Endocrine Abstracts

Exercise is one of the major determinants of a healthy lifestyle, being crucial in childhood as a powerful preventive tool. On the other hand, obesity and arterial hypertension rate has been increasing in children, thus increasing the risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in adult life. Of vital importance is the modality and volume of exercise required to get benefits. In this feasibility study 35 obese children were enrolled. Autonomic and metabolic contro...

Children born small for gestational age (SGA) not showing catch-up growth in early life may show decreased growth rate and adult height and worse metabolic profile compared to general population. In these patients, growth hormone (GH) treatment showed positive effects on growth rate and metabolic profile, with good tolerability. The aim of the study was to evaluate auxological and metabolic effects and safety of GH treatment in SGA children. Study included 34 SGA children (15 ...

There are limited data on the natural history of normocalcemic PHPT and it is unclear how the patients should be regarded vis a vis parathyroid surgery. Among the 1500 admissions/year for 10 years referred to our outpatient endocrine clinics for a variety of diseases, we collected 481 subjects with high serum levels of PTH. In the presence of hypercalcemia, a diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism was performed in 127 (26%). Other 354 (74%) subjects were normocalcemic: 186 (...

Objective: Intestinal barrier (IB) is one of the wider human body surface, whose integrity allows the uptake of nutrients also preserving from the entrance of harmful compounds. An increased permeability of IB, known as “leaky gut”, has been demonstrated in patients with intestinal inflammatory and/or autoimmune disorders as well as in patients with autoimmune diseases involving organs far from the intestine, as in patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT). The...

Introduction: Aggressive ACTH-independent Cushing’s syndrome is rare and frequently related to malignant adrenocortical tumor. However, in exceptional situations, ectopic steroids secretion has been described.Case report: We report the case of an 87 years-old woman referred to our clinic in September 2020 after a low trauma sacral fracture. Her recent medical history revealed the onset, in the previous months, of severe hypokalemia, uncontrolled typ...

Introduction Primary bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasia (PBMAH) is potentially responsible for variable degree of cortisol excess. In patients with PBMAH the complete remission of cortisol hypersecretion can be achieved only by performing bilateral adrenalectomy, leading to a persistent hypocortisolism and to a consequent need of a lifelong glucocorticoid replacement therapy. Therefore, bilateral adrenalectomy is worth doing only in patients with severe hypercortisolis...

Background: In the multifarious etiopathogenesis of skeletal fragility, an intriguing novel element is the possible existence of a crosstalk between autonomic nervous system (ANS) function and bone health. Indeed, sympathetic overactivity might stimulate osteoclastogenesis and inhibit osteoblastic proliferation, whereas opposite effects would be exerted by a prevalent parasympathetic activation. Autonomic Nervous System Index (ANSI) is a percent ranked (0–100) unitary pro...

Introduction: Primary aldosteronism (PA) has been described in association with endocrine and non-endocrine neoplasms. Aldosterone-producing adenomas mainly associate with hyperparathyroidism, prolactinomas and pancreatic endocrine tumors, particularly in the context of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 MEN1 syndrome. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) studies have shown frequent somatic mutations underlying PA and, rarely, germline mutations of CYP11B1/CYP11B2</e...

Background: The Endocrine Society Guidelines recommend screening for hypercortisolism especially in patients with specific features that best discriminate Cushing’s Syndrome (CS): easy bruising, facial plethora, proximal myopathy and striae. Clinical experience suggests that these features, though suggestive of hypercortisolism, are not enough sensitive. Indeed, patients with hypercortisolism frequently manifest primarily less discriminatory cortisol-related features, suc...

Background: Hypoparathyroidism is an endocrine disorder characterized by hypocalcemia due to low levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH). Activated vitamin D (calcitriol) and calcium supplementation may be difficult in patients with malabsorption, as calcium requires an acid environment to dissolve. In this setting, subcutaneous administration of PTH analogues may be effective in reducing the dosage of oral calcium and vitamin D supplementation.Case report: ...