Endocrine Abstracts

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) ...

Clinically silent adrenal masses discovered by abdominal imaging procedures performed for non-adrenal disorders, i.e. adrenal incidentalomas, have become a common finding in clinical practice and they represent a clinical concern because of the risk not only of malignancy but also of subclinical hormonal hypersecretion (SCS) that represents a new risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and/or osteoporosis. We studied 73 patients (39F, 34M; mean±S.E.M.: 61.6...

Object: In Addison’s disease hydrocortisone or cortisone have so far been used at doses of 30–37.5 mg/day, respectively, though several studies showed that cortisol normal production is about 5.7 mg/m2 (20–25 mg/day of hydrocortisone or cortisone, respectively). Differently from secondary hypoadrenalism, scanty data exist in patients with Addison’s disease on role of conventional glucocorticoid replacement and metabolic and cardiovascular outcome...

GH secretion is usually impaired in active Cushing’s syndrome (CS), due to concomitant mechanisms, including diminished GHRH and/or increased somatostatin release and impaired pituitary somatotrope responsiveness. Differently, IGF1 levels not parallel GH insufficiency in CS, being reported reduced, normal or increased. Both ghrelin and GHRH+arginine (ARG) are powerful GH secretagogues, influenced by age and/or BMI. In 27 CS (42.7±2.9 years, 28.8±0.9 kg/m2</...

Object: In Addison’s disease (AD), although glucocorticoid (GC) replacement is essential for health and, indeed, life, several studies showed that conventional GCs doses are involved in metabolic and cardiovascular alterations observed in this disease. As the effects of GCs are mediated by the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), encoded by NR3C1 gene, different polymorphisms in the NR3C1 gene have been linked to altered glucocorticoid sensitivity in general population as well a...