Endocrine Abstracts

Cyclic AMP (cAMP) is the principal intracellular mediator of TSH effects in the thyroid, inducing both thyroid hormone production and cell proliferation. This notion derives from a large series of evidences, mainly obtained by biochemical approaches on cell lines or primary thyrocytes. However, given the limited resolution in time and space of the techniques employed so far, little is know about the spatial localization and temporal dynamics of cAMP signaling in thyroid cells....

Congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (CHH) is a rare condition characterized by impairment of pubertal development, that can be associated with hypo/anosmia (Kallmann Syndrome, KS) or normosmia (nCHH). A genetic basis can be identified in nearly 50% of cases, with increasingly common detection of oligogenicity. CHH has a strong male predominance (MtoF ratio 5–3:1), although sex ratio for CHH in families with autosomal inheritance has been proven to be close to equal....

Introduction: TSH-secreting pituitary adenomas (TSHomas) are a rare cause of central hyperthyroidism, accounting for less than 1% of all pituitary adenomas, with a prevalence in the general population of 1-2 cases per million.Case Presentation: A 45-year-old female patient presented in 2009 with hypertension and tachycardia: blood tests revealed an inappropriately normal TSH with high fT3/fT4 levels and primary hyperaldosteronism. She declined further in...

Background: Recent data suggest a direct effect of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) on the skeletal metabolism. Particularly, it can encourage bone resorption and also inhibit osteoblast differentiation. High FSH levels have been found to correlate with impaired bone health in females, whilst evidence in males remains somewhat poor and conflicting. Intriguingly, men with primary and central hypogonadism might represent a novel study model in this context.<p class="abstex...

Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) is one of the major causes of female infertility, affecting about 3.7% of women before the age of 40. POI is associated with the premature loss of ovarian function and can manifest with primary amenorrhea (PA) or post-pubertal secondary amenorrhea (SA), with elevated gonadotropins and hypoestrogenism. Several evidence established a clear genetic component to POI, albeit heterogeneous. In search of novel causative genes, we screened 64 POI pa...

Introduction: Kallmann syndrome (KS) is a genetic condition characterized by the association of anosmia or hyposmia and GnRH deficiency resulting in congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (CHH). Different genes can be implicated in KS, and the most frequent allelic variant occurs in the KAL1/ANOS1 gene in the X-linked form. Differential diagnosis is often made with other rare genetic diseases as CHARGE syndrome (CS) that includes hypogonadism, hyposmia and several organ defe...

Introduction: Feminizing hormone therapy (HT) for male-assigned at birth (AMAB) includes estrogens, often in combination with anti-androgens. Several studies have reported an increased incidence of cardiovascular diseases and venous thromboembolism in AMAB receiving estrogens. Indeed, procoagulant changes induced by estrogen-based HT occur in transwomen as well as in cisgender individuals. Therefore, using estrogen in gender-affirming HT is relatively contraindicated in those ...

Studies conducted using knockout mouse model revealed that defects of PROKR2 affect the correct ontogeny of GnRH neurons and, by consequence, neuroendocrine control of reproduction. Nevertheless its exact role during these processes and in the pathogenesis of congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (CHH) remains elusive due to the phenotypic differences observed between mouse and human. Zebrafish (ZF) has emerged in the last ten years as a reliable model organism for studying...

The G protein-coupled receptor PROKR2 play an important and not fully understood role in GnRH-secreting neurons physiology. Indeed, mutations of PROKR2 in humans are known to cause Congenital Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism (CHH) although with an important reproductive and olfactory phenotypic heterogeneity. The attempt to mimic PROKR2 human allelic variants in mouse model has so far failed to give insights into the mechanisms involved. The zebrafish (ZF), due to its amenability...

CHH is a rare disease with a relevant genetic background, and is characterized by a failure to enter (complete forms) or to complete (partial forms) pubertal development. It requires a treatment to allow the completion of puberty, and in male this goal can be achieved either using testosterone replacement therapy or administering gonadotropins (Gn); the latter allows both testicular development and the endogenous testosterone production. There are few studies evaluating the th...