Endocrine Abstracts

Previous studies have reported increased cardiovascular disease, fractures and renal stones for patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). These studies are mainly based on patients referred to specialist centres or unselected PHPT patients. We specifically aimed to assess the risk for patients ‘mild’ PHPT, in whom treatment is usually not recommended. Using the unique patient identifier, which is used for all medical contacts in Tayside, data linkage of recor...

A 27 years old girl presented with weight gain, hirsutism, fatigue, bruising and striae. On examination she was Cushingoid. On initial assessment, 3 out of 4 24 h urinary free cortisol collections were elevated. 0800 h serum cortisol was 280 nmol/l after 1mg dexamethasone given at 2300 h. After formal 48 h low and high dose dexamethasone suppression tests cortisols were 164 and 34 nmol/l respectively. Basal 0800 h ACTH was 33 ng/l. Given the clinical features and the discrepan...

A 53-year-old man was referred for assessment of diabetes insipidus. He had been treated with intranasal desmopressin from18 months of age on the basis of an extensive family history but without confirmatory testing. The current referral was because of hyponatraemia in a similarly affected relative, which had raised uncertainty about diagnosis and treatment.The family history included 11 affected individuals across four generations and suggested autosoma...

Glargine is an analogue insulin which has a peakless action profile over approximately 24 hours. As a result it has been shown to reduce the frequency of hypoglycaemia thereby enabling achievement of tight glycaemic control. This is important during pregnancy in order to lower the risk of foetal malformations.Method: 17 women, mean age 28 years, with type 1 Diabetes Mellitus on a basal bolus regimen including Glargine became pregnant between January 2004...

Mild symptoms of pre-eclampsia (PE) include hypertension and proteinuria, but more severe cases develop cerebrovascular accident, liver capsule distention, platelet pathology, pulmonary oedema and renal failure. As we have recently reported neurokinin B (NKB) levels to be significantly raised in the plasma of women with PE, the aim of this study is to establish the pathological role of NKB in this disease.NKB acts predominantly through the NK3 receptor, ...

Background: Combination treatment with Levothyroxine (LT4) and Liothyronine (LT3) in primary hypothyroidism has been debated recently due to restrictions placed by local health boards. National guidance suggests that a short-term trial of combination LT4/LT3 treatment may be considered for individuals who report persistent symptoms despite adequate LT4 replacement.Method: We created a prescribing protocol for combined LT...

Background: Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of respiratory infections, including Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). We assessed vitamin D levels of patients who died from COVID-19 during or following admission to Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals.Methods: We performed a retrospective survey of electronic patient records for 2,355 patients admitted to our institution between 04/02/2020 and 19/01/2021, who had a positive...

Seasonal reproduction enables animals outside tropical regions to rear offspring in a favourable environment. Increasing day length triggers a hypothalamic relay involving thyrotropin, the type 2 deiodinase enzyme and thyroid hormone, which activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis to induce reproductive competence. Photoperiod regulates calcium metabolism and the egg-laying cycle in the Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica), and we hypothesised that activity of ...

Purpose: Hypothyroidism has been associated with atrial fibrillation (AF) in some studies. This study aimed to characterize thyroid related genetic variants that may change susceptibility to AF in patients on thyroid hormone replacement therapy (levothyroxine).Methods: A case-control study was done among patients of European Caucasian ethnicity from the Genetics of Diabetes Audit and Research Tayside (GoDARTS) recruited in Tayside (Scotland...

Seasonal reproduction enables animals outside tropical regions to rear offspring in a favourable environment. Increasing day length triggers a hypothalamic relay involving thyrotropin, the type 2 deiodinase enzyme and thyroid hormone, which activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis to induce reproductive competence. Photoperiod regulates calcium metabolism and the egg-laying cycle in the Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica), and we hypothesised that activity of ...