Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Urinary concentrations of the major progesterone metabolite pregnanediol glucuronide (P3G) are used clinically and in research to monitor ovulation. This ELISA is laborious and costly. If it could be replaced by the automated sensitive chemiluminescence assays routinely used for serum this would be of great value.Objective: We aimed to determine the validity of urine progesterone as measured by two widely used automated assays in comparison t...

Obesity in pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of complications for mother and child. Epigenetic modifications have been proposed as an important underlying mechanism. As the placenta plays a key role in fetal nutrition and metabolism we hypothesized there would be placental DNA methylation differences between lean and obese placenta. DNA methylation array (Human Methylation 450K) was performed on placentas from n=31 obese (BMI&...

Background: Urinary concentrations of the major progesterone metabolite pregnanediol glucuronide (P3G) are used clinically and in research to monitor ovulation. This ELISA is laborious and costly. If it could be replaced by the automated sensitive chemiluminescence assays routinely used for serum this would be of great value.Objective: We aimed to determine the validity of urine progesterone as measured by two widely used automated assays in comparison t...

Background: As per 2014 Endocrine Society guidelines, 131I-MIBG therapy is usually reserved for metastatic or unresectable disease in patients with pheochromocytoma / paraganglioma. In this series, we describe three patients effectively treated with primary 131I-MIBG therapy. The indications were primary neo-adjuvant therapy prior to surgery, or palliative.Case series: Case 1 – 18-year-old male with a 60 mm para-aortic paragang...

Background: Thyroid disease in pregnancy can have a profound impact on both mother and fetus. Guidelines on diagnosis and management are lacking in the UK and there is significant variation between European and US guidelines. This survey aimed to gather data on current management by endocrinologists in Scotland.Methods: An online survey was created using Google Forms and emailed to endocrinology trainees and consultants in Scotland (April 2019). The surv...

Background: Maternal obesity in pregnancy associates with higher birthweight. A key pathway is through placental regulation of hormones controlling foetal growth. As excess foetal glucocorticoid exposure associates with lower birthweight and since placental Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF2) may be modulated by glucocorticoids, we hypothesised that the expression profiles of placental genes leading to reduced glucocorticoid exposure and increased IGF2 mRNA level correlate with ...

Introduction: Maternal distress, including poorer life satisfaction, increased anxiety and depression (A&D) symptoms, are worse in Severely Obese (SO) than lean pregnancy and may alter placental genes regulating foetal glucocorticoid exposure and placental growth. We hypothesised that the associations between increased maternal distress with changes in placental mRNA levels leading to a reduced placental barrier to maternal glucocorticoids, and altered placental IGF2, are ...

Background: One in five women is obese at antenatal booking. Maternal obesity increases risk of offspring complications including higher birthweight. We hypothesised that this is mediated by altered action of maternal glucocorticoids, key regulators of fetal growth and development. We compared cortisol levels during pregnancy and placental glucocorticoid sensitivity in obese and lean women.Methods: With ethical approval serum cortisol levels were measure...

Background: 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (11β-HSD1&2) interconvert cortisol (F) and cortisone (E). Although 11β-HSD1 reductase activity has been measured in vivo, E production (dehydrogenase activity) has not been quantified using a Gold Standard technique, steady state tracer infusion.Aim: To develop a method to measure E production in vivo using the stable isotope tracer d2-cortisone (d2E).Me...

Objective: Aromatase deficiency in mice or men prevents conversion of androgens to oestrogens and results in central obesity and insulin resistance. In idiopathic obesity, higher aromatase mRNA levels in adipose tissue predict peripheral rather than central fat distribution, but any contribution of aromatase to metabolic complications is unknown. Here, we measured plasma steroids in a large cohort of men and post-menopausal women, in whom aromatase is the major source of oestr...