Endocrine Abstracts

Biochemical control of acromegaly is currently defined by the achievement of GH suppression after oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and of normal age- and gender-matched IGF1 levels. OGTT is believed to inhibit somatotropin secretion by enhancing central somatostatinergic tone; thus, the use of this test in evaluating biochemical control in acromegalic patients on somatostatin analogues (SSA) is questionable. To gain further insights into this topic, we analyzed basal and nad...

The diagnostic approach to GH deficiency (GHD) in obese patients is complicated by the reduced spontaneous and stimulated GH secretion associated with overweight. A GH response to GHRH+arginine lower than 4.2 μg/l is currently considered indicative of GHD in obesity (Corneli et al., Eur J Endocrinol 2005). Aim of the study was to verify the diagnostic validity of this cut-off value by investigating the effect of acute pharmacological blockade of lipolysis on...