Endocrine Abstracts

The discovery of the fundamental involvement of receptor activator for nuclear factor-KB ligand (RANKL) in osteoclast (OC) formation, has enabled the routine generation of human OCs in vitro from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Beta C-terminal telopeptide (beta-CTx) is a specific resorption marker for degradation of bone type I collagen by OCs. We have evaluated the correlation between beta-CTx released from dentine wafers on which OC were c...

Background: The Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP1RA) semaglutide has shown improvements in glycaemia and other metabolic parameters for patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in clinical trials. Published real-world data are sparse and there are none from the Middle East where semaglutide became available in 2020.Method and Results: We retrospectively gathered data for 289 patients (median age 50 years (IQR 42-57), 36% female, 87% Emirati and 8...

Background: Normocalcaemic primary hyperparathyroidism (NPHPT) can be considered as an early biochemical manifestation of hypercalcaemic primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). Vitamin D repletion and exclusion of other conditions is recommended before diagnosing NPHPT. It is often challenging to distinguish Vitamin D deficiency associated secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) from NPHPT and the two conditions may coexist. A parathyroid function (PF) index [(Parathyroid hormone (PT...

Background: Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a rare melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) pathway disease characterized by early-onset, severe obesity and hyperphagia associated with primary cilia dysfunction. Patients with rare MC4R pathway diseases of obesity and hyperphagia, including BBS, experience high disease burden, but the relationship between hyperphagia and body weight in patients with BBS is not fully understood. We assessed the correlation between hyperphagia score and obe...

Camel milk provides a modest portion of the overall global milk share but is an important source of protein in arid regions. Perceived health benefits include anti-diabetic properties attributed to its unique composition. We hypothesise that exogenous insulin present in camel milk mediates a hypoglycaemic effect. In a randomised, double blind crossover study, eleven normoglycaemic individuals were allocated to receive a 300 kcal pre-load of camel milk or cow milk ten minutes p...

Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity have been linked with sleeping disorders in general and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) in particular; both are highly prevalent amongst Emirati patients. However, little information is available in this population regarding the prevalence and symptomatology of OSA, its relationships with T2D and obesity, and its impact on health outcomes.Objectives: This study aims to investigate the risk of OSA based on the ...

Muscle wasting is a common feature of inflammatory myopathies. Glucocorticoids (GCs), whilst effective at suppressing inflammation and inflammatory muscle loss, also cause myopathy with prolonged administration. 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) is a bidirectional GC activating enzyme, potently up-regulated by inflammation within mesenchymal derived tissues. We assessed the regulation of this enzyme with inflammation in muscle and examined its functi...

Introduction: The repercussions of long-term exposure to low level mixtures of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) which are present, ubiquitously, in the environment are not well understood. Heat-treated sewage sludge, an EDC-rich product used as fertiliser, has been shown to compromise testicular and ovarian development. However, to date, there has been limited investigation in exposed animals of the adrenal glands, the steroid hormone products of which play key roles in f...

Attenuated glucoprivic feeding responses are a feature of hypoglycaemic unawareness in insulin-treated diabetes. Glucose alters the activity of hypothalamic neurones involved in regulating appetite. Arcuate nucleus (ARC) Neuropeptide Y (NPY) releasing neurones stimulate feeding. The identification of glucose-sensitive NPY releasing hypothalamic neurones suggests a strong role for these neurones in mediating changes in appetite induced by alterations of glucose. To gain a bette...

Background: PHID syndrome has been recently described as a unique syndrome characterised by pigmented hypertrichosis; non immune mediated insulin depended diabetes mellitus (DM). Other associated features of the syndrome include pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, short stature and hypogonadism.Aims: To identify the genetic basis of PHID syndrome in six patients from five unrelated families and to characterise the endocrine features associated with this s...