Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology, characterized by noncaseating granulomas, predominantly in the lymph nodes, lungs, eyes and skin, although any organ may be involved.Sarcoidosis may also be associated with endocrine autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, autoimmune thyroiditis.Case report: We present a case of a 24-year-old young man who was diagnosed in August 2010 with t...

A 52 year old lady with hypothyroidism and hypertension was referred by her GP for unexplained low blood glucose on several occasions. There was history of vacant spells with confusion and disorientation over the previous year. When referred for neurological assessment, no abnormality was identified. Her medications included amlodipine 5 mg, ramipril 10 mg, thyroxine 50 mcg, loratidine 10 mg. Her BMI was 44 kg/m2.Additional investigations arra...

Introduction: Responsible use of healthcare resources dictates that judicious test ordering be encouraged. Although the appearance of anti-GAD antibodies is known to precede and predict the development of autoimmune diabetes, its use as a screen for risk of developing diabetes is not warranted. Results are useful in determining treatment, however, when it is difficult to distinguish type 1 from type 2 diabetes or when the probability of progression from type 2 to type 1 is hig...

Long-term benefit-risk ratio of IT remains poorly evaluated. The aim of this work was to determine the evolution of macroangiopathic complications 5 years after IT.21 out of the 36 prospectively followed islet-transplanted patients in a single center, had at least 5 years of follow-up and were included. Their initial features were: duration of C-peptide negative diabetes: 28±9years; age: 43±7years; BMI: 24±0.2 kg/m2; 8/21 kidney-transplant...

Introduction: The insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-IR) plays a key role in regulating growth, survival and invasion of several human malignancies including prostate cancer. In prostate cancer cells, the IGF-IR expression is upregulated by androgens through a nongenotropic signaling unresponsive to antiandrogens and requiring AMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) activation. This mechanism sensitizes cells to the proliferative and protumor effects of IGF-I. Metf...

Breast cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related death in Australian women. Up to 70% of post-menopausal tumours are estrogen-receptor positive (ER+), dependent on estrogen for continued growth and proliferative advantage. Adjuvant anti-estrogen therapies are considered the cornerstone approach to the treatment of such tumours, and research is ongoing to maximize its effectiveness. The major source of estrogens for ER+ breast cancers is local conversion of androgen pr...

Introduction: Pheochromocytomas are characterized by a high attenuation value on unenhanced computed tomography (CT). It is not known whether pheochromocytoma can be outruled as a cause of adrenal incidentalomas based on unenhanced attenuation values only. We evaluated the outcome of routine biochemical screening for pheochromocytoma in a series of patients with adrenal incidentalomas in relationship to the unenhanced attenuation values on CT.Design and ...

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of premature luteinization in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome and compared the main determinants of success in IVF in PCOS patients with and without premature luteinization.Methods: Retrospective analysis of 180 PCOS women of Chinese Han origin with infertility who underwent controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) with an exogenous gonadotropin/GnRH antagonist protocol. Hormon...

Several papers show that maternal malnutrition can affect the reproductive capability of the offspring. Leptin is an important regulator of the reproductive system, however little is known about its role in the epididymis. The goal of this study was to evaluate whether the maternal malnutrition during lactation can alter the expression of leptin and its receptors in the epididymis of rats. Six rat dams were randomly assigned to the control group (C), with free access to a stan...

Objective: To evaluate the associations among body mass index, weight perception and cardiovascular risk factors in male career US firefighters.Design: The present cross-sectional study was nested within a federally-funded multicenter, prospective cohort investigation of cardio-respiratory fitness (CRF), health and employment outcomes among career firefighters.Subjects: Seven hundred and sixty-eight male career firefighters from tw...