Endocrine Abstracts

Hormones and other analytes that are requested in the investigation of endocrine abnormalities are routinely measured using automated immunoassays in clinical laboratories. Assay kit inserts usually detail interference in terms of % cross reactivity, but this information is not always communicated to the clinician. Another complicating factor is that different assay platforms show different degrees of interference, therefore clinicians need to be aware of the source of their p...

Introduction: Methodological differences in the immunoassay measurement of cortisol are apparent when reviewing External Quality Assessment scheme data. A bimodal distribution is often observed, particularly for samples from female subjects. It has been postulated that some immunoassays are inefficient at removing cortisol from its binding proteins and therefore have the potential to under-recover from female samples. We investigated the results obtained from two immunoassays ...

Background: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in children and young adults carries significant morbidity and mortality relating to complications such as cerebral oedema. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a rare but potentially fatal complication of DKA. We present three cases of DKA complicated by AKI.Case 1: A 9-year-old girl presented with severe DKA at diagnosis. She was treated with intravenous fluids and insulin as per protocol. She had oliguria and haematuria...

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogenous condition that affects approximately 12% of females. The diagnosis can be complex and biochemistry tests are routinely relied upon to help identify hyperandrogenaemia and to exclude other conditions. However, although national and international guidelines advocate the use biochemistry tests, little information is provided as to which tests should be used and which other endocrinopathies should be excluded.<p cl...

Progesterone receptors (PR) are long recognized to suppress estrogen receptor (ER) mediated transcription in breast cancers. However, a mechanistic basis for this repression has been lacking. Recent reports indicate this occurs, in part, through global repositioning of ER on chromatin in the presence of selective PR modulators (SPRMS), both agonists and antagonists [1, 2]. The goal of our studies was to further understand the mechanisms by which PR impacts estrogen-dependent g...

Background: Type 1 pseudohypoaldosteronism (PHA) is characterised by resistance to aldosterone action, resulting in salt wasting, hyperkalaemia and metabolic acidosis in the neonatal period. Type 1 PHA can be classified as Renal PHA (autosomal dominant (AD)), and the more severe Multiple target organ defect / systemic PHA (autosomal recessive (AR)). The aim of this study was to ascertain the incidence of PHA, and characterise mode of presentation, management and clinical outco...