Endocrine Abstracts

A 55-year-old post-menopausal female presented with hirsutism and increased libido. Testosterone was elevated at 9.7 (RR <1.8 nmol/l). LH/FSH were appropriate post-menopause (LH 28.8; FSH 54.1U/l). DHEAS, androstenedione and 17-hydroxyprogesterone were unremarkable. GnRH analogue suppression testing (GnST) appropriately suppressed LH/FSH and testosterone (testosterone 0.2 nmol/l), suggesting an LH-dependent source of testosterone. Pelvic MRI suggested a left ovarian tumour...

A genome wide meta-analysis by the CORtisol NETwork (CORNET) consortium1 has identified genetic variants spanning the SERPINA6/SERPINA1 locus on chromosome 14 associated with changes in morning plasma cortisol and predictive of cardiovascular disease (Crawford et al, Unpublished). SERPINA6 encodes Corticosteroid Binding Globin (CBG) which binds most cortisol in blood and influences delivery of cortisol to target tissues. We hypothesised th...

Introduction: Anterior pituitary cells are characterised by functional lineages based on the expression pattern of transcription factors. Functional differentiation in the form of pituitary adenomas co-secreting ACTH and growth hormone is very rare. We report a case of multiple cell line pituitary adenoma resulting in acromegaly and ACTH dependent Cushing’s.Case: A 52-year-old woman of Ghanian origin (BMI of 57.5 kg/m2) presented with pro...

PCOS is a reproductive endocrine disorder that affects up to 10% of women of a reproductive age, with 70-80% of patients defined as infertile. There are many different symptoms that could impact fertility in women with PCOS such as anovulation, hyperandrogenism and insulin resistance. A trophoblast (BeWo cell) spheroid attachment assay was used as an in vitro model of embryo implantation to examine the effect of testosterone on the receptivity of endometrial (Ishikawa...

Autotaxin (ATX) is a secreted enzyme that generates the lipid signalling molecule LPAs from LPCs. The ATX/lPA axis is strongly linked to fibrotic diseases and therapeutic inhibitors are in development. Assessing the balance of LPC/lPA in diseased target tissues is critical to inform pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK-PD) and predict efficacy of ATX inhibitors in vivo. Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) allows concomitant measurement of multiple molecules with histopat...

Introduction: Hyponatraemia is one of the most common electrolyte abnormalities seen in clinical practice [1] and can be caused by a myriad of aetiologies.Aim: To report two cases of severe hyponatraemia caused by different aetiologies.Case report: A 56-year-old male patient was admitted with 2 episodes of tonic-clonic seizures at his care home. The patient had a background of small cell lung cancer and brain metastases in late 202...

Severe Hypercalcaemia can present as a life threatening emergency requiring urgent measures to lower the calcium. Usually, this is associated with Primary Hyperparathyroidism. It can result in obtundation, oliguria, anuria, collapse or arrhythmias. It is important to act fast and decisively to prevent fatal complications.We describe a 39 year old gentleman who was a tennis coach, who was brought after he collapsed in his bathroom. ...

Background: The exposure to HAART has increased the chances of developing Diabetes among HIV patients. Hyperglycaemia is more common among those on Protease inhibitors (PI)-based regimens compared to other regimens. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c ) is now being recommended by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) for the screening of Diabetes because of convenience as it does not require fasting.Objective: We aimed to dete...

A 23-year-old female with severe resistant hypertension was referred to our Hospital. Her BP on arrival was 240/140 mmHg and she was 13 weeks pregnant. Labetalol had been prescribed previously (200 mg,TDS), with little success in controlling her symptoms. The patient reported headaches, migraines and flushing for several years, especially after eating, and worse during pregnancy. The patient had pre-eclampsia in her first pregnancy.<p class="abst...

Lymphocytic hypophysitis (LyH) is a rare condition often associated with pregnancy (usually presenting in the last month of pregnancy or in the first two post-partum months). We describe a very rare case of recurrent LyH during two pregnancies.A 25-years old woman presented in 7/2003 with a 6-week history of headaches and a 2-week history of visual deterioration whilst 38 weeks pregnant. Bitemporal hemianopia was co...