Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Excess glucocorticoid (GC) exposure is associated with an adverse body composition and metabolic profile characterised by increasing fat mass, muscle atrophy, insulin resistance, fatty liver, and dyslipidaemia culminating in increased cardiovascular risk. GCs are widely prescribed with increasing age where their effects can have deleterious effects.Objectives: To investigate the impact of GC exposure on subcutaneous adipose lipid metabolism a...

Pituitary patients with different aetiologies of hypopituitarism exhibit differing phenotypes despite optimal replacement therapy. We hypothesised that differential regulation of the isoenzyme 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 (11β-HSD1), which mediates the autocrine conversion of cortisone to cortisol in adipose tissues and liver may play a role.We prospectively studied 11β-HSD1 activity through analysis of 24 h urine cortisol/cortisone ...

Aims: Studies have suggested that breath gases, including acetone, may be related to simultaneous blood glucose (BG) and blood ketone levels in adults with types 2 and 1 diabetes. We aimed to study these relationships in children and young people with type 1 diabetes to assess the efficacy of a simple breath test as a non-invasive means of diabetes monitoring.Methods: Gases were collected in breath bags and measurements were compared with capillary BG an...

Background: Data examining HLA associations in Addison’s disease (AD) from South Africa (SA) are limited. We wished to determine the HLA in South African AD patients either positive or negative for 21 hydroxylase autoantibodies (21 OH-AA) and matched healthy controls, hypothesising that certain HLA alleles could predominate, but there may be differences from Western countries.Methods: SA patients (n=73) were enrolled as part of a nationwide...

Background: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) affects 5–10% of women of reproductive age. Hyperandrogenism and hyperinsulinaemia have been attributed to the pathophysiology of PCOS. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of fat distribution and insulin resistance on steroid metabolism in PCOS.Methods: The study recruited 20 PCOS and 20 matched controls. Fat distribution was assessed by waist circumference, skin fold measurements, and body ...

The overproduction of ACTH, in conditions such as Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) leads to significant morbidity. Current treatment with glucocorticoids does not adequately suppress plasma ACTH, resulting in excess adrenal androgen production. At present, there is no effective medical treatment that would directly block ACTH action. Such a therapy, especially one that can be orally administered, would be of great clinical value allowing a ‘block and replace’ tre...

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a clinical triad of anovulation, insulin resistance, and androgen excess. Hyperandrogenism may correlate with metabolic risk but PCOS consensus criteria currently define androgen excess on the basis of serum testosterone only. Here we studied the utility of the androgen precursor serum androstenedione in conjunction with serum testosterone as a predictor of metabolic dysfunction in PCOS.86 PCOS patients fulfilling Rott...

There are 1.21 million deaths from road traffic accidents worldwide. In Afghanistan, there have been 2005 battle injuries over 10 years. Advances in military trauma care have improved survival, resulting in more severely injured individuals entering the trauma care pathway. Improved understanding of endocrine-immune changes after severe trauma may facilitate novel interventions to improve outcomes. We prospectively recruited 102 severely injured patients at the Queen Elizabeth...

Introduction: Lack of clinically relevant experimental models of human prostate cancer hampers evaluation of novel therapeutic agents. Currently, androgen deprivation therapy is the gold standard treatment for advanced prostate cancer, but inevitably cells survive and repopulate the tumour. Castrate-resistant cells are critical therapeutic targets for more effective treatments but current model systems cannot determine when they arise in disease progression and are unable to r...

In the pathogenesis of obesity, dysregulated tissue cortisol metabolism (controlled by 11β-HSD1), is postulated to be involved. Fifteen patients (seven mens, mean BMI 50.8±7 kg/m2) awaiting Roux En Y gastric Bypass (RYGB) surgery underwent assessment of 11β-HSD1 activity using cortisol generation profile. Corticosteroids in serum and subcutaneous adipose tissue microdialysis fluid and urinary corticosteroid metabolites were analysed by liquid and gas ...