Endocrine Abstracts

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is involved in the regulation of food intake and energy expenditure. Increased level of EC lipid mediators anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachydonoylglycerol (2AG) and/or a higher expression of cannabinoid receptor type 1 in central and peripheral districts are supposed to contribute to the development and maintenance of obesity and related dismetabolism. To understand the ECS response to insulin signal and to anthropometric and biochemical parameters...

A number of publications recently provided measurements of plasma ECs by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS), however the reported circulating levels in normal subjects are scattered in a very wide range of concentrations. A quantitative LC–MS/MS method for anandamide (AEA), palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), oleoylethanolamyde (OEA) and 2arachidonoyl-glycerol (2AG), chromatographically resolved by its inactive isomer 1AG, was validated in house....

The pharmacological blockade of cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) has been shown to counteract diet induced obesity (DIO). An unsolved question is whether the effects of CB1 blockade on energy balance are due to peripheral or central mechanisms. This is an important clinical issue since the CB1 antagonist drugs have recently been withdrawn from the market due to their psychiatric side effects, and novel drugs selectively acting at peripheral le...

Aims: Recently, the endocannabinoid system emerged as a pivotal regulator of food intake, ingestive behavior and energy metabolism, acting through CB1 and its endogenous ligands, the endocannabinoids. CB1 antagonists may reduce body weight and improve metabolic profiles in animals and humans by a double mechanism: at first, they target mesolimbic and hypothalamic nuclei and, thereafter, peripheral organs involved in energy storage and expenditure. Nevertheless, it is still unk...

Aims: Narcolepsy with cataplexy (NC) is a rare, chronic disease, characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, disrupted nocturnal sleep and manifestations of abnormal REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. Human NC is probably caused by environmental and genetic factors, leading to dysfunctions in hypothalamic orexigenic neurons. Recent studies showed that NC was associated with an increase in Body Mass Index, despite a reduction in food intake. In the current study we i...

Abdominal obese (AO) women might have a hyperactivation of the HPA axis. The limitations of previous studies have been often represented by the limited and heterogeneous number of patients enrolled. Our aim was to asses urinary free cortisol (UFC) output during daily and nightly hours in a large cohort of AO women vs. normal weight controls (CT). 107 AO women and 37 CT were enrolled in the study. In basal condition, each subject underwent OGTT, biochemical determinations. Each...

Background: Up to 30% of incidentally-discovered adrenal masses are lipid-poor adenomas (LPA). The clinical significance of LPA is poorly understood. The aim of the study was to investigate histopathological features of LPA and their association with radiological parameters.Methods: A total of 39 patients with radiological evidence of LPA were included. LPA was defined as an adrenal mass with pre-contrast Hounsfield units (HU) ≧10, associated wit...

Computerized tomography (CT) texture analysis (TA) provides a valuable amount of quantitative data on single voxels and their relationship in a target lesions, giving additional value to the CT scan. CTTA has been applied to several oncologic diseases. We aimed to correlate the data derived from CTTA of pheochromocytoma to clinical, biochemical and histopathological data in 30 consecutive patients. Pheochromocytoma was confirmed at histology. The CTTA was performed on unenhanc...

Background: Adrenal lipid poor adenoma (LPA) and adrenocortical cancer (ACC) may overlap in computerized tomography (CT). Radiomics recently emerged as new tool for malignant behavior identification.Aim: To assess radiomics utility for identification of ACC and LPA in adrenocortical masses with unenhanced (UE) CT scan attenuation≥10 Hounsfield Unit (HU).Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 50 patients, 38 radiologically defin...

Background: Chronic hypercortisolism exhibits irregular circadian rhythm and deranged protein metabolism. Altered amino acid(AA) and biogenic amine(BA) circulating levels were found in patients with hypercortisolism. However, there is limited information about the physiologic circadian fluctuation of AA and BA levels, and it is not known whether this is affected by states of hypercortisolism.Aim: To characterize levels and daily fluctuations of AA and BA...