Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Primary aldosteronism is a common cause of arterial hypertension, but its underlying molecular mechanisms are unknown. K+ is a key regulator of aldosterone secretion: it interacts with physiological secretagogues of aldosterone as angiotensin II (Ang II) end endothelin-1. In vivo genetic manipulation of a widely distributed class of channels, which generate background or ‘leak’ potassium (K+) currents, the twik-related acid-se...

Introduction: There is no known reliability about an undetectable recombinant human TSH (rhTSH) stimulated serum thyroglobulin (Tg) concentrations, predicts no long-term relapse, or the threshold of it. An rhTSH-stimulated serum Tg determination was made to all patients with DTC that maintained undetectable baseline Tg and negative imaging tests. We correlate their findings with their long-term evolution.Methods: We collected 91 patients with DTC, 73 wom...

Primary lymphomas of the thyroid are uncommon tumours, constituting fewer than 2% of all thyroid malignancies. For this reason their clinical features are not very well known. It seems that most of them arise in patients who have chronic autoimmune thyroiditis.From our patients with primary thyroid cancer since 1995, we selected those with pathological diagnosis of thyroid lymphoma. Epidemiological data, clinical features and response to treatment were a...

Introduction: After treatment with Iodine-131(I-131) in differentiated thyroid cancer, a diagnostic scintigraphy is performed. We selected three cases in which bronchiectasis appear as a false-positive on the scintigraphy after treatment with I-131.Case reports: Three women, respectively 62, 64 and 65 years old, being followed in the Endocrinology Department of our Institute, with the diagnosis of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid, were submitted to I-1...

Autoimmune Thyroid Disease (ATD) is associated with normal thyroid function (type 1) in most cases with variable incidence of functional evolution toward either hypo (type2, A or B if present or not goiter) or hyperthyroidism (type3).To study the evolution of thyroid function in a longitudinal study, along a scale of six years, in relationship to thyroid volume, 128 subjects (80 females and 48 males), aged from 28 to 78 years, were considered, with the f...

Pheocromocytoma is a catecholamine-secreting tumor that arises from chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla. In general, they are unilateral and the treatment of choise is complete surgical resection. Surgery and other medical procedures such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy may result in massive catecholamine release that can be fatal. Some form of preoperative pharmacologic preparation is indicated for all patients to control blood pressure, arrhytmia and promote intravascula...

Prolactin is mainly found in the monomeric form although it can also occur in the big-PRL and bigbigPRL (bbPRL) form: a complex of prolactin and immunoglobulin G. The latter has reduced bioactivity despite maintaining its imunorreactivity. This can cause false positive results representing the main cause of interassay variability in prolactin measurement. It should therefore be considered in every study concerning hyperprolactinemia. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of bbPR...

Thiazolidinediones have demonstrated some efficacy in promoting radioiodine uptake of previously poorly radioiodine-responsive thyroid cancers. We describe the effect of rosiglitazone, in promoting uptake in thyroid metastatic tissue with weak uptake in order to treatment with radioiodine in two patients.Case 1: A 62-year-old woman with thyroid cancer and negative I-131 body scan post therapy (150 mCi) with presence of recurrent disease (PET positive in ...

Objective: The pathogenesis of pituitary tumours is still incompletely understood. Somatotropinomas occur both sporadically and in the context of familial syndromes, such as multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1), Carney complex (CNC) and isolated familial somatotropinoma (IFS). Recently, germline mutations were reported in AIP (aryl hydrocarbon receptor interacting protein) gene in Finish and Italian families and in Finish patients with apparently sporadic pituitar...

Background: Correlation between therapy with interferons, thyroid autoimmunity and dysfunction is widely reported. Currently we used two different pegilated-interferons (α-2a, α-2b).Aim: Evaluate a probable different behaviour of two PEG-IFN responsible of thyroid abnormalities.Patients and methods: We observed 236 consecutive naïve-patients with HCV-related chronic-disease undergoing a treatment with antiviral thera...