Endocrine Abstracts

Background: The relationships between thyroid hormones (TH) and platelets (PLT) have not been fully established. Physiological concentrations of L-thyroxine (T4) activate human PLT resulting in ATP release and aggregation. On the other hand, subclinical hypothyroidism has been frequently associated with hypercoagulability, in particular mean platelet volume (MPV), a marker of platelet activation, has been found higher in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism. A possible pro...

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is associated with increased mortality, and the key factors predictive of its development among patients with obesity are still unclear. We recently demonstrated with a machine learning approach that Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) is a novel marker of metabolic health and that in individuals with obesity, lower IGF-1 levels are associated with increased metabolic deterioration. However, the interpretation of IGF-1 serum measurement is ...

Background and aim: Sirtuin1 (SIRT1) and sclerostin play important roles in adipose tissue and bone metabolism. SIRT1 pharmacological induction improves bone quality both in murine and human models and- as adiposity increases – its expression decreases both in peripheral tissues and blood. Sclerostin reduces osteoblasts’ differentiation and mineralization and is associated with DMT2, obesity and cardiovascular risk. We evaluated the circulating SIRT1 and sclerostin r...

Case Summary: In May 2018, a 22-year-old man was admitted to the Emergency Room of Polyclinic Umberto I Hospital of Rome, because of progressive headaches and binocular diplopia. Brain MRI revealed a heterogeneous T1WI-hypointense and T2WI-hyperintense mass of 40x28x25 mm (CC, LL, AP) including calcification areas in the left paramedian region of the clivus invading the homolateral cavernous sinus. The patient underwent partial tumour resection via infratemporal approach and a...

Background and aim: Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is considered the gold standard to evaluate BC, even if it requires the use of radiations, an expensive equipment and cannot be performed at the patient’s bedside. Nutritional ultrasound (NU) evaluates BC through the assessment of muscle mass and the abdominal subcutaneous (superficial and deep-layer) and visceral adipose tissue. We aimed at comparing the accuracy and reliability of this emerging tool with DXA in ...

Obesity is associated with hemodynamic alterations that may lead to heart failure (HF), through the development of cardiac structural abnormalities and impairment of ventricular function. Obesity-related neurohormonal and metabolic disturbances may predispose to HF, even in the absence of comorbidities. Excess adipose tissue and in particular visceral adiposity contributes to the altered production of a number of anabolic hormones also involved in the regulation of the cardiac...

Background: Oxytocin (OXT) enhances glucose uptake and lipid utilization in adipose tissue and skeletal muscle.Dysfunction of the OXT system could underlie the pathogenesis of weight gain. Men and women with obesity were reported to have higher OXT blood levels compared to normal weight subjects. In contrast, metabolic syndrome has been associated with reduced fasting serum oxytocin in larger scale mixed gender studies.Aim: Data regarding the oxytocin sy...

Background: Reduced growth hormone (GH) secretory capacity is common in patients with obesity and metabolic derangements. The prevalence of GH deficiency (GHD) in this population is difficult to establish. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) pituitary findings may reflect specific endocrine alterations, as for GHD which is associated with lower pituitary height and volume (PV).Purpose: Our aim was to identify the pituitary morphological alterations predicti...