Endocrine Abstracts

Low glycaemic index (GI) diet and gut hormones such as glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and peptide YY (PYY) have been shown independently to reduce appetite. However, the direct relationship between a single meal of low or high GI and the levels of these hormones has not been studied. In this study we looked at the short term effects of a single low or high GI meal on plasma levels of GLP-1, PYY and insulin.King’s College London’s research ethi...

Background: Vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy is a growing public concern amongst ethnic minority groups in the UK. This is related to both skin colour and clothing.Aim: To investigate vitamin D status in four ethnic groups in an inner city obstetric practice. This was part of an ongoing study of vitamin D deficiency and supplementation in pregnancy.Subjects: Women from St Mary’s Hospital, London were recruited at 28 weeks ges...

Background: Iodine-131 (I-131) has been used to treat hyperthyroidism for half a century. Recent recommendations from the RCP London and British Thyroid Association suggest 400 MBq in most cases, but 500–600 MBq for toxic multinodular goitre (MNG). We have reviewed our clinic data with particular reference to response to a standard dose, 400 MBq, given to treat hyperthyroidism.Method: Casenotes of 88 patients who received 400 MBq I-131 for hyperthyr...

“Bond put down the piece of quartz and gazed again into the heart of the diamond… In these few minutes Bond understood the myth of diamonds, and he knew that he would never forget what he had suddenly seen inside the heart of this stone.” FLEMING, Ian. Diamonds are Forever. London: Jonathan Cape, 1956.1946 was not only the year that the Society for Endocrinology was formed it was also the year of the National Health Service Act 194...

BackgroundChronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a debilitating condition with high morbidity and associated reduced quality of life. There are data suggesting neuro-endocrine axis involvement in CFS including disturbance in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, growth hormone axis, opioidergic system and interactions with 5-Hydroxy Tryptamine (5-HT) system. Studies with selective 5-HT-releasing agents, using prolactin or cortisol responses to stimulation, fou...

A 49 year old man presented with a 6 month history of new onset truncal ataxia and vertigo. Further enquiry revealed a 6 year history of erectile dysfunction, low energy levels, depression, significant weight loss and a 3 year history of sensorineuronal deafness confirmed by audiometry. His past medical history included ulcerative colitis requiring a colectomy 11 years previously. On clinical examination he was a thin and well tanned patient with relative hypotension (98<...

Epidemiological studies have suggested that in man low birth weight followed by rapid catch-up growth dramatically increase the risk of adulthood diabetes and metabolic syndrome. This experiment investigated the effect of a high fat, high cholesterol post-weaning diet on blood glucose levels of low (L) and normal (N) birth weight pigs.Low (L: <10thpercentile; n=6) and normal (N: 40th - 60th percentile; n=12) birth weig...

Selective Parathyroid Venous Sampling in Patients with Complicated Primary HyperparathyroidismCM Ogilvie, PL Brown, M Matson, R Carpenter, WM Drake, PJ Jenkins, SL Chew, JP MonsonCentre for Endocrinology and Departments of Surgery and Radiology, St Bartholomew's Hospital, QMUL, London EC1A 7BEThe role of pre-operative localisation of abnormal parathyroid glands remains controversial but is particularly releva...

Richard Eastell, Bone Metabolism Group, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK AbstractProfessor Eastell is Professor of Bone Metabolism at the University of Sheffield where he is also Director of Research for Medicine. He is the Research Dean for the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and Deputy Director of the Division of Clinical Sciences (North) at the University of Sheffield. He is also the Director for R...

A 30 year old lady attended the Accident and Emergency department (A&E) with vomiting, collapse and confusion several hours after completing her first London Marathon in 5 hours. During the race she kept herself hydrated with water and isotonic fluids and took non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). On arrival in A&E her Mini Mental Test Score was 0 and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) was 11. She was volume replete and haemodynamically stable but confused and restless...