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...

Erythrocytosis is a frequent adverse event associated with testosterone (T) administration in aged hypogonadal men, but the mechanisms involved remain poorly understood. T administration to aged men reduced hepcidin (Hpc) levels, a cytokine regulating iron availability, suggesting a potential role in deregulated erythropoiesis. Aim of present study was to evaluate the effects of T replacement therapy on Hpc levels in young hypogonadal men.Methods: Fifty-...

Autoimmune chronic thyroid disease (AITD) is associated with atrophic gastritis (CAG) in 29–42% of the cases. CAG and the consequent hypergastrinemia, listed as precancerous lesion, can predispose to neuroendocrine cells hyperplasia and the development of neuroendocrine gastric tumors (NET). Aim of this study was to evaluate the association of AITD with risk of gastric NET and the efficacy of somatostatin analogues treatment.Patients: From 2009 to 2...

Insulin-like factor 3 (INSL3) is produced by Leydig cells. In boys, the levels of INSL3 rise at pubertal stage P2 and further increase throughout puberty in close correlation with T and LH concentrations. In men with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH) INSL3 levels have been found very low and increased after short-term hCG treatment. Whether FSH plays a role in regulating INSL3 secretion is questioned. Aim of this study was to evaluate serum INSL3 levels during long-term hCG a...

Reversible Kallmann syndrome (KS) is a rare variant of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH) reported in men, in which gonadotropin, testosterone (T) and fertility recover spontaneously following treatment with gonadotropins or T. In a few cases mutations of FGFR1 and KAL1 genes have been found. In this report we describe a subject with a KS carrying a new homozygous mutation of PROK-R2 gene and displaying an apparent reversal of his reproductive condition. The proband, born from...

Antipituitary antibodies (APA) are frequently present in patients with autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome (APS) but their role in predicting autoimmune hypophysitis (LYH) is still discussed.To evaluate the predictive value of APA investigated by immunofluorescence for the occurrence of pituitary autoimmune dysfunction when considering together some methodological characteristics as immunostaining pattern and antibody titers, we studied 149 APA positive an...

Isolated central hypothyroidism (ICH) is a rare disease whose pathogenesis is so far linked to germinal mutations of TSHβ (several cases) or TRH receptor (TRHR) genes (only two cases). Here, we report the studies performed to elucidate the pathogenesis of idiopathic ICH in five cases (two men, three women) with low/normal TSH levels and low freeT4 levels (3–8 pmol/l). One male, negative at neonatal TSH screening, showed signs of severe hypothyroidism at 44...

The regulation of insulin-like factor 3 (INSL3) secretion from Leydig cells is still incompletely clarified. In this study we measured INSL3 serum levels in transsexual men under estrogen (E) and antiandrogen therapy or after orchiectomy. The effects of gonadotropins on testicular secretion in vitro was also evaluated.Methods: Blood samples were obtained from 14 transsexual men under long-term E (n=5) or E plus cyproterone acetate (E+CPA, <...

Celiac disease is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorder often associated with other endocrine autoimmune diseases, such as type I diabetes mellitus, Addison’s disease and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. In these patients, LH, FSH and GH secretion has been poorly investigated. Aim of this study is to evaluate anterior pituitary function, and in particular hypotalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and GH-IGF-I axis, in adult patients with treated celiac disease. For this ...

Classical somatostatin analogues (SST-A), such as octreotide and lanreotide, bind mainly SSTR2 whilst the multiligand pasireotide binds with the highest affinity SSTR5. The selective immunodetection of ligand binding domain (LBD) of SSTR subtypes with specific monoclonal antibodies may be useful to explain the potential efficacy of different SSTA on pituitary tumours growth and/or secretory activity.Patients and Methods: We applied new monoclonal antibod...