Endocrine Abstracts

Androgen excess in women is most commonly caused by polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), but sinister ovarian and adrenal pathology requiring immediate action needs to be excluded. Here we examined whether the severity of androgen excess indicates the likely underlying pathology in women evaluated for androgen excess.We included all women undergoing assessment of serum DHEAS, androstenedione (D4) and testosterone (T) by liquid chromatogra...

Background: It has been proposed that menopause has a beneficial effect on the natural history of hyperprolactinaemia attributed to prolactinoma. Nonetheless, series systematically assessing outcome in females with prolactinoma who have passed through menopause are very limited.Aim: To investigate the impact of menopause on prolactinomas in patients not on dopamine agonist (DA) treatment.Patie...

Androgen excess in women is most commonly caused by polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), but sinister ovarian and adrenal pathology requiring immediate action needs to be excluded. Here we examined whether the severity of androgen excess indicates the likely underlying pathology in women evaluated for androgen excess.We included all women undergoing assessment of serum DHEAS, androstenedione (D4) and testosterone (T) by liquid chromatogra...

Background: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) has an aggressive but variable behaviour. ENSAT tumour stage and Ki67 proliferation index are used to predict clinical outcome but they are limited in distinguishing patients with best outcome. We aimed to investigate the prognostic role of clinical/histopathological parameters alone or in combination according to previously proposed points-based score (mGRAS, Lippert JCEM 2018).Methods: We assessed 112 patients...

Oestrogen quantification in serum is challenging as concentrations are low, especially in men and post-menopausal women. Additionally, oestrogens do not ionise readily and structure similarities can lead to cross-reactivity and reduced specificity, especially with immunoassay. Full characterisation of oestrogen metabolism and its role in disease progression has therefore not been fully investigated. We aimed to develop and validate a liquid chromatography mass spectrometry met...

Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) has been used for urinary steroid analysis for over 50 years. The process of hydrolysis to release steroids from their conjugates is routinely performed using commercially available snail Helix-Pomatia sulfatase (HP). However, as this is a naturally occurring enzyme its production process results in batch variation and so each batch requires experimental validation to adjust for the difference in efficiency of the enzymati...

Advancements in medical care have significantly improved survival rates following major traumatic injury. An understanding of the hormonal, inflammatory and metabolic changes that occur following trauma is still evolving but it is clear that they impact significantly upon patient prognosis. To date, studies that have examined trauma-induced changes in steroid metabolism have analysed samples taken from patients post-hospital admission, culminating in marked variability in the ...

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the hepatic manifestation of metabolic disease. 5β-reductase (AKR1D1) is highly expressed in human liver where it inactivates steroid hormones and catalyzes a fundamental step in bile acid synthesis. Steroid hormones, including glucocorticoids, as well as bile acids are established regulators of metabolic phenotype. We hypothesized that AKR1D1 plays a crucial regulatory role in hepatic metabolic homeostasis. Genetic manipulatio...

Introduction: Most prolactinomas in females are diagnosed during the years of reproductive age and the majority are microadenomas. Prolactinomas diagnosed after menopause are very rare with limited published data on their presentation and outcomes.Aim: The aim of our study was to assess the presenting clinical, biochemical and imaging findings, as well as the outcomes of women diagnosed with a prolactinoma in the post-menopausal period.<p class="abst...

Context: Nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase (NNT) is a NADPH-generating mitochondrial proton pump with a central role in mitochondrial antioxidant pathways. Recent studies revealed inactivating NNT mutations in patients with familial glucocorticoid deficiency, indicating a selective susceptibility of the adrenal cortex to NNT deficiency and oxidative stress. Here we explored the potential value of NNT as a therapeutic target in adrenocortical cancer.<p class="abstext...