Endocrine Abstracts

An increased prevalence of acromegaly and pituitary tumors has recently been observed in high industrial density areas (Cannavò et al. J Endocrinol 2010) or after dioxin exposure (Pesatori et al. Eur J Endocrinol 2008). These data as well as vitro studies on endocrine disruptors (EDs) suggest that environmental pollutants may affect hormonal secretion and pituitary cell proliferation (Blake et al. Proc Soc Exp Biol...

Introduction: Pasireotide is a multireceptor-targeted somatostatin analogue effective in the treatment of patients with Cushing’s disease (CD) but associated with an increased risk of hyperglycaemia. We prospectively investigate the role of an acute pasireotide suppression test (PST) in predicting long-term response in CD.Methods: Eleven patients with CD (seven females, four males; mean age 45±17.3 years) received at 0900 h a single s.c. inject...

Context: Late-night salivary cortisol (LNSC) measurement has been promoted as an ideal screening test for the diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome (CS). However, its performance using commercially available assays has not been widely evaluated and limited data are available on its use in population with chronic medical conditions.Aim: To compare the diagnostic performance of LNSC (routine use) in patients with CS and in a patients’s group with diffe...

Introduction: Conventional cardiovascular (CV) risk factors identify only half of subjects with incident major adverse CV events (MACE). Hence new markers are needed in high CV risk subjects, as those with erectile dysfunction (ED). A role for dynamic peak systolic velocity (D-PSV) at penile color Doppler ultrasound (PCDU) has been suggested, but it is operator-dependent and time-consuming. Flaccid penile acceleration (FPA) is a PCDU parameter that reflects PSV, the systolic r...

The hormone assessment in saliva is emerging as a new valuable tool for clinical and research purposes. Salivary levels are supposed to reflect the free fraction of circulating steroids, thus representing a more informative indicator of their activity. Moreover, saliva collection is not stressful and does not require medical assistance, allowing reliable and multiple sampling in a day. Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) technology offers high s...

Obesity is characterized by hyperactivated endocannabinoid System (ECS) in brain and periphery and by increased levels of circulating endocannabinoids (cECs), anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2AG). It is still debated whether in absence of obesity cECs are only modulated by adiposity or if they are associated with cardiometabolic parameters.We recruited 155 healthy normal weight (NW, BMI: 18.5–24.9 kg/m2) drug-free volunteers ...

Background: Interstitial deletions of the long arm of chromosome 1 are rare and classified as proximal or intermediate, the intermediate spanning bands 1q24–1q32. This region contains several genes, including LHX4, a LIM-homeodomain transcription factor essential in the early steps of pituitary ontogenesis. Indeed, mutations in the LHX4 gene are related to combined pituitary hormone deficiency type 4 (CPHD4, OMIM 602146).Aim: outline the impact of ...

Silibinin, a milk thistle extract with known hepatoprotective effects, has recently been shown to act upon tumoral corticotropes and revert the Cushingoid phenotype in an allograft mouse model (Riebold et al. 2015). Silbinin is known to inhibit HSP90 -a chaperone to the glucocorticoid receptor-thereby restoring sensitivity to glucocorticoid negative feedback in tumoral corticotropes. Aim of the present study was to assess the effect of silibinin on ACTH synthesis and ...

CHH is a rare disease with a relevant genetic background, and is characterized by a failure to enter (complete forms) or to complete (partial forms) pubertal development. It requires a treatment to allow the completion of puberty, and in male this goal can be achieved either using testosterone replacement therapy or administering gonadotropins (Gn); the latter allows both testicular development and the endogenous testosterone production. There are few studies evaluating the th...

Adult-onset hypothyroidism is related to anxiety, depression, and impaired neurocognition. Guidelines from all professional societies recommend levothyroxine (LT4) monotherapy as the treatment of choice. However, ~15% hypothyroid patients do not achieve a satisfactory functional level despite TSH within the reference range. The beneficial effects of combining LT4 and liothyronine (LT3) to improve neuropsychiatric functions remains unclear. Recently, 3-iodothyronamine (T1A...