Endocrine Abstracts

Obesity, the condition resulting from excess of body fat, is often accompanied by chronic low-grade levels of inflammation. These have been strongly associated with the development of insulin resistance (IR). Elevated BMI has also been linked to reduced cognitive performance, especially in executive functions, independently of medical co-morbidities.Aim of this research is to investigate whether higher cognitive resources may present a moderating, ‘...

Background: Bone metabolism is affected in hemodialysed patients (HD) and PTH plays central role. Additionally leptin which is increased in renal failure may be linked with bone metabolism. We investigated the BMD and bone metabolism in comparison with serum PTH, 25OHD3 and leptin in HD patients.Methods: We measured in 37 HD patients bone alkaline phosphatase (bSAP), NTx, PTH, 25OHD3 and leptin. We evaluated BMI and BMD in lumbar spine (LS) and in femora...

Background and aims: To evaluate the evolution of thyroid cancer epidemiological characteristics from 2004 to 2014.Materials and methods: Retrospective analysis of histological data from thyroidectomies performed in our hospital in the period 2004–2014.Results: From 2004 to 2014, 2725 thyroidectomies (women 81% vs men 19%) were performed in our hospital. In 1083 of these (40%) histologic examination revealed thyroid cancer.</p...

Introduction: Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are a heterogeneous group of rare neoplasms that originate from endocrine cells with the ability to secrete amines and hormonal polypeptides. Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) can be functional or non-functional. Functional PNETs secrete common hormones such as gastrin, insulin and glucagon and much less frequent hormones such as vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). Their clinical characteristics depend on the peptide secreted....

Introduction: Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) accounts for 1-5% of all thyroid cancers. It is a neuroendocrine tumor arising from the calcitonin-secreting parafollicular cells of the thyroid. In rare cases, the neoplastic cells additionally secrete other substances, such as histamine, serotonin, ACTH, CRF etc, leading to paraneoplastic syndromes.Case report: An 80 year old male presented to our Department with an already diagnosed metastatic MTC. Three...

Introduction: The corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) family of neuropeptides and their receptors affect innate immunity. A fully working peripheral CRF system is present in adipose tissue. In obesity, macrophages and adipocytes interact causing local and systemic inflammation. In addition, macrophages and adipocytes share common characteristics including production of inflammatory cytokines in response to lipopolysaccharides (LPS) via the toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) which b...

Familial glucocorticoid deficiency (FGD) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by resistance to the action of ACTH leading to glucocorticoid deficiency with preserved mineralocorticoid and gonadal function. In 1993 we identified mutations in the ACTH receptor (melanocortin 2 receptor; MC2R), although these only explained around 25% of cases. More recently a traditional homozygosity mapping approach identified mutations in a novel gene which we named melan...

Although the prevalence of subclinical hypercortisolism (SH) in unilateral incidentalomas (UI) has been extensively reported, patients with bilateral incidentalomas (BI) have not been thoroughly investigated. Moreover, the management of BI poses great dilemmas if surgery is considered, since bilateral adrenalectomy leads to life-long replacement. In the present study, we aimed to describe the characteristics of patients with BI in comparison to their unilateral counterparts. W...

Introduction: The presence of antiphospholipid antibodies is associated pathogenically with thrombotic vascular events and resulting pregnancy complications. Studies support that antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) impair female fertility by interfering with endometrial decidualization and implantation. This meta-analysis aims to determine the prevalence of aPL in women undergoing assisted reproductive techniques (ART) for in Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer (IVF-ET)....

Background Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY) constitutes a genetically and clinically heterogeneous type of Monogenic Diabetes (MD), characterized by early onset of hyperglycemia, autosomal dominant inheritance and defect in β-cell insulin secretion. To date, various MODY subtypes have been reported, each one of a distinct genetic etiology. Materials and methods A total of 114 patients of Greek orig...