Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Endogenous subclinical hypercortisolism occurs in 5-30% of patients with adrenal incidentalomas. Adrenal adenoma is the commonest cause of autonomous cortisol secretion (ACS), while primary bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasia (PBMAH) is rare. In both, ACS results from activation of the cAMP/PKA pathway. This may be triggered by ligands, other than ACTH, acting upon aberrant G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), which may also control locally produced ACTH i...

Introduction: IgG4-related thyroiditis (IgG4-RTD) is a rare fibroinflammatory disorder. It is characterized by dense lymphocyte infiltration (mainly IgG4+ plasma cells), enlargement and dysfunction of the thyroid gland. IgG4-RTD includes mostly cases of Hashimoto’s (HT) but also of Riedel’s and Graves’ thyroiditis. Diagnosis is set according to imaging and histopathological criteria. Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common form of thyroid cancer (~9...

Introduction: Normocalcemic Primary Hyperparathyroidism is today considered a variant of Primary Hyperparathyroidism. It is characterized by persistently normal calcium levels and increased levels of parathyroid hormone, after the exclusion of other causes of secondary hyperparathyroidism. We aimed to compare clinical, biochemical and imaging data from patients with normocalcemic and hypercalcemic primary hyperparathyroidism. Methods: This is a retrospec...

Introduction: The clinical profile of patients with primary hyperparathyroidism has changed significantly in the last decades considering the fact that most cases are asymptomatic. This could be attributed to early diagnosis due to routinely serum calcium measurement. Only 5–27% of patients present with symptoms or signs related to osteoporosis, nephrolithiasis and hypercalcaemia. However, in patients with asymptomatic primary hyperparathyroidism (APHP) data concerning t...

Introduction: Most of pituitary adenomas are sporadic, with only 5% of them attributed to genetic mutations and syndromes such as Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type 1 (MEN-1). However, how easy is it for a doctor to suspect it when there is no known family history?Case Presentation: A 36-year-old patient with no personal or family history presented to our Endocrine Department reporting intermittent episodes of unconsciousness during the last 48 hours. The...

IntroductionGlucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) are the two novel classes of anti-diabetic agents with compelling efficacy, in terms of glucose-lowering and cardio-renal protection. Euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis (EDKA) is a serious rare adverse effect of SLT2i while the use of GLP-1RA has been scarcely linked with acute pancreatitis in humans.Case presentatio...

Introduction: Armadillo-containing repeat protein 5 gene (ARMC5) is a tumor suppressor gene expressed in different human tissues. Inactivating germline and somatic mutations of the gene are involved in the pathogenesis of primary bilateral macronodular adrenocortical hyperplasia (PBMAH). These mutations are mainly met in the familial form of PBMAH and are associated with a more severe Cushing Syndrome, meningiomas and T-cell immune response defects. However, the role of ARMC5 ...

Introduction: HIV infection has been associated with bone loss and increased frequency of bone fractures. The main pathogenetic mechanisms involve the direct effect of the virus and the HIV-induced inflammatory cytokines on bone metabolism, the effect of antiretroviral therapy (cART) per se and the frequently coexisting nutritional disorders and hypogonadism, further accelerating bone loss. Bisphosphonates remain the first-line treatment for these patients. Limited da...

Background: Arterial stiffness is a well-established surrogate marker of vascular properties and arterial dysfunction in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2). We aimed to investigate whether optimization of DM2 therapy with, additional to metformin, novel antiglycemic agents may improve arterial wall properties and achieve better glycemic control.Methods: We enrolled 99 consecutive patients (male gender=63.3%) receiving metformin for DM2 who did ...

Objective: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is hypothesized to originate in foetal life, while its long-term consequences extend beyond menopause. However, the natural course of the disorder has not as yet been elucidated, and recent data suggest differences in the evolution of PCOS according to a woman’s weight. We aimed to define the evolution of normal-weight Caucasian women with PCOS through the years.Design: Cross-sectional case control study</...