Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Dexamethasone (Dex) induced growth retardation in children is partly mediated by direct growth plate effects. In contrast, IGF-I induces bone growth and may ameliorate these effects.Aims: To determine the direct effects of Dex and IGF-I on bone length, cell proliferation and mineralisation in cultured fetal mouse metatarsals.Methods: 18-day-old fetal metatarsals were cultured in triplicate in serum-free medium for 12 days supplemented with either Dex 10<sup...

We describe a 3 year old Scottish girl with polyuria and nocturia and a past history of congenital heart disease. In addition to her excess fluid intake she had reduced food intake, failure to thrive and growth failure. Her sister, father, grandfather and a paternal aunt and uncle had a clear history of polyuria, nocturia and excess thirst. A fluid deprivation test revealed peak serum Na, serum and urine osmolalities were 147 mmol/L, 300 mOs/kg, 176 mOs/kg, respectively, in th...

High dose intravenous methylprednisolone therapy is used in patients with severe thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) and other inflammatory disorders. Although in the short-term it appears to be safe, the acute metabolic effects of this regimen have not been studied in detail.We studied 15 patients with severe TAO, aged 59 ± 10 (mean ± SD) years. One patient was known to have type 2 diabetes. Each patient received 500 mg of iv methyprednisolone daily on t...

Objectives: Vitamin D deficiency is rarely considered or treated in critically ill patients. Deficiency of 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH) D) prior to hospital admission might be a significant predictor of short and long term all cause patient mortality in a critically ill patient. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in hospitalized patients and its relation to the length of stay and outcome of hospitalization.Methods: Prospective...

Background: T2DM is a metabolic disorder characterized by high blood glucose in the context of insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency with disturbances of carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism.T2DM is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment. The etiology of cognitive impairment in people with T2DM is uncertain, but it is most likely multi factorial. Chronic hyperglycemia, cerebral micro vascular disease, severe hypoglycemia, and...

Magnesium is an essential element and has a fundamental role in carbohydrate metabolism in general and in the insulin action in particular. Magnesium is involved in multiple levels in insulin secretion, binding and activity. Cellular magnesium deficiency can alter the activity of the membrane bound Na+K+ ATPase, which is involved in the maintenance of gradients of sodium and potassium and in glucose transport. Magnesium depletion has a negative impact on glucose homeostasis an...

Background: The term metabolic syndrome refers to a cluster of associated symptoms composed of impaired fasting glucose, abdominal obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidaemia. Metabolic syndrome is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular and diabetes-associated morbidity and mortality. Further, there is evidence that metabolic syndrome is an effective and simple clinical tool for identifying high-risk subjects predisposed to cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellit...

Background: The diabetes management clinics in primary health care centres in Oman aim to provide interdisciplinary diabetes management for their patients. The interdisciplinary management is proved in the literature to have successful outcomes and help the patients to reach their glycemic control fast and safe. Therefore the diabetes management in Oman follows national guidelines, which are based on IDF and AACE guidelines and support the interdisciplinary approach. Despite t...

Background: Glucocorticoid (GC) induced growth retardation is partly due to effects on the growth plate but may vary depending on the pattern of GC exposure.Aims: To compare the effects of dexamethasone (Dex) and prednisolone (Pred) and timing of GC exposure on chondrocyte proliferation and terminal differentiation on the ATDC5 murine chondrocyte cell line.Methods: The cell line was fully characterized by assessing marker gene expr...

Background: Girls with Turner Syndrome (TS) are at increased risk of primary ovarian failure. Previous studies have demonstrated that urinary gonadotrophins (UG) can be used as a non- invasive biochemical marker of pubertal status but their value in monitoring and managing girls with primary ovarian failure is unclear.Aims: To determine the range of UG in girls with Turner Syndrome (TS) and its correlation to serum LH and FSH.Patie...