Endocrine Abstracts

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (PNETs) may occur as part of the multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) syndrome or as non-familial (sporadic) tumours. PNETs, which include gastrinomas, insulinomas and non-functioning tumours occur in more than 80% of MEN1 patients and account for 50% of disease-specific deaths. This is because 25–40% of patients with PNETs will have metastasis at presentation, and current treatments, which include surgery, chemotherapy and radiothe...

Background: Maternal high fat diet (HFD) exposure is thought to perturb offspring metabolism, however the literature on experimental animal studies is inconsistent.Objectives: (i) In experimental studies, appraise data regarding metabolic parameters in offspring of mothers who consumed a HFD, (ii) assess possible predictors for these, and (iii) explore the quality of the evidence base.Methods: Searches were performed in four electr...

Background: Significant changes in calcium metabolism occur during normal pregnancy to meet the needs of the growing fetus. These include a rise in 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25-(OH)D2 and consequent suppression of parathyroid hormone (PTH). In spite of this, maternal hypercalcaemia is very uncommon and should prompt further investigation.Clinical case: A 24-year-old primigravida woman was referred for assessment of maternal hypercalcaemia. Sh...

Background: Several studies suggest health problems in adult patients with CAH. However, data is inconsistent and based on small and relatively young cohorts.The aim of this study was to analyze the metabolic and cardiovascular health in a cohort of 90 adult patients with classic CAH.Subjects and methods: Participants included 90 patients with classic CAH: age range 18–62 years (mean 32.9±10.5, median 29.2) 39 male, 51 fe...

Methods: To evaluate factors influencing the relative risk (RR) for vocal fold paralysis we analyzed 3019 patients (69.5% female) having surgery for benign thyroid diseases (58.7% nodular goiter, 17.5% inactive nodes, 16.3% thyroid autonomy, 6.5% Grave’s disease). Operations were performed with intraoperative neuromonitoring by general surgeons (GS, n=1637) or physicians specially trained for ENT (n=1382). 19.2% of the procedures were carried out by resi...

Introduction: Amiodarone induced thyrotoxicosis (AIT) occurs in 5–10% of patients and may occur at any time throughout the course of treatment including months after discontinuation. Two distinct forms of AIT are distinguished and treated differently. Iodine-induced hyperthyroidism, typically seen in patients with underlying thyroid disease, is referred to as typ1 AIT and treated with high doses of thionamide antithyroid drugs and perchlorate. Type 2 AIT is a destructive ...

Introduction: Excessive consumption of free sugars (glucose and fructose) is linked to an increased risk of developing chronic metabolic diseases. Current knowledge of fructose metabolism has focussed on the liver where it is implicated in impaired insulin sensitivity, increased fat accumulation and dyslipidaemia. The long-term effects of elevated fructose consumption on human health are poorly defined and fructose metabolism in subcutaneous adipose tissue, the largest human f...

Background: Thyroid disease in pregnancy is common with hypothyroidism predominating.Objectives: To determine the aetiology of thyroid disease in patients attending an antenatal thyroid clinic, their baseline biochemical and therapeutic characteristics as well as subsequent management.Subjects/setting: 114 women with a mean 31 years (±5) age were seen by a consultant endocrinologist in the antenatal thyroid clinic, between Sep...

Background: The plasticity of adrenal cortex suggests the presence of adrenocortical stem cells (ACSC) but the exact in vivo identity of ACSC remains elusive. A few studies have demonstrated the differentiation of adipose or bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) into steroid-producing cells. We therefore investigated the direct isolation of MSC from human adrenal cortex.Methods: Adrenals were obtained as discarded surgical material. S...

Although TIH is a well-established complication of this drug class, the extent of this problem and the serious morbidity that can result is often not appreciated. At our centre, we became aware of three serious cases of TIH over a 2-week period during the ‘heat wave’ in July 2013. In at least one of these cases excessive water drinking was a clear precipitant. We therefore determined the incidence of TIH at our hospital and in particular whether there is a seasonal e...