbate hypercalciuria, which may result in renal complications. Calcilytics that act as negative allosteric modulators of the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR), like ...