Endocrine Abstracts

The menopause is an inevitable event and one which is physiologically normal in women. It marks the end of the reproductive phase and is marked by changes in hormone levels and a cessation of menstrual periods. The menopause transition describes the time leading up to a woman’s final period, along with endocrinological, biological and clinical features of the approaching menopause. Removal of both ovaries leads to a sudden surgical menopause. In the UK, the average...

Background: The Craniopharyngioma service in our centre has changed since 2005 with a standardised preoperative assessment and a new approach to surgery and use of radiotherapy. We review the subsequent outcomes.Treatment strategy: Preoperative endocrinology: prior to dexamethasone therapy: standard dose short synacthen test (SST), thyroid function test (TFT), IGF1, LH, FSH, testosterone/oestradiol±GH stimulation test. Staging: MRI and tumour stagin...

Background: Low thyroid hormone concentrations in the first few weeks of life in preterm infants may be linked with poor neurodevelopment. We conducted a multi-centred randomised controlled trial of thyroxine (T4) supplementation in babies born under 28-weeks’ gestation (TIPIT study). A post hoc subgroup analysis was undertaken to examine brain growth and development.Methods: Seventy-eight infants received T4 supplementation an...

Background: BoneXpert software calculates bone health index (BHI) from 100 measurements of cortical thickness and mineralisation of three metacarpals. BHI-SDS is derived from 3,121 X-rays from 231 healthy Caucasian children, corrected for bone age (BA), estimated from the same x-ray.BHI-SDS is new with relatively unknown clinical utility. Strong correlations between BHI and dual-energy x-ray (DXA) absorptiometry and peripheral quantitative computed CT me...