Background: TB was once a common cause of primary adrenal insufficiency, it is now most often autoimmune in the developed world, but there are rarely observed infectious causes, including TB, Fungal, and CMV. The extra-adrenal manifestations typically stem from pulmonary TB. When TB invades the adrenals, imaging of the adrenal glands initially shows hypertrophy, which progresses to fibrosis and calcification in almost half the cases. This adrenal hypertrophy is often a key marker for differentiating tuberculous adrenal insufficiency from autoimmune adrenalitis, in which case adrenals are usually atrophied. Case: A 62 year old woman with a history of CKD, hyperlipidemia, and possible heart failure presented to the hospital with a 3 week history of worsening right knee pain. She was initially hypotensive at 68/48. Her hospital course was complicated by renal failure, persistent hypotension, and hyponatremia. She received approximately 5 liters of fluid with no significant hemodynamic response. Initial labs showed sodium of 125 with normal range 135-145 and a creatinine of 3.63 with sodium levels hovering in the low 130’s throughout the next 8 days while systolic pressure remained less than 110. Endocrinology was consulted to evaluate the ongoing hypotension and hyponatremia 5 days into admission. Infectious disease was also consulted after it was later revealed that the patient had a history of TB with a positive ppd in 2014, treated with Isoniazid but she was unable to confidently state whether she completed treatment. Other lab work was remarkable for a positive ppd test, negative HIV, and random cortisol levels of 1.3 and 1.1. Cosyntropin stimulation test was very abnormal with cortisol results of 1.3 and 1.1 at 30 and 60 minute intervals (normal >18). ACTH on day 6 of admission was greater than 2000, consistent with primary adrenal insufficiency. Abdominal CT without contrast on day 11 showed adrenal fullness with nodal calcifications consistent with post-infectious TB. Blood pressure and sodium improved on hydrocortisone 50 mg three times daily. She was discharged on hydrocortisone 20mg in the AM and 10mg in the PM, fludrocortisone 0.1mg daily and the 4 drug combo for TB; Rifampin, Isoniazid, Pyrazinamide, and Ethambutol. Conclusion: This case of primary adrenal insufficiency highlights an atypical cause that is now rare in the developed world. TB causes adrenal destruction in a gradual manner, targeting the medulla and cortex secondarily as illustrated here by this HIV-negative latent TB patient. Tuberculous adrenal insufficiency typically presents in an insidious manner. This case demonstrates the importance of a thorough history and evaluation coupled with the realization that not all primary adrenal insufficiency is autoimmune.

Background: Adolescent obesity and overweight in the US continue to be a serious public health issue. Youth obesity and overweight are associated with increased health risks and healthcare utilization costs and have steadily climbed since the 1990s. The national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is administered bi-annually to a representative sample of high school students enrolled in public and private schools throughout the US and is publicly accessible for study. The purpose of this study is to examine risk trends of youth obesity and overweight over 20 years (1999-2019) on a national scale, as well as specifically within the State of Tennessee. Methods: Statistical analyses were performed using SAS 9.4 and SUDAAN 11.0.3. Linear and quadratic analyses specifically examined disparities and risk trends of obesity and overweight prevalence using stratification methods of age (grade 9-12) and race (White, African American, Hispanic/Latino, Other races) to better understand the issue of childhood obesity and overweight. Overweight is defined as a BMI at or above the 85th percentile and below the 95th for children and teens of the same age and sex. Obesity is defined as a BMI at or above the 95th percentile for children and teens of the same age and sex. Results: Overall, there were 161,606 cases included in our sample representing 20 years of YBRS survey data. The obesity prevalence of high school students in the US increased 2.38% from 1999 to 2005, decreased 1.15% from 2005 to 2009, then increased 3.65% thereafter. Over the two decades period, youth obesity rates significantly increased (~5%) in the US, based on results of the Cochran-Armitage trend test (Z=16.10, P Conclusion: Except for Hispanics from 2003 to 2009, a higher prevalence of youth overweight or obese among each race were seen in Tennessee each year, and except for 2003, there was a higher prevalence of both males and females in Tennessee who were overweight or obese each year. While national rates increased over the 20-year period, the increase was higher in TN. Rising obesity in the US is a public health crisis. Obesity is a grave public health threat, more serious even than the opioid epidemic or covid19. Obesity-related prevention research should be a priority because there are high costs to individuals and states due to the burden and health care costs the condition presents.

Abstract: Purpose: Effective interventions are needed to help adolescents with T1D develop independent self-management skills to prevent commonly observed deterioration of disease self-management resulting in poor health outcomes. Using a prospective RCT design, we assessed the impact of a nurse-led education program based on motivational interviewing (MI) in youth with Type 1 diabetes (T1D). Design and methods: After parental consent and youth assent, we prospectively randomized 66 adolescents 13-18 years old with T1D to either usual care (every 3 months visit with pediatric endocrinologist) or usual care supplemented by 2 in-person and 4 follow-up phone calls with a nurse educator in a pediatric endocrinology clinic of the University Hospital Farhat Hached, Sousse, Tunisia. We used MI sessions to support youth general and disease specific self-management skills. Outcomes were change, between baseline and 6 months, in TRAQ (a validated measure of youth self-management) scores and HbA1c values. Results: Mean TRAQ scores (based on a 5-point Likert scale) increased by 1.44 points (s.d. = 0.56) in the Intervention Group versus 0.26 points (s.d.= 0.34) in the control group (p < 0.001). The mean HbA1C value decreased in the intervention group by 0.95 units versus a decrease of 0.12 units in the control group (p=0.047). Conclusion: We found that a brief, nurse-led MI-based educational intervention, integrated into specialty pediatric care, resulted in a significant improvement in both self-reported self-management skills and in HbA1c values. Trial registration: Registered in ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04798937

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disorder that affects women’s menstrual cycles and their levels of androgens (male hormones) and cysts on the ovaries. There is a variety of symptoms that come with this endocrine disorder, but insulin resistance is a hallmark symptom of the disorder. It’s shown that 65-70% of women with PCOS have insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia, this is in women that are overweight, obese, or lean (Marshall & Dunaif, 2012). A lot of women with PCOS find themselves struggling to lose weight because their excess weight is tied to lifestyle and not properly nourishing their bodies, as well as their imbalanced hormones. The understanding of PCOS being a metabolic disorder led to the investigation of the need for registered dietitian nutritionists on the health team of women with PCOS could change the quality of life in women. We developed a survey based on the literature available on the topic of PCOS, diet/nutrition interventions, and the role of RDNs in the healthcare team of PCOS women of childbearing age. Only childbearing-age women (18-44) that have been diagnosed with PCOS were allowed to complete the survey. The survey was comprised of three sections and was designed to be a needs assessment on the need for registered dietitian-nutritionists to be included in the healthcare team of PCOS women. The questions were designed also show any gaps of knowledge or misconceptions about nutrition that these women may have. Lastly, it was designed to examine if women understand how nutrition relates to the management of their symptoms of PCOS and future disease risks. The data from this survey will show the need for RDNs in the healthcare team of PCOS women, and give us an understanding of nutrition education and intervention that could be developed for future studies. This understanding of how RDNs could play a role in symptom management could lead to a better quality of life in PCOS women.