Endocrine Abstracts

The empty sella syndrome (ESS) is caused by the herniation of the suprarahnoidian space into the sella turcica, generating the compression of the pituitary gland and, in most cases, a remodelling of the sella. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the etiology, the degree of hormonal deficit and the occurrence rate of the signs and symptoms accompanying ESS.Material and methods: We performed a descriptive, retrospective study by analysing the medical...

Background: Bone turnover is increased in active acromegaly. Despite normalization of bone turnover after treatment, the risk for vertebral fractures remains increased. Gonadal status, but not bone mineral density (BMD) is correlated to vertebral fracture incidence. Trabecular and cortical bone are differentially affected by GH and IGF-1. The trabecular bone score (TBS) is related to bone microarchitecture and provides further information not captured by BMD measurement.<p...

Background: The aim of this case report is to underline the possible etiological link between paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) and hypothyroidism, although supraventricular arrhythmias are ordinary features of hyperthyroidism. We present the case of a patient with repetitive episodes of PSVT whose autoimmune hypothyroidism was diagnosed and thyroxin replacement therapy leaded to remission of arrhythmia.Methods: A 47 year old women with a lo...

Context: Immediate and sustained cure of acromegaly can only be achieved by surgery, however, most growth hormone (GH) producing adenomas are macroadenomas (≥ 10 mm) at diagnosis, with reported surgical cure rates of approximately 50% compared to microadenomas (<10 mm) with an expected higher cure rate (around 80%). Further, long-term data on remission rates after surgery are sparse. Aim: Estimate short- and long-term surgical remission rates o...

ObjectiveIn order to improve therapeutic outcomes for patients with acromegaly, new treatment algorithms have been developed over the last decades. Valid epidemiological data of acromegaly in Norway is lacking. The overall aim of this study was to investigate incidence, prevalence and mortality of acromegaly in South-Eastern Norway, and to investigate effects of new treatment algorithms.Design and methodPatie...

Objectives: To study the effect of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) on hormone expression in gonadotroph non-functioning pituitary neuroendocrine tumours (NF-PitNET).Background: Gonadotroph PitNETs can express FSH and LH or be hormone negative, however they rarely secrete hormones. During tumour development, epithelial cells develop a mesenchymal phenotype. This process is characterised by decreased membranous E-cadherin and translocation of E-...

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.<...

Objective: Patients with acromegaly present increased insulin resistance despite reduced adipose tissue (AT) mass. Growth hormone (GH) stimulates lipolysis, but the role of AT as a metabolic factor in patients with acromegaly is still uncertain. Moreover, there is a need for better biomarkers of disease activity in acromegaly.Methods: RNA-sequencing was performed on paired subcutaneous AT (SAT) biopsies from patients (n=6) with active acromegaly...

BackgroundCorticotroph pituitary adenomas present different degrees of functionality, from silent to whispering and finally to functioning adenomas leading to Cushing’s disease. Compared to their functioning (FCA) counterpart, the silent corticotroph adenomas (SCA) express lower levels of the corticotroph cell lineage marker–TBX19 (TPIT), proopiomelanocortin (POMC), and prohormone converting enzyme 1/3 (PC1/3, PCSK1)–t...