Endocrine Abstracts

Patients on long term prednisolone therapy have suppression of their hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The short synacthen test (SST) is routinely employed to assess the viability of the HPA axis. However, as this test examines only adrenal function it may fail to identify those patients with secondary adrenal insufficiency. The overnight metyrapone test (OMT) may be a better test as it examines the whole HPA axis.We have compared the responses t...

Renal functions in a mouse model of Cushing’s Syndrome have been characterised by analysing RNA expression complemented by immunohistochemistry studies. A microarray of kidneys from mice infused with ACTH for two weeks identified gene transcripts that were up-regulated (70) and down-regulated (49) more than two-fold. Four separate clusters of closely correlated genes (r> 0.97; P< 0.001) were investigated in more detail. One down-regulated cluster included histocom...

Background: Childhood obesity is the single most pressing public health emergency of the 21st century. The prevalence has increased at alarming rates and globally over 41 million children under 5 years of age are classified as overweight/obese. Overweight and obese children are likely to stay obese as adults and develop multi-morbidities including type 2 diabetes, cancer, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and cardiovascular disease at an earlier age. The ava...

A 37 year-old gentleman presented following an episode of dizziness while at work operating a fork-lift truck. There was no collapse or associated symptoms. He had been diagnosed with autoimmune hypothyroidism two months previously; commenced levothyroxine, currently at a dose of 75 micrograms daily; and lost ten kilograms in weight. On examination there were no signs of hypoadrenalism aside from a significant postural drop in blood pressure (lying 1...

A 37 year-old gentleman presented following an episode of dizziness while at work operating a fork-lift truck. There was no collapse or associated symptoms. He had been diagnosed with autoimmune hypothyroidism two months previously; commenced levothyroxine, currently at a dose of 75 micrograms daily; and lost ten kilograms in weight. On examination there were no signs of hypoadrenalism aside from a significant postural drop in blood pressure (lying 1...

Background: Pituitary abscess is rare but a serious intrasellar infection. It should be considered in the differential diagnosis of the sellar masses due to its high morbidity and mortality rates. Despite recent advances in radiological investigations, it remains a challenge to make a definitive diagnosis preoperatively [1]. We present a case of pituitary abscess who presented with pan hypopituitarism and central diabetes insipidus.Case presen...

Context: Primary aldosteronism (PA) is a common cause of secondary hypertension, and some PA adrenal tumors co-secrete glucocorticoids, causing subclinical or overt Cushing syndrome (CS). We recently reported correlations between hair cortisol concentration (HCC) and serum and urinary levels of cortisol in patients with CS.Objective: To determine correlations of segmental hair cortisol and biochemical markers of a referred cohort of patients for the eval...

Section 1: Case history: A 68 year old lady presented with a 2 week history of pedal swelling, with large blisters appearing on her feet. Her past medical history included adrenal Cushing”s treated with a right laparoscopic adrenalectomy on a 4.7x5.2 cm lipid poor adenoma 12 years previously; she had been discharged 7 years ago after repeated normal overnight dexamethasone suppression tests. Over the last year she had gained 12 kg in weight and been diagnosed with type 2 ...

Nuclear receptors control developmental and physiological processes by regulating the transcription of gene networks in specific cells. This is achieved by the recruitment of coactivators and corepressors that lead to chromatin remodelling and alterations in gene transcription. RIP140 is a ligand dependant corepressor for nuclear receptors that plays key roles in adipose tissue and muscle to regulate energy homeostasis.RIP140 regulates carbohydrate and l...

11Beta-Hydroxylase (CYP11B1) and aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) catalyse the synthesis of corticosterone and aldosterone respectively in the rat adrenal cortex. Recent studies have shown that CYP11B1 and CYP11B2 are also expressed in the central nervous system (CNS) but little is known about their regulation. In this study, we have quantified CYP11B1 and CYP11B2 gene expression in the CNS following treatment with ACTH and dexamethasone.Three groups of ma...