Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Non-functioning pituitary adenomas (NFPA) account for 30-35% of pituitary adenomas. They can lead to hypopituitarism and visual field defects. Trans-sphenoidal resection of pituitary adenoma remains the treatment of choice.Methods: We compared clinical, biochemical, and imaging characteristics of NFPAs at presentation with post-surgical outcomes in a retrospective cohort study. Patients who underwent end...

Introduction: A robust clinical programme of 14 trials demonstrated pasireotide as an effective treatment for patients with rare endocrine disorders, including acromegaly and Cushing’s disease (CD). Patients with acromegaly or CD have significant morbidity, reduced quality of life and, if inadequately treated, higher mortality risk than the general population. This 8-year interim analysis evaluated long-term safety of pasireotide treatment in patients with acromegaly, CD ...

Background: Military personnel on operational deployment commonly lose weight despite the adequate supply of rations. Moderate weight loss (~5% body mass) occurred during the initial phase of a 6-month deployment to Afghanistan without affecting physical fitness. Reasons for this weight loss are presently unknown. We sought to establish whether changes in appetite regulatory hormones contribute to the observed weight loss.Methods: Body mass and body comp...

Background: Military training has been associated with changes in the hypothalamic–pituitary–testicular axis that are consistent with central hypogonadism (fall in testosterone, LH and FSH concentrations). The effects on the hypothalamic–pituitary–testicular axis of deployment to a combat zone are not known. The aim of this study was to clarify this situation.Methods: Military personnel were investigated pre-deployment (Pre-) and foll...

Background: Guidelines on standards for diabetes care for children with type 1 diabetes (TID) recommend continuous (24 h/7-day-a-week) access to advice from specialist health-care professionals. However, for many diabetes teams, limited resources precludes provision of this service outside normal working hours. The use of regional networks may enable the implementation of safe, high quality and cost-effective support to patients and families ‘out of hours’.<p cla...

Leptin and adiponectin are cytokine-like hormones secreted by white adipose tissue. Plasma leptin correlates closely with total body fat mass, and its secretion is positively regulated by insulin in vivo and in vitro. Hypoleptinaemia is a key centrally-mediated orexigenic stimulus. Plasma adiponectin, in contrast, correlates negatively with whole body fat mass and insulin resistance in adults, and its expression is regulated negatively by insulin in vivo a...

We conducted a prospective study of 5784 subjects aged 65 or over, screened and identified in primary care. The cohort comprised 2934 women, 2850 men, mean age 73.5 years (range 63.5-98.6). All had TSH measured in a sensitive assay (normal range 0.4-5.5 mU/l), as well as free T4 (normal range 9-20 pmol/l), and resting 12-lead ECG. Atrial fibrillation (AF) was present in 4.81% of the cohort. The prevalence of AF showed significant variation with serum TSH concentrations, being ...

Thyroid dysfunction is common, particularly in the elderly, and has an important impact on morbidity and mortality, especially in this age group.Aim: We have investigated associations between thyroid function, presence of atrial fibrillation and cognitive function in a large general practice-based study conducted from December 2002-November 2004. Subjects with a previous history of thyroid disease or currently taking thyroxine or anti-thyroid drugs were ...

Background: Management of patients with CAH remains challenging. There is increasing evidence to suggest that failure to optimize treatment during childhood not only affects final height but also leads to psychological and psychiatric problems, reflecting an underlying effect on neural development. Previous qualitative structural T2-weighted MRI studies have identified white matter hyper-intensities in up to 46% of CAH patients. The nature and functional relevance of these abn...

Background: Complications of excess weight (CEW) clinics were commissioned by NHSE in 2021 to be leaders in the field of paediatric obesity using innovative models to deliver the highest quality patient care. Technological approaches offer a widely accessible tool which could potentially complement current clinical models of care. This study aims to explore children and young peoples (CYP) views on whether digital technology could/should be used to enhance CEW...