Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction and aims: Heart failure (HF) is a health problem with poor prognosis, despite many treatments available. Vitamin D is the pre-hormone of the active calcitriol (1,25(OH)2D3). It is involved in bone homeostasis, but recent studies suggest extraskeletal functions, including pleiotropic effects on cardiovascular system and a relationship between low levels of 25OHvitamin D and worse HF prognosis. The aims of the study were: 1) to define 25OH-D levels in the HF populat...

Background: Dose adjustment for normal eating (DAFNE) structured education programme is an effective tool in improving glycaemic control in patients with type 1 diabetes while reducing the frequency of hypoglycemic episodes. DAFNE however, does not solve all glucose related problems and patients often request or are recommended continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) therapy post DAFNE.Objective: Out of our 370 DAFNE graduates, 46 have subsequent...

Background: There are very few studies comparing glycaemic control in patients with different basal rates on Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion therapy (CSII), so the ideal number of basal rates for a patient is not clear.Objective: To compare the glycaemic control between patients with different basal rates.Methods: Data were collected from hospital’s database and by contacting patients via phone....

Background: SIADH is the most frequent underlying cause of hyponatraemia but is frequently ignored and suboptimally treated.Aim: To identify the treatment applied in clinical practice for hyponatraemia due to SIADH and to evaluate the effect of fluid deprivation.Method: A prospective, non-intervention observational study of a sequentially evaluated cohort of hyponatraemic patients during first 48 h after hospitalization from Januar...

3-iodothyronamine (T1AM) is rapidly catabolized to iodothyroacetic acid after few hours by serum proteins. To avoid a rapid metabolism during any treatment, DMEM devoid of FBS has been used, inducing changes in the cell culture environmental. We evaluated the uptake and the metabolism of different concentrations of T1AM, in presence of supplemented medium, and the presence of 3-iodothyroacetic aldehyde (Ald), a putative intermediate of T1AM catabolism to TA1.<p ...

Background: The management of Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) during pregnancy is challenging due to lack of robust guidelines. Various studies have suggested an increased risk of various maternal and foetal complications, however there is no clear consensus in the literature about medical treatment vs surgery during pregnancy. The aim of this study was to review the maternal and foetal outcomes of pregnant women treated for PHPT at a single tertiary care centre and compare...

Vitamin D deficiency is widespread among all age and ethnic groups. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] is the most reliable marker of vitamin D status. Adequate levels of serum 25(OH)D are necessary to sustain the pleiotropic effects of vitamin D, either skeletal (classical) or extra-skeletal (non-classical). Concentration levels ≧50 nmol/L (20 ng/ml) are required for optimal musculoskeletal health. However, levels above 75 nmol/L (30 ng/ml) may be necessary to maximiz...

Introduction: 3-Iodothyronamine (T1AM) is a novel thyroid hormone derivative, which has been detected in rat blood and tissues. In vivo, T1AM has been reported to produce several functional effects, including the switch of fuel utilization from carbohydrates to lipids. In the present work we used rat white adipocytes to investigate T1AM uptake, metabolism, and metabolic effects.Methods: Rat white adipocytes were incubated with exogenous T1AM. The ...

Pregnancy is a prothrombotic condition with increased levels of several circulating coagulation factors. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of gestational diabetes on plasma thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) antigen levels.Plasma TAFI and PAI-1 antigen levels were measured in 26 pregnant women with gestational diabetes, 25 pregnant women with normal glucose tolerance, and age matched 24 non-pregnant women with no h...

23-year-old scaffolder, fit and well, presented several times to A&E with episodes of fitting which comprised of an energy surge followed by typical neuroglycopenic and autonomic signs of hypoglycaemia. He was only found to be hypoglycaemic after a severe episode where paramedics were called to his home and discovered his blood sugars to be 1.8 mmol/l with a serum insulin was measurable. His symptoms were moderately relieved by eating a combination of sugary food like hone...