Endocrine Abstracts

Bisphosphonates are the mainstay of treatment for metabolic bone diseases such as post-menopausal osteoporosis and Paget’s disease. Enormous progress has been made over the last few years in understanding how these drugs act at the molecular level. After targeting bone and selective internalisation by osteoclasts, simple bisphosphonates are incorporated into cytotoxic, non-hydrolysable analogues of ATP. By contrast, the more potent nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates inhi...

The cell surface calcium receptor (CaR) in the parathyroid gland plays a central role in the regulation of serum calcium homeostasis. Activation and inactivation mutations in the CaR lead to chronic hypocalcemia and hypercalcemia states (Brown, EM. Mutations in the calcium-sensing receptor and their clinical implications. Horm Res 1997 48 199–208). Type 11 calcimimetics are a novel class of compounds that directly reduce PTH secretion from the parathyroid ce...

Surgical therapy of the primary hyperparathyroidism (PHP) offers a definite and curative treatment. The cooperation with an experienced endocrinologist is necessary, because the confidence that the patient has a PHP, is the primary presumption for the proper surgical therapy of the PHP. The result of a parathyroidectomy depends mainly on preoperative localization of hyperfunctional tissue and the experience of the surgeon. The parathyroidectomy remains curative approach in 97%...

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