Endocrine Abstracts

Conventional glucocorticoids (CGCs) are unable to mimic physiological cortisol rhythm in adrenal insufficiency (AI), resulting in increased metabolic morbidity and impaired quality of life (QoL). Non-physiological cortisol pattern and elevated evening cortisol levels may be responsible for the increased risk of metabolic disorders observed in AI patients under CGCs. Once daily dual-release-hydrocortisone (DR-HC), which better reproduces physiological daily cortisol profile, si...

Cancer exosomes emerged as important mediators of cancer drug resistance. Drug exposure-mediated EveR in HCC cell lines can be reversed by VitD pre- and co-treatment. The current study aimed to investigate whether cancer exosomes from EveR HCC cell line are able to induce EveR in parental cells and whether VitD may activate reversal effect on exosome-mediated EveR.To this purpose, parental JHH-6 and EveR JHH-6 cell line were used. The uptakeof exosomes, ...

The first-line therapy of Cushing’s disease (CD) is pituitary surgery, whereas pituitary radiotherapy and bilateral adrenalectomy represent alternative treatments for patients not cured by surgery. Medical therapy has a minor role in the management of CD, and it is mainly based on the use of two different categories of drugs, the adrenal-blocking drugs, which act at the adrenal level, and the neuromodulatory drugs, which act at the pituitary level. These drugs are not usu...

In the last decade, new evidence on Cushing’s syndrome (CS) complications and therapies have gradually emerged. CS is associated with well known systemic complications, mainly including metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, immune and infectious disorders, skeletal diseases, neuropsychiatric disorders, as well as impairment of gonadal function with impact on reproduction and sexuality. However, more recently several studies specifically focused on muscle and brain s...

Introduction: Cushing’s Syndrome (CS) requires an accurate diagnosis, patient-tailored treatments and long-term management. To define the unmet needs of patients with CS, a consensus among a panel of Italian endocrinologists was promoted. The panel involved 57 specialists with expertise in CS management.Methods: The endocrinologists were identified by convenience sampling. The survey was built around a set of statements formulated after literature r...

Pegvisomant (PEG) is effective in acromegaly control and exerts a positive impact on glucose metabolism. The current study aimed at investigating the effects of 10-years PEG treatment on disease control, pituitary adenoma size, and metabolic profile in patients with acromegaly resistant to somatostatin analogues (SRLs). Twenty-two patients (9 men,13 women, age 45.54 ± 12.83 years) treated with PEG for 10 years, in monotherapy or in combination with SRLs, were included in ...

Pasireotide is a second-line therapy for acromegaly, that allows to obtain disease control in patients previously uncontrolled. However, pasireotide-induced hyperglycemia is of major concern. Currently, few data concerning prolonged use of pasireotide are available. The current retrospective study aimed at investigating the efficacy and safety of long-term pasireotide therapy. Sixteen consecutive patients (5 males, 11 females, age 47 ± 11 years) undergoing pasireotide for...

Colon polyps represent a frequent complication of acromegaly. Knowledge about prevalence and risk factors of polyps’ recurrence in acromegalic patients is still limited. The current retrospective study aimed at investigating polyps’ prevalence and recurrence risk factors in acromegalic patients. One hundred and forty-three patients (73 males, 70 females) referring to “Federico II” university diagnosed with acromegaly from 2000 to 2022 who underwent at least...

Background: Dopamine and somatostatin receptors on corticotroph pituitary adenomas are targets for medical treatment of Cushing’s disease (CD). Data indicate synergistic effects between pasireotide and cabergoline in improving biochemical control rates and clinical features in patients with CD.Objective: To evaluate safety and efficacy of pasireotide alone or with cabergoline in patients with CD.Methods: Patients: adults with ...

White adipose tissue (WAT) stores excess energy as triglycerides, while brown adipose tissue (BAT) dissipates energy through heat, acting as a defense against cold and obesity and as a positive regulator of metabolic functions. The thermogenic function of BAT is mainly regulated by the mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) in brown adipocytes. Moreover, it has been shown that chronic exposure to glucocorticoids (GC) or synthetic GC receptor (GR) agonists inhibits the activ...