Endocrine Abstracts

A 30-year-old lady was transferred to our hospital at 37 weeks of pregnancy. Hypertension was noted at 24 weeks of gestation and managed with methyldopa and labetalol. Despite treatment, BP was labile with a systolic of 90–220 and diastolic of 50–129 mmHg. She reported occasional palpitations but not chest pain or shortness of breath. The patient had a history of migrainous headaches but not hypertension prior to pregnancy. Her brother had previously had an operation...

Objective: Insulin resistance (IR) has been reported in first-degree male relatives of patients with IC (FDMR). Retinol binding protein-4 (RBP4) has been shown to be increased in IR. We hypothesized that RBP4 would be: 1) increased in FDMR compared with controls and 2) correlated with features of IR.Methods: The study was approved by Leeds (West) Research Ethics Committee. We measured RBP4 in 162 healthy FDMR previously found to be more insulin resistant...

Objectives: To establish the proportion of patients locally with potentially significant thyroid pathology not receiving specialist endocrine input. To look at the management of hyperthyroid patients within the Endocrinology service.Patients and methods: Utilising the laboratory database, 121 patients identified (97 female, 24 male; age range 17–93 years, average 55 years) with TFTs suggesting hyperthyroidism (raised fT4/fT3, and/or suppressed TSH) ...

While the hypothalamo-pituitary axis is known to contain high levels of basic FGF (FGF2) and its high affinity receptor FGFR1, the physiological role of FGF2 in this region needs elucidation. Here, we demonstrate that FGF2 and arginine vasopressin (AVP) co-localize within the cytoplasm of nearly all supraoptic and paraventricular magnocellular neurons of human hypothalamus as well as the axonal processes of the neurohypophysis. High-resolution confocal imaging indicates that F...

Introduction: Adipocytes have been shown to exhibit considerable heterogeneity. In humans, they vary in size from <20 to 300 µm in diameter, which equates to a several hundred-fold difference in cell volume within the same tissue. Population based studies indicate larger adipocytes are associated with metabolic diseases, but how cell size is related to metabolism is poorly understood. Recent studies measured glucose levels in individual cells in cultu...

Introduction: Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (pNETs) are the main cause of mortality in patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1). The CLARINET study demonstrated that somatostatin analogue treatment improved progression free survival in patients with enteropancreatic NETs but little is known about the role of SSA in preventing progression of pNETs in MEN1 (1). Many centres have started using SSA treatment in MEN1 patients with enlarging pNETs or tumours &#62...

Introduction: Adult male offspring of women with PCOS have increased dyslipidaemia, characterised by elevated triglycerides (TG), increased total and LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), and hyperinsulinaemia. As altered intrauterine endocrine environments can ‘programme’ adverse health outcomes in adulthood we hypothesised that this dyslipidaemia was a consequence of a hyperandrogenic intrauterine environment. We used an outbred large animal model to identify if prenatal androg...

Introduction: Altered intrauterine endocrine environments can ‘programme’ adverse health outcomes. Linkage between altered androgen exposure in utero and adverse offspring health is robust. For example, increased maternal androgen concentrations and PCOS in female offspring and dyslipidaemia in male offspring. We hypothesised that the liver was a major target for androgenic programming in utero and hepatic dysfunction would be present in offspring. ...

Endocrine disruptors are chemicals which in low concentrations can disturb gene expression in a range of endocrine glands and organs including the fetal and adult adrenal glands, potentially resulting in altered steroidogenic flux. With exposure to endocrine disruptors affecting both animals and humans, it is important to assess both the mechanisms and consequences of disruption in steroidogenic pathways, particularly as foetal development may be especially sensitive to endocr...

Background: The 2013 Scottish Diabetes Survey demonstrated that only 22% of individuals with type 1 diabetes have optimal glycaemic control, defined as a HbA1c <58 mmol/mol. The 2014 Diabetes Improvement Plan in Scotland prioritised, ‘improving the care and outcomes of all people living with type 1 diabetes’. Scotland’s Diabetes Education Advisory Group has now been established. Accordingly, the Fife Insulin and Food Education for Diabetes (FIFE Diabetes) st...