Endocrine Abstracts

Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) dysfunction is closely associated with the rising incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Two distinct types of adipose tissue, white (WAT) and brown (BAT), are present in mammals. Development of ‘brown-like’ adipocytes within white adipose tissue has potential antiobesity and insulin-sensitizing effects. Genetic manipulation of cGMP formation suggests a new role for this pathway in preadipocytes commitme...

Tumoral calcinosis is a rare autosomal recessive disease characterized by hyperphosphatemia due to increased renal phosphate reabsorption leading to soft tissue calcifications. The levels of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), a hormone required for normal renal phosphate reabsorption, are typically low in the classic form of the disease due to homozygous missense mutations in FGF23 or in the UDP-Nacetyl-alpha-D galactosamine:polypeptide N-acetylgalactos...

Background: Calcifediol (25(OH)D3), the major circulating form and the direct precursor of the biologically active form of vitamin D, has been identified as an agonist ligand for vitamin D receptor (VDR) with anti-proliferative effects and gene regulatory function despite having a lower receptor affinity respect than the biologically active form of vitamin D3. In fact, recent studies have suggested that 25(OH)D3 can regulate gene expression by ...

Background: Multiple endocrine neoplasia of type 1 (MEN1) is a rare heritable endocrine tumor syndrome that results from biallelic inactivation of the MEN1 gene and the loss of menin protein, that was characterized by a susceptibility to the development of multiple endocrine neoplasms within a single patient. The MEN1 gene screening is helpful in the clinical practice for early genetic diagnosis. Unfortunately, the lack of genotype-phenotype correlation doesn’t allow to f...

Objective: Substitution treatment of hypogonadism in clinical and experimental models has shown beneficial effects on insulin sensitivity and accumulation of visceral and liver fat. Aim of the study was to analyze the effects of testosterone replacement therapy on benign prostatic hyperplasia/lower urinary tract symptoms (BPH/LUTS) clinical parameters, adipose tissue dysfunction and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in obese patients candidates for bariatric surgery.</p...

A pathogenic link between erectile dysfunction (ED) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) is now well established. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the hepatic hallmark of MetS, is regarded as an active player in the pathogenesis of MetS-associated cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study was aimed at evaluating the relationship between MetS-induced NASH and penile dysfunction. We used a non-genomic, high fat diet (HFD)-induced, rabbit model of MetS, and treated HFD rabbits with t...

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare tumor with poor prognosis due to its highly malignant phenotype and lack of effective treatment options.The etiology of ACC is still unknown. To better understand the pathogenesis of this type of tumor and to determine differentially abundant proteins and candidate biomarkers for adrenal cancer diagnosis and prognosis, we used a novel approach based on two-dimensional differential gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE). Pr...

Besides their well-known anti-diabetic effects, the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) thiazolidinedione ligands (TZD) have been suggested to also display anti-inflammatory properties. The receptor role in mediating such effects is far from being elucidated. Here, we demonstrate that PPARγ is necessary for TZD to interfere with TNFα and IFNγ inflammatory activity in human endothelial cells. Different PPARγ ligands similarly inhib...

Microvascular endothelium is one of the main character and target involved in the inflammatory response. Upon specific activation, endothelial cells massively recruit Th1 IFNgamma secreting lymphocytes at the inflammatory site. In the present study, we investigate the intracellular signalling mediating TNFalpha (T) and IFNgamma (I) inflammatory response in a human endothelial cell line (HMEC-1) in vitro and the interfering effects of rosiglitazone (RGZ), a peroxisome pr...

Serotonergic transmission is involved in eating behaviour and body weight control. Comparison of SERT properties in blood platelets and serotonergic synaptosomes suggests that the human platelet can serve as an appropriate model for the transport, metabolism and release of serotonin by serotonergic neurons.Aim of this study was to evaluate SERT expression in platelets obtained from overweight or obese subjects (OB) as compared with normal weight healthy volunteers (C), and to ...