Endocrine Abstracts

Disorders of sex development (DSD) are a group of conditions caused by atypical development of chromosomal, gonadal or anatomical sex which pose complex, long-term diagnostic, investigative and management challenges requiring expert teams and close collaboration with families and peer groups. The lack of nationally agreed clinical standards for the management of DSD has been recognised by the British Society of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, and these are now in develo...

Background: Calcitonin (CT) is a specific marker of Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma (MTC). However, its routine measurement in the assessment of nodular thyroid disease (NTD) remains controversial because MTC is rare and CT may have false positive results.Objective: To evaluate the frequency of hypercalcitoninemia (hyperCT) among patients with benign NTD and to disclose possible underlying factors.Methods: Retrospective study including...

Background: Endocrinology is a relatively young subspecialty of internal medicine. No consensus on international standards for training has been established, and hence the variability between training programs and endocrinologist qualifications may be great.Methods: A standardized questionnaire was constructed to explore individual national standards for endocrinology training, evaluating the responding programs for physician entry criteria for each prog...

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The nutrient demands of cancer cannot be met by normal cell metabolism. Cancer cells undergo dramatic alteration of metabolic pathways in a process called reprogramming, characterized by increased nutrient uptake and re-purposing of these fuels for biosynthetic, bioenergetic or signaling pathways. Partitioning carbon sources toward growth and away from ATP production necessitates other means of generating energy for biosynthetic reactions. While much research has examined the ...

Both type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity are the result of a complex interaction between genes and environment, as well as complex interactions between the tissues of the body. The latter include effects of new adipokines released by fat that influence insulin action in other tissues of the body, as well as increasingly complex effects of the brain and adipose tissue on control of metabolism. Mouse models provide a powerful tool to investigate these interactions in disease patho...

Introduction: Catecholamine-secreting tumors (pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas) are rare intra and extra-adrenal neoplasms, probably occurring in less than 0.2% of patients with hypertension. Serious morbidity and mortality rates are associated with these tumors which are related to the effects of catecholamines on various organs, especially those of the cardiovascular system.Methods: We reviewed the cases of pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas that...

Abundant evidence demonstrates that long-term cytokine-mediated inflammation is a risk factor for obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Our previous study shows a significant association between IL4 genotypes and T2DM, as well as between IL4 genotypes and the lower circulatory levels of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C). In addition, IL4 has anti-hyperglycemic function by improving insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance as well as being involved in lipid m...

A 37-years-old man was referred to rheumatology with a 3 month history of widespread joint pains, worse on rising in the mornings with early morning stiffness lasting about 15 min. Hands were affected first followed by knees and hips. On further questioning, he also complained of generalised fatigue, loss of libido and thinning of the hair on his chest, as well as 15 kg weight loss over 6 months. He recalled a febrile illness with headache prior to the onset of his symptoms, b...

Neurofibromatosis type 1 is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder that results from loss of function of the neurofibromin gene, leading to failure of a tumor suppressor mechanism. Usually characterized by ‘café-au-lait’ spots, cutaneous neurofibromas, and a predisposition for tumorigenesis occurring in childhood, NF1 can have variable clinical expression, with ‘mildly symptomatic’ cases eluding diagnosis until adulthood.A 53-yea...