Endocrine Abstracts

Aims: Our aim was to explore predictive factors for the pleiotropic responses to exenatide during the first 12 weeks of therapy, and associations between these responses.Methods: This was an observational study based on patients (n=83) with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) in whom exenatide had been added to existing oral hypoglycaemic therapy. Exenatide was administered subcutaneously (5 mcg bd for the first month, 10 mcg bd thereafter). Data colle...

Introduction: Anti-TSH-receptor binding antibodies can cross the placenta and can stimulate or inhibit the fetal thyroid, causing fetal and neonatal thyroid dysfunction. We test for these antibodies in all pregnant women with a history of thyroid disease using a TSH binding inhibitor immunoglobulin (TBII) assay. Our aims were to audit our management of TBII positive pregnancies and to review pregnancy outcomes.Methods: Serum TBII concentration was measur...

Introduction: Thyrotropinomas comprise <1% of all pituitary tumours, but detection is increasing with more widespread use of ultrasensitive TSH assays. Although distinct, the classical biochemical signature – hyperthyroxinaemia with non-suppressed TSH – is not specific to thyrotropinoma, as drug effects, non-thyroidal illness, and assay interference can all yield similar patterns of thyroid function tests. Even when these more common confounders have been exclude...

The localization of biochemically proven insulinoma remains a challenge despite the advent of more sensitive methods for radiological detection. We report a case with conflicting cross-sectional, angiographic and scintigraphic findings, in which selective angiography combined with intra-arterial calcium stimulation and hepatic venous sampling (ASVS) proved to be the most accurate localizing investigation.A 17-year-old female with cerebral palsy and learn...

Cell autonomous sex identity (CASI) of birds is the concept that sex-steroids have little or no effect on the development of secondary sexual characteristics in birds, and that sexual dimorphisms are determined by the sex-chromosome content of cells in individual tissues. In avian species males have a ZZ sex chromosome, while females are ZW. Sexual dimorphisms in chickens, such as muscle mass, comb and wattle size and hackles and spur development are believed to be determined ...

We present a 32-year-old woman with recurrent hypoglycaemic episodes and a history of juvenile onset SLE. Over months, she experienced severe hypoglycaemic episodes with unconsciousness, occuring mainly in the early morning resulting in several hospital admissions. The patient had to take precautions like eating snacks between meals and before going to bed, and even setting an alarm clock to eat a bowl of porridge at 0200 h. She was of normal weight, did not present with any h...

Introduction: Hyponatraemia is the commonest electrolyte disturbance, but is not common in young people. Here, we describe a female subject, with recurrent unexplained symptomatic hyponatraemia in whom we considered the possibility of an activating mutation in the arginine vasopressin receptor type 2 (AVPR2) as a rare cause of Syndrome of Inappropriate Anti-Diuresis (SIAD).Case: A 39 year old woman had a history of unexplained hyponatraemia (serum sodium...

Introduction: Hyponatraemia is the commonest electrolyte disturbance, but is not common in young people. Here, we describe a female subject, with recurrent unexplained symptomatic hyponatraemia in whom we considered the possibility of an activating mutation in the arginine vasopressin receptor type 2 (AVPR2) as a rare cause of Syndrome of Inappropriate Anti-Diuresis (SIAD).Case: A 39 year old woman had a history of unexplained hyponatraemia (serum sodium...

Background: Minimally invasive parathyroidectomy relies on accurate localisation of the culprit gland. Combination of US plus Technetium 99m-sestamibi is considered the gold standard. CT parathyroid is thought to be a valuable tool in the pre-operative localisation.Aim: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of 2D CT parathyroid in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHP).Methods: This was a single-institution prospective st...

Tumours caused by mutations in the SDH enzyme complex have a unique tumour metabolome due to a truncated citric acid cycle. The accumulation of the onco-metabolite succinate is believed to drive tumourigenesis. The aim was to investigate the role of MRI spectroscopy (H-MRS) to detect in vivo succinate elevations in suspected SDH deficient tumours including GIST, phaeochromocytoma/paraganglioma (PPGL) and pituitary adenomas (PA). Suitable patients were identified based...