Endocrine Abstracts

An ovo-testis (a gonad showing aspects of both ovarian and testicular function) occurs in some 60% of true hermaphrodites. They may be located in the labio-scrotal folds, inguinal canal or abdomen and are often removed prior to or shortly after the onset of puberty. Though the potential for ovulatory function within such a gonad is acknowledged, it is rarely witnessed and there are few detailed descriptions of the phenomenon. We describe serial observations of this process in ...

Background: Endocrinopathic laminitis is a painful equine condition that may cause persistent lameness warranting euthanasia. Hypoadiponectinemia and insulin dysregulation (ID, manifesting as hyperinsulinemia, tissue insulin resistance (IR), and/or excessive insulin responses to non-structural carbohydrates) are independently associated with increased laminitis risk, although underlying mechanisms remain unclear.Methods: This study aimed to investigate t...

Introduction: Parents/carers of children with adrenal insufficiency routinely receive training on the provision of emergency hydrocortisone. This service improvement project aims to assess patient and parent knowledge on their sick day rules, in NHS Tayside, with a view to improving the delivery of this information.Methods: A 24 item postal questionnaire was constructed and distributed to parents of children with adrenal insufficiency. This included 11 s...

We previously showed acute hypoxic conditions result in atrophy of myotubes in vitro. Chronic hypoxic exposure in vivo induces muscular atrophy in healthy mountaineering individuals and patients with COPD. Myotubes in vitro increase myostatin expression in response to hypoxic exposure. Further, hypoxic COPD patients show cachexia and increased serum myostatin expression. However, in vivo results are cofounded by disease factors in COPD patie...

Continuous aerobic exercise improves glucose tolerance in type 2 diabetics (T2D), with greater improvements during exercise in hypoxia. Continuous exercise has been linked with poor adherence. Positive effects with intermittent exercise (IE) with reduced time commitments would have clear benefits. Exercise and hypoxia both increase pro-inflammatory cytokines, potentially reducing benefits of hypoxia. This study aimed to establish the effects of IE under hypoxic conditions in T...

Background: Osteoporosis leads to significant morbidity and disability through an increased susceptibility to fracture. Post-menopausal females are a high-risk group. A fracture liaison service model has been proposed as a method to maximise initiation of treatment for secondary prevention following a fragility fracture.Aim: To compare practice in two fracture units to guidelines contained in the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) Technolo...

Acute adrenal insufficiency requires immediate treatment with high-dose glucocorticoid and represents a life-threatening emergency. Previous research suggests that primary hypoadrenalism patients (Addison’s disease) are more vulnerable to adrenal emergency than steroid-dependent pituitary patients (Arlt & Allolio 2003).In 2006, we surveyed the membership of the UK Addison’s disease Self-Help Group, comprising 982 hypoadrenalism patients, an...

Adrenal insufficiency (AI) patients who are deprived of regular steroid replacement therapy rapidly become unwell. However, the interval for which AI patients might safely be withdrawn from steroid medication for clinical purposes, such as re-assessment of adrenal reserve, is largely a matter of speculation, since it would be difficult to construct an ethical trial on this matter. Valuable insights into this dilemma can be gained from the case studies of an early clinical rese...

Background: The aldosterone to renin ratio (ARR) is a useful screening test for primary aldosteronism. Renin can be measured as activity or concentration; the accuracy of the ARR depends on these measurements and the factors that may affect them. We carried out two studies; the first assessed the correlation between plasma renin concentration (PRC) and renin activity (PRA) and the agreement between them using two anticoagulants (EDTA and lithium heparin). The second evaluated ...

Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is reported to have effects on a number of hormone systems including glycaemic control, catecholamines, and the HPA axis. In this study we aimed to determine the impact of OSA on IGF-I levels.Patients & Methods: This is a prospective cohort study performed at Leeds Teaching Hospitals. Patients were recruited from the Sleep Apnoea Clinic between November 2014 and May 2...