Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Adrenal masses are discovered in 5% of abdominal imaging scans. Work-up aims at exclusion of malignancy and hormone excess. However, estimates of these risks derive from retrospective studies only, mostly small and with significant selection bias.Methods: Prospective multi-centre study (2011–2016) in 14 centres (11 countries) of the European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumours (ENSAT) with prospective consecutive enrolment of patien...

Abstract: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a devastating neurological condition, with elevated intracranial pressure of unknown aetiology. IIH is largely a disease of obese females of reproductive age. The clinical phenotype of IIH overlaps with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), with prevalent obesity, hyperandrogenism and anovulation. In this study, we aimed to delineate the androgen excess phenotype of IIH women compared to those with PCOS and simple obesity. Wo...

Abstract: PCOS prevalence is reported to be increased in reproductive-age women with type-1 diabetes (T1DM) but measurement of androgens, crucial for diagnosis, has been with inaccurate immunoassays. No studies have been reported using liquid-chromatography-mass-spectrometry (LCMS). Reproductive-age T1DM women attending a single centre were evaluated for PCOS (NIH criteria). Women with T1DM and PCOS (T1/PCOS) were compared to T1DM women without hyperandrogenism (T1/no HA), and...

Abstract: The prevalence of hyperandrogenism has been reported to be increased in reproductive-age women with type-1 diabetes (T1DM). This observation however is based on findings using inaccurate immunoassays. No studies have been reported in diabetes using liquid-chromatography-mass-spectrometry (LCMS). We compared LCMS-measured androgens in T1DM-women with age-/ BMI-matched normal women, and compared findings with those in women with type-2 diabetes (T2DM) also compared to ...

Introduction: Dysregulation of glucocorticoid (GC) metabolism is implicated in the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The only available treatment for NAFLD is weight loss and the gold standard diagnostic test is liver biopsy, which is invasive and resource intensive. NAFLD ranges from simple steatosis, to inflammation (steatohepatitis/NASH), fibrosis and cirrhosis. It may be regarded as the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome and is strongl...

Background: Adrenal masses are discovered in 5% of cross-sectional abdominal imaging scans. Work-up aims at exclusion of malignancy and hormone excess. However, estimates of these risks presently derive from retrospective studies only, mostly small and with significant selection bias.Methods: Prospective multi-centre study (2011–2016) in 21 centres (17 countries) of the European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumours (ENSAT) with consecutive enrol...

Introduction: Dysregulated glucocorticoid (GC) metabolism has been implicated in the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD extends from simple steatosis, to inflammation (steatohepatitis/NASH), fibrosis and consequent cirrhosis. It is often regarded as the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome and is independently associated with increased liver and cardiovascular mortality. Changes in GC metabolism have thus far been described in small num...

Steroid hormones and BAs are established regulators of metabolic phenotype. 5β-reductase (AKR1D1) is highly expressed in the liver where it inactivates steroid hormones and catalyses a fundamental step in bile acid (BA) synthesis. We have hypothesised that AKR1D1 plays a crucial regulatory role in hepatic metabolic homeostasis. Genetic manipulation of AKR1D1 was performed in human liver HepG2 and Huh7 cells. Expression changes were confirmed by qPCR and western blotting, ...

In patients with autoimmune Addison’s disease (AAD), exogenous glucocorticoid (GC) therapy is an imperfect substitute for physiological GC secretion; patients on long-term steroid replacement have increased morbidity, reduced life expectancy and poorer quality of life. Recent early-phase studieshave demonstrated that some endogenous steroidogenic function – Residual Adrenal Function (RAF) - is maintained at the point of diagnosis in a proportion of AAD patients; this...

Introduction: Immune dysregulation is a feature of Cushing’s syndrome (CS). We report a case of CS that presented with rapidly developing cutaneous Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS).Case description: A previously well 59-year-old heterosexual man presented with a two-month history of proximal muscle weakness, recurrent mouth ulcers, and purplish skin lesions. He had a background history of hypertension. Skin biopsies were compatible with KS. History of pas...