Endocrine Abstracts

Case description: A 25-year-old male was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit due to progressive muscle weakness, difficulty walking, weight loss, headache, chest discomfort, type 1 diabetes for few months. He was confused and irritated, with “moon” face, facial plethora, acne, and hyperpigmentation of the skin, few obscure red-bluish striae and significant wasting of proximal and distal muscles of lower limbs. Cortisol hypersecretion due to ectopic ACTH production wa...

GH has contra-insulin actions and exogenous GH can reversibly reduce insulin sensitivity in patients treated with GH. It has been recently reported that the exon 3 – deleted (d3) isoform of the GH receptor (GHR) appears to be preventive for type 2 diabetes mellitus in adult subjects (GH&IGF Res 2007;17:392). Aim of this study was to investigate possible influences of the GHR-d3 polymorohism on glucose metabolism, lipid profile and BMI in children treated with GH for G...

Objectives: Hypogonadism is often associated with diabetes mellitus and both conditions represent major risk factors for erectile dysfunction (ED). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of diabetes-induced hypogonadism on ED using two distinct animal models: alloxan-rabbits and streptozotocin (STZ)-rats.Methods: A subgroup of diabetic animals was Testosterone (T) replaced. After 8 weeks from induction of diabetes, erectile function was evaluat...

Background: Calcifediol (25(OH)D3), the major circulating form and the direct precursor of the biologically active form of vitamin D, has been identified as an agonist ligand for vitamin D receptor (VDR) with anti-proliferative effects and gene regulatory function despite having a lower receptor affinity respect than the biologically active form of vitamin D3. In fact, recent studies have suggested that 25(OH)D3 can regulate gene expression by ...

Background: Multiple endocrine neoplasia of type 1 (MEN1) is a rare heritable endocrine tumor syndrome that results from biallelic inactivation of the MEN1 gene and the loss of menin protein, that was characterized by a susceptibility to the development of multiple endocrine neoplasms within a single patient. The MEN1 gene screening is helpful in the clinical practice for early genetic diagnosis. Unfortunately, the lack of genotype-phenotype correlation doesn’t allow to f...

BXL-628 is a non-hypercalcemic calcitriol analog successfully tested in a phase IIa trial for benign prostate hyperplasia therapy. Because part of low urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are generated by overactive bladder (OAB) and bladder expresses the calcitriol receptor (VDR), we investigated the BXL-628 effects on bladder contractility and RhoA/ROK signalling activated in OAB, by in vivo (2-weeks; 30 mcg/Kg, Sprague-Dawley, SD, and spontaneously hypertensive rats, SHR) a...

Parathyroid carcinoma (PC) is an extremely rare endocrine malignancy of the parathyroid glands, representing less than 1% of all parathyroid neoplasms. PC is characterized by an excessive secretion of parathyroid hormone (PTH) and severe hypercalcemia. In contrast to parathyroid adenoma, the prognosis for patients with PC is poor, with an overall survival rate of 78-85% and 49-70% respectively at 5 and 10 years after diagnosis, due to the commonly unmanageable hypercalcaemia, ...

Introduction: Insulin resistance is a common finding in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and is considered a major aspect in this condition, as it likely plays a role in the pathogenesis of both hyperandrogenism and several metabolic abnormalities, frequently found in these women. Despite its significance, prevalence of insulin resistance in PCOS subjects is still unclear, as it was assessed in small samples and/or by using surrogate parameters of insulin action. Mo...

Objectives: Radical prostatectomy is an effective therapy for clinically localized prostate cancer. A significant number of men develops post-prostatectomy erectile dysfunction (PPED), due to surgery-related nervous damage. PPED is relatively refractory to PDE5i therapy. In a rat model of bilateral cavernous neurotomy we evaluated whether chronic tadalafil treatment (CTT) could ameliorate anatomical and functional damage to corpora cavernosa (CC).Methods...

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a metabolic compartment participating in virtually all anabolic and catabolic branches of cellular metabolism. The redox balance of pyridine nucleotides is a major regulator of the metabolism. Several observations demonstrate their presence in the lumen of the ER. NADPH donates electrons for biosynthetic reactions, biotransformation and antioxidant defense; its reduced state is ensured by NADP+-dependent dehydrogenases. In the ER lu...