Endocrine Abstracts

Activation of the G-protein coupled receptor GPR54 (AXOR12, OT7T175) by peptide ligands (kisspeptins) encoded by the Kiss-1gene is central to acquisition of reproductive competency in mammals. Administration of exogenous kisspeptins stimulates GnRH release from hypothalamic neurons in several species including humans. To confirm that kisspeptins are the natural agonist of GPR54 in vivo and to determine if these ligands have additional physiological functions, we ...

In order to understand the mechanisms that underpin gonadal development, we have conducted a subtractive screen to identify transcripts expressed differentially during the sex-determining period. Suppression subtractive hybridization PCR was performed on cDNA derived from 12.5 dpc male and female gonadal ridges. Clones were tested for differential expression by RNA whole mount in situ hybridization. Those localizing to testis cords were further tested on germ cell-deple...

Hypoglycemia is not uncommonly encountered in healthy type 1 diabetics. It has diverse etiologies but food-insulin mismatch, exercise, drugs, co-existing adrenal, thyroid and coeliac disease, neuro-endocrine tumours & factitious hypoglycemia are the most common causes.We describe the case of a 23-year old Caucasian male with type 1diabetes of 3-years duration with recurrent episodes of unexplained hypoglycemia. He was otherwise well and denied any sy...

Introduction: Latent Autoimmune Diabetes of Adult (LADA) is a form of adult onset type1diabetes. It usually presents after age 30 years and has many demonstrable antibodies, Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase (GAD) being one of them. Detection of LADA has definite prognostic and treatment implications as 10% of adults with diabetes in UKPDS had LADA and majority of them required insulin within 6 years of diagnosis. Screening by using GAD antibody has been said to be a superior method...

A 35-year-old woman was seen at the medical obstetric antenatal clinic with gestational diabetes (GDM) and new-onset hypertension during the second trimester of her first pregnancy. She was well, with no prior medical history. Blood pressure of 120/80 had been recorded at her first antenatal visit. Throughout the pregnancy, GDM was managed successfully with diet alone: HbA1c always <5.8%. Methyldopa was initiated for persistent hypertension at 18 weeks gestation, and labet...

Endocrinopathies are amongst the most common complications of thallasaemia, which is a hereditary disorder of haemoglobin synthesis and excessive iron deposition is thought to be the main reason.Our hospital serves a multiethnic population and consequently we see a substantial number of patients with thallasaemia who are screened for endocrine complications. Those found to have endocrine problems are reviewed in our joint thallasaemia-endocrine clinic. B...

Background: 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D mediated hypercalcemia resulting from an inflammatory reaction caused by a foreign body such as a textiloma has never been described.Clinical case: A 61 year-old man with a medical history of Alport syndrome and in need of chronic dialysis after transplant kidney resection because of relapsing severe urinary tract infections, presented with recurrent and progressive hypercalcemia two years after parathyroidectomy (C a...

A 21-year-old woman underwent total thyroidectomy and unilateral central neck dissection for papillary thyroid carcinoma. Four of the removed lymph nodes tested positive for metastasis. Additional radioactive iodine treatment was given and the post I-131 therapy total body scan showed increased uptake of iodine-131 in a thyroid remnant but none in any of the lymph nodes. Postoperatively thyroglobulin levels decreased but remained elevated. During follow-up, a nodular enlargeme...

The efficacy of human islet transplantation is reduced by loss of islets directly after transplantation. Ischemia is likely to be an important contributing factor to the observed islet loss. Diazoxide inhibits insulin secretion by beta cells and has been shown to exhibit anti-apoptotic and anti-ischemic effects. We hypothesized that preincubation of human islets with diazoxide leads to improved islet survival and graft function.Methods: Isolated human pa...

Objective: To evaluate the evolution of glycemic control in a cohort of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) after its assessment in endocrinology.Methods: Prospective cohort study. 465 patients with T2DM who were not followed up at an endocrinology clinic were included. This study was approved by the Ethics and Clinical Research Committee of the University Hospital of Guadalajara.Results: Mean age was 63.4±12.5 years...