Endocrine Abstracts

Background: The differential diagnosis of retroperitoneal tumors includes lymphoid, germ cell and neurogenic tumors such as paraganglioma. Paragangliomas are rare neuroendocrine tumors of the autonomic nervous system, which may secrete catecholamines and their metabolites. Clinical features include sustained or paroxysmal hypertension, headaches, sweating and palpitations. Here we present an unusual case of a retroperitoneal tumor entrapping a sympathetic nerve ganglion and mi...

Introduction: Pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP) is a rare genetic disease characterized by renal resistance to parathyroid hormone (PTH), presenting with hypocalcemia, hyperphosphatemia and elevated PTH levels. We describe a PHP patient who presented with clinically significant hypercalcemia.Case description: A 46-year-old woman with a prior history of hypocalcemia presented to the emergency department with new-onset hypercalcemia, renal failure and anemia....

Introduction: Hirsutism is the presence of excess hair growth in females as a result of increased androgen production and/or increased skin sensitivity to androgens. In a postmenopausal female presenting with hirsutism, a high level of clinical suspicion, a detailed history and physical examination, substantiated by focused biochemical and morphological confirmation is necessary.History: The authors present a case of a female with a longstanding history ...

Vitamin D (VD) deficiency (25 OHD < 50 nmol/l) is common is chronic liver disease at 64%–92% regardless of aetiology. The only guidelines for routine VD supplementation are for cholestatic (C) liver disease; a population considered being at high risk of low bone mineral density (BMD). BMD decreases further following orthotopic liver transplant (OLT). To assess VD intake in an at risk population, retrospective analysis of intake was performed in OLT patients with C liv...

Postprandial hypoglycaemia in patients with cystic fibrosis (PWCF) is frequently reported but poorly understood. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the aetiology of postprandial hypoglycaemia in PWCF. Serum cortisol, insulin and C-Peptide were measured at the 2 hour timepoint of the annual glucose tolerance test in 32 PWCF not known to have CF-related diabetes. Hypoglycaemia was defined as glucose < 3.3 mmol/l. Patients were classified as Normal glucose toleran...

Introduction: Most prolactinomas in females are diagnosed during the years of reproductive age and the majority are microadenomas. Prolactinomas diagnosed after menopause are very rare with limited published data on their presentation and outcomes.Aim: The aim of our study was to assess the presenting clinical, biochemical and imaging findings, as well as the outcomes of women diagnosed with a prolactinoma in the post-menopausal period.<p class="abst...

Background & Aims: ATP binding cassette subfamily G1 (ABCG1) is involved in mediating cholesterol efflux and modulating cellular lipid homeostasis. It is influenced by endogenous glucose and our aim was to examine the relationship between ABCG1 expression and lipid profiles within the increased glucose levels of subjects with Type 2 diabetes (ODM).Methods: RNA was extracted from visceral fat collected from subjects undergoing abdominal surgery (baria...

Case History: A 69-year-old gentleman was admitted having lost consciousness. This episode was preceded by typical hypoglycaemic symptoms which, in retrospect, he had experienced for four decades with increasing frequency and severity over the past year. He was hypertensive. There was no family history of endocrinopathy or diabetes.Investigations: A supervised inpatient fast was undertaken along with cross-sectional and radio-isotope imaging.<p class...

Monitoring patients with NETs reveals a significant prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms, often unrelated directly to the tumour1. Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency exemplifies a common treatable cause of gastrointestinal symptoms in NET patients undergoing therapy with somatostatin analogues. There is a paucity of data regarding this important issue which affects quality of life in NETs. We explored the value of faecal elastase (FE) as a marker of exocrine pancr...

11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) is an NADPH-dependant oxo-reductase located in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) lumen of skeletal muscle. Here it generates active glucocorticoids to regulate permissive and adaptive metabolism, and can mediate the pathological effects of glucocorticoid excess. Hexose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (H6PD) in the SR interacts with 11β-HSD1 to generate an appropriate NADPH/NADP+ ratio to support activity. H6PD depletion...