Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: The prevalence of childhood obesity is continuing to increase, especially in more deprived areas. It is estimated that 28% of children are overweight or obese in England. Evidence has shown that obesity is associated with increased intracranial pressure (ICP) in adult and paediatric populations. We report three patients who presented with intracranial hypertension due to severe obesity.Case 1: A fifteen-year-old girl presented with severe h...

Background and aim of study: Endocrinologists play a central role in the gender affirming process that transgender people chose to undergo, and may be ill-prepared to recognize and manage psychologic difficulties that accompany gender dysphoria. We sought to characterize the patient population currently under our care with respect to their mental health, and to address the question of possible differences between transwomen (TW) and transmen (TM).Methods...

Background: The management of relapsing Graves’ disease is controversial. Previous surveys from different regions in the world demonstrated variations in the clinical practices of patients with Graves’ disease relapse.Methods: To determine management pattern among endocrinologists in Israel an electronic questionnaire was e-mailed to all members of the Israeli Endocrine Society. Questionnaires included demographic data and clinical scenarios wi...

Nocturnal salivary cortisol (NSC), urinary free cortisol (UFC) and overnight dexamethasone suppression testing (ODS) are recommended screening tests for Cushing’s syndrome (CS). Individual centers differ in their screening approach; UFC being the test of choice in Northern Ireland with ODS in patients with adrenal incidentalomas. NSC, which measures free cortisol, is not routinely used. The aims of this study were to 1. Evaluate the utility of NSC in the diagnosis of CS; ...

Olfactory neuroblastoma (ONB) is a rare neuroendocrine tumour arising within the sino-nasal cavity. It occurs world wide, affecting both sexes, all ages and all races with no underlying predilection having yet been identified. ONB exhibits a range of phenotypes from indolent to very aggressive, and up to 5% cases are associated with ectopic hormone secretion. Despite current gold-standard treatment of surgical resection (either endoscopic or craniofacial resection) followed by...

Background: Osilodrostat is an oral inhibitor of 11β-hydroxylase (CYP11B1), the enzyme that catalyses the final step in cortisol biosynthesis. In a 22-week, phase II study, osilodrostat treatment normalised mean urinary free cortisol (mUFC) in 78.9% (15/19) of patients with uncontrolled Cushing’s disease and was well tolerated. The present phase 3 study is designed to confirm the safety and efficacy of osilodrostat in patients with uncontrolled Cushing’s disease...

Background: National paediatric diabetes audit (NPDA) provides comparative data for local paediatric diabetes units (PDUs) on key care processes and overall HbA1c. More detailed analysis on other variables affecting HbA1c is undertaken at a national level, but not at an individual PDU level.Objective: To determine the factors influencing glycaemic control (HbA1c levels) in young children and adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM).<p class="...

First line screening for pheochromocytoma, as recommend by Endocrine Society guidelines, is to determine plasma free or urinary fractionated metanephrines. We routinely offer the latter. Although negative results rule out pheochromocytoma, it is not uncommon to see borderline results which require further investigation. In this situation we have historically relied on the measurement of plasma catecholamines in the clonidine suppression test (CST). Plasma metanephrines, howeve...

Aim: The short Synacthen test (SST) is an established test used to assess the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. There remains debate whether a 30 minute or 60 minute cortisol sample has diagnostic superiority. Currently at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow all tests arranged by endocrinology are performed by endocrine nurse specialists who utilise a 0 and 30 minute cortisol protocol. Performing a further 60 minute sample requires more nursing time and space r...

Glucocorticoids are routinely administered to pregnant women at risk of pre-term delivery to mature foetal organs and improve neonatal survival. Previous work in glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-deficient mice showed that GR activation is essential for maturation of the foetal heart. Here, we tested the hypotheses that i) antenatal glucocorticoid exposure, prior to the normal increase in glucocorticoid levels, will advance foetal heart maturation and ii) this would depend on mater...