Endocrine Abstracts

Case History: We report the case history of a 64-year-old woman who was admitted to hospital for evaluation of unsteadiness associated with postural hypotension. There was no history of headache, visual blurring, weight loss, diarrhoea or steroid treatment. She was taking high dose medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) 100 mg three times per day for 5 years following diagnosis of complex hyperplasia on endometrial biopsy for postmenopausal bleeding. Her past history included ischa...

Background: Delayed puberty and related problems with growth and body image in Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) have rarely been quantified.Methods: A longitudinal prospective observational study of children with IBD who had anthropometric and puberty data at 0 and 6 months. Of 50 recruited, there were 15 boys (CDM) and 20 girls (CDF) with CD and ten boys (UCM) and five girls (UCF) with UC. The four groups had a median age at 0 month...

Introduction: Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are a significant cause of morbidity in childhood. We undertook a prospective study to investigate ADRs causing admission to a UK paediatric hospital: this report focuses on corticosteroids (CS).Methods: Three investigators assessed all acute admissions over a 1 year period and identified ADRs by cross-referencing clinical presentations to known ADR profiles using a standardised causality tool.<p class="abs...

Background: Puberty is understood to be commonly effected in adolescents with Crohn’s Disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). However, the extent of this effect and related problems with growth, have rarely been quantified.Objective: To determine the impact of CD and UC on pubertal growth.Methods: Retrospective study of 148 children with IBD (casenotes available, 135) who fulfilled the criteria for describing growth spurt pa...

Ovarian cancer is the most fatal of all gynaecological malignancies. EOC accounts for >90% of malignant ovarian tumours and is thought to originate mostly from OSE cells. Epidemiological data suggest EOC is oestrogen responsive and we previously showed active oestrogen could be produced locally by EOC cells, but not by normal OSE cells, through the combined activities of steroid sulfatase (STS) and 17βhydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. We now investigate if EST, which conv...

Background: The aetiology of delayed puberty in children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is unclear.Methods: Retrospective analysis of 27 children with IBD with growth retardation and/or pubertal delay, who had basal LH and FSH (27) and LHRH stimulation test as part of clinical evaluation (25). Height velocity was converted to SDS for bone age for girls >11 years and boys >12 years to adjust for delayed puberty. Data expressed as median (ra...

Background: Whilst puberty is understood to be commonly effected in adolescents with Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), the extent of this effect as well as related problems with growth have rarely been quantified.Objective: To determine the impact of CD and UC on Size, Tempo and Velocity of the growth spurt.Methods: Retrospective study of 142 children with IBD (case notes available, 68) who fulfilled the criter...

It is now generally acknowledged that local tissue concentrations of cortisol and cortisone are modulated by site-specific actions of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11β-HSD) isoenzymes 1 and 2. Cortisone, the inactive metabolite of cortisol is produced by type 2 11β-HSD. To assess 11β-HSD type 1 and 2 activity, the cortisone/cortisol ratio has to be accurately determined. Immunoassays to measure cortisone levels are not widely available and tend to lack ...

At least 90% of human ovarian cancers may originate in the OSE. Most studies indicate that EOC is oestrogen responsive. Paradoxically, ovarian cancer generally occurs after the menopause, so the question arises if oestrogen is involved, where does it come from? We hypothesise that the high circulating concentrations of conjugated (inactive) oestrogens in post-menopausal women are substrates for formation of active oestrogen in the OSE through the hydrolytic enzyme activity of ...

Background: PPNAD is a rare form of bilateral adrenal hyperplasia associated with Carney complex and PRKAR1A mutation. We report the experience of monitoring disease activity in two patients with PPNAD.Both patients (case 1: a 7.4-year-old boy and case 2: a 6.1-year-old girl) presented with rapid onset of cushingoid symptoms, weight gain and hypertension together with multiple freckles and lentigines.Biochemical analysis on both pa...