Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Paediatric obesity is a growing concern for the health service. There is currently no consensus for routine screening of metabolic profiles and medical treatment in obese paediatric patients.Aims/methods: We aimed to determine medium-term outcomes of Metformin treatment on BMI, glucose and insulin levels in obese paediatric patients. In a retrospective review, data were collected from obese paediatric patients on Metformin for insulin resis...

The most common form of endocrine cancer is differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). Outcomes of DTC largely depend on radioiodine treatment, which is mediated the sodium-iodide symporter (NIS). However, many tumours exhibit NIS dysregulation, resulting in a poorer prognosis. Since breast cancer can also overexpress NIS, albeit of limited function, radioiodine treatment may be a promising treatment option. Our previous data show that overexpression of the pituitary tumor-transform...

Context: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is characterised by elevated intracranial pressure and occurs predominantly in obese premenopausal women. Signs and symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) often coexist in IIH. Here we compared the androgenic and metabolic phenotypes in IIH, PCOS and simple obesity.Patients and methods: We studied 25 patients with IIH (mean age 34.4±9.2 years; mean BMI 37.8±5.2 kg/m2), in comp...

The hypothalamo-pituitary–thyroid (HPT) axis maintains controlled systemic levels of thyroid hormone (TH). This is achieved through negative feedback via the hypothalamic arcuate and paraventricular nuclei. The effects of thyroid hormone in other hypothalamic nuclei are yet to be elucidated. Administration of triiodothyronine (T3, thyroid hormone) into the hypothalamic ventromedial nucleus (VMN) increases food intake in rats. Thyroid hormone activation and inac...

CYP17A1 is a key enzyme of human steroidogenesis, which is unique in that it catalyses two reactions, 17-hydroxylase activity converting pregnenolone and progesterone to 17-hydroxypregnenolone (17Preg) and 17-hydroxy-progesterone, respectively, and 17,20 lyase activity, responsible for the conversion of 17Preg to dehydroepiandrosterone the crucial precursor of human sex steroid biosynthesis. 17-hydroxylase deficiency, a variant of congenital adrenal hyperplasia, results in glu...

Background: Depression and anxiety are frequently associated with functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID), inducing personal suffering and a decreased quality of life. There is limited data in patients with NETs. Therefore, adequate research identifying the prevalence of these mood disorders among GI patients and NETs are necessary to inform holistic clinical management. Further, due to the nature of hospital clinics being fast-paced, quick and effective screening tools a...

The progression of thyroid cancer is dependent on cell motility, a highly complex process that involves the co-ordination of multiple signalling pathways, cell adhesion, and actin dynamics. The proto-oncogene pituitary tumor-transforming gene (PTTG)-binding factor (PBF/PTTG1IP) potently stimulates thyroid cancer cell migration and invasion via PBF phosphorylation by Src kinase at residue Y174. Recent phosphoproteomic and RNA-Seq analyses revealed that upregulation of PBF in Nt...

Background: Conventional glucocorticoid (GC) replacement for congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) induces unphysiological cortisol spikes. In contrast, modified-release hydrocortisone (MR-HC, Efmody) offers a more accurate imitation of the circadian cortisol release, particularly emphasizing the morning surge. The study compares quality of life and sleep-wake cycles in patients with CAH with conventional GC treatment and after a switch to MR-HC.Methods: ...

Background: Kidney stone disease (KSD) has been linked to obesity, metabolic syndrome and higher serum calcium concentration (SCa). The mechanisms underlying these associations are uncertain. Using conventional and genetic epidemiological techniques, we aimed to investigate the effects of adiposity on KSD.Methods: Observational associations between adiposity and incident KSD in 479, 405 people from the UK Biobank were assessed. Genome-wide association st...

The modulation of pancreatic islet mass represents a novel therapeutic approach for the management of diabetes mellitus. G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) regulate beta-cell expansion and proliferation, and the objective of this study was to assess whether the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR), which is an abundantly expressed beta-cell GPCR, may influence islet mass and systemic glucose homeostasis, and thus represent an exploitable drug target in some forms of diabetes. We c...