Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Commonest causes of pancreatitis are alcohol and gallstones but less common causes like hypertriglyceridemia should also be considered as management may differ.Case history: 47 years old gentleman with history of pancreatitis and hyperlipidaemia type1 taking atorvastatin and bezafibrate, admitted with severe abdominal pain and vomiting. He was non-smoker and non-drinker. No history of cholelithiasis or medications causing pancreatitis. He w...

High protein diets are effective at promoting weight loss and stimulating the secretion of pancreatic hormones. Understanding the mechanisms underlying these effects may highlight new potential therapeutic targets. The calcium sensing receptor (CaSR) is stimulated by calcium and plays a critical role in calcium homeostasis. However, it is also found in many tissues unrelated to calcium regulation. CaSR activity can be modulated by aromatic amino acids, most potently by ...

Gonadotrophs have previously been shown to be the predominant source of C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) in the anterior pituitary, and CNP causes enhanced cGMP accumulation in αT3-1 gonadotrophs. However, the biological role of CNP in gonadotrophs remains elusive. In the current study, we examined the molecular and functional characteristics of the gonadotroph natriuretic peptide system. Using two well-characterised gonadotroph cell lines of different developmental origi...

Background: Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) has been reported as a potent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, independent of cholesterol levels. Endothelial dysfunction, which is the earliest manifestation of atherosclerosis, may account for some of this cardiovascular risk. It has never been studied in a randomised controlled manner whether L-thyroxine therapy improves endothelial function.Methods: 100 patients with SCH (mean TSH of 6.6 mIU/L and n...

Background: An association of pregnancy outcomes with subclinical hypothyroidism have been reported, however, there still exists a strong controversy regarding whether subclinical hypothyroidism ought to be dealt with or not. The latest American Thyroid Association’s guideline gives support to a higher TSH upper reference range of 4 mIU/l than the one proposed a few years ago of 2.5 mIU/l for the first trimester of pregnancy, in the absence of local normal ranges of TSH. ...

The pathogenesis of gonadotrophin secreting pituitary tumours (gonadotrophinomas) remains poorly understood. BMP2, known to be important in the control of cell proliferation and differentiation, is essential for commitment of undifferentiated pituitary cells to the gonadotroph cell lineage. Attenuation of its expression is critical in allowing terminal differentiation. BMPs are associated with up-regulated expression of Id (Inhibitors of differentiation) proteins with predicte...

Background: Subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) is an endocrine disorder defined by increased thyrotropin (TSH) levels associated with normal free thyroxine (fT4) and free triiodothyronine (fT3). Resistin is secreted from the adipose tissue and is reported to be associated with insulin resistance and/or inflammation. High-sensitive CRP (hs-CRP) is a reliable marker of inflammation. Data related to levels of resistin and hS-CRP in SH is limited.<p class="a...

We previously demonstrated that acromegalic patients with normal IGF-I levels after surgery also met the current criteria for cure (i.e. postglucose GH nadir <1 μg/l) after long term monitoring. Since some Authors recently proposed to even lower the present GH nadir cut off value, the aim of this study was to confirm its adequacy to define long lasting disease remission. A group of 24 acromegalic patients (9 M&15 F, age 54.2±9.6 yrs) normal IGF-I levels and p...

Objective: Subclinical hypothyroidism (ScH) is a common condition and may be associated with dyslipidemia. We investigated the effect of levothyroxine therapy (L-T4) on lipid parameters in patients with a mild form of subclinical hypothyroidism according to the presence of thyroid peroxidase antibodies (anti-TPO antibodies). Material and methods: Fifty-seven patients with newly diagnosed ScH (TSH levels between upper reference value and 10 mIU/l with nor...

Background: Adrenal insufficiency (AI) is a life-threatening condition which requires long term glucocorticoid (GC) replacement. Patient misdiagnosis results in inappropriate GC use, which has significant adverse effects and is associated with an increased mortality risk. The insulin tolerance test (ITT) is the gold standard test for diagnosis, but the widely accepted cut-off value of ≤550 nmol/l used to diagnose AI is founded on outdated immunoassays. Use of this cut-of...