Endocrine Abstracts

Background and AimIt is known that the variability of testosterone concentrations is predictive of both truncal and peripheral obesity in healthy men. The aim of this study was to establish the nature of the relationship between testosterone and fat mass in young male cancer survivors compared with healthy controls.Subjects176 male cancer survivors (mean age 37.3 years SD 5.8) who previously received gonadoto...

One microgram ACTH (adrenocorticotropin) test is considered to have higher sensitivity for early diagnosis of subclinical hypoadrenalism. In the test, the response of total serum cortisol concentration after ACTH application is evaluated. The concentration of total cortisol in serum is influenced by various diseases and drugs (containing oestrogens) that affect the concentration of cortisol binding proteins and subsequently measured cortisol levels. By routine laboratory metho...

Mifepristone (RU38486) is a progesterone and glucocorticoid receptor antagonist which is used clinically to induce medical abortion, and as a research tool, e.g., in metabolic syndrome and depression. We aimed to develop a sensitive method to detect and quantify mifepristone in human plasma.Analyses were developed using a Surveyor HPLC system, with a mobile phase of methanol:ammonium acetate (5 mM) (70:30; 0.4 ml/min) and a C18 column (5 μm; 2.1&#21...

Chronic heart failure (CHF) is associated with maladaptive and prolonged neurohormonal and pro-inflammatory cytokine activation causing a metabolic shift favouring catabolism, vasodilator incapacity, and loss of skeletal muscle bulk and function. In men, androgens are important determinants of anabolic function and physical strength and also possess anti-inflammatory and vasodilatory properties. We conducted a randomised, double blind, placebo controlled trial of testosterone ...

Selective Parathyroid Venous Sampling in Patients with Complicated Primary HyperparathyroidismCM Ogilvie, PL Brown, M Matson, R Carpenter, WM Drake, PJ Jenkins, SL Chew, JP MonsonCentre for Endocrinology and Departments of Surgery and Radiology, St Bartholomew's Hospital, QMUL, London EC1A 7BEThe role of pre-operative localisation of abnormal parathyroid glands remains controversial but is particularly releva...

18-hydroxycortisol (18-OHF) and 18-oxocortisol (18oxo-F) are derivatives of cortisol whose origin and regulation are uncertain. 18-OHF is synthesised by zona fasciculata 11-beta hydroxylase; 18-oxoF can only be produced by zona glomerulosa aldosterone synthase. Levels of both steroids are increased in patients with Primary Aldosteronism. However, the origin of these steroids in normal subjects is not known.8 normal subjects and 6 subjects with primary adrenal failure performed...

Ghrelin is a brain-gut peptide originally identified in the stomach. It binds to and stimulates the growth hormone secretagogue receptor type 1a (GHS-R). The presence of ghrelin in hypothalamic tissue was studied. It has been previously established that neither the synthetic GHSs, nor the endogenous hormone ghrelin, is specific for GH stimulation: they generally also stimulate the HPA axis as well as prolactin release. Since there is no direct stimulatory effect on ACTH releas...

We have evaluated the effectiveness of radiotherapy in three patients with recurrent symptomatic hypophysitis following surgical decompression.Case 1(54 F); presented with diabetes insipidus, hypopituitarism and a large hypophyseal mass. Following trans-sphenoidal surgery (TSS), a diagnosis of xanthomatous hypophysitis was made. Two years later severe headaches returned, and despite a second trans-sphenoidal procedure, visual acuity further deteriorated in the left eye...

We(1) and others have established that men with coronary heart disease (CHD) have lower serum testosterone levels than men with normal coronaries. Hypotestosteronaemia is associated with dyslipidaemia, visceral obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension and a prothrombotic state.The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of hypogonadism in men with CHD proven by either greater than 70 per cent stenosis of one or more epicardial or greater than 50 per cent stenosi...

Glucocorticoid remediable aldosteronism (GRA) was first described in 1966 by Sutherland et ala. In this family, aldosterone secretion was regulated by ACTH and symptoms and signs were reversed by the administration of exogenous glucocorticoid. GRA is usually characterised by moderate to severe hypertension with early onset. The hypertension is often difficult to control and is associated with greatly increased vascular risk. It is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait and ...