Endocrine Abstracts

Statins are effective treatment for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and used extensively worldwide. However, adverse effects induced by statins are the major barrier of maximalising cardiovascular risk reduction. Hypothyroidism and administration of drugs metabolised on the same cytochrome P450 (CYPP450) pathways where statin biotransformation occurs represent a significant risk factor for statin induced adverse effects including myopathy. Simvastatin, atorvastatin a...

Introduction: Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare inherited metabolic disorder that leads to the toxic accumulation of phenylalanine (Phe) causing usually severe mental retardation and seizures. The basis of the lifelong therapy is low in natural-protein diet and Phe-free amino acid mixtures, that provide the daily necessary amino acids, vitamins and micronutrients, such as Iodine and Selenium. It is not well known, whether the adherence to the therapy can influence the thyroid fu...

Introduction: Acromegaly is usually caused by pituitary macroadenoma producing excess growth hormone. Treatment options include surgery to remove the tumor, medications, and radiation therapy.Case report: A 39-year-old woman has been referred to the endocrine clinic with suspected acromegaly in December 2019. Surgery for benign ovarian cyst, endometriosis, amenorrhoea, unsuccessful in vitro fertilisations were present in her medical history. She complain...

Objectives: The use of levothyroxine (LT4) treatment aiming to improve fertility in euthyroid women with positive thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb), is not supported by the available evidence, however the extent to which this is applied in clinical practice is unknown. The aim of the study was to document the demographic, work-related characteristics, and therapeutic choices of European physicians in the case of euthyroid infertile women positive for TPOAb.<p class="ab...

Objectives: Some hypothyroid patients are critical of their care, although this appears to vary between countries. The quality of thyroid care delivered, and the perceived patient experience may be influenced by characteristics of specialists such as age, sex, experience, and workplace setting. Here, we aimed to explore geographical differences in thyroid specialist characteristics.Methods: THESIS is a large European questionnaire survey of thyroid speci...

Drinking water is the major natural source of iodine in many European countries. In the present study, we examined possible sites of iodine loss during the usual water purification process. Water samples from 6 sites during the technological process were taken and analyzed for iodine content. Under laboratory circumstances, prepared iodine in water solution has been used as a model to test the effect of the presence of chlorine. Samples from the purification sites revealed tha...

Introduction: Adrenal scintigraphy using [131I]6ß-iodomethyl-19-norcholesterol has been available since 1975, primarily for the diagnosis of hyperaldosteronism helping to distinguish between unilateral adenoma and bilateral hyperplasia. First line treatment of ACTH-independent form of Cushing syndrome is surgery after localization of the cortisol-producing adrenal tumour.Case report: A 31-year-old woman has been referred to the endocrine ...

Introduction: Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is one of the most common causes of non-neoplastic hypercalcemia with characteristically increased or inappropriately normal plasma parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels. Hypercalcemia is also a significant feature of patients with multiple myeloma (MM), and a pathogenetic link is presumed between the two diseases, strengthened by preclinical data. Only limited number of case reports of concomitant PHPT and MM are available in the li...

Objectives: Differentiation of orbital fibroblasts (OFs) into myofibroblastic phenotype contributes to tissue remodelling in thyroid eye disease (TED). Our study aimed to investigate the impact of TGF-β1 induced myofibroblast differentiation on hyaluronan turnover, with a particular focus on the expression of its key enzymes.Methods: OF cultures were established from tissue samples acquired from decompression surgeries of patients with TED (TED-OFs;...

Introduction: During the course of thyroid eye disease (TED) immune cells infiltrate the orbital connective tissue leading to overstimulation of orbital fibroblasts (OFs). In the persistent inflammatory environment, OFs differentiate into myofibroblasts or adipocytes, simultaneously creating two phenotypes with different morphology and function. Activated OFs secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors and contribute to the prolonged inflammation, among other things ...