Endocrine Abstracts

Little has been published on the long-term management of thyrotoxicosis with antithyroid drugs (ATDs). We analysed 376 thyrotoxic subjects on the Morriston database since 2002. 170 had Graves’ disease, 181 toxic multinodular goitre (TMNG); in 25 the diagnosis was not recorded. When euthyroid subjects were requested to have annual thyroid function testing 42 (11%) had died. 111(30%) did not have TFT’s done in last two years. 135 graves’s cases were given ATDs whi...

Testosterone in serum may be unbound (free), or bound to either sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) or albumin. Consequently, ‘total’ serum testosterone analysis may be misleading in situations where binding protein concentrations are abnormal. Current methods for estimating the biologically active (bio-available) serum testosterone concentration involve physical separation of testosterone fractions and are not amenable to high-throughput analysis. The use of automat...

Background: Routine measurements of serum calcitonin levels are considered an integral part of the diagnostic evaluation of medullary thyroid cancer (MTC). We report a rare case of calcitonin and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) negative MTC.Case presentation: A 63-year-old retired plasterer attending a well mans clinic was referred to the endocrinology service with elevated calcium (2.75 mmol/dl). Systemic examination was unremarkable and there was no end...

Aim: Retrospective survey on outcomes of 131I therapy in subjects with hyperthyroidism.Methods: We analysed the outcomes at 1 year, of 55 episodes of 131I therapy in 52 patients (36 males, 15 females) who were treated between January 2007 and January 2009.Results: At 1 year post 131I therapy, 31 (56.3%) subjects were hypothyroid (median age 54 years), 14 (25.5%) were euthyroid (median age 69 years) ...

Background: There are over 650 liver transplants performed in the UK each year and about 5000 throughout Europe. After transplantation patients suffer from bone loss due to multiple factors. We present a unique case of severe Vitamin D deficiency resulting in life threatening hypocalcaemia following liver transplantation.Case: A 65-year-old Indian lady underwent an uncomplicated liver transplant, for hepatocellular carcinoma related to Hepatitis C. Pre a...

Background: South Asians are at higher risk of vascular disease than the indigenous UK population. Susceptibility to conventional cardiovascular risk factors does not entirely account for this discrepancy. Vitamin D deficiency within this group may be an important patho-physiological contributor and an overlooked treatable cardiovascular risk factor.Aims: To determine whether serum 25-(OH) Vitamin D concentration independently associates with a surrogate...

Diet induced obesity is associated with an increased relative risk of developing type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia and cardiovascular complications. In addition to these co-morbidity factors there is increasing evidence to suggest that obese insulin resistant individuals show impaired negative feedback control of the HPA axis in response to stress. Here we investigate HPA axis response to an acute stress following high fat feeding in rats.Male ...

Annexin 1 (ANXA1) was first identified as a glucocorticoid (GC)-inducible protein in macrophages and is a mediator of the powerful anti-inflammatory actions of these steroid hormones. In the pituitary ANXA1 plays a critical role in mediating the early-onset negative feedback effects of GCs on the release of ACTH. ANXA1 is expressed in abundance in the anterior pituitary gland where it is localized specifically to the S100-positive folliculo-stellate (FS) cells. GCs act on FS c...

Case report: A previously fit 53-year-old lady presented to A&E with abdominal pain and vomiting. The pain has been present for 2 months and associated with weight loss. She neither smoked nor drank alcohol. On admission her BP was 160/85, pulse 70/m regular. Abdominal examination revealed generalized tenderness and a right iliac fossa mass with scanty bowel sounds,. FBC, U&E, LFT, CRP, amylase, bone were normal. AXR revealed gas filled small bowel loops.<p class="...

Although improvements in obstetric and neonatal care in recent years have led to reduction in morbidity and mortality from pre-eclampsia, our ability to predict the condition has not improved significantly. Endothelial dysfunction underlies many of the manifestations of pre-eclampsia. In this study we will assess methods of detecting endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffness in high-risk pregnant women in early and late pregnancy. Sixty women with 2 or more risk fa...