Endocrine Abstracts

Objective: To investigate long-term effects of GH replacement therapy.Material and methods: Thirty-nine patients (mean age 52.5 years, 14 women) with adult-onset growth hormone deficiency (AOGHD), recruited from a randomized placebo-controlled crossover study of treatment with growth hormone (GH) and placebo for 9months each, were enrolled in an open prospective follow up study. GH replacement was given for additional thirty-three months and was individu...

Background and aims: Non-prescribed use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) is associated with a wide range of health risks including AAS-induced hypogonadism (ASIH) caused by negative feedback suppression on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. Testicular function might be reduced for months up to years after AAS-cessation, increasing the risk of developing fatigue, decreased libido, erectile dysfunction, infertility, sleep disorder, depression and anxiety. There ...

Introduction: Patients planned for first time surgery for clinically non-functioning pituitary adenoma (NFPA) were included in this prospective study.Aims: – To study the prevalence of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis failure preoperatively and 3 months after surgery for clinically NFPA.– To investigate factors predicting risk of HPA axis failure postoperatively.Hypotheses<p class="abst...

Context: Angiopoietin-like protein 4 (Angptl4) is a protein involved in lipolysis, that is regulated by non-esterified free fatty acids (FFA). GH promotes lipolysis and increases circulating FFA. Hypothesis: GH increases circulating Angptl4 levels by modulating its expression and secretion from fat and muscle. Angptl4 might be of metabolic relevance for the insulin resistance associated with GH/IGF1 excess or deficiency.Objective: To evaluate Angptl4 in ...

Background: Surgery is accepted as first line treatment of somatotroph macroadenomas with involvement of the optic chiasm. However, during recent years somatostatin analogues (SA) have increasingly been used as primary treatment improving ultimate cure rate, as SA’s have anti-proliferative effects in most tumours. We demonstrate here positive effect of subacute/acute SA treatment on tumour shrinkage and chiasm decompression in two recently diagnosed acromegalic patients.<...

Currently, no treatment options exist to improve semen quality for the majority of infertile men. Proper interaction between germ and Sertoli cells in the testis is critical for sperm production, and a recent study suggested that Denosumab, an inhibitor of RANKL signaling, may stimulate sperm production in some infertile men. Here, we show in animal and human studies how expression of the RANKL signaling system is critical for both Sertoli cell function and the testicular resp...

Introduction: Vitamin D (VD) is metabolized locally in the testis, and ablation of the VD receptor (Vdr−/−) in mice has proven a valid model for hereditary VD resistant rickets. However, only one of three published Vdr−/− strains presented with male infertility. Here, we investigated reproductive hormones, gene expression and the testicular histological phenotype of male Vdr−/−mice,...

Background: Current dogma states that in autoimmune Addison’s disease (AAD), all adrenocortical function eventually is lost. Yet growing evidence suggests that a subgroup of patients retain some self-production.Aim: To explore whether residual production of adrenocortical steroids is present in a subgroup of AAD patients.Material and methods: In an open non-randomized cross-sectional study, an interim of 22 AAD patients delive...