Endocrine Abstracts

Cortistatin is a neuropeptide that belongs to the somatostatin family, and shares 11 of its 14 amino acid residues with somatostatin. Studies in the central nervous system have shown that cortistatin has activities different from somatostatin, including enhancing slow wave sleep and selective conductances. However, in the periphery cortistatin appears to act as a somatostatin receptor analog. We have generated cortistatin ko mice and have analyzed the molecular, behavioral and...

Male infertility is a common disorder and a growing health problem. A large proportion of unexplained cases have been summarily categorised as idiopathic infertility. The majority of idiopathic cases, especially those with severely impaired spermatogenesis incl. azoospermia, are presumably caused by genetic defects. Genetics of male infertility has been a largely unexplored area, until quite recently, when new molecular tools unabled discovery of a growing number of genes invo...

In rodents synthetic glucocorticoids such as e.g. dexamethasone poorly penetrate the blood brain barrier because of multidrug resistance P-glycoprotein (mdr-Pgp). Also cortisol, not naturally occurring in rats and mice, is hampered in uptake. The evidence for this role of the efflux transporter was substantiated with the mdr1a knock out mice. 3H- cortisol and 3H-dexamethasone administered to the mdr1a mutants did label brain targets that retained the ster...

Stimulation of insulin release by increased gut hormone levels after gastric bypass surgery, especially glucagonlike polypeptide-1(GLP-1), is considered to be the most important mechanism of action in diabetes remission. However, these beneficial effects can come at a price, namely the development of postprandial hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycaemia, more often called post bariatric hypoglycaemie (PBH). The exact pathophysiology of PBH is not known but GLP-1 plays an important role...

Introduction: Pituitary apoplexy is a rare endocrine emergency due to hemorrhage of the pituitary gland. The clinical presentation depends on the extent of bleeding and can deteriorate into a life-threatening condition if complicated by a subarachnoid hemorrhage, as previously described in 2 cases.Case Description: A 60-year-old woman presented herself at the emergency department because of confusion for several hours. Clinical examination revealed aniso...

Background: Subacute thyroiditis (SAT) is a destructive thyroiditis which is presumably caused by a viral infections or post-viral inflammatory response. Thyroid dysfunction evolves through a set of stages (hyperthyroidism - hypothyroidism - euthyroidism) and is usually temporary, although some patients may develop permanent hypothyroidism. The risk factors for permanent hypothyroidism remain unclear.Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients with SAT...

Background: Few cases have been described with a new-onset or worsening of a pre-existing diabetes mellitus in patients diagnosed with a renal cell carcinoma and amelioration of their diabetes following tumour resection.Methodology: This is a retrospective study (2003-2021) including adult cases who were diagnosed with a renal cell carcinoma, who underwent tumour resection and whom glycemic control was monitored. HbA1c was measured at 3 time intervals; 1...

Background: Hungry bone syndrome is a relatively uncommon but serious complication in patients who underwent parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism. The syndrome is described as a hypocalcaemia (corrected serum calcium<2.1 mmol/L) lasting longer than four days after parathyroidectomy in the presence of a normal or elevated parathyroid hormone (PTH). Treatment is challenging and guidelines are based on clinical experience. To restore calcium levels high doses of ...

Background: Primary thyroid lymphoma (PTL) is a rare thyroid tumor that accounts for only 5% of thyroid malignancies, but is associated with higher mortality than differentiated thyroid cancer. The major risk factor for thyroid lymphoma is the presence of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) with an estimated 60-fold increased risk. The lymphocytic infiltrate in HT appears to develop into lymphoma in a minority of patients. The differential diagnosis between Hashimoto’s thyr...

Background: Distinguishing pseudo-Cushing syndrome (PCS) from mild forms of Cushing’s disease (CD) is a challenge. The dexamethasone-Corticotropin Releasing Hormone test (dex-CRH) assumes that cortisol response to CRH is preserved in CD while suppressed in PCS after the low dose dexamethasone suppression test (LDDST). Methods: Persons with a suspicion of CD based on mild clinical features and a positive first-line screening test were included. They ...