Endocrine Abstracts

The study presents the outcome of determination of serum VEGF and sVCAM in 58 patients (43 women and 15 men aged 20–76 years) with adrenal tumors: adrenal cortical adenoma (34), adrenal cortical carcinoma (12), pheochromocytoma (9), myelolipoma (2) and lymphangioma (1). Control group comprised 25 practically healthy volunteers (13 women and 12 men aged 17–67 years). Serum VEGF was measured by enzyme immunoassay using reactants from ‘R&D’ (USA), sVCAM &#...

Background and Aims: Components of metabolic syndrome (MS) carry an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). People with abnormal glucose regulation are more prone to develop complications. At diagnosis 20-30% of type 2 diabetic (T2DM) patients (pts) already have neuropathy-one of the most dangerous complications. Cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is associated with five-fold risk of mortality. Our aim was to study possible relation between CAN and some components of ...

Much has been written on the attributes of preoperative localisation and minimally invasive parathyroidectomy (MIP) for primary hyperparathyroidism. A recent 'summary statement from a workshop on asymptomatic primary hyperparathyroidism: a perspective for the 21st century' (Bilezikian et al, 2002) suggested however that in experienced hands, conventional open parathyroidectomy with visualisation of all four glands was still the gold standard. In light of this we have carried o...

BackgroundSodium glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors have proven valuable in the management of type 2 diabetes. These agents are particularly effective in reducing hospitalisations with heart failure and cardiovascular mortality. Adverse effects are primarily centred on urogenital infections and hypovolaemia. Here, we report the case of a patient who developed asymptomatic erythrocytosis while taking empagliflozin.Case repo...

IntroductionMultiple Endocrine Neoplasia type-1 (MEN-1) is an inherited autosomal dominant condition with a high degree of penetrance characterized by tumour occurrence in the form of pancreatic neuroendocrine (pNET), parathyroid and anterior pituitary gland tumours, among others. Treatment for MEN-1 associated endocrine tumour, particularly pancreatic, is more challenging than in those without MEN-1, given its multicentric nature and aggressive behaviou...

Giant prolactinomas are rare tumours, accounting for only 2–3% of all prolactin (PRL)-secreting tumours which can pose therapeutic challenges. It has a higher preponderance in men with a male to female ratio of about 9:1. A 70year old gentleman initially presented to the ophthalmology department with blurred and reduced colour vision. He denied any headache, galactorrhoea or gynaecomastia however he noticed reduced libido and difficulties with erections. His past medical ...

Introduction: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a protein that has been linked to several cardiovascular risk factors and bone status. Stress and corticosteroid exposure can affect BDNF levels, although this has never been studied in Cushing’s syndrome (CS). The aims of this study were to establish if BDNF levels were reduced in CS and to check possible associations to cardiovascular risk factors and bone status.Methods: 52 patients (18 ac...

Background: Pregnancy may adversely affect the progression of diabetic retinopathy and can have serious implications for the pregnant women.Aim: To asses the impact of pregnancy on the progression of diabetic retinopathy in women with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus and to identify risk factors for the progression of retinopathy during pregnancy.Methods: 306 diabetic women, 229 (75.4%) with type 1 and 77 (23.9%) with type 2 di...

Introduction: Paragangliomas/pheochromocytomas present frequently with vague symptomatology which makes its diagnosis difficult and challenging. Cuantification of fractionated metanephrines and fractionated catecholamines in 24 h urine sample are used for diagnosis. There are situationes that can produce false positive results such as stress, drugs or smoking that must be taken into account.Patients and methods: Retrospective study on the requests made f...

The G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) kinase 2, GRK2, is a ubiquitous serine/threonine protein kinase that is able to phosphorylate and desensitize the active form of several GPCR. Compelling, as yet limited, evidence from in vitro studies have suggested a potential role of GRK2 in mediating desensitization of Gpr54, the canonical receptor for kisspeptins that is abundantly expressed in GnRH neurons. Yet, although kisspeptins have been universally recognized as essent...