Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Hyponatraemia is not uncommon in primary care and its management can be complex. It is vital that initial assessment is carried out properly as mismanagement can have serious consequences.Aim: To investigate general practitioners’ views and perceptions on the management of hyponatraemia encountered in primary care.Method: Local general practitioners were surveyed with a questionnaire via email and at local postgr...

A 29-year-old man of South Asian descent presented with pancreatitis. Adjusted calcium was 3.10 mmol/l and PTH 9.8 μmol/l. Of note was that his parents were first cousins, and a cousin had undergone parathyroidectomy for hypercalcaemia.Pituitary, adrenal and thyroid function, calcitonin, prolactin, phosphate, magnesium, alkaline phosphatase and urinary catecholamines were all normal. 25-Hydroxyvitamin D was 20 nmol/l (15–100) The patient was th...

Girls with Turner syndrome (TS) are treated with recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) to improve their adult height but the gain is variable (0–20 cm). Current prediction models can account for only ~46% of the variability in the first year response to rhGH, thus genetic profiling has been suggested as a possible means of improving this prediction. The aim of this study was to explore mRNA expression profiles in an ex-vivo fibroblast model to characterise response to r...

Background and case: A 38-year-old man presented acutely with left-sided retro-orbital pain, a heavy/numb sensation in his left arm and blurred vision and diplopia on left lateral gaze. Baseline biochemistry, liver function and haematology were normal. His TSH was 3.9 (0.3–4 mU/l) and CRP 92 mg/l (<10). Plain CT head was unremarkable as was the MRI as reported, and atypical migraine was suspected. Vertical diplopia on left lateral gaze and left upper arm paraesthesia ...

A 21-year-old man presented with 2 months history of weight gain, acne, hirsutism, lethargy, and muscle weakness. Examination revealed that he was cushingoid in appearance, had pustular acne and proximal myopathy. Initial 24 h urinary free cortisol was significantly raised at 5320 nmol/day (10–147), with raised ACTH of 120 ng/l (<47). He failed to suppress his cortisol on the low dose dexamethasone suppression test (baseline 708 nmol/l and 48 h 706 nmol/l). Urinary an...

Background: Infants born small for gestational age (SGA) usually show catch-up growth during the first few years of post-natal life. However, some infants remain small and little is known about the factors governing their growth failure. GH and IGF1 receptor mutations only account for a minority of cases. We have now initiated an in vitro assessment of signalling molecules downstream of these receptors and evaluation of cell growth characteristics.<p class="abstext"...

Background and aims: Thiazolidinediones have been extensively used as second line agents in the management of type 2 diabetes. A small increased incidence of ischaemic heart disease was suggested by a meta-analysis of studies using Rosiglitazone. Similar meta-analysis of Pioglitazone did not show adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Our aim was to objectively evaluate the changes in glycaemic and lipid control in a controlled conversion from Rosiglitazone to Pioglitazone.<p cl...

Introduction: Pasireotide (SOM230) is a multi-receptor targeted somatostatin analogue with high binding affinity for sst1,2,3 and sst5. In a Phase II study of pasireotide in patients with active acromegaly, 27% achieved biochemical control after 1 month of octreotide s.c. followed by 3 months of pasireotide, and pituitary tumor volume decreased by >20% in 39% of patients. Results from the study’s extension phase are presented.<p class="abstex...

Background: Visceral fat is a key factor underlying type 2 diabetes. The amount and distribution of body fat is strongly influenced by sex steroids. Androgen receptors (ARs) are present in adipose tissue and are abundant in the detrimental visceral bed. Here, we sought to determine the contribution of the AR in adipose tissue to the pathophysiology of visceral obesity and type 2 diabetes.Methods: Male fat-specific AR-knockout (fARKO) mice (12 weeks; n...

Primary hyperparathyroidism (1 in 1000) (1) and occult vitamin D deficiency (14% of the healthy adult population) are relatively common disorders (2). Hypercalciuria, renal tract calcification and reduced bone mineral density (BMD) are recognised complications of primary hyperparathyroidism. We report details of the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and complications in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism.It is a retrospective study of 44 patients...