Endocrine Abstracts

Summary: The autoimmune polyglandular syndromes (APS) comprise a wide spectrum of autoimmune disorders and are divided into a very rare juvenile (APS 1) and a relatively common adult type with (APS 2) or without adrenal failure (APS 3). APS 1 is caused by mutations in the autoimmune regulatory (AIRE) gene on chromosome 21 and is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. Mutations of the AIRE gene result in defective proteins which cause autoimmune destruction of target organ...

Neurohypophysial hormone, arginine–vasopressin (AVP) concentrations in human plasma and in the plasma, and hypothalamus of the rat display diurnal variations with rising levels over the hours of sleep. Previous reports indicate that AVP infusions reduce rapid-eye-movement sleep in humans and increase the amount of time spent in waking in rats. Our aim was to determine whether AVP content of the rat hypothalamus is altered by sleep deprivation (S.D.). Adult ...

The hypothalamic–pituitary unit is a particularly radiosensitive region in the central nervous system. As a consequence, hypopituitarism commonly develops after radiation treatments for sellar and parasellar neoplasms, extrasellar brain tumours. Increasing tumour-related survival rates provide an expanding population at risk of developing hypopituitarism. The severity of hypopituitarism is related to the radiation doses given while whole body irradiation regimens to a dos...

Introduction: thyroid carcinoma is an uncommon malignancy, but it’s incidence appears to be increasing slowly (female 2–3.8/100.000 - male 1.2–2.6/100.000). This is the most common malignant endocrine tumour, represents about 1% of all malignancies. The majority of these patients females, mostly between the age of 30–60. The main differentiated histological types are papillary and follicular. The options of the treatment are surgical removal (mainly total),...

The history of a female patient is demonstrated as an example of diagnostic and therapeutical pitfalls in acromegaly. The patient was first operated on a pituitary macroadenoma at her age of 21. Prior to surgery, serum prolactin was found moderately elevated and the patient was raromenorrhoic, without galactorrhea. Soon recurrence of the tumour was trialed with bromocriptine medication, however, without any inhibitory effect on the process. The patient underwent a second neuro...