Endocrine Abstracts

Growth hormone (GH)-producing pituitary cells (somatotropes) comprise a fundamental regulator for a plethora of relevant physiological functions, including somatic growth and whole-body metabolism, by controlling the function of different endocrine/non-endocrine targets. Synthesis and release of GH has been classically thought to be primarily regulated by central, dual neuroendocrine signals: i.e. GH-releasing hormone and somatostatin. However, it is progressively becoming evi...

The rapidly increasing incidence of T1D worldwide and studies among migrants have shown that environmental factors play an important role in the pathogenesis of T1D. Identification of these risk-modulating factors would offer an excellent opportunity to develop effective strategies for prevention of T1D. Vitamin D is one of the main candidates for protection from type 1 diabetes, although prospective epidemiological studies on the effect of vitamin D exposure during pregnancy,...

Patients with gonadotoxicity due to disease treatment, or who face primary gonadal insufficiency as a result of genetic causes, have limited options for long-term endocrine and fertility support. Current fertility options, such as egg or embryo banking, exclude women with hormone-responsive cancers and pre-pubertal children. This highlights the urgency of addressing this currently unmet need with innovative engineering solutions. Our objective is to create an ovary bioprosthes...

The term subclinical Cushing syndrome arose at the turn of the millennium with the description of large Italian study of adrenal incidentalomas. Of 1096 patients from 26 centres, 9.2% had ‘subclinical Cushing’s’ (JCEM, 2000; 85:637-644). Since then over 300 publications have detailed this newly discovered endocrine diagnosis, and herein lies the main issue. The definition of Cushing’s syndrome is not in doubt – a ‘constellation of symptoms and sig...

Transthyretin (TTR) is a plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-circulating protein. Besides the primordially attributed systemic role as transporter molecule of thyroxine (T4) and retinol (through the binding to retinol-binding protein (RBP)), TTR has been recognised as a protein with important functions in several aspects of the nervous system physiology. TTR has been shown to play an important role in behaviour, cognition, amidated neuropeptide processing, and nerv...

Hirsutism is one of the most common clinical features encountered in women attending endocrine clinics. It can also be extraordinarily difficult and challenging to manage well. In this brief presentation I will discuss management of hirsutism, using three major challenges as a scaffold:Challenge 1: diagnosing the underlying cause: Hirsutism, the presence of terminal hairs distributed in a male-like pattern in women, affects between 5 and 10% of women. Po...

Current knowledge supports the notion that the onset and progression of endocrine and age-related diseases depend on an individual’s metabolic flexibility. With respect to cardiometabolic diseases, especially in older persons, several factors act in concert and converge to challenge metabolic flexibility. These include an inadequate diet, insufficient physical activity, chronodisruption, decreased metabolic reserve, altered gut microbiome, and reduced immune system capaci...

The ‘European Young Endocrine Scientists’ (EYES) founded in 2011, is a committee under the patronage of the European Society of Endocinology (ESE). The primary goal of this committee is to increase the mutual exchange of ideas and knowledge between young endocrinologists – from basic researchers to clinicians – across Europe in the initial stages of their career. EYES enables young endocrinologists (<35 years) from all ESE member societies to actively c...

Ronald M Evans, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, LaJolla, California, USA Abstracthttp://www.endocrine-abstracts.org/ea/0031/ea0031pl1biog.htm...

This practical and interactive session will explore the difficult clinical presentation of sweating.This problem is very commonly encountered in primary care, and can present a major diagnostic and management challenge. In practise, although there are multiple endocrine causes for excessive sweating, in the majority of cases presenting with this symptom alone, no endocrine cause is found.An overview of the most important aspects of...