Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Adrenal Cushing’s syndrome accounts for 15-20% of all the causes of endogenous hypercortisolism, mainly due to unilateral adenomas and adrenal cancer. Approximately 9-17% of patients with ACTH-independent Cushing’s syndrome have bilateral adrenal adenomas. Subsequently, their management is quite demanding. The main difficulty lies in distinguishing between a functional and a non-functional adrenal mass, since this cannot be reliably achieved by routine ...

Introduction: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the leading cause of chronic liver disorders in Western countries, encompassing a spectrum of diseases ranging from simple steatosis to liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), the most common endocrine disorder of women during the reproductive period, is often implicated with NAFLD.Aim: To investigate the potential involvement of PCOS on the aggravation of NAFLD by...

Introduction: Lactation is a period of particular importance regarding the management of glycemia in women with Diabetes Mellitus type 1 (DM1), the aim being to prevent hypoglycemia during breastfeeding. The purpose of this study was to investigate the variation of insulin requirements during lactation in comparison with pre-pregnancy levels in women with DM1 and to find potential correlation factors.Materials-methods: We conducted a retrospective case f...

Introduction: Poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma is a tumor of follicular origin with morphological and biological characteristics between anaplastic and well differentiated carcinoma. It accounts for less than 5% of all thyroid tumors and is characterized by adverse prognosis, aggressive behavior and frequently distant metastases, mainly to lungs and bones and to a lesser extent to brain, liver, kidney, breast and skin. Incident presentation: We report a case of a patien...

Introduction: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic systemic inflammatory disorder which affects the sacroiliac joints, the axial skeleton, peripheral joints as well as other organs. It develops in young adults causing significant mobility and functional disorders, with associated severe dysfunction or disability. Ankylosing spondylitis has serious adverse effects on the ability to work and quality of life. Biologic agents are used for the treatment of AS, this effect havin...

Introduction: Internet users perform health information-seeking searches triggered by personal symptoms or diseases. Such searches may provide information - albeit indirectly - on disease patterns and epidemiology (PLoS One. 2014, 9:e109583, PNAS 2016; 113:6689-94). It was recently reported that in Asia (more particularly in Taiwan), online searches for obesity and diet (indirectly reflecting corresponding health-seeking behaviors) at times of financial crisis (recession) were...

Tocilizumab is an interleukin-6 receptor antagonist used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It is known to induce remission and inhibit radiographic progression in RA. Tocilizumab may be administered either intravenously or subcutaneously. Its effect on lipid levels and the cardiovascular risk has not been fully investigated. The aim was to study the effect of tocilizumab i.v. on disease activity, lipid levels and cardiovascular risk in RA patients.<p class="ab...

Introduction: Osteoporosis is a chronic and dangerous disease, as it may be silent and may express itself with a sudden catastrophic event, such as a fracture. Treatment of osteoporosis demands the use of potent pharmaceutical agents with long lasting effects. In particular, bisphosphonates, such as ibandronate, may be used. It has become evident that chronic treatment with anti-osteoporotic agents may reverse the course of the disease, patients having normal bone mineral dens...

Introduction: Barrett’s esophagus is metaplasia in the cells of the lower end of the esophagus. It is characterized by the replacement of the normal stratified squamous epithelium lining of the esophagus by simple columnar epithelium with goblet cells. The disease is often related to gastroesophageal reflux and patients have pain necessitating chronic usage of proton pump inhibitors. Proton pump inhibitors have been associated with the development of low bone mineral dens...

Introduction: Pretibial myxedema (PM) is a rare extrathyroidal manifestation of Graves’ disease, with most patients being in hyperthyroid state. PM has also rarely been described in Hashimoto thyroiditis.Case report: A 61-year old Caucasian woman attended our outpatient dermatology clinic for evaluation and management of bilateral erythema, involving the lower two-thirds of the pretibial regions. She reported appearance of the same lesion 11 years a...