Endocrine Abstracts

PCOS is a common disorder that is reported to affect 5–7% of women of reproductive age. Although there has been debate about the diagnostic criteria for PCOS, hyperandrogenemia/hyperandrogenism, not explained by other causes, is a hallmark of the disorder, and it is included as an essential element in all ‘consensus’ diagnostic schemes. Studies on cultures of human theca cells derived from normal and PCOS women have demonstrated that PCOS theca secretes greater ...

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrinopathy is associated with an adverse metabolic profile including obesity, insulin resistance, and dyslipidaemia. Hyperandrogenism is the hallmark of PCOS and androgen production is increased in the presence of increased adiposity. While a clear link between obesity and the severity of PCOS exists, the relationship between hyperandrogenism and adipose tissue is less clear. Interestingly, women with PCOS and raised androgen le...

NAD+, an essential coenzyme in energy production, has recently risen to prominence as a signalling molecule central in mediating cellular metabolism and mitochondrial function. NAD+ dependent protein deacetylase sirtuin (SIRT) proteins regulate key metabolic transcription factors, including FOXOs and PGC-1α in muscle, in response to cellular energy demands and metabolic stress. Declining NAD+, metabolic and mitochondrial function are hallm...

A pathogenic link between erectile dysfunction (ED) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) is now well established. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the hepatic hallmark of MetS, is regarded as an active player in the pathogenesis of MetS-associated cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study was aimed at evaluating the relationship between MetS-induced NASH and penile dysfunction. We used a non-genomic, high fat diet (HFD)-induced, rabbit model of MetS, and treated HFD rabbits with t...

Induced overexpression of defined transcription factors has been shown to have a directing effect on the differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) into specific cell types. Nevertheless, protocols promoting coordinated self-assembly of differentiated cells into distinct morphological units with functional properties reminiscent of organs and tissues in vivo are still very sparse. Our group recently reported efficient rescue of hypothyroidism in athyroid mice tran...

MEN2a is a rare genetic endocrine disorder associated with mutation of RET oncogene on chromosome 10. It involves lesions in thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal glands. Medullary thyroid carcinoma is the pathological hallmark and usually the first presentation of this syndrome.Clinical case: A 64-year-old lady with previous history of hypertension, IHD, and hypercholesterolemia was referred to Endocrine clinic after she was incidentally found to have high c...

Somatotroph adenomas (SA) causing acromegaly are histologically classified into densely (DG) and sparsely granulated (SG) subtypes. We1 and others have shown that these histological subtypes may be clinically relevant. In short, SGSAs are generally found in younger, mainly female patients. They are larger at presentation, more invasive and show higher proliferation indices compared with DGSAs. Fibrous bodies (FBs) are the histological hallmark of SGSAs; they consist...

Backgound: We report a case of a 63-year-old postmenopausal female diagnosed with ovarian hyperthecosis masked by concurrent use of an aromatase inhibitor.Following diagnosis of breast cancer in 2009, requiring mastectomy with adjunctive chemotherapy, she was commenced on anastrozole. Later she noted gradual onset of frontal balding and hirsutism. Biochemistry revealed elevated serum levels of testosterone 13.2 nmol/l (range: <1.9 nmol/l) and androst...

Thyroid growth and differentiation are regulated by TSH via its receptor (TSHR), whilst growth factors signal in parallel via the MAPK/ERK and PI3K/AKT pathways. Aberrant thyroid growth is largely driven by molecular alterations within these signalling pathways. The proto-oncogene pituitary tumor-transforming gene-binding factor (PBF) is expressed in normal thyroid and upregulated in human goitre and thyroid cancer. High PBF expression is associated with tumour recurrence, dis...

Refeeding syndrome can be defined as the potentially fatal shift in fluids and electrolytes that may occur after the reintroduction of feeding after a period of starvation or fasting in malnourished patients. The hallmark characteristic of refeeding syndrome is hypophosphatemia. However, the syndrome is complex and may also feature abnormal sodium and fluid balance, changes in glucose, protein and fat metabolism, hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia and thiamine deficiency. The underly...