Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction/Aim: Congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) is a cause of severe hypoglycaemia in infancy. Treatment of diazoxide unresponsive patients includes the use of somatostatin analogues (octreotide given either as four s.c. injections daily or via a pump). We aimed to evaluate the use of a long acting somatostatin analogue (Lanreotide) in children with CHI, switching them from daily oral diazoxide or s.c. Octreotide injections to 4 weekly Lanreotide injections.<p class="ab...

Introduction: Hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycemia (HH) represents the most common cause of hyperinsulinism in neonates, often termed as congenital hyperinsulinism of infancy (CHI). CHI is characterised by inappropriate raised insulin secretion from the pancreatic β-cells in relation to blood glucose concentration. Insulin suppresses NEFA and BOHB production. Neurological damage is a known risk associated with hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycaemia (HH).Aim: To ...

Cushing’s syndrome due to ectopic ACTH production is extremely rare in childhood. Ectopic ACTH secretion is most often due to tumours in the chest, but rare cases of carcinoid tumours, neuroblastoma, phaeochromocytoma and pancreatic and ovarian carcinoma have been reported. We describe a 2 year old girl with ectopic Cushing’s syndrome due to a malignant epithelial abdominal tumour producing POMC. She presented with rapid weight gain, hypertension, body odour, letharg...

Introduction: Refined carbohydrates which substitute the staple diet in most cultures may exaggerate postprandial responses in term of insulin and free fatty acid levels. These changes may herald the onset of metabolic syndrome and diabetes among those at high risk of these diseases.Objectives: To determine the postprandial insulin and free fatty acids levels in healthy subjects after the consumption of two different breakfast meals, Mediterranean-like v...

Objective: Obesity is a major problem in pregnancy. Obesity has been associated with decreased vitamin D levels, diabetes and reproductive risks. Women were followed through pregnancy with frequent blood samples to determine any differences between lean and obese subjects. We present data on vitamin D levels through gestation in these subjects.Methods: Normal pregnant women at 6–9 weeks GA provided blood samples every 2 weeks and body weights were r...

Cushing’s syndrome (CS) is a rare but severe disease associated with an increased mortality especially due to cardiovascular diseases, and associated with various systemic complications, including hypertension, glucose intolerance or diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia and coagulopathy. Few studies have systematically evaluated the mortality of CS in a large and worldwide population of CS. The MISSION study is a retrospective study aimed at assessing the mortality in a large ...

Adenosine 5′-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a regulator of energy homeostasis, has a central role in mediating the appetite-modulating and metabolic effects of many hormones and neuromodulators. We previously demonstrated similar neuroendocrine activation of AMPK in bone-forming osteoblasts. In this study, we tested whether stimulation of AMPK activity in osteoblasts plays a role in their function and whether deletion of the catalytic AMPKα1 subunit,...

Aims & objectives: IMPROVE™ is a 6-month, multi-national, prospective, observational study, assessing the safety and efficacy of biphasic insulin aspart 30/70 (BiAsp 30) in patients with type 2 diabetes.Methods: We present the efficacy data from the Indian cohort of IMPROVE study. A total of 17 995 subjects entered the study and 16 942 subjects completed the study. BiAsp 30 was initiated and dose was adjusted at the physician’s discretion, ...

A 29-year-old lady with known autoimmune thyrotoxicosis (TPO 712 IU/ml) presented with an urticarial rash. She was on carbimazole. A diagnosis of drug-induced reaction was suspected and treated as such. Her carbimazole was discontinued. After a day of treatment with steroids and antihistamines, she experienced flushing, orthostatic hypotension and difficulty in breathing. She was treated for anaphylaxis with adrenaline on intensive care unit. A formal Dermatology opinion was p...

PCOS is the most common endocrine disorder of premenopausal women. The in utero testosterone-treated ewe shares several key features with PCOS women (sub/infertility, multi-follicular ovaries, hypersecretion of gondotrophins and androgens) and, therefore, may be a useful animal model for this condition. In addition to reproductive abnormalities, PCOS women are at increased risk of hyperinsulinaemia and insulin resistance. The aim of this study was to determine if similar metab...