Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: The majority of adrenocortical carcinomas (ACC) autonomously produce steroids. However, urinary steroid profile of patients with ACC revealed that these tumors secrete and release predominantly intermediate metabolites. This steroid secretion pattern could be attributed to the undifferentiated status of the tumor cells expressing an incomplete pattern of enzymes involved in the steroidogenic cascade.Aims: Our study aim was to analyze the ex...

Insulin resistance is a feature of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and is related to mitochondrial and endothelial function.We tested whether hyperandrogenic insulin-resistant women with PCOS, who have an increased risk of vascular disease, display impaired leukocyte-endothelium interactions, and mitochondrial dysfunction. This was a prospective controlled study conducted in an academic medical center.The study population consisted of 43 lean reproducti...

Neuroendocrine gastroenteropancreatic tumours (GEP–NETs) are considered rare malignancies that are characterized by their ability to produce a great variety of peptides that may cause characteristic hormonal syndromes. In this study, we examined the epidemiology, clinical behaviour and prognostic factors of GEP–NETs identified in Castilla La Mancha (Spain) from 1995–2010.Patients and methods: Two hundred and sixteen patients with GEP–...

Tolvaptan (TV), an ADH V2-receptor blocker, is useful in treating SIADH-induced hyponatremia. Maximum aquaresis following 15 mg TV occurs on day 1, when excess body water is greatest. This can cause a sharp rise in natremia, and poses a risk of overcorrection. Our aim was to evaluate an initial dose of 7.5 mg.Methods: We studied 7 hospitalized patients with SIADH (4 females), median age 80 (57–95), with nadir natremias (Nap) ranging from ...

Primary aldosteronism caused by aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA) or bilateral adrenal hyperplasia is the most prevalent cause of secondary hypertension. Somatic mutations of KCNJ5, ATP1A1, CACNA1D and ATP2B3 have been shown to be involved in the formation of APA. We studied the immunoexpressions of CYP11B2 and HSD3B2, the rate-limiting enzyme for aldosterone production and the prevalent isoform of β-HSD found in APA respectively, and...

Tight junctions (TJ) exist as macromolecular complexes comprised of several types of membrane proteins, cytoskeletal proteins and signaling molecules. Recently, it has been observed that some components are regulated during epithelial–mesenchymal transition in cancer cells; however, the effects of estradiol (E2) have been poorly studied. This study sought to determine the role of E2 on the expression and cell localization of the TJ-associated protein...

Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) is one the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among men in developed countries. Therefore, the identification of novel molecular targets for treatment is urgently needed to improve patients’ outcomes. In this scenario, our group has recently reported that elements of the cellular machinery controlling alternative-splicing processes might be used as potential novel therapeutic tools for PCa. In this context, although RBM22 has been id...

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common tumor pathology in men worldwide. The medical treatments currently used as first-line therapy after surgery are anti-androgens like abiraterone or enzalutamide, which, unfortunately, fail to stop the disease in a high percentage of cases, resulting in progression towards aggressive castration-resistant PCa. Therefore, new therapeutic tools to manage PCa are urgently needed. Biguanides and statins, two types of drugs commonly used in met...

The intrinsic heterogeneity of endocrine-related cancers (ERCs) hampers the identification and development of global and effective therapeutic treatments for these pathologies. However, the dysregulation of the splicing process has been postulated as a new common hallmark shared by most cancer types, since it is associated with the appearance of splicing variants with oncogenic potential (e.g. CD44v6, BCL-Xs, AR-v7, SST5TMD4, In1-ghrelin...