Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Maternal high fat diet (HFD) exposure is thought to perturb offspring metabolism, however the literature on experimental animal studies is inconsistent.Objectives: (i) In experimental studies, appraise data regarding metabolic parameters in offspring of mothers who consumed a HFD, (ii) assess possible predictors for these, and (iii) explore the quality of the evidence base.Methods: Searches were performed in four electr...

Aim: Investigation of thyroid nodules usually involves an ultrasound and fine needle aspiration (FNA); however it could still be challenging to devise a management plan based on these. The aim of our study was to compare the reliability of two thyroid FNA’s and ultrasound in comparison to post-operative histology in managing thyroid nodules.Methods: The data on patients who had underwent thyroidectomy and had at least two FNAs and Ultrasound pre-ope...

Background: Papillary thyroid cancer is the commonest thyroid malignancy. Surgery is first-line treatment, followed by radioiodine and long-term, high dose levothyroxine to suppress TSH.Cortisol is known to suppress TSH secretion by the pituitary, although the mechanism remains unclear. Correspondingly, hypocortisolism may raise TSH levels.Case Summary: A 64 year old woman presented with a right-sided thyroid nodule, normal TSH and...

Introduction: Hypophysitis is a rare entity, more common in women in pregnancy and the postpartum period and can cause various symptoms such as headache, hypopituitarism and visual disturbances. Stalk thickening and homogeneous enhancement of the gland are the characteristic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. The diagnosis is based on the clinical picture and on follow up MRIs. Usually involves the anterior pituitary alone, whereas isolated-posterior-pituitary-involvem...

Introduction: Bone densitometry is currently one of the mainstays in the evaluation of systemic bone diseases. The most frequently assessed densitometric parameter is areal bone mineral density (BMD), measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and expressed as g/cm2. However BMD is a bone size-dependent measure and may be found inappropriately low in children and adults with short stature. Osteopenia/osteoporosis have been described in patients with short s...

Objectives: Oestrogen analysis using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry is problematic, as oestrogens do not readily ionise. This coupled with low concentrations in men, pre-pubertal and post-menopausal women provides an analytical challenge. We investigated N-Methyl Pyridine-3-sulfonyl chloride (NMPS) derivatisation, as described by Wang et al. (Steroids 2015 Apr;96:140-152) to improve sensitivity of 11 oestrogens; oestrone (E1), oestradiol (E2), 2-hydroxy-oestr...

Background: Adult spontaneous hypoglycaemia in non-diabetic patients is not a diagnosis per se but a manifestation of a disease and is often a diagnostic challenge. Although rare, it’s important to exclude endogenous hyperinsulinemia, because treatment can be curative. The aim of our audit was to assess the usefulness of various investigations done for spontaneous hypoglycaemia in diagnosing Insulinoma.Methods: Data on 98 non-diabetic patie...

Background: Elevated morning plasma cortisol is associated with multiple cardiovascular risk factors in metabolic syndrome. Epidemiological studies have also reported a positive association between plasma cortisol and coronary heart disease (CHD), although not all estimates are statistically significant (OR 1.10 (95% CI 0.97 to 1.25)) (Davey Smith et al. Circulation 2005). Importantly, observational studies are unable to infer causality and results may be confounded.<...

Aim: Bariatric surgery can provide significant weight loss but a complete resolution obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) cannot be predicted. The aim of our audit was to assess the prevalence of OSA in bariatric clinics and outcomes after malabsorptive bariatric surgery.Methods: Retrospective observational analysis was performed on patients who had undergone bariatric surgery (laparoscopic gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy) and completed a minimum of 6 mo...

While phaeochromocytomas are rare tumours, their identification is essential to avoid morbidity and mortality; their biochemical identification is crucial. Plasma and 24 urinary metanephrines are used as first line investigations, with plasma metanephrines increasingly used first due to its simplicity and high sensitivity/specificity. False positive results, however, can be as high as 20%, particularly secondary to medications; their exclusion is essential to avoid unnecessary...