Endocrine Abstracts

The risks of over and under-replacement with glucocorticoid replacement therapy are well-known. In an attempt to minimise these risks cortisol day curves (CDC) are performed in many centres, however there is a dearth of data on the reproducibility of this assessment and the relationship between symptoms and serum cortisol levels. To address these issues, we have performed 2 cortisol day curves within 7 days in 20 patients (9 male, mean age 54 years, range 25-79, 6 primary and ...

A 49 year old man presented in 1998 with marked visual disturbance. MRI scan revealed a very large pituitary tumour with compression of the anterior optic pathways. Prolactin was markedly elevated at 259,000 milliunits per litre confirming the diagnosis of a giant prolactinoma. A trial of dopamine agonist therapy did not result in any improvement in vision and he proceeded to pituitary surgery. Vision improved and prolactin levels were suppressed by dopamine agonist therapy wi...

BACKGROUND: Previous work has demonstrated a relationship between impaired carbohydrate metabolism and low serum levels of androgens in men. Men with diabetes have lower testosterone levels, and administration of physiological doses of testosterone improves glucose tolerance in these men. Men with coronary artery disease (CAD) have lower androgen levels than men with normal coronary arteries. We studied the relationship between testosterone, glucose, hypertension and DM in a p...

The screening and monitoring of intestinal diseases still provides challenges within in vivo and clinical research. For example, patients with Crohn’s disease will typically have a biannual endoscopic examination – this invasive procedure is distressing for patients and hence its frequency is limited at the expense of sufficient monitoring of pathological progression. Modalities such as CT and MRI can image the GI tract, however, they are ionising, which nor...

Introduction: The UK 100,000 Genomes Project (100KGP) investigated the genetic basis of rare disease. The molecular drivers of most paediatric pituitary disease remains unknown.Methods: Children with genetically unexplained pituitary disorders attending a tertiary paediatric endocrinology centre were recruited to the 100KGP and underwent whole genome sequencing. Parental DNA was obtained where feasible. Virtual gene panels were applied and bioinformatic ...

Obesity is a leading global health concern. The gut-brain axis is critical to appetite regulation. The vagus nerve represents the major neural pathway between the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system, capable of rapidly communicating information about the nutrient content from different regions of the gastrointestinal tract, directly via nutrient receptors expressed on vagal afferents and indirectly by responding to gut hormones and enteric nervous system sign...

The prevalence of obesity and its associated metabolic diseases are increasing, but current treatments are ineffective or impractical. Understanding how the gut–brain axis senses nutrients to regulate appetite and glucose homeostasis may identify new drug targets and treatments. The G protein-coupled receptor 119 (GPR119) has several endogenous lipid ligands and has been proposed to act as a nutrient sensor in the gastrointestinal tract. GPR119 is expressed on enteroendoc...

Introduction: The role of surgery to resect the primary lesion in incurable metastatic small intestinal (SI-NET) and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (P-NET) remains controversial. Recent evidence suggests that palliative surgery may increase survival even in asymptomatic patients with non-functioning tumours. The present study investigated the value of palliative resection of the primary tumour in SI-NET and P-NET by systematic literature review and meta-analysis.<p clas...

Introduction: Utilization rates of fertility preservation among transgender adolescents (TA) are low. Few studies have addressed the reproductive desires of this population. The aim of this study was to assess TA parenthood goals, attitudes about fertility preservation (FP) and perceived barriers to successful gamete banking.Methods: Transgender adolescents who attended the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS - endocrine clinic) between March and J...

Background: Male adolescents with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH) or delayed puberty start pubertal induction from 12–14 years. Testosterone obtains secondarysexual characteristics and improves psychosocial well being. Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) or recombinant FSH (rFSH) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) generate testicular growth (fertility) and testicular testosterone production. HCG-rFSH treatment increase testis size and improves the quality of life...