Endocrine Abstracts

Liver X receptors (LXRalfa and LXRalfa) act on the cholesterol homeostasis in several tissues, including adrenals. In particular, LXRalfa regulates the expression of several genes involved in the cholesterol efflux and storage and modulates glucocorticoid synthesis in mice. The level of the expression of LXRs in the human adrenal adenomas is unknown. We evaluated LXRalfa and LXRbeta mRNA levels in cortisol-secreting adenomas (CSA) and in the surrounding normal tissue, obtained...

The stable somatostatin analog octreotide has been successfully used for imaging and treatment of a variety of human tumors. Octreotide treatment has been reported of limited value in pheochromocytoma (PHEO). PHEOs often express more than one somatostatin receptor, and it is uncertain by which receptor subtype the functional responses of octreotide are mediated. A recent study showed by immunohistochemical staining that vast majority of tumors (90%) were positive for sst(3), i...