Endocrine Abstracts

ContextAlthough in the past andrological health has been a poorly addressed topic due to historical and cultural reasons, in recent times male reproductive and sexual health has emerged as a main healthcare issue. Young male subjects could suffer from various andrological problems, as cryptorchidism, varicocele, sexual dysfunctions, sexually transmitted infections, testicular cancers. Early finding and treatment are fundamental, especially because if som...

Introduction: With the increasing survival rates from cancer the focus has been shifting towards the adverse sequelae, occurring both acutely, or developing as late effects, deriving from its multimodality treatment.Aim: We investigated the occurrence of thyroid complications in patients with haematological malignancies treated with chemotherapy, radiotherapy involving the neck and/or haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), referred to our endoc...

Background: Testicular ultrasound (US) is routinely employed in the evaluation of reproductive and sexual function. However, its use for characteristics other than testicular volume is hampered by a lack of information on the prognostic value of its findings, that to date have only been incorporated in a score proposed by Lenz et al. in 1993.Objectives: We sought to explore whether testicular US examination can predict spermatogenesis and provid...

Introduction: In humans, testosterone treatment affects body fat distribution and metabolism. The mechanisms involved in these processes are not yet fully understood. We investigated whether sex hormones modulate the expression and activity of type1 11-β-hydroxy-steroid-dehydrogenase (11β-HSD1). 11β-HSD1 catalyses the conversion of inactive cortisone into active cortisol, a key step for the development of functional adipocytes. Based on previous studies an inhib...

Introduction: With the improved imaging techniques, Leydig cell tumours (LCTs) are frequently found, accounting up to 22% of testicular tumours. The natural history of LCTs is relatively unknown, because of the small size and heterogeneity of available studies. Since LCTs are often removed, long-term follow-up is missing. The aim of this study was to report the experience with a large cohort of prospectively collected LCTs.Materials and methods: Patients...

Background: Hypothalamic-pituitary function and adipose tissue are deeply interconnected. Obesity has been linked to morpho-functional changes in several endocrine glands (thyroid, adrenal, gonads). No study has quantified the appearance of the pituitary gland in obese subjects.Aim: To measure pituitary signal intensity, homogeneity and texture of the pituitary gland at magnetic resonance (MR) in obese subjects free of focal pituitary disease.<p clas...

Background: Sunitinib (SUN) is a novel oral multitarget tyrosine-kinase inhibitor (TKI) that has demonstrated its efficacy in the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). The thyroid dysfunction is one of the most common side effects of SUN. The mechanisms inducing thyroid dysfunction are still poorly understood.Aim: Identify the incidence, severity, ultrasonographic changes and pattern of response of thyroid function tests during treatment w...

Background: Patients with adrenal incidentalomas and possible autonomous cortisol secretion (pACS) suffer from a high rate of cardiovascular events and mortality. We have previously showed that left ventricular mass index (LVMi) is higher in patients with pACS, compared with patients with non-functioning adenomas (NFA). To date, the management of pACS is still controversial, with a lack of consensus regarding the benefits of surgery.Objectives: This pros...

Background: The increase use of abdominal imaging have given rise in incidental discovery of adrenal masses. We report a case of a localized Castleman’s Disease(CD), mimicking an adrenal mass.Case report: A 29-year-old woman was found to have a 6 cm, well-circumscribed and hypoechoic, right adrenal incidentaloma during an abdominopelvic ultrasonography. The CT scan confirmed a suprarenal mass with heterogenous contrast enhancement. Adrenal gland cou...

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) significantly impacts Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) and sexual function. The aim of this study was to evaluate sex differences in HRQoL and sexual function in patients with T2DM.Methods: We performed an ancillary study of RECOGITO trial (REmodelling in Diabetic CardiOmyopathy: Gender Response to PDE5i InhibiTOrs - NCT01803828). All patients completed the 36-item-Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), assess...