Endocrine Abstracts

IntroductionCurrent guidelines advocate the use of statins in all patients with diabetes for primary prevention of CHD, regardless of cholesterol levels. Measurement of coronary artery calcium score (CACS) in diabetic patients is reported to offer a superior prognostic assessment of an individual's risk of cardiovascular disease than the Framingham Risk assessment. To date, there have been no studies of CACS in the UK diabetic population.<p class="ab...

A 30-year-old woman with long standing type 1 diabetes presented with recurrent severe hypoglycaemia. One month earlier she had given birth to her first child. Before pregnancy her HbA1c had been 7.8 to 9.2 percent (RR 3.1 to 5.0 percent) but improved by the third trimester to 6.8 percent. Before pregnancy her total daily insulin dose was 50 units and by the third trimester it had only increased by 25 percent to 60 units. The pregnancy and birth were uneventful with no hypogly...

Background: The pro-proliferative and anti-apoptotic IGF-I is implicated in the development of colorectal cancer (CRC) in both the general population and patients with acromegaly. The local intracolonic environment is also likely to be important, particularly unconjugated bile acids such as deoxycholic acid (DCA). Whilst low faecal concentrations may be proliferative, high levels are toxic to colonic epithelial cells.High levels of DCA have been linked t...

Introduction: The GH/IGF-I axis is implicated in colorectal cancer development. We have previously shown regional variations of the GH/IGF-I axis, and other tumour associated genes between the rectum (RS) and caecum (C). Whether variations in the GH/IGF-I axis align with differing expression patterns is unknown.Aim: To determine the association between colonic expression of the GH/IGF-I axis and that of tumour associated genes by region.<p class="abs...

Background. The GH/IGF-I axis has been implicated in the pathogenesis of colon and breast cancer. We have recently demonstrated that the local expression of its components correlates with that of tumour-associated genes and angiogenesis. The two predominant isomers of GH in humans are 22kDa and 20kDa isomers. A recent study reported that the two isomers exert opposing effects on breast cancer cells: 22kDa GH promotes proliferation whereas 20kDa GH inhibits proliferation. The l...

Background: The growth hormone/ insulin-like growth factor-1 (GH/IGF-1) axis has been increasingly implicated in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. We have recently demonstrated the local expression of both GH and IGF-I in normal and malignant breast tissue. However, the regulation of this local GH/IGF-1 expression is unknown. Aims: (i) To quantify the mRNA levels of GHRH, ghrelin and their receptors in malignant and adjacent normal breast tissue, and (ii) to determine any cor...

Transsphenoidal surgery results in biochemical cure of approximately 50% of all acromegalic patients, depending on tumour size and surgical expertise. It is uncertain whether prior treatment with somatostatin analogues would result in tumour shrinkage and therefore improve the efficacy of subsequent surgery. Aims: To determine whether 6 months de novo treatment with Sandostatin LAR results in tumour shrinkage. Methods: 6 patients (mean age 53 yr; range 42-...

Background. Recent studies have linked high serum levels of IGF-1 and low levels of IGFBP-3 with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. BP3 has been shown to have IGF-1 independent effects on cell proliferation in breast and prostate cells, but its effects on colon cancer cells is largely unknown. Aims. To determine: 1) the effects of BP-3 on colonic epithelial cell proliferation and apoptosis, and 2) whether any effects are independent of IGF-1. Methods....

Aims: Exertional hyperthermia stimulates the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis, increasing the availability of free cortisol in body fluids and opening a window onto physical stress for novel biosensing technologies. This study aimed to determine the impact of prolonged endurance exercise on relationships described for shorter activity bouts, by characterising interactions between salivary indices of glucocorticoid activity, serum total cortisol response and...

A 67-year-old lady was admitted through her General Practitioner with a history of reduced oral intake & unresponsiveness. She was diagnosed to have an insulinoma in 2012 and has been on diazoxide 75 mg thrice daily as she was deemed to be unfit for any surgical intervention. On clinical examination, she was pyrexial, tachycardic, hypoxic and had an initial GCS of 3. She was noted to have shingles on her chest & right basal coarse crackles.On adm...