Endocrine Abstracts

AMH is produced by the granulosa cells of growing follicles in the ovary, with peak expression at the small antral stage, followed by a sharp decline, and it is not produced by the corpus luteum. It therefore provides an indirect index of the ovarian reserve, and will also be affected by factors that influence folliculogenesis, such as hormonal contraception. This provides the basis for understanding and developing its potential use as a diagnostic tool in assessing the ovary....

A 33-year-old male with a background of idiopathic hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism was referred to the endocrine clinic to discuss fertility. He was originally diagnosed overseas when presented with delayed puberty in late teens. He had a normal pituitary MRI and since then he had been on testosterone replacement; other pituitary function was normal. He was not anosmic however no other information was available from diagnosis. When he attended the clinic the patient and his wif...

An interest in art and antiques and a chance discovery in Hong Kong in 2000 led rapidly to an obsession with carvings from Northern China’s 5000 year old Hongshan Culture. The most controversial are in a unique silica glass (‘shui jing’), with a very high melting temperature (>1600 °C) and no additives or stabilisers, that could only have originated from a large unique meteorite impact. This paper will present results on the carvings of light microscopy...

Case history: An 85-year-old man with primary hyperparathyroidism, resistant to cinacalcet, presented to hospital with paranoid delusions, weakness, constipation and thirst. His past medical history was of vitamin D deficiency and arthritis of the spine. Regular medications were lansoprazole, senna, and fluticasone nasal spray. He was a never-smoker and had no relevant family history. Neck examination was unremarkable.Investigations: Corrected serum calc...

Background: The hypothalamic neuropeptides kisspeptin and neurokinin B (NKB) are both obligate for normal gonadotrophin secretion. Studies in patients with loss-of-function mutations in NKB signalling suggest that kisspeptin is functionally upstream of NKB, but this hierarchy is unexplored in healthy men and women. We hypothesised that kisspeptin augmentation of estrogen-induced mid-cycle LH secretion will not be abrogated by pharmacological blockade of NKB.<p class="abste...

Background: Sex-steroid feedback regulates gonadotropin (LH and FSH) secretion. Kisspeptin, a novel hypothalamic neuropeptide, stimulates gonadotropin secretion by stimulating GnRH secretion, and has been shown in animal models to play a central role in mediating sex steroid feedback.Hypothesis: As estrogen feedback occurs at both the hypothalamus and the pituitary in women, we hypothesized that the stimulatory effect of kisspeptin-10 would be dependent ...

IntroductionRecent studies have confirmed that IGF-I is an important determinant of future glucose homeostasis and cardiovascular risk. Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) is the principal carrier protein for IGF-I in the circulation. Therefore we tested the relationship of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 to insulin resistance in an ethnic group with a high incidence of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.Methods. In a population-based study 100 subjects of...

Adult growth hormone deficiency (AGHD) is a metabolic syndrome characterised by osteoporosis, increased visceral fat, adverse lipid profiles, decreased muscle mass and reduced energy levels. As such, it is associated with reduced quality of life (QoL) and increased mortality from cardiovascular disease. Synthetic growth hormone (GH) can be given to replace natural GH; however, treatment is costly at around £3350 per patient per year and could cause side effects including ...

Introduction: Between 5-10% of patients with hypothyroidism treated with levothyroxine (T4) continue to experience profound symptoms, despite achieving free T4/thyroid stimulating hormone concentrations within reference range. Liothyronine is sometimes added to levothyroxine, but its use is controversial due to uncertainties in clinical/cost effectiveness.Methods: An economic model was developed to estimate the incremental cost per quality-adjusted life ...

Background: Urinary concentrations of the major progesterone metabolite pregnanediol glucuronide (P3G) are used clinically and in research to monitor ovulation. This ELISA is laborious and costly. If it could be replaced by the automated sensitive chemiluminescence assays routinely used for serum this would be of great value.Objective: We aimed to determine the validity of urine progesterone as measured by two widely used automated assays in comparison t...