Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Alternative biofluids such as sweat, which can be obtained non-invasively and present a simpler matrix composition than serum/plasma or urine, may be useful for monitoring biomarkers. The long-term sampling with patches either on the chest or back can be conveniently used under both rest and exercise conditions to provide an integrated response of free biomarkers over the course of a day. The smaller sample volumes generated by sweat collection can be convenientl...

Background: Infertility affects 1 in 6 couples causing devastating psychological impact. In vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment can aid couples to conceive, but personalisation of treatment is needed to optimise patient outcomes. Machine learning can aid in the analysis of large complex datasets such as those encountered during IVF treatment. One example is in determining the optimal follicle size on the day of trigger to maximise the number of oocytes collected. Both follicle...

Human-made chemicals have become an inevitable part of life. There are approximately 100 000 chemicals on the European market and 70% of them have not been assessed for human health risks. As a consequence, every citizen faces exposure to mixtures of poorly characterized chemicals that include, for instance, flame retardants, plasticizers, additives in personal care products, and persistent organic pollutants. The exposures correlate with multiple adverse health outcomes inclu...

Objective: Ideally, treatment strategies designed to reduce weight or body mass index in patients with obesity should reduce fat mass while preserving lean mass because reduced lean mass can negatively impact overall health and energy expenditure, thus favoring weight regain. In Phase 3 trials, 1 year of treatment with the melanocortin-4 receptor agonist setmelanotide led to weight reduction in patients with obesity due to biallelic variants in the genes encoding proopiomelano...

Background: Inferior petrosal sinus sampling (IPSS) is indicated in the diagnosis of adrenocor-ticotropic hormone (ACTH)-dependent Cushing’s syndrome (CS), especially when the results of the initial diagnostic tests are discordant.Objective: To describe the patients who underwent this invasive functional test in a tertiary hospital.Methods: This was an observational study of a retrospective cohort of patients with ACTH- depend...

Introduction: Excessive production of growth hormone (GH) in acromegaly is most commonly caused by a somatotroph pituitary adenoma. The therapeutic arsenal is based on selective transsphenoidal adenomectomy (STA) as a first-line treatment. The aim of our study was to determine predictive factors of postoperative biochemical remission in acromegalic patients.Methods: We conducted a retrospective study including 18 acromegalic patients followed-up in the e...

Background: Benign adrenal tumours (AT) can be non-functioning (NFAT) or associated with cortisol excess, as indicated by failure to suppress serum morning cortisol to <50 nmol/l in the 1mg-dexamethasone suppression test (1 mg-DST). The latter group divides into patients with clinically overt signs of cortisol excess (adrenal Cushing’s syndrome, CUSH) and patients lacking CUSH signs (mild autonomous cortisol excess, MACE). Smaller series and a recent meta-analysis rep...

There are 126 departments of adult endocrinology in England. We will be producing a national report towards the end of the year joint with the Society for Endocrinology. Endocrinology is not properly coded in hospital data systems. This is because of misattribution to general medicine or diabetes. Commonly accepted clinical standards are not being applied uniformly (e.g., steroid sick day provision). We have looked at surgical volumes. There are a large number of places where ...

Carney’s triad; a diagnosis based on the presence of three associated neoplasms; epithelioid leiomyosarcoma, pulmonary chondroma, and extra-adrenal paraganglioma remains a rare diagnosis. Here we report a 52-year-old female investigated for chronic cough. Initial chest X-ray demonstrated calcified masses, and CT thorax confirmed a left pulmonary lesion measuring 41 mm in diameter with 3 adjacent smaller nodules up to 20 mm. A chondroid pattern o...

Aim: Vitamin D-binding protein (DBP), also known as GC-globulin, transports vitamin D metabolites and is also a major actin scavenger. While DBP serum levels, gene polymorphisms and autoantigens have been associated with diabetes risk, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. DBP is produced by the liver, but has recently been shown to be highly expressed in pancreatic α-cells. We therefore sought to investigate the role of DBP in α-cell identity and function using ...