Endocrine Abstracts

Acromegalic osteopathy is an emerging complication of chronic GH excess characterized by increase in bone turnover, deterioration in bone microarchitecture and high risk of vertebral fractures (VFs). Medical therapies may exert direct effects on peripheral targets leading to improvement of clinical outcomes regardless of biochemical control of acromegaly. In this longitudinal study, we compared the effects pegvisomant (PegV) and somatostatin receptor ligands (SRLs) on VF risk ...

Pasireotide, a multireceptor-targeted somatostatin analogue, was approved for the treatment of acromegaly, after being studied in two large, randomised, multi-center clinical trials. We reported the history of a 76 years old man affected by acromegaly, treated with Pasireotide long acting release (LAR) as first line therapy. Acromegaly was diagnosed in 2009, as the result of endocrinological investigation suggested by altered facial appearance and macroglossia. Hormonal assays...

Introduction: In 2004, the WHO defined atypical pituitary adenomas (APAs) those with Ki-67 >3%, excessive p53 expression and increased mitotic activity. The usefulness of this classification is still controversial.Aim: To compare the clinical and prognostic features in a series of typical and atypical pituitary adenomas.Materials and methods: We retrospectively reviewed 343 consecutive PAs. APAs represented 18.7% of the cases. ...

Introduction: Acromegaly (Acro) is characterized by insulin sensitivityreduction, glucose intolerance (IGT) and diabetes mellitus (DM2 in 15%–38% of patients). Studies that investigated action of medical therapies for acro on glucose metabolism, didn’t provide conclusive data. Association between blood glucose (BG) levels and serum IGF-I levels in patients with DM2 and acro has been suggested, however,IGF-I levels and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) correlation is still con...

ACROSTUDY is an international observational study to evaluate efficacy and safety of long-term treatment with pegvisomant (PEGA) in acromegaly. ACROSTUDY Italy was started in 2007 and we report data from the first 185 patients (93M, 92F, mean age, range, 49.9 y; 17–83.8 y) treated with PEGA (mean duration, range, 3.2 y, 0.1–8.5 y), from 24 centers, until 01/2010. Before and during PEGA, IGF1, GH-Ab, liver enzymes, metabolic parameters and pituitary MRI were assessed....

Teriparatide is a skeletal anabolic drug that represents the first and new class of bone anabolic agents able to increase bone formation, bone mineral density and strength. Several studies demonstrated the efficacy of this drug in post-menopausal and glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, but few data are available on the effects of the drug in long-term therapy in humans, so far.We analyzed a population of 135 women in post-menopausal age treated with ter...

Introduction: Neuroendocrine neoplasms are rare and multiform requiring a multidisciplinary approach. We report the experience of a Neuroendocrine tumor board (TB) established at our University Hospital.Aims: The aim is to share clinical and diagnostic data for best decision-making according to the existing ENETS guidelines.Materials and methods: According to the indications for ENETS Centers of Excellence, meetings with experts in...

Seminal plasma (SP) contains proteins secreted by testis, epididymis and male accessory glands, involved in the successful fertilization of the oocyte. The function of epididymis, prostate and seminal vesicles are dependent upon the presence of androgenic stimuli.To investigate the role of testosterone in the modulation of the proteomic pattern in SP, we analyzed human SP proteome comparing the panel of common seminal proteins in five fertile normogonada...

Introduction: Williams syndrome (WS) is a rare, multisystemic genomic disorder. While the natural history of the disease in childhood is quite well-known, few descriptions of the adult WS medical complications have been published.Method: Twenty-two young adult patients with WS (13 females, 9 males, age: 29.2±5.4 years) were studied. A 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed in all but one with known diabetes mellitus (DM). β-Cell ...

Introduction: Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by a low bone mass and the development of nontraumatic fractures, most commonly in the spine. However, bone mineral density (BMD) alone is not completely satisfactory in vertebral fracture risk assessment.Aim of the study: To identify clinical and laboratoristic factors associated with an increased risk of vertebral fractures in osteoporotic Caucasian women and to define a new clinically relevant scal...