Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Health numeracy is the ability to understand, and act upon quantitative data, in an appropriate and effective manner. Health numeracy is distinct from health literacy. Health numeracy is associated with better self-management.Aims and objectives: This study was performed at two endocrine centres in north India, to assess and improve the health numeracy of patients with type 2 diabetes, with an aim to improving the quality of shared decision m...

Objectives: In normal subjects, inhibitory effect of a glucose load (OGTT) on GH secretion is probably mediated by an increase in hypothalamic release of somatostatin whereas the stimulatory effect of arginine on GH secretion is probably mediated by a decrease in somatostatin release. In humans and animals, somatostatin infusion inhibits basal and TRH-stimulated TSH secretion but little is known on the role of endogenous somatostatin in the regulation of TSH secretion. The aim...

Since ancient times, physicians have speculated that balneotherapy (therapeutic bathing in medicinal and thermal springs) has a stress-relieving effect, but this has not yet been scientifically established. The aim of this study was to evaluate the stress-relieving effects of short-term balneotherapy in a controlled trial by measuring salivary cortisol as a sensitive stress marker. Forty-nine healthy probands were randomised into three intervention groups. Group one performed ...

Objectives: Long-term results of medical treatment of macroprolactinoma in children and adolescents (<20 years).Patients and methods: Retrospective analysis of all the cases of macroprolactinoma occurring in children and adolescents, medically treated in two university centers.Results: 38 patients, 25 girls 13 boys, age at diagnosis: 15.7±2.8 years (only two cases before 12 years). At diagnosis, 2/3 presented with headache...

An 83-year-old gentleman was referred to the endocrine clinic with incidentally found abnormal thyroid function tests (TFT): TSH <0.02 (0.2–4.0 mU/l), free T4 20.4 (9–19 pmol/l), and free T3 7.6 (2.5–5.7 pmol/l). His TFT done 6 months previously were normal with TSH 1.21 mU/l and FT4 11.8 pmol/l. His past medical history included BPH, peripheral vascular disease and chronic kidney disease (CKD), and medications were tamsulosi...

Hyperthyroidism is common affecting up to 2% of the UK population and the prevalence is highest in young and middle-aged women. Although patients may have clinical symptoms suggestive of hyperthyroidism, rates of undiagnosed hyperthyroidism range from 0.5 to 1.5%, especially in the elderly. We investigated 3563 UK patients to (i) assess the influence of ageing on clinical signs and symptoms and (ii) identify symptoms and signs indicating hyperthyroidism in different age groups...

5alpha-Reductase 1 (5aR1) catalyses A-ring reduction of glucocorticoids and androgens. We previously demonstrated that transgenic disruption of 5aR1 predisposes male mice to fatty liver and insulin resistance when challenged with a high-fat diet. Here, we have dissected the contributions of androgens and glucocorticoids to the metabolic phenotype using 2 models of enzyme inhibition (trangenesis and pharmacology).Female 5aR1−/− mice (KO) and w...

Objective: The rate of surgical cure of acromegaly with transphenoidal hypophysectomy varies greatly. Factors that have been previously noted to affect outcome include tumour size and level of growth hormone (GH). We evaluated clinical factors associated with surgical outcome in our patient series.Method: Retrospective study of clinical data and surgical outcome of patients who underwent transphenoidal hypophysectomy for acromegaly by a single surgeon at...

History and examination: A 46-year-old gentleman presented with right sided goitre which had increased in size over one month. He previously had a left thyroidectomy for non-toxic goitre.As a child he had several lipomas removed. On examination he has mucosal neuromas, an AV malformation on his left wrist, white papules on his hands and trichilemmonas on his legs. He has macroencephalopathy, 64.4 cm round. The right lobe of the thyroid was enlarged and h...

We report a case of a 57 year old lady who presented with marked weight loss, dizziness and general malaise. The physical examination revealed pallor, hypotension, tachycardia and dehydration. There was no muco-cutaneous pigmentation. Routine biochemistry showed normocytic anaemia, hyponatraemia, mild hyperkalaemia and renal impairment. Abdominal ultrasound showed presence of bilateral large supra-renal masses. A short synacthen test showed sub-optimal rise in plasma cortisol ...