Endocrine Abstracts

Background: The development of a vascular supply is a critical factor in the growth and metastatic spread of malignant tumors. The recognition of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway as a key regulator of angiogenesis has led to a considerable efforts to exploit its potential for therapy in oncology. Endocrine gland-derived (EG-VEGF) has been recently identified as an endothelial cell mitogen, predominantly expressed in steroidogenic tissues; it represents a n...

Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) gene polymorphisms have been associated with interindividual variations in glucocorticoid sensitivity in healthy individuals.Aim: Aim of this study was to investigate whether there was an association with sensitivity to glucocorticoids and bone mineral density in HPA axis disorders.Methods: We analyzed 3 polymorphisms of the GR gene (Bcl1, N363S, ER22/23EK) in 185 subjects: 52 patients with Cushing&#146...

Objective: Interindividual variation in glucocorticoid sensitivity can be partly explained by polymorphisms in the GC receptor gene. The most frequent polymorphisms of the GR gene (N363S and BclI) are associated with increased BMI, less lean mass, higher cholesterol and insulin levels. In the present study we investigated the role of the N363S and the BclI polymorphisms in patients with adrenal disease to evaluate their prevalence and the possible clinic and hormone correlatio...