Endocrine Abstracts

Background: The standard dose Synacthen test (SDST) is commonly used to identify glucocorticoid deficiency. A subnormal SDST in young infants raises the possibility of adrenal insufficiency (AI) due to pathology such as congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). A physiological delay in maturation of adrenal glucocorticoid secretion may be another explanation especially in asymptomatic infants with a transiently subnormal SDST.Aims: To review the diagnoses an...

Introduction: Elevated intraocular (vitreous) leptin is implicated in proliferative diabetic retinopathy. The source of vitreous leptin is uncertain and it could be derived from systemic leptin. However we showed that leptin (ob) mRNA is present in rat retina, suggesting that retinal tissue could also be a source of intraocular leptin. The present investigation quantified ob mRNA in human retinal tissue obtained from diabetic and control cadavers. In a parall...

Background: Radiotherapy is the mainstay of NPC (nasopharyngeal carcinoma) treatment and recently there is increased use of concurrent chemo-irradiation (CCRT) to improve survival. The irradiation field for NPC includes the base of skull, risking radiation damage to the hypothalamic–pituitary (HP) axis.Aims: To evaluate the prevalence of HP dysfunction in NPC survivors post-irradiation and to compare the risk of developing HP dysfunction amongst pat...

Context: Hydrocortisone day curves (HCDC) are used to monitor hydrocortisone replacement by obtaining serum samples to measure cortisol levels throughout the day. Salivary measurement of free cortisol offers a non-invasive alternative to serum measurements.Objective: To validate salivary cortisol measurement as an alternative method to assess the adequacy of hydrocortisone replacement in patients with hypoadrenalism.Setting, patien...

Adipose tissue produces several hormones and cytokines termed ‘adipokines’ that have widespread effects on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. They appear to play an important role in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance, diabetes, and atherosclerosis. Chemerin is a novel adipokine, highly expressed in obese, insulin-resistant subjects. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with insulin resistance and obesity. We assessed chemerin levels in sera and adipose...

We present the case of a 33-year-old woman diagnosed with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) due to classical 21-hydroxylase deficiency following a salt-losing crisis as a newborn. She had previously been controlled on dexamethasone 0.25 mg bd and fludrocortisone 100 mcg od, as evidenced by high-normal 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) and low-normal testosterone levels (8.5 and 0.4 nmol/l respectively).However, she had experienced significant symptoms o...

This gentleman was diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism at the age of 34 and was found to have multiple manifestations of MEN1.Hyperparathyroidism: He was diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism and underwent a parathyroidectomy with removal of 2 glands. Four years later calcium levels were raised once again and two further hyperplastic glands were removed, with cure of his hypercalcaemia.Gastrinoma and other pancreatic islet cell tumours...

We hypothesised that SNPs within oxidative stress genes influence vascular compliance in patients with coronary artery disease.A SNP within the gene encoding the eNOS (NOS3) which encodes a Glu298→Asp amino acid substitution has been associated with cardiovascular disorders in which NO bioactivity is impaired. The gene coding for p22phox, a critical component of the NADH/NAD(P)H oxidase enzyme system, a major source of vascular SO, is CYB...

Ghrelin is an acylated peptide hormone that is expressed by a variety of tissues including the stomach, hypothalamus and kidney. Ghrelin produces a range of effects, including stimulating the release of growth hormone from the pituitary gland, and inducing feeding and obesity.The effects of some hormones can be altered by interactions with other proteins; so the aim of this project was to screen plasma for proteins that can bind ghrelin, as part of an i...

A 65-year-old female with PTEN Hamartoma Tumour Syndrome, Follicular thyroid carcinoma, and Endometrial Carcinoma, presented at a tertiary centre due to an asymptomatic adrenal lesion. Previous genetic testing for phaeochromocytoma and paraganglioma in 2020 showed no pathogenic variants in multiple genes (FH, MAX, MEN1, SDHx, SDHAF2, TMEM127, VHL, RET gene). Recent imaging revealed a 9 cm left supra-renal lesion that had been gradually increasing in size since 2010. Plasma nor...