Endocrine Abstracts

Paragangliomas and pheochromocytomas (PPGL) are neuroendocrine tumors with a very strong genetic component. A germline mutation in one of the 13 different susceptibility genes identified so far explains about 40% of all cases. Genetic testing, which is indicated in every patient, can be guided by the clinical presentation as well as by the secretory phenotype and by the immunohistochemical analysis of the tumors. The diagnosis of an inherited form drives clinical management an...

Since the introduction of the reduction in hours for junior doctors in 1991, nurse led clinics (NLC) have increasingly become embedded into specialist practice. Whilst some NLC such as Diabetes and Respiratory have been established for many years, in the area of Endocrinology they are a newer evolving concept.Currently there is limited research in this area. An online survey was distributed to 98 nurse members of the Society for Endocrinology. The questi...

Background: Pre-pituitary surgery, patients attend a ‘Pre-Pituitary Surgery Clinic’ (PPSC), to discuss management options and risks. Clinicians in attendance are; pituitary surgeon (1) registrar (1) endocrine team consultants (1–3), registrars (1–2) nurses (1) senior house officer (1) visiting doctors/medical students (4–6). Patients are informed a number of clinicians attend the clinic due to the multidisciplinary nature (MDT) and unit teaching respon...

Advances in trauma care have improved survival resulting in more severely injured individuals surviving to enter the trauma care pathway. A significant threat to recovery is now the dysregulated immune response to injury. The hyperinflammatory response of the innate immune system (SIRS), combined with immunoparesis, leads to complications such as multi-organ failure and sepsis. Moreover, recovery from trauma is significantly affected by age, which may be due to changes in the ...

Introduction: Mutations in AIP have been associated with the familial isolated pituitary adenoma (FIPA) syndrome, an autosomal dominant disease with incomplete penetrance characterised by pituitary adenomas in a familial setting. However, the mechanisms by which AIP inactivation promotes pituitary tumorigenesis are unknown. Studies of AIP in model organisms, such as the fruitfly, harbouring the AIP orthologue CG1847, as well as the zebrafish, are theoretically promising models...

Craniopharyngiomas (CPs) are tumours located in the sellar and parasellar region, thought to have an embryonic origin and/or to arise from pituitary progenitors/stem cells. They have an overall incidence of 1–2 new cases/million population/per year and are subdivided into two histologically different subtypes, adamantinomatous (aCPs) and papillary (pCPs). The clinical manifestations at diagnosis for CPs are: headache, visual disturbances, polyuria/polydipsia, endocrine dy...

Epigenetic mechanisms are gaining increasing interest in oncology, both as drivers of tumourigenesis and as potential novel therapeutic targets. This is particularly relevant in neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs), as a key tumour suppressor gene involved in NEN development, multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1), plays a critical role in epigenetic regulation of gene expression through micro RNA (miRNA) and histone modification pathways. MEN1 mutations can g...

Prostate Cancer (PC) affects 1-in-6 men in the UK, and obesity 1-in-3, with rates of both increasing. High-fat diet is linked with increased risk of PC death, and volume of peri-prostatic adipose tissue (PPAT) is associated with increased risk of lethal PC/reduced therapy response. Despite this, molecular mechanisms underpinning obesity-driven PC remain poorly-understood. This is important since weight-gain and central obesity are major side-effects of PC trea...

Introduction: Although breast cancer (BC) is considered a treatable disease, >30% of patients with hormone receptor positive tumours will suffer recurrence post endocrine therapy. One of the fundamental features of cancer cells is their ability to modulate cell metabolism to facilitate survival, stress response, and proliferation. Increasing evidence suggests that these mechanisms play key roles in the development of treatment resistance. Recent publicatio...

Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects 10% of women and is associated with a 2-3fold risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D), hypertension, fatty liver and cardiovascular disease. Androgen excess has been implicated as a major contributor to metabolic risk in PCOS. We aimed to identify PCOS sub-types with distinct androgen profiles and compare their cardiometabolic risk.Methods: We cross-sectionally studied 488 tre...