Endocrine Abstracts

Prader-Willi is a complex genetic syndrome with characteristic phenotype, obesity, hyperphagia, and endocrine hypothalamic dysfunctions. We present particular features of a case with confirmed Prader Willi syndrome (PWS).Case report: EP, only child of a young non-consanguine couple, was born in 1994 at 34 weeks of amenorrhoea, with a low Apgar score (7) and a weight of 2200 g. She presented important hypotonia in the first 6 weeks of life, needing gavage...

Hormonal treatment (HT) represents the only complete therapy of the consequences of the postmenopausal estrogenic deficiency. Quality of life in postmenopausal women is often compromised. We evaluated the quality of life (appreciated with IQL questionnaire) in 80 postmenopausal women – 40 with intact uterus, treated with natural estrogens associated with progestin, and 40 non-treated women. Group selection (treated/not treated) was made function of the inform consent of t...

Glucose metabolism was investigated in 65 patients with Cushing’s syndrome (CS), 19 with cortisol-secreting adrenal adenoma (mean age 47.2±4.9), 40 with ACTH secreting pituitary adenoma (mean age 41.4±12.48), 4 with cortisol secreting adrenal cancer (mean age 63.0±8.4) and 2 patients with ectopic ACTH secretion (38.7±11.9).Eleven patients (17%) were diagnosed as diabetic after abnormal fasting glucose levels (>126 mg/dl). Whi...

Somatostatin (SRIH) inhibits cell proliferation by interacting with five distinct SRIH receptor subtypes (SSTR) by several pathways in many tissues. We previously demonstrated that SRIH, by activating SHP-1, inhibits cell proliferation of the human Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma (MTC) cell line, TT, which expresses all SSTR. However, the effects of SRIH on cell cycle proteins have not been investigated, so far. We therefore investigated the effects of SRIH and of a selective SSTR...

Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a malignant tumour deriving from parafollicular C cells, with a highly chemoresistant phenotype. Failure of medical therapy has been ascribed, at least in part, to multi drug resistance (MDR1) gene over-expression. MDR1 encodes for a transmembrane glycoprotein, P-gp, which hampers intracellular accumulation of cytotoxic drugs. It has been demonstrated that P-gp expression and function depend on cyclo-oxygenase 2 (COX-2) expression, which is...

VEGF exerts its effects by binding to two tyrosine kinase receptors, KDR and VEGFR1. KDR is critical for transmitting signals for proliferation and migration of endothelial cells but is also expressed in several non-endothelial cells, and is elevated in some human tumour cells. We investigated KDR expression in human thyroid epithelial cells in vitro and thyroid cancers compared with normal thyroid samples examined ex vivo. Expression of KDR was demonstrated usin...

Recently it has been shown that somatostatin (SST) might be of therapeutic value in the treatment of active Graves’ophthalmopathy (GO). SST and somatostatin receptors (sst) transcripts are expressed and functional in cultured orbital fibroblasts deriving from GO patients (FGO). Octreotide, the SST analogue currently used is able to inhibit in vitro growth and activity of FGO. New analogues with wider sst-affinity are now available for in vitro experim...

Recently the American Diabetes Association (ADA) adopted a lower cut off for (IFG) Impaired fasting glucose (greater than or equal to 5.6 millimol per litre). We suggested that performing oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT), in all subjects with IFG according to the new ADA criteria, would result in very little new diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and to test this hypothesis we reviewed our recent experience with OGTTs.Between August 2001 and June 200...

Hydrocortisone is the standard replacement therapy in patients with primary or secondary adrenal insufficiency (AI) but there is no current consensus on the most appropriate replacement dose and the extent to which this varies between individuals. This study examines inter-individual variability in cortisol metabolism in patients taking hydrocortisone therapy and investigates the relationship between plasma and salivary concentrations.Subjects and Method...

Introduction: We report a patient with a solitary fibrous mesothelioma producing insulin -like growth factor (IGF) II who presented with recurrent episodes of early morning acute disorientation and agitation. .On examination he was noted to have decreased air entry at the right base and midzone and a mass in the right hypochondrium. . Radiologic imaging showed a large pleural based mass which almost completely filled the right hemithorax. When symptomatic hypoglycaemia was...