Endocrine Abstracts

The neuroendocrine fraction of GnRH neurons sends axon to the median eminence of the hypothalamus where they release their neurohormone into the pituitary portal vasculature to regulate the reproductive axis. Specialized unciliated ependymal cells named tanycytes, which line the floor of the third ventricle, confer to the median eminence its peculiar cytoarchitecture. Tanycyte cell bodies are located in the ventral border of the third ventricle but they also send processes to ...

Forty two year Mrs SJ, community support worker with a background history of hypothyroidism was referred by her GP with excessive tiredness and weight gain. She had been attending her surgery for few months with somatic symptoms and her GP had noticed significant change in facial characteristics and large hands. She complained of increase in her feet size from a size 6 to a 9. No disturbance of vision was reported.She was noted to have hyperglycaemia and...

Introduction: Pneumomediastinum is a rare complication of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). The pathophysiology of DKA commonly associated with changes in pressure gradients in the pulmonary alveoli secondary to vomiting and/or Kussmaul respiration. We report a 21-year-old male with DKA who have no history of diabetes mellitus before and was found to have pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema.Case: A 21-year-old male without previous history of diabete...

Objective: Highlight hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy (HPOA) and partial HPOA as a cause for raised bony alkaline phosphatase (ALP).Case: We report the case of a 59-year-old lady who was referred to the endocrine clinic with 2 years history of bilateral leg pain and raised bony ALP. She denied any other symptoms. She had no past medical history. She was not on any regular medications and she has never smoked. Apart from mild tenderness over both l...

Peptide YY (PYY) is a satiety hormone that communicates nutritional status to the central nervous system. PYY is released postprandially from endocrine L-cells in proportion to calories consumed. It is processed to generate the principle bioactive form PYY3–36, which acts on Y2 receptors in feeding centres within the brainstem and hypothalamus to reduce appetite. Chronic intravenous infusion of PYY3–36 induces weight loss in rodents, and obese humans display low plas...

Introduction: Up to 40% of cases with endocrinologically and surgically proven Cushing’s disease (CD) are MRI-negative1. With intraoperative transsphenoidal ultrasound 72% of microadenomas in CD were identified as hyperechogenic structure2. We report on the first 9 cases with intraoperative use of direct contact high-frequency ultrasound (hf-us) in patients with CD.Patients: All 9 cases (all female, age 31–71 years) reveal...

Bone is a dynamic tissue, maintained and repaired by the actions of, osteoclasts, osteoblasts and osteocytes, together with a variety of bone marrow cells, stromal cells and endothelium. Osteoblasts lay down bone and this is subsequently remodelled by osteoclasts. Osteocytes act mainly as mechanosensors. Osteoclasts are of haemopoietic origin, whereas osteoblasts are derived from mesenchymal stem cells. During cell differentiation and in mature cells, cell adhesion molecules a...

Maternal nutrient restriction (NR) during late-gestation can influence liver growth by altering maturation of the hypothalamus. Maternal NR during late-gestation increases fetal plasma GH levels whilst circulating IGF-I and IGF-II levels decrease. This study aimed to determine whether maternal NR during late-gestation altered the hepatic IGF system in resultant offspring.Fourteen primiparous twin pregnant Border Leicester cross Swaledale ewes were fed <i...

SHOX has been implicated in the regulation of bone growth and modelling. Haploinsufficiency and heterozygous mutations of SHOX are associated with Lerri Weil Dyschondrosteosis (LWD). The cardinal features of LWD are mesomelic limb shortening and Madelung deformity. Histological studies demonstrate premature fusion of the ulna border of the radial epiphysis and disordered osteoblast maturation and orientation. In view of these observations we investigated the role of SHOX in th...

A previously fit 36 year old lady presented with 3 days of pleuritic chest pain and SOB. A CxR showed consolidation at the left heart border. Following antibiotics she made a good recovery. On examination an incidental right thyroid nodule was identified. She was clinically euthyroid. FT4,FT3 were normal and TSH suppressed. The CxR a month later did not change. A CT scan revealed a 5x4cm mass in the left lower lobe, abutting the descending aorta and left atrium. Bronchoscopy r...