Endocrine Abstracts

Aim of the work: Diabetes is characterized by progressive loss of functional pancreatic beta cells. None of the therapeutic agents used to treat diabetes arrest this process and preventing beta cell loss remains a major unmet need. We have previously shown that serum from 8 young healthy males who exercised for 8 weeks protects human islets and human insulin-producing EndoC-βH1 cells from apoptosis induced by pro-inflammatory cytokines or the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) st...

Introduction: Intraportal (IP) islet cell transplants can restore metabolic control in type 1 diabetes patients, but limitations raise the need for establishing a functional beta cell mass (FBM) in a confined extrahepatic site.Methods: This study reports on function and composition of omental (OM) implants after placement of islet cell grafts with similar beta cell mass as in our IP-protocol (2–5.106 beta cells/kg body weight)<p class...

Background and aims: Combining systemic immunomodulation with disease-relevant antigens could provide longer-term solutions for preventing and even reversing autoimmune type 1 diabetes (T1D). Our team established that a combination therapy (CT), composed of a short-course low-dose anti-CD3 treatment with oral delivery of genetically-modified Lactococcus lactis (L. lactis) bacteria secreting full proinsulin plus the anti- inflammatory cytokine IL-10 (LL-PINS+I...

Background and aims: MEHMO is an X-linked syndrome comprising Mental retardation, Epilepsy, Hypogenitalism, Microcephaly and Obesity. It is caused by a damaging p.Ile465Serfs frameshift mutation in EIF2S3 that encodes the &square; subunit of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 (eIF2), essential for protein synthesis and regulation of the integrated stress response. Patients with this EIF2S3 mutation also have neonatal hypoglycemia, early onset insulin-...

Purpose: Our study aims to identify myokines potentially involved in improved glucose homeostasis after bariatric surgery.Methods: Obese patients were evaluated before and 3 months after bariatric surgery. Insulin resistance was assessed using the Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA) test. Muscle biopsies were taken from vastus lateralis. Genes encoding myokines involved in glucose homeostasis were identified using RNA-sequencing. Changes in myokines expr...

Background and aims: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic autoimmune disease, characterized by T-cell mediated destruction of the pancreatic insulin-producing beta-cells. Neutrophils, cells of the innate immune system, have been shown to infiltrate the pancreas and undergo neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation (NETosis). However, little is known about the involvement of neutrophils and specifically the role of NETosis in the pathophysiology of the disease. Our aim was to...

Aim: IFNα is a key regulator of the initial dialogue between pancreatic β-cells and the immune system in type 1 diabetes (T1D). IFNα induces endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, insulitis and a massive HLA-ABC overexpression in human β-cells, three histological hallmarks of T1D. Against this background we investigated the global role of IFNα on iPSC-derived islet-like cells, used here to mimic islet cells in the early neonatal period when autoimmunity ag...

Background: Few cases have been described with a new-onset or worsening of a pre-existing diabetes mellitus in patients diagnosed with a renal cell carcinoma and amelioration of their diabetes following tumour resection.Methodology: This is a retrospective study (2003-2021) including adult cases who were diagnosed with a renal cell carcinoma, who underwent tumour resection and whom glycemic control was monitored. HbA1c was measured at 3 time intervals; 1...

Background: Subacute thyroiditis (SAT) is a destructive thyroiditis of probable viral origin. Thyroid dysfunction evolves through a set of stages (hyperthyroidism - hypothyroidism - euthyroidism) and is usually temporary, although some patients develop permanent hypothyroidism. The risk factors for permanent hypothyroidism remain largely unclear.Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients with SAT at the University Hospital of Brussels from 2001-2020 w...

Background: Insulin resistance is proposed as a causative factor of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in the general population. Reports on NAFLD in type 1 diabetes (T1D) are increasing , but whether insulin resistance is linked to NAFLD in this population needs elucidation. Furthermore, people with T1D are an excellent model to investigate insulin resistance in relation to NAFLD without confounding by autologous insulin production.Aims and Metho...

Background: Primary hyperaldosteronism (PA) is a prevalent, but underreported syndrome. Diagnostic procedures and treatment options have been relatively constant since the development of the latest guideline of the Endocrine Society in 2016.Study objective: To clinically and biochemically describe subjects with PA who underwent a salt infusion test (SIT) or an adrenal venous sampling (AVS) in a tertiary hospital since 2009 and provide an overview of thei...

Introduction: Transgender women on gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) with estrogens and anti-androgens have low serum androgen levels. These low levels may be associated with clinical symptoms such as depressed mood, reduced sexual desire and tiredness. Whether androgen levels change over the course of anti-androgen use and after gonadectomy, in a context of unchanged estrogen treatment, remains to be elucidated.Methods: This study is part of the E...

Objective: We investigated if a positive thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPO Ab) status before radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy in patients with Graves’ hyperthyroidism is a predictive factor for developing hypothyroidism after RAI.Methods: We performed a retrospective study of patients with Graves’ hyperthyroidism with known TPO Ab status, receiving a first administration of RAI. Patients from 4 thyroid outpatient centres in Belgium receiving a f...

Aim: To investigate the relationship of arterial stiffness with short- and long-term parameters of glycemic control and glycation in patients with type 1 diabetes.Methods: Cross-sectional study at a tertiary care centre including 54 patients with type 1 diabetes free from known CVD. Arterial stiffness was assessed with carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV). Current level and 10-years history of HbA1c was evaluated, and skin advanced glycation end-...

Bone metabolism in men is in part determined by sex steroid exposure. This is especially clear during puberty and senescence but it remains to be established whether declines in sex steroid levels during young and middle adulthood associate with changes in bone mass and size. This study investigated changes in bone mineral content (BMC), areal and volumetric bone density (aBMD; vBMD) and bone size in relation to sex steroid levels in 999 young adult men (age 24- 46 years) of w...

Purpose: We describe the characteristics and prognosis of inpatients with diabetes and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Belgium.Methods: We conducted a multicentre retrospective study during the first wave of the pandemic, from March 1, 2020 to May 6, 2020. Data on admission of patients with diabetes and hospitalized due to confirmed COVID-19 were collected. COVID-19 diagnosis was based on a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test on nasophar...

Introduction: The true prevalence of clinically relevant pituitary adenomas has been reevaluated at 1/1064 of the population (1). Among them, prolactinomas represent the majority with a prevalence of 1/2000. They occur usually in females, aged 20–50 Y.O., and 80% are microadenomas. Nearly 5% of prolactinomas appear in a familial or genetic setting (MEN-1 or FIPA) (2). Cabergoline is proposed as the first line therapy and is usually efficient to normalize prolactin (PRL) l...

Introduction: Diagnosis of Cushing Syndrome (CS) is challenging due to its various non-specific symptoms, and multiple endogenous and exogenous causes. The incidence of endogenous CS is rare and estimated at 2 to 3 cases per million inhabitants per year in Europe (1). Primary bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasia (PBMAH) is an uncommon cause of endogenous ACTH-independent CS. It is a benign condition, characterized by the presence of bilateral macronodules (>1 cm), an...

Background: Hungry bone syndrome is a relatively uncommon but serious complication in patients who underwent parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism. The syndrome is described as a hypocalcaemia (corrected serum calcium<2.1 mmol/L) lasting longer than four days after parathyroidectomy in the presence of a normal or elevated parathyroid hormone (PTH). Treatment is challenging and guidelines are based on clinical experience. To restore calcium levels high doses of ...

Introduction: Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a rare cause of primary amenorrhea (1,2). We report a 16-year-old girl with normal secondary sexual characteristics, but no menses due to an autoimmune POI and associated with autoimmune gastritis. This is the first report of such constellation in an adolescent – both conditions separately already being rare in the pediatric population.Case presentation: A 16-year-old girl was referred to our de...

Background: chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome has been reported to occur in about 1 per 347 to 992 fetuses.1 Patients present with velocardiofacial syndrome (VCFS) or DiGeorge syndrome (DS). Hypocalcemia has been reported to occur in up to 80.4% of cases.2Case report: a 28-year-old man, known with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), presented at the emergency department (ED) for muscle cramps. Medical history included chronic myeloid leukemia treated with...

Background: Primary thyroid lymphoma (PTL) is a rare thyroid tumor that accounts for only 5% of thyroid malignancies, but is associated with higher mortality than differentiated thyroid cancer. The major risk factor for thyroid lymphoma is the presence of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) with an estimated 60-fold increased risk. The lymphocytic infiltrate in HT appears to develop into lymphoma in a minority of patients. The differential diagnosis between Hashimoto’s thyr...

Introduction: Autoimmune disease is a rare event occurring after remission of Cushing’s syndrome. We report on the appearance of new onset vitiligo in a patient treated for Cushing disease due to a an invasive pituitary adenoma, after bilateral adrenalectomy.Case report: A 64-year-old man presented to our endocrinology clinic with progressive lumbar pain that had developed two months earlier. He had undergone bilateral adrenalectomy for Cushing&#146...