Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Glucagon stimulation test is one of the recommended growth hormone provocation tests for diagnosing growth hormone deficiency in children. In adult patients, recent data showed that glucagon administration is able to stimulate the release of copeptin, the stable C-terminal glycopeptide of the AVP prohormone whose evaluation during hypertonic saline infusion represents the gold standard for the differential diagnosis of polyuria/polydipsia. However, similar data o...

Background: Routine clinical use of arginine-vasopressin (AVP) is limited by its small molecular size and pre-analytical errors. In contrast, copeptin – a peptide of 39 amino acids co-secreted with arginine-vasopressin (AVP) - is a stable protein and its measurement represents a reliable measure of AVP concentration. The aim of this study was to analyze diagnostic role of copeptin in diagnosis of diabetes insipidus (DI) in patients treated for hypothalamic-pituitary disea...

Cortisol and cortisone are interconverted by type 1 and type 2 11ßhydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11ßHSD) isoenzymes. The type 1 isoenzyme is a widely expressed reductase that converts cortisone to cortisol regulating glucocorticoid tissue exposure. Its activity is inhibited by GH and IGF-I, being increased in GH deficiency (GHD) and decreased in acromegaly. In our experience rhGH therapy unmasked a central hypoadrenal state in adults with organic GHD, likely by normal...

Background: The treatment of choice in patients with Cushing Disease (CD) is pituitary surgery (PS). A successful PS is generally followed by adrenal insufficiency (AI). Although the remission rate after PS may reach 96.6% of cases, approximately 1/3 of cured patients experience the recurrence of the disease during lifetime. The aim of this study was to analyze the duration of AI in relation with the recurrence of CD.Materials and methods: We performed a...

Introduction: The effects of testosterone on coagulation have not yet been clarified. In particular, it is still controversial whether male hypogonadism, or testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), may slightly increase the risk of venous thromboembolism, in particular during the first months of therapy. This study aimed to assess the hemostatic balance in hypogonadal men before and after short-term TRT, compared to healthy controls.Methods: Thrombin gene...

Objective: Several studies reported that a long-time therapy with somatostatin analogs (SSTa) in acromegaly could induce persistent remission event after drug withdrawal. The aim of this study was to evaluate GH/IGF-I secretion after SSTa discontinuation in a series of acromegalic patients.Materials and methods: Data of 21 patients regularly referred to our Centre and previously included in a multicentre study, have been updated at the last available fol...

Background: Subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) is a frequent clinical condition with a prevalence of 3–15% in general population. It is defined by elevated TSH levels with normal thyroid hormones [free thyroxine (FT4) and free triiodothyronine (FT3)]. Similar to prolactin, high TSH levels may be caused by macroTSH, a large molecular sized TSH with a low bioactivity. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of macroTSH in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism....

Background: In acromegalic patients, quality of life reduction and neuropsychological impairment are common, in addition to well-known complications related to the pituitary adenoma and to the GH/IGF-I excess. Acromegalic patients need a lot of outpatient visits and a multidisciplinary approach during the management of the disease and its comorbidities. Aim of the project is to analyze the role of an electronic health device (eHD) with remote monitoring in management of acrome...

Introduction: Non-functioning pituitary adenomas (NFPA) accounts for about 40% of all pituitary tumors. One or more anteropituitary deficiencies are present at diagnosis in 60–80% of NFPA. Hypopituitarism classically appears with the following order: GH→FSH/LH→TSH→ACTH. Aim of the study was to evaluate the incidence and the order of appearance of pituitary deficiencies in patients with NFPA.Materials and methods: We retrospectively...

Background: Patients with Cushing’s Syndrome (CS) have a high risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) related to a hypercoagulable state. Previous studies showed increased levels of procoagulant factors but also an elevation of some of the anticoagulants factors and fibrinolytic enzymes. Once patients achieve disease remission, there is a significant decrease of some procoagulant factors but if these alterations are completely reversible is still unclear. Compared to tradit...