Endocrine Abstracts

(Aims) Regulation of humoral immunity is important to develop vaccines for infectious disease and cancer. However, human and mouse humoral immune systems contain different molecular mechanisms, and the evaluation of efficacy is difficult in the pre-clinical investigation. Humanized mice with reconstructed human immune system are useful for drug discovery of molecular-targeted drugs related to the immune system, and evaluation of antibody production by vaccines. The development...

In Cushing’s syndrome (CS), hypercortisolemia due to cortisol-producing adrenal adenomas suppresses the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, so the normal adrenal tissue is atrophied without ACTH stimulation and its function impairs. As a result of surgical resection of cortisol-secreting adenoma, postoperative adrenal insufficiency occurs. Therefore, we thought that administering glucocorticoid receptor antagonist (mifepristone) in order to release suppression of H...

Cushing’s syndrome is a disease caused by excessive glucocorticoids from adrenocortical tumors. In most cases, impaired adrenocortical function is likely caused by atrophy of the normal adrenal tissue as a result of chronic suppression by the low ACTH levels in the hypercortisolism state. Secondary adrenal insufficiency causes with surgical resection of cortisol-secreting tumors. Therefore, we thought that it was necessary to prepare Cushing’s syndrome model rats for...

A 49-year-old woman was referred to our hospital for the evaluation of adrenal incidentaloma. She had no past medical history and no family history of notable illness. The patient was 150 cm tall and weighed 60 kg. Her blood pressure was 103/60 mmHg. She had no Cushingoid features. Osteoporosis was absent. Routine laboratory examinations were within the normal ranges including normokalemia. The hormonal examination revealed normal circadian variation in serum cortisol levels (...

We report three cases of Cushing’s syndrome (CS) with bilateral adrenal tumors. When bilateral adrenal tumors are encountered, the differential diagnosis is difficult, especially in the functioning bilateral adrenocortical adenoma. Adrenal scintigraphy has become a standard technique to determine the laterality of excessive hormone secretion; however, this examination results in bilateral adrenal activity in the functioning bilateral adrenocortical adenoma. Our three pati...

Introduction: To the best of our knowledge, there is no case report of Evans’ syndrome associated with TSH secreting pituitary adenoma (TSHoma).Case report: A 30-year-old woman was admitted to near hospital due to purpura and ecchymoses on her limb and body and epistaxis. A hematologic disease was suspected and she was referred to our hospital. The diagnosis of Evans’ syndrome was made on the bases of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) a...

Cushing’s syndrome is caused by cortisol-secreting adrenocortical adenoma. Surgical resection of cortisol-secreting adenoma results in secondary adrenal insufficiency in most cases. The main mechanism of adrenal insufficiency is that the residual adrenocortical tissue becomes atrophied as a result of chronic suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis by excessive cortisol levels. Therefore, we have analyzed Cushing syndrome model rats following the previ...

During pregnancy, levels of pregnancy-related proteins and hormones such as progesterone (P4), estrogen, and glucocorticoids (GC) increase. Although the regulatory mechanisms of P4 production in the placenta are not completely understood, studies using mouse models have demonstrated that P4 induces immunosuppression using a GC receptor-dependent pathway, suggesting that both it has been suggested that steroid hormones have a similar effect. Understanding the orchestrated role ...