Endocrine Abstracts

Context: A variety of thyroid disorders have been documented in COVID-19 patients, including non-thyroidal illness syndrome (NTIS), subacute thyroiditis (SAT) and thyrotoxicosis.Objectives: To investigate the relationship between thyroid dysfunctions observed during hospitalisation and COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality.Study design and setting: Prospective cohort study on patients admitted in a tertiary hospital for COVID-19...

Osteocalcin (OC) is the main non-collagenous protein of the bone and it has a regulatory role in mineralization. Extra-skeletal roles have been recently hypothesized for OC (e.g., modulation of glucose-induced insulin secretion by interacting with GPRC6A in β-cells). However, OC-mediated GPRC6A activation has been demonstrated only in rodents and heterologous systems. In this study we aimed at evaluating the dose-dependent response to OC and the eventual activation of the...

Introduction: GPRC6A is a widely expressed seven-transmembrane G-protein coupled receptor mediating L-α-amino acids signaling (mainly, arginine, lysine, and ornithine), which has been proposed as receptor for osteocalcin. By interacting with GPRC6A, in β-cells, osteocalcin is thought to modulate the glucose-induced insulin secretion. However, GPRC6A functions have been studied only in rodents or in rodents-derived cells.Aim of th...

Introduction: Bone and energy metabolisms are deeply related determining a two-way street aimed in regulating the energy utilization [1]. Mountain ultra-marathons are peculiar aerobic performances hardly proving whole body homeostasis [2]. In this study we aimed at investigating and characterizing the metabolic profile (hormones involved in energy metabolism), the metabolic inflammation profile (adipokines), the bone metabolism (bone turnover markers), and their integration (m...

Introduction: Although underlying mechanisms are largely unknown, bone metabolism is regulated by specific microRNAs and changes in their expression are associated with metabolic bone disorders. Exercise is a determinant of bone metabolism; however, different training protocols differently affect bone. Little is known about the effects of exercise on bone-specific miRNA expression.We studied the effect of a 8-week high-intensity training protocol on circ...

IntroductionIrisin is a molecule secreted from skeletal muscle and contributes to maintenance of metabolic homeostasis leading to increased energy expenditure and reducing the risk of obesity and diabetes. Literature data suggest that patients with Cushing disease have lower irisin values than controls and remission of hypercortisolism increases these values. Moreover, other plasma inflammation markers implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, i...

Background: Luteinizing hormone (LH) and choriogonadotropin (hCG) are glycoprotein hormones regulating ovarian function and pregnancy. They were routinely used in assisted reproduction techniques (ART) assuming they are equivalent, due to their binding to a common receptor (LHCGR). However, differences between LH and hCG were demonstrated at molecular and physiological level.Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate how follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)...

The rate of diagnosis of pituitary adenomas in the elderly is increasing, as a consequence of the improved life expectancy. The management of elderly patients affected by pituitary adenomas are still a subject of debate in literature. In particular, data on the safety of endoscopic transnasal transsphenoidal surgery (TNS) are still controversial. The primary endpoint of the present study is to assess the surgical outcome of a cohort of patients who underwent TNS for non-functi...

In this observational, retrospective, multicenter study, we analyzed data from 300 patients with pituitary incidentaloma followed in two Italian Hospital Center. We observed a predominance of female patients (65%), with an a mean age at diagnosis of 49 years (higher in men than women, 57 vs 45 years old). The main reason to perform imaging were neurological symptoms not related to the presence of adenomas (56%). Most cases were microadenomas (56%), and macroadenomas were more ...

Parathyroid glands regulate bone metabolism through PTH, while bone modulates parathyroid function through calcium and FGF23. Bone releases the matrix protein osteocalcin (OC), whose hormone function is increasingly evident. We tested the hypothesis that OC may modulate parathyroid function. The 6 hours-stimulation of human parathyroid cells derived from adenomas (PAds) (n = 5) with γ-carboxylated OC (GlaOC; 40–60 ng/ml) increased the expression levels ...