ANNUAL REVIEW master Final3a - St Vincent's University Hospital

St. Vincent’s Healthcare Group Limited - Annual Review 2007
Department of Endocrinology & Diabetes Mellitus
Research Projects
Thyroid Eye Disease Research Group
Personnel:
Dr Donal O’Shea and Dr Tom Cawood
Dr Cawood completed his studies on the potential role of anti-cytokine therapies in thyroid eye disease, and
has also investigated the link between smoking and thyroid eye disease. This in vitro work, funded by a
Clinical Research Training Fellowship from the Health Research Board, has suggested that Interleukin 1 may
be an attractive therapeutic target as Interleukin promotes numerous pathological processes in thyroid eye
disease (including inflammation, glycosaminoglycan production and adipogenesis). Interleukin 1 also acts in
synergy with cigarette smoke extract to promote adipogenesis, which may help explain why smoking worsens
thyroid eye disease. Dr Cawood was awarded the O’Donovan Medal by the Irish Endocrine Society, and the
Novartis Endocrinology Registrar Research Medal for this work and was awarded his Ph.D. in 2007. In July
2007 Dr Cawood moved to New Zealand to complete his specialist training.
Diabetes & Obesity Research Group
Personnel: Dr Donal O’Shea, Dr Jean O’Connell, Dr Lydia Lynch,
Dr Mohammed Bashir Dr Conall Dennedy.
Laboratory work is underway investigating the metabolic and immunological links between obesity and its
consequences, such as type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. A Newman Scholar post is
being funded by Sanofi-Aventis, and the Diabetes Federation of Ireland and the Medical Research Charities
group have recently awarded funding for a 3-year project entitled ‘Adipocyte size and type 2 diabetes; a study
of patients undergoing bariatric surgery’. Dr. O’Connell has been awarded a HRB training fellowship to
pursue this project. The group is increasingly focussing also on the link between obesity and cancer. Funding
has been secured for another Newman Fellowship to start in early 2008. Dr Bashir is looking at novel urinary
biomarkers and diabetes/obesity related kidney disease while Dr Dennedy plans to look at endocanabinoid
regulation of adrenal and ovarian steroidogenesis.
Clinical Studies (Dr Eoin Noctor, Dr T Smith)
For the last ten years that Endocrine Laboratory has screened all blood samples with an elevated prolactin
level for the presence of macroprolactin. When macroprolactin was found to account for
hyperprolactinaemia, the interpretation was made that when corrected for the presence of macroprolactin,
the prolactin level was normal. We have now commenced a study to review the subsequent clinical course
of patients whose doctors received this result and interpretation. Questions to be addressed include what
additional investigations were undertaken for these patients? What treatments did they receive? What were
the final diagnoses? What was the diagnosis?
Achievements and Distinctions
Professor T J McKenna retired in August 2007 having been associated with St Vincent’s University Hospital
since the 1960’s and on the staff as a Consultant since 1978. His retirement was marked by a day given
over to reviewing the developments in Diabetes and Endocrinology over that time, with a particular emphasis
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