Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is overexpressed in almost all human cancers (including thyroid). High serum levels are generally associated with an adverse prognosis, although the evidence related to thyroid cancer is still controversial.Aim: We aimed to evaluate pre- and post-surgical serum MMP-9 levels for its diagnostic and prognostic value in a series of patients with benign thyroid disease (BD) or differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DT...

Giant prolactinoma it’s a very rare tumor that due to its massive extension into surrounding structures can present more often with neurological complications such as visual defects, cranial nerve paresis or even hydrocephalus, unlike the classic prolactinoma presentation with amenorrhea, infertility and galactorrhea. On CT/MRI exams it can present as aggressive skull base tumor and its immunohistochemistry (IHC) may have common features with neuroendocrine neoplasms....

Background: Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is an important mediator of invasion and metastasis in neoplasia. The single nucleotide 1562 C/T polymorphism in the promoter region of the MMP-9 genewas shown to increase gene expression and was studied as a susceptibility factor for various cancers.Aim: We aimed to evaluate the impact of the MMP-9 promoter genotype on the risk of developing papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) and to correlate cancer patient gen...

Glucocorticoids (GC) act at different target tissues by binding two different intracellular receptors, the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and the mineralcorticoid receptor (MR), but the their effects vary considerably between subjects, due to a different sensitivity, which is at least partially, genetically determined. GCs are so named based on their actions on carbohydrate metabolism, namely on insulin-dependent processes. In particular, the effect of GC includes increased hepa...

Subclinical Cushing’s syndrome (SCS) is a status of altered hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis secretion in the absence of the classical signs or symptoms of overt cortisol excess. Among the various tests used for the diagnosis of SCS, the 1-mg dexamethasone test (DST) is the most used. Alprazolam (ALP), a benzodiazepine activating GABAergic receptors, possesses clear centrally-mediated inhibitory effects on ACTH and cortisol secretion in normal subjects, while it d...

HPA is negatively regulated by glucocorticoid feed-back at hypothalamic, pituitary and hippocampal level by glucocorticoid (GR) and mineralcorticoid (MR) receptors. MR antagonists impair HPA rhythm after acute administration. The aim of this study was to verify HPA activity and glico-insulinemic profile both basally and after acute administration of potassium canrenoate (CAN), before and after chronic treatment. We evaluated ACTH, cortisol (F) and dehydroepiandosterone (DHEA) ...

HPA response to glucocorticoids (GCs) feedback is usually tested by dexamethasone (DEX), a synthetic GC; it poorly crosses BBB and preferentially activates pituitaric glucocorticoid receptor (GR), with a binding potency to GR 7 fold higher and an anti-inflammatory potency about 35 fold higher than cortisol. Cortisol, which easily penetrates into CNS, could better evaluate the GC feedback by acting also at supra-pituitary level. We studied the effects of 150 min infusion of hyd...

The relationship between the level of genetic variation in CYP17, PSA genes and prostate cancer has been extensively studied but the results are still unclear. A 450c17a (CYP17) polymorphism A1/A2 was described to be significantly associated to prostate cancer. A SNP in the promotor PSA gene is an A to G substitution at position −158 (G158A) was proposed to interact differently with AR, thereby modifying the expression pattern and occurrence of prostate cancer.<p cla...

Introduction: Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is a zinc dependent proteolytic enzyme used by cells for degradation of the extracellular matrix during invasion and migration. There are only a few reports regarding the role played by MMP-9 in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).Aim: To evaluate the association between MMP-9 secretion, reflected by preoperative serum levels and the histopathological features of thyroid tumors.Materia...

Background: The role of circulating Galectin-3 as a potential biomarker of malignancy in thyroid disease remains inconclusive. In a previous pilot study we reported a significant difference between serum Gal-3 levels in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) patients and those with benign pathology, but no association with tumor aggressiveness.Aim: We measured serum Gal-3 levels in a larger series of patients submitted to thyroidectomy, in order to assess its...