Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Acromegaly is associated with increased bone turnover and skeletal fragility. Although the GH/IGF1 system plays an important role in bone homeostasis, effects of GH excess on the Wnt signalling pathway are to be determined. Bone quantitative CT (QCT) provides a volumetric, tridimensional measure of bone mass at the trabecular and cortical level.Aim: i) To compare volumetric bone density (vBMD) using QCT in patients with acromegaly vs gender...

Introduction: Non-classical congenital adrenal hyperplasia (NCCAH) due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency is one of the most frequent autosomal recessive diseases. Genetic analysis performed for genetic counselling revealed a miscorrelation with the clinical diagnosis in several patients at our centre.Aim: Confirm the genetic diagnosis of NCCAH in women attended for this condition.Materials and methods: Consecutive patients attended at o...

Metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance persist 5 years after remission of Cushing’s syndrome (CS). Adiponectin and visfatin are two adipokines highly expressed in adipose tissue. Adiponectin is reduced in obesity and insulin-resistant states; visfatin has been shown in some studies to be reduced in obesity. The aim was to evaluate visfatin and adiponectin levels, body composition, insulin resistance and prevalence of metabolic syndrome in a cohort of women with long-te...

Introduction: Silent corticotroph tumours (SCT) are a pituitary tumours (PT) subtype of corticotroph lineage that do not clinically express Cushing disease. Inmunohistochemical (IHC) studies reveal no differences between SCT and functioning corticotroph tumours with Cushing Syndrome (FCT). However, the silencing mechanisms of this type of tumours are not fully understood.Aim: In an important series of SCT, to sequence the POMC gene and quantify ...

Introduction: Pregnancy in hypopituitary women is a rare and poorly studied clinical condition. Management difficulties and obstetrical complications have been associated with this condition.Objectives: To define the characteristics, follow-up and perinatal outcomes in hypopituitary pregnant women attended at our centre.Methods: The clinical data of the hypopituitary pregnant women (deficiency of two or more pituitary hormones), an...

11-deoxycorticosterone (DOC) is an aldosterone precursor synthesized from progesterone and converted to corticosterone in the adrenal cortex. DOC overproduction due to an adrenal lesion is a very rare cause of mineralocorticoid-induced hypertension. The objective of this study is to provide the most relevant clinical features that clinicians dealing with patients presenting with the hallmarks of hypertension due to DOC-producing adrenal lesions should be aware of. We report a ...

Background: Muscle weakness may persist in patients with Cushing’s syndrome (CS) long-term after resolution of hypercortisolism, but mechanisms determining this sustained impairment are not known. We hypothesized that alteration of muscle structure, due to fatty infiltration, is associated with muscle dysfunctions in these patients.Patients & methods: Twenty-six CS women [mean(±S.D.) age 49±12 years; mean(±S....

Introduction: Pegvisomant (PEGV) is approved for the treatment of acromegaly since 2003. This is the second interim analysis of data from ACROSTUDY, with the majority of patients treated for at least five years (yrs).Methods/design: ACROSTUDY is an international, open-label, prospective, non-interventional, post-marketing surveillance study monitoring the long-term safety and efficacy of PEGV. Patients were enrolled in the study on an ongoing basis.<...

Context: Cushing’s syndrome (CS) is a rare endocrine disease, due to cortisol hypersecretion. CS patients have several comorbidities, often still present after biochemical cure. There are no specific nursing healthcare programs to address this disease and achieve improved health related quality of life (HRQoL). Thus, an educational nursing intervention in these patients, through the development and promotion of specific educational tools, appears to be justified.<p cl...

Introduction: Hypercortisolism in Cushing’s syndrome (CS) determines increased mortality and morbidity. Hypercortisolism is also present in chronic depressive disorders and stress, where telomere length (TL) is shorter than in controls. We hypothesized that telomere shortening may occur and contribute to premature morbidity in CS.Aim: Investigate TL in CS compared to matched controls, and longitudinally in a subset of CS patients evaluated both with...