Endocrine Abstracts

Background: No randomized trials have been conducted in adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) patients. Treatment recommendations for this rare but aggressive disease have been based on data from small phase II trials. We have now performed the first randomized phase III trial, comparing etoposide, doxorubicin, cisplatin, plus mitotane (EDP-M) against streptozotocin plus mitotane (Sz-M).Methods: Three-hundred and four chemotherapy-naive patients with ACC not am...

Introduction: Kisspeptins, the products of the Kiss1 gene that act via the receptor, GPR54 (or Kiss1R), are pivotal elements in the neuroendocrine control of GnRH neurons and, thereby, gonadotropin secretion. Extensive efforts have been devoted recently to elucidate the pharmacological effects and major putative regulators of the kisspeptin system. Yet, our knowledge on the potential interactions of kisspeptins with other key neurotransmitters involved in the central re...

Background: Serotonergic signalling has been implicated in numerous hypothalamic functions including circadian rhythmicity, feeding and the modulation of neuroendocrine systems. In spite of the importance of these functions, the neuroanatomy of the serotonergic system in the human hypothalamus is still unknown.Aim and methods: To increase insight in hypothalamic serotonin signalling in humans, we investigated the distribution of serotonin transporters (S...

Spontaneous puberty occurs in a subset of Turner syndrome (TS) patients with significant 45,X/46,XX mosaicism. This observation leads to the belief that haploinsufficiency of still unidentified genes on the X chromosome is the cause of the accelerated follicle atresia in TS. Examination of particular X chromosome rearrangements/deletions led to the identification of 2 Xq and 1 Xp loci associated to the ovarian defect in TS. The availability of new generation genetic and cytoge...

Background: There is growing evidence that ergot dopamine agonists (DA) may induce cardiac valve regurgitation (CVR) in persons with Parkinson’s disease (PD). It is unclear whether the CVR risk is increased with ergot-DA use in persons with hyperprolactinemia, in whom the dose is much lower.Objective: To assess the association between ergot and non-ergot DAs and CVR in patients with hyperprolactinemia and PD.Methods: Nested ca...

Introduction: Hypogonadism is a cardinal feature of PWS and was generally attributed to hypothalamic dysfunction. Recently, however, primary gonadal defects were also documented. We characterized the spectrum and causes of hypogonadism in PWS adolescents and adults.Methods: We measured reproductive hormonal profiles of 19 males (m) and 16 females (f) ages 15 to 32 years with genetically confirmed PWS. Puberty was assessed by Tanner staging; blood was sam...