Endocrine Abstracts

Pregnant women may require treatment of hypo- or hyperthyroidism, L-thyroxine (LT4), propylthiouralcil (PTU) and methimazole (MMI) being the most frequently used drugs. Aim of this study was to verify the consequences on both the mother and the fetus of pharmacological treatment during pregnancy. We retrospectively evaluated 292 pregnancies: 63 patients under MMI treatment, 8 of whom (7 Graves’ (GD) and 1 toxic nodular goiter) still hyperthyroid in spite of treatment (H-M...

We developed an improved process for producing high quality 67Cu using an electron accelerator instead of a high energy proton accelerator. The beta/gamma emitting radioisotope 67Cu was created using the (g,p) reaction on isotopically enriched 68Zn target (nominally 40 g, 98% enrichment). The high energy photons were produced by bremsstrahlung conversion of electrons from a 45 MeV electron LINAC. A specially designed water cooled converter, end...

Background: Errors made with critical medicines such as desmopressin and hydrocortisone used in the treatment of endocrine conditions in hospitalised patients can undermine patient safety but are largely preventable.Methods: Retrospective audit of adult patients admitted at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust between January 2013 and June 2014, prescribed desmopressin for cranial diabetes insipidus (CDI) or other medical conditions using elec...

A 38-year-old man presented on the acute medical take with a week’s history of sore throat, dysphagia, neck swelling, and fever. One month prior he had suffered a respiratory tract infection, which resolved without antibiotics. He had no notable past medical and family history. He was a non-smoker and drank 15 units of alcohol per week. On examination he looked well, was afebrile, sweaty and flushed; chest was clear, heart sounds were normal, regular pulse (110 bpm) and B...

In pregnant women with thyroid diseases an increased amount of LT4 may be required for the correction of hypothyroidism or treatment of nodular goiter. Aim of this study was to assess the amount of the variations of LT4 requirement in pregnant women with thyroid diseases. To address this issue, we retrospectively evaluated a cohort of 107 women treated with LT4 divided in two groups: 42 euthyroid (E) (affected by nodular goiter (NG) treated with LT4 suppressive therapy) and 65...

Testosterone deficiency is common in men with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD), such as atherosclerosis. Previous studies have shown that testosterone replacement improves several cardiovascular risk factors including insulin resistance, glycaemic control, cholesterol and inflammation. The mechanisms by which testosterone mediates these effects are unknown. LXR, a nuclear receptor also regulates these cardiovascular risk factors and the atheroprotective ...

Introduction: Parabens, esters of para-hydroxybenzoic acid, are widely used as an antimicrobial agent in the cosmetic products and pharmaceutical industries. Recently, it has been reported that parabens including methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, butyl-, isopropyl-, and isobutylparaben act as xenoestrogens, a class of endocrine disruptors. In this study, we hypothesized that parabens may disrupt ovarian follicle maturation in female rats during the neonatal period.<p class="abstex...

A 29 year old lady presented to an outside hospital with 1 year’s history of episodes of confusion in the mornings. The patient’s partner had noticed that 2–3 times a week she awoke with episodes of confusion, minimal communication, stereotyped lip smacking and winking lasting up to 20 min. She had one nocturnal tonic-clonic seizure abroad, requiring A+E attendance. She was then seen by a neurologist, had a normal sleep deprived EEG and was diagnosed with focal ...

We report three patients who were referred for possible chronic fatigue syndrome and presented with a long standing history of a multitude of symptoms. Comprehensive investigations revealed a low IGF1 and subsequent insulin tolerance test (ITT) demonstrated growth-hormone (GH) deficiency with a normal MRI pituitary in each case. The first patient presented at the age of 34 years with lethargy, aches and difficulty concentrating. Biochemically the only abnormality in th]e basal...

GH hypersection results in biventricular concentric hypertrophy and a progressive contractile impairment whereas cardiac hypotrophy and impaired diastolic filling and left ventricular function have been reported in GH deficiency (GHD). No information on cardiac performances and structure are available about those acromegalic patients in whom successful treatment made their GH and IGF-I secretion similar to those in GHD patients. In order to study the functional and structural ...