Endocrine Abstracts

In type 2 diabetes (T2DM), cardiomiopathy is characterized by an impairment of diastolic performance resulting in ventricular hypertrophy and dilatation. Heart remodelling leads to an increase in its angle of torsion, measurable by innovative cine-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). To evaluate the impact of phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors (PDE5i) on cardiovascular performance in T2DM, we designed a randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind (subject/outcome assessor) study on ...

Background: Graves’ orbitopathy (GO) is the major extrathyroidal manifestation of Graves’ disease (GD). Even if usually mild and non-progressive, in its worst forms, GO can represent a major therapeutic challenge, because is not always responsive to the available medical treatments. First line treatment for moderate-to-severe and active GO relies on intravenous (i.v.) methylprednisolone. Optic neuropathy is a sight-threatening complication which can seriously impact ...

Introduction: GEP-NENs represent a heterogeneous group of neoplasms with increasing incidence in the last years. Pathogenesis and risk factors of sporadic GEP-NENs are not clear and still debated. The aim of this study is to evaluate the main risk factors for sporadic GEP-NENs in patients followed by the NETTARE Unit (NeuroEndocrine TAsk force of of ‘Sapienza’ University of Rome).Methods: We performed a case-control study including 32 consecuti...

Introduction: Glucose metabolism impairment is a common complication of acromegaly. Somatostatin analogs (SSAs) are used as both first and second line treatment. The effect of SSAs on glucose metabolism in acromegaly is still debated.Aim: To address the following questions: 1) do SSAs affect glucose metabolism? 2) does the effect correlate with disease control? 3) do different SSAs – Lanreotide (LAN) and octreotide LAR (OCT) – affect metabolism...

Background: Sunitinib (SUN) is a novel oral multitarget tyrosine-kinase inhibitor (TKI) that has demonstrated its efficacy in the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). The thyroid dysfunction is one of the most common side effects of SUN. The mechanisms inducing thyroid dysfunction are still poorly understood.Aim: Identify the incidence, severity, ultrasonographic changes and pattern of response of thyroid function tests during treatment w...

Introduction: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) show promising efficacy in the treatment of a wide range of advanced cancers, butlong-term response is currently limited to a subset of patients. Sarcopenia is a condition characterized by loss of skeletal muscle mass and decreased muscle function which occurs in approximately 50% of advanced cancer patients,related to malnutrition, inflammation, and treatments.Objective: The aim of this prospective o...

Ageing in men is accompanied by a decline in serum testosterone (T) levels and increased risk of cardiovascular disease, osteopenia, visceral obesity and impaired metabolism. These conditions have complex aetiologies that may share a common pro-inflammatory state. We investigated the impact of T therapy on cytokines and angiogenic factors involved in atherosclerosis and bone loss, in hypogonadal men who underwent androgen replacement. We carried out a 6 months, randomized, dou...

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) significantly impacts Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) and sexual function. The aim of this study was to evaluate sex differences in HRQoL and sexual function in patients with T2DM.Methods: We performed an ancillary study of RECOGITO trial (REmodelling in Diabetic CardiOmyopathy: Gender Response to PDE5i InhibiTOrs - NCT01803828). All patients completed the 36-item-Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), assess...

Introduction: Immune tumor microenvironment plays a key role in tumors’ growth and metastatic spread, while its role in the heterogeneous field of neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) remains unclear. There is evidence that tumor progression in NENs is promoted by an immunosuppressed microenvironment created by a plethora of infiltrating immune cells. Changes in circulating leukocyte and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) subpopulations can mirror the local alteration of...

Introduction: Cardiac abnormalities are common in patients with acromegaly and contribute to the increased morbidity and mortality of the disease. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is the established, non-invasive gold standard for measuring morpho-functional changes of the heart. We aimed to detect cardiac alterations in patients with acromegaly through CMR and to identify potential risk factors associated with cardiac impairment.Materials and methods: T...