Endocrine Abstracts

Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia (MEN) type 1 and type 2 are autosomal dominant familial cancer syndromes characterised by the development of multiple endocrine tumours that can present at different sites, at different times. Management can be complex and requires a coordinated, multi-disciplinary approach that covers presentation, diagnosis, treatment and long term review. This may not match up with some established models of service delivery and challenges us to develop clinical...

‘The essence of scientific responsibility is the inner drive, the inner necessity to get to the bottom of things; to be discontented until one has done so; to express one’s reservations fully and honestly; and to be prepared to admit error.’ (A. Weinberg 1978 ‘The Obligations of Citizenship in the Republic of Science’ Minerva 16:1–3). Fraud and plagiarism never knowingly come into the equation. Any form of public communication by you...

A 75 year old male presented in August 2017 with dizziness, nausea and weight loss. In ENT clinic he was found to have right vocal cord lesion. He had CT chest, abdomen and pelvis which showed mediastinal and hilar lymphadenopathy and bilateral adrenal lesions. A PET–CT scan showed intense metabolic uptake in the adrenals with low volume, but moderately active mediastinum and hilar lymphadenopathy. He was presumed to have adrenal and mediastinal Tuberculosis and was start...

Thyroid storm requires a multiple-step pharmacological approach. While there is limited evidence for it, plasmapheresis has been shown to be an effective treatment when patients fail conventional therapy and other comorbidities complicate the clinical course. A 65-year-old woman presented with 6 months of symptoms of thyrotoxicosis and dyspnea, treated initially as an outpatient for pneumonia with no improvement. Eventually requiring admission for her dyspnea, laboratory testi...

“In the Lucanian woods among the oaks ‖ Of green Alburnus’ slopes there swarms a fly ‖ (By us called gad-fly, oestrus by the Greeks). ‖ It's fierce and buzzes monstrously: whole herds ‖ In terror of it scatter through the woods, ‖ Until the sky rings with their bellowing…” Virgil, Georgics, Book III [K.R. Mackenzie's translation].Virgil's description of ...

MLE4901 (previously AZD4901) is a potent and selective neurokinin 3 receptor (NK3R) antagonist being developed for the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Clinical studies indicate the compound negatively regulates the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadotropin (HPG) axis to reduce pituitary luteinizing hormone and gonadal sex steroids. To understand the longer-term in vivo effects of MLE4901, a 13-week safety study was carried out. Groups of 3 male and female dog...

Background: Although it is well established that subjects with type 2 diabetes (T2D) have an increased fracture risk, there have been conflicting reports on the relationship of T2D to bone mineral density (BMD). Such discrepancies could be due to failure to adjust for potential confounding factors which could influence BMD.Objectives: To assess the relationship between type 2 diabetes and BMD at the femoral neck and spine in diabetic and non-diabetic sub...

Obesity and type II diabetes associated with obesity have reached epidemic proportions in both developed and underdeveloped countries. Epidemiological evidence has demonstrated that children born to obese women have a greater risk of developing obesity, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome than those born to lean women. Leptin, an adipose tissue hormone, inhibits the brain’s central drive to eat, enabling maintenance of normal body weight and composition. In the rode...

A 40-year-old female presented with lethargy, poor mobility and blurred vision for 2 weeks and 6 months of amenorrhoea. On examination she was markedly Cushingoid with proximal myopathy and normal visual fields. She was hypertensive, with peripheral oedema and leg ulcers. Bloods revealed leucocytosis, hyperglycemia, and ketonuria. She was commenced on insulin. CXR was clear.Endocrine review diagnosed Cushings syndrome. Cortisol did not suppress overnight...

A 26-year-old man with known CAH (21-hydroxylase deficiency) presented with infertility. Investigations revealed azoospermia and USS showed bilateral grossly abnormal testes replaced to a large extent by multiple mixed echogenic, ill defined nodules with flecks of calcification. Clinically, given the bilateral lesions and his poorly controlled CAH, the testicular lesions were felt to be ACTH-dependent testicular adrenal rest tumours (TART). Owing to overproduction of adrenal a...