Endocrine Abstracts

Glucocorticoids (GC) act at different target tissues by binding two different intracellular receptors, the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and the mineralcorticoid receptor (MR), but the their effects vary considerably between subjects, due to a different sensitivity, which is at least partially, genetically determined. GCs are so named based on their actions on carbohydrate metabolism, namely on insulin-dependent processes. In particular, the effect of GC includes increased hepa...

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...

HPA response to glucocorticoids (GCs) feedback is usually tested by dexamethasone (DEX), a synthetic GC; it poorly crosses BBB and preferentially activates pituitaric glucocorticoid receptor (GR), with a binding potency to GR 7 fold higher and an anti-inflammatory potency about 35 fold higher than cortisol. Cortisol, which easily penetrates into CNS, could better evaluate the GC feedback by acting also at supra-pituitary level. We studied the effects of 150 min infusion of hyd...

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</...

Central serotoninergic activity (CSA) is known to influence the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, and a CSA loss seems to play a role in human brain aging and in etiology of functional hypercortisolism and depression, whose incidence increase with advancing age. Citalopram (CT), a SSRI, has been considered a good tool to evaluate CSA in humans. Aim of this study was to evaluate the neuroendocrine response to CT in healthy adult subjects during lifespan. We e...

In primary adrenal insufficiency hydrocortisone or cortisone are commonly used at doses of 30–37.5 mg/day as replacement therapy, though recent studies showed that cortisol normal production is about 5.7 mg/m2, equivalent to 20 mg/day of hydrocortisone, suggesting that supraphysiological doses are used. In 19 Addison’s disease patients (8 M, 11 F, 23–71 yr) under conventional glucocorticoid replacement therapy (37.5 mg cortisone/day) with low DHEAS le...

Background: In vitro and animal experiments have clearly demonstrated that excessive cortisol, GH and prolactin secretion, as well as dopamine agonists (D2As) and somatostatin analogs (SSAs), often prescribed for their treatment, affect the immune response and the onset/evolution of autoimmune diseases (AIDs) through direct and indirect complex mechanisms. Data from clinical studies are very scanty.Study aim: To assess the 1) distribution of AIDs accordi...

Introduction: Recent studies found an increased cardiometabolic risk in patients with Non-Functioning Adrenal Incidentaloma (NFAI), but all these data have low quality of evidence.Objective: To establish whether cardiometabolic risk and complications in NFAI patients can be associated to the presence of a non-secreting adrenal tumor, independently from potential confounding factors.Subjects and Methods: In this cross-sectional and ...