Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Obesity is characterized by an expanded and chronically inflamed adipose tissue (AT). The galectin (Gal) family of proteins exerts a variety of activities, including regulation of inflammation and adipogenesis.Methods: We used RT-PCR, ELISA and flow cytometry to evaluate regulation of expression and production of 4 members of the Gal family – Gal1, Gal3, Gal9 and Gal12 – in visceral (VAT) and subcutaneous (SAT) adipose tissue of m...

Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) belong to the same superfamily of regulatory neuropeptides which also comprises VIP, glucagon, secretin and GIP. Both GHRH and PACAP have been characterized on the basis of their hypophysiotropic activities. In the course of vertebrate evolution, the primary structure of GHRH has markedly diverged while the sequence of PACAP has been remarkably well preserved. In mammals, GHR...

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among men in developed countries. Therefore, identification of novel molecular and therapeutic approaches to tackle this pathology are urgently needed. 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 against PCa and castration-resistant PCa (CRPC). In this context, RBM22 ...

Background: Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is usually associated with an excellent prognosis. The main cause of death is due to distant metastases, but distant metastatic DTC (dmDTC) presents an interpatient heterogeneity. Some patients with distant metastases live with stable disease for many years, while others die very early. Still no effective biomarkers are available to predict either which patients will eventually develop distant metastases or what will be the final...