Endocrine Abstracts

Currently in the UK children and young people with diabetes receive variable provision of care and support in educational settings. There are concerns that this impacts on the young person’s glycaemic control, their quality of life, and their educational performance and outcome. Whilst most paediatric diabetes teams provide training for school staff, it may take several days, even weeks, after diagnosis before a diabetes educator is able to attend the school to provide ed...

Adrenal insufficiency is a rare adrenal disorder that can be made more complicated by an adrenal crisis even to a life-threatening situation. An adrenal crisis occurs when the body has a shortage of the hormone cortisol. If the patient does not receive the correct treatment an adrenal crisis can be fatal. This can be avoided by correctly and carefully following the ‘stress instructions’ (also known as ‘sick day rules’). A significant percentage of patients ...

Markers of endothelial dysfunction, including soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin) are related to insulin resistance and are predictors of type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance is associated with metabolic inflexibility, i.e. an impaired stimulation of carbohydrate oxidation and inhibition of lipid oxidation in insulin-stimulated conditions. The aim of the present study was to estimate the relationships of serum sE-selectin concentration with carbohydrate and lipid oxidation in lean...

In the ovary, 11βHSD enzymes inter-convert cortisol (F) with its inert metabolite, cortisone (E). Porcine follicular fluid from antral follicles and spontaneous ovarian cysts contains hydrophobic compounds that inhibit NADP(H)-dependent cortisol metabolism by 11βHSD1. The aim of this study was to measure intra-follicular F:E ratios in porcine antral follicles and ovarian cysts, and determine whether F:E ratios correlate with the inhibition of 11βHSD1 by porcine ...

Background: Patients with hypoparathyroidism may present acutely with hypocalcaemia and these patients may have multiple admissions; however, data on the incidence of acute and recurrent acute hypoparathyroidism are scarce in the literature.Aim: We wished to determine: (1) the causes of severe hypocalcaemia amongst A&E attendances (2) the incidence of acute hypocalcaemia due to hypoparathyroidism amongst A&E attendances, and (3) the incidence of ...

Background: Patients with hypoparathyroidism may present acutely with hypocalcaemia and these patients may have multiple admissions; however, data on the incidence of acute and recurrent acute hypoparathyroidism are scarce in the literature.Aim: We wished to determine: (1) the causes of severe hypocalcaemia amongst A&E attendances (2) the incidence of acute hypocalcaemia due to hypoparathyroidism amongst A&E attendances, and (3) the incidence of ...

E Nieschlag, Institute of Reproductive Medicine of the University, Muenster, Germany AbstractEberhard Nieschlag studied medicine at the Universities of Bonnand Munich and biochemistry at University College London. He went on to specialize in internal medicine and endocrinology at the University Hospitals of Mainz and Düsseldorf. He has also conducted research at the MRC Clinical Research Unit for Reproductive En...

IntroductionThyrotropin-receptor antibodies (TRAb) play a key role in the pathogenesis of Graves’ disease (GD) and Graves’ orbitopathy (GO) and are important for the diagnosis of both diseases. Elevated levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE) and antinuclear antibodies (ANA) were also found in GD patients. Smoking is a risk factor for GD and GO development and GO progression. We aimed to assess the associations between TRAb, IgE and ANA, and the prese...

Trophoblasts are the cell type specific to the placenta. The terminally-differentiated multinucleate form, syncytiotrophoblast, covers the surface of placental chorionic villi, forming a large microvillous epithelium in contact with the maternal circulation. This syncytiotrophoblast layer is both the endocrine tissue of the placenta and the site of other placental functions (e.g. gas exchange, transport activities) upon which fetal viability depends. Syncytiotrophoblast cannot...

PCOS is a complex endocrine syndrome characterized by the combination of reproductive aberrations, namely hyperandrogenism and chronic anovulation, with metabolic defects. Insulin resistance is a major component in metabolic as well as reproductive aspects of PCOS. The pathogenesis of the syndrome remains under investigation. However, environmental factors appear to unmask a genetically determined susceptibility to PCOS and also determine the specific phenotypic expression of ...