Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Glucagon stimulation test is one of the recommended growth hormone provocation tests for diagnosing growth hormone deficiency in children. In adult patients, recent data showed that glucagon administration is able to stimulate the release of copeptin, the stable C-terminal glycopeptide of the AVP prohormone whose evaluation during hypertonic saline infusion represents the gold standard for the differential diagnosis of polyuria/polydipsia. However, similar data o...

Background: Low bone mineral density (BMD) and reduced sexual satisfaction have been reported in complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS). Nevertheless, conclusive data on the prevalence and on the optimal management of these conditions are still lacking.Aims: To assess bone and sexual health in adult women with CAIS with and without gonadectomy.Methods: Single-centre, prospective study of 27 adult CAIS (age 35.2±8.7 ye...

Background: Precocious puberty (PP) in girls is most frequently an idiopathic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-dependent PP, being thelarche the typical first sign. It is well established that increased dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) levels are associated with premature adrenarche and may characterize PP too. However, its relationship with signs of hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis activation and oestrogen exposure is still to be elucidated.<p class="...

Background: Interstitial deletions of the long arm of chromosome 1 are rare and classified as proximal or intermediate, the intermediate spanning bands 1q24–1q32. This region contains several genes, including LHX4, a LIM-homeodomain transcription factor essential in the early steps of pituitary ontogenesis. Indeed, mutations in the LHX4 gene are related to combined pituitary hormone deficiency type 4 (CPHD4, OMIM 602146).Aim: outline the impact of ...

Background: One of the main effects of growth hormone therapy (rhGH) in the adult GH deficient patient (AGHD) is to positively modify body composition, with a reduction in fat mass (BF) and an increase in total lean mass (LM). However, the response to replacement therapy is highly variable and, contrary to what described in children, the potential predictive factors are not yet known.Aim of the study: To assess the impact of basal IGF-I levels on variati...

Background: Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is the most frequent endocrinological disorder inchildren with short stature, but there are significant controversies in the diagnosis due to lack of reliablediagnostic criteria. Moreover, at final height (FH) attainment, many subjects diagnosed withisolated GHD re-test normal. It is not clear whether this represents a form of transient GHD or a false positive diagnosis during childhood.Aim: To evaluate differe...

Introduction: The effects of testosterone on coagulation have not yet been clarified. In particular, it is still controversial whether male hypogonadism, or testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), may slightly increase the risk of venous thromboembolism, in particular during the first months of therapy. This study aimed to assess the hemostatic balance in hypogonadal men before and after short-term TRT, compared to healthy controls.Methods: Thrombin gene...

Background: Pubertal induction in girls with hypogonadism through estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) aims at mimicking physiological puberty. To date, the best induction regimen is still to be established.Aims: By setting up a multicentre clinical registry, we analysed longitudinal data on pubertal induction in girls with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism or premature ovarian insufficiency (congenital, acquired, isolated or associated with multiple pituitary...

In this observational, retrospective, multicenter study, we analyzed data from 300 patients with pituitary incidentaloma followed in two Italian Hospital Center. We observed a predominance of female patients (65%), with an a mean age at diagnosis of 49 years (higher in men than women, 57 vs 45 years old). The main reason to perform imaging were neurological symptoms not related to the presence of adenomas (56%). Most cases were microadenomas (56%), and macroadenomas were more ...

Introduction: The optimal treatment duration for prolactinomas to minimize reccurences is not clear. 2011 Endocrine Society Guidelines suggested that cabergoline withdrawal may be safely undertaken after 2 years in patients achieving normoprolactinemia and tumor volume reduction.Materials and methods: We analyzed 74 patients (mean age=46.9±14.4, M/F=19/56, macro/micro=18/56) bearing a prolactinoma. Patients were divided in 3 groups: Group A (23) tre...