Endocrine Abstracts

A 42-year-old gentleman of Ghanaian origin presented with a 1 month history of worsening severe proximal myopathy. On presentation his symptoms had progressed to the extent that he was unable to mobilise from his bed. Prior to this illness he had been fit and well. Examination revealed severe proximal myopathy and a uniformly enlarged, smooth thyroid gland. There was no clinical evidence of hyperthyroidism.Blood tests on admission showed a serum potassiu...

Introduction: Bilateral exophtalmoses is common at Graves’ disease diagnosis, but context and clinical abnormalities lead sometimes to consider other diagnosis.Case report: A 52-year-old man had a previous history of pulmonary MALT lymphoma in complete remission and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, which were diagnosed simultaneously 6 years before. He presented recently with hyperthyroidism (TSH <0.001 mUI/l; T4=25 pmol/l) after 2 month...

Both of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) and estrogen receptor (ER) contribute to the development of thyroid cancer. Previously, the activation of ERα was found to promote the proliferation of thyroid cancer cells, whereas activation of either ERβ or PPARγ resulted in apoptosis of thyroid cancer cells. Furthermore, a transactivation between ER and PPARγ was reported in estrogen-responsive malignancy, such as breast cancer. Howev...

A 29 year old woman with multiply-relapsed Hodgkin’s lymphoma became amenorrhoeic with vasomotor menopausal symptoms following multiple cycles of chemotherapy. Subsequent biochemistry confirmed primary gonadal failure (LH 30.7 U/L, FSH 49.9 U/L, oestradiol <70 pmol/L). Following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation she developed severe haemolytic anaemia and thrombocytopenia. This was resistant to standard therapies, including methylprednisolone, mycophenolate mofet...

The IGFs are present ubiquitously at very high levels throughout the body and affect virtually every aspect of cell function. These high levels are maintained due to their association with 6 distinct binding proteins (IGFBP-1 to -6) which specifically bind IGFs (but not insulin). The IGFs are not stored within any cells but are stored in the circulation due to their binding to IGFBP-3 which then results in its association with a large glycoprotein, the acid labile subunit (ALS...

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 ...

Lost to follow-up (LTFU) is a frequent problem in chronic diseases not evaluated yet in acromegaly despite the long-term need of medical treatment and complications survey in this disease.Objectives: Evaluation of the prevalence of LTFU patients in a multi-center cohort, characteristics of defaulters and description of their evolution after they have been searched and found.Méthods: Observational multicentric (25 centers study...

In 2007 a genome wide association study linked SNPs in intron 1 of FTO with an increased body mass index. Individuals with the ‘risk’ allele are on average 3 kg heavier than those with the ‘protective’ allele. Furthermore, those with the ‘risk’ allele have demonstrated greater energy intake. Mouse models of FTO have been generated including a conditional overexpression allele of FTO, which has 2 additional copies of FTO (FTO-4). These mice have in...

Introduction: Parathyroid cyst is a very rare abnormality, representing 0.6% of all thyroid and parathyroid lesions. The diagnosis can be made on the basis of sonography and analysis of aspirated cystic fluid for parathyroid hormone. Parathyroid cysts are divided in two groups: functional (associated with clinical hyperparathyroidism) and non-functional. In the case of non-functional parathyroid cysts, fine needle aspiration is the elective treatment, but for functional parath...

Introduction: The presence of thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibodies in euthyroid children poses a potential risk for the development of autoimmune hypothyroidism. Little is known about the ontogeny of this process. This retrospective study aims to estimate the risk of developing hypothyroidism in euthyroid children with raised TPO antibodies and provide a guideline for follow up.Methods: Children 0–16 years with raised TPO antibodies (1996–2005) ...