Endocrinology Flashcards
How does pregnancy effect TFTs?
Free T3 and T4 need to be measured during pregnancy
Total T3 and T4 increase in pregnancy
Free T3 and T4 levels drop from 1st to 3rd trimester
TSH levels are typically lower in pregnancy than non-pregnant state
Where are ADH and oxytocin synthesised?
Hypothalamus
Where are ADH and oxytocin stored?
Posterior pituitary
What stimulates glucagon?
Hypoglycemia Epinephrine Arginine Alanine Acetylcholine Cholecystokinin
What inhibits glucagon?
Somatostatin
Insulin
Uraemia
Increased free fatty acids and keto acids into the blood
What do islet cells produce?
Alpha cells secrete glucagon
Beta cells secrete insulin
Delta cells secrete somatostatin
Gamma cells secrete pancreatic polypeptide
What inhibits TSH?
Somatostatin
What hormones are produced by the medulla of the adrenals?
Epinephrine
Dopamine
Norepinephrine
What is produced by the zona glomerulosa?
Aldosterone
What is produced by the zona fasciculata?
Cortisol
What is produced by the zona reticularis?
Androgens
What is a typical FBC finding in Addison’s disease?
Eosinophillia and lymphocytosis
What hormones does somatostatin inhibit?
Insulin Gastrin Cholecystokinin (CCK) Secretin Motilin Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) Gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) Enteroglucagon
Which dopamine agonists may be used to inhibit milk production, and which receptors do they act on?
Cabergoline + bromocriptine
Both act on D2 receptors
In what proportion of children does delayed puberty occur?
3%
What are 2 recognised galactagogues (stimulators of milk production)?
- Domperidone
2. Metoclopramide
What is maternal flow through the uterine artery at term?
750ml/min
What is flow through the uterine artery when not pregnant?
45ml/min
What are the 3 types of oestrogen?
Estrone (E1)
Estradiol (E2)
Estriol (E3)
What is the predominant oestrogen during female reproductive years?
Estradiol (except in the early follicular phase when estrone predominantes)
What is the predominant oestrogen during pregnancy?
Estriol
Which drugs can cause an increased prolactin?
Opiates H2 antagonists e.g. Ranitidine SSRI's e.g. Fluoxetine Verapamil Atenolol Some antipsychotics e.g risperidone and haloperidol Amitriptyline Methyldopa
What are the ratios of testosterone free:albumin-bound:SHBG-bound?
1% free: 19% albumin-bound: 80% SHBG-bound
Which cells are responsible for androgen production in the ovary?
Theca cells
Which cell are responsible for aromatisation of androgens into oestrogen?
Granulosa cells
Where are the juxtaglomerular cells located?
Afferent arteriole in the kidney
What is leptin release from adipose tissue stimulated by?
Glucocorticoids
High BMI
Long-term hyperinsulinaemia
Excessive food ingestion
What is the most common cause of delayed puberty?
Constitutional delay
What is the definition of puberty in women?
Physical maturation whereby the women becomes capable of sexual reproduction
What is the lifespan of the corpus luteum?
14 days
How many hours after the LH surge does ovulation occur?
24-36 hours
Where is calcidiol produced?
Liver
During pregnancy, from where is bHG produced?
Syncytiotrophoblast
At what gestation does the fetal endocrinological system become fully active?
10/40
What tumour marker is used for granulosa cell tumours?
Inhibin
When does the corpus luteum cease to be essential in maintaining a pregnancy?
6/40
What blood abnormalities would you see in Cushing’s of different origin, i.e. how do you tell the difference?
Adrenal-origin Cushing’s - Cortisol = high, ACTH = low/undetectable
Pituitary-origin Cushing’s - Cortisol = high, ACTH = high
Ectopic ACTH production Cushing’s - Cortisol = high, ACTH = v. high
Where does ADH act? And what does it do?
Acts on the distal tubule
Increases water resorption via insertion of aquaporins
What are the acquired forms of nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (when the kidney becomes unresponsive to ADH)?
- Hypokalaemia
- Pregnancy
- Hydronephrosis
- Drugs, e.g. lithium
What are the features of hyperaldosteronism?
Hypertension
Hypokalaemia
Alkalosis
What are the causes of primary hyperaldosteronism?
- Unilateral adrenocortical adenoma - Conn’s syndrome (most commonly)
- Bilateral adrenal hyperplasia
What is a cause of secondary hyperaldosteronism?
Renal artery stenosis
What are the possible causes of Addison’s disease?
HIV TB Acute bleeding into the adrenal gland (Waterhouse-Fridericsen syndrome) Thyroid disease Pernicious anaemia DM
What are the laboratory findings in Addison’s disease?
Hyperkalaemia
Hyponatraemia
How is Addison’s disease diagnosed?
Short ACTH stimulation test (i.e. the synacthen test)
What is the first catecholamine to be produced in the synthesis of catecholamines?
Dopamine
From what are catecholamines derived?
Tyrosine (the amino acid)
Into what are catecholamines degraded?
COMT
or
MAO
What blood finding is found in phaeochromocytoma?
Hyperglycaemia
Diagnosis of phaeochromocytoma is with 24 hour collection of urinary catecholamine - but which one?
Vanillylmandelic acid
What is an insulin antagonist?
Somatostatin
What are the physiological effects of progesterone?
- Increased respiratory drive
- Reduced bowel motility
- Increased basal body temperature
What endocrinological manifestation gives rise to the clinical manifestation of PCOS?
Elevated insulin - it is thought to be the insulin that stimulates androgen secretion
What are the stages of female puberty (and order)?
Growth spurt —>
Thelarche (breast development) —>
Adrenarche (pubic hair development) —>
Menarche
At what age is menarche considered precocious puberty?
If occurs prior to age 10
How frequently does GnRH pulse?
Every 90 minutes
What is the overall function of insulin?
Decreased gluconeogenesis
What is the function of GH?
Stimulate lipolysis
What hormones is GH structurally similar to?
Prolactin
hPL
Is plasma iodine concentration reduced or increased during early pregnancy?
Reduced
What is the function of hPL?
It enhances amino acid transfer across the placenta
How do you diagnose Cushing’s syndrome?
Low-dose dexamethasone suppression test
What electrolyte imbalance may be seen in Cushing’s?
Hypokalaemia (due to excess steroid)
To what is extracellular calcium bound?
Bicarbonate
What is the action of PTH on bone?
Stimulate osteoclasts, increasing bone resorption and therefore release of calcium
What is the action of PTH on kidneys?
Enhances resorption of calcium and magnesium from the distal tubule
Increases excretion of phosphate
What is the action of PTH on intestine?
Increases absorption of calcium by increasing vit D production
By what transport mechanism are calcium and phosphate transferred to the fetal circulation?
Active transport
When does the fetus begin to produce PTH?
Week 12
What happens to maternal PTH/calcitonin level in pregnancy?
PTH reduced and calcitonin increased in order to maintain increased calcium transfer to the fetus - the fetus being relatively hypercalcaemic to the mother
Which hormones are secreted by the placenta?
- hCG
- Oestrogen
- Progesterone
- Relaxin
What is the function of calcitonin?
It acts in the renal tubule to reduce phosphate resorption
When does the first cleavage division of the fertilised egg take place?
Approx. 30 hours after fertilisation
At what cell stage does the embryo enter the uterus from the fallopian tube?
8 cell stage
What are the characteristics of trophoblast cells?
- Paternal X chromosome inactivation
- Unmethylated DNA
- Ability to form multi-nucleated cells
- Variable expression of MHC1, no MHC2 antigen expression
What are the functions of the trophoblast cells?
- Attachment of the placenta to the uterine wall
- Transport of nutrients and maternal Ig’s
- Elimination of fetal waste
- Synthesis/secretion of hormones
- Barrier between maternal and fetal circulations
- Contact between maternal immune system and conceptus
What are the three stages of implantation?
- Apposition - when decidualisation takes place
- Adhesion - when the zona pellucida is destroyed
- Penetration - the trophoblast produces metalloproteases that digest the ECM, facilitating trophoblast invasion into the uterine decidua
What are the 2 layers of trophoblast?
Outer syncytiotrophoblast - where cellular walls are largely lost
Inner cytotrophoblast - where cell remain recognisibly individual
How many lobules are there to each placenta?
200