Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Increased rates of autoimmune diseases (ADs) have been reported in association with Hashimoto′s thyroiditis (HT); however, the risk factors for coexisting ADs in HT patients have been poorly investigated.Objective: To evaluate the prevalence and factors associated with AD comorbidities in patients with HT.Materials and Methods: We recruited 687 patients (626 F and 61 M, mean age at diagnosis 39 ± 14.06 yr, F:...

Objective: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent organic pollutants that that have been reported to cause a variety of toxic effects, including inflammation and cancer, through binding to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). In turn, AhR promotes xenobiotic detoxification and antioxidant defense, by up-regulating specific responsive genes, the so-called “AhR gene battery”. AhR is also involved in modulation of immune response, by regulating programmed cell ...

Background: Cystic fibrosis (CF), a monogenic disease from mutations in the CFTR gene on chromosome 7, causes pancreatic insufficiency and impaired nutrients absorption. Unlike other malabsorption disorders, no data are available in literature on L-T4 absorption in CF. This study analyzed L-T4 absorption and requirement in hypothyroid CF patients.Methods: Ten CF patients (7 F, 3 M; mean age 37 yr), with autoimmune (n=6) or post-thyroidectomy (<e...

Background: Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is a rare metabolic, inherited disease of bone metabolism, caused by loss-of-function mutations within the gene coding for TNSALP, that result in a decrease in serum ALP concentrations and consequent accumulation of ALP substrates outside of the cell, including inorganic pyrophosphate which inhibits bone mineralization. HPP leads to a variety of clinical manifestations across all ages and its prognosis is conditioned principally by the skelet...

Stressful condition and negative emotions can contribute to the overproduction of proinflammatory cytokines and promote immune dysregulation, which, in turn, increases the risk of various diseases, including autoimmune disorders. The present study was aimed at evaluating the relationship, if any, between psychological and individual characteristics (stress, coping and emotional intelligence) and thyroid autoimmunity.MethodWe enroll...

Objective: Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of hyperthyroidism, and its complications. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs), compounds derived from non-enzymatic transformation of macromolecules, are able to increase oxidative stress and promote inflammation and are increased in several oxidative stress-related disorders, including autoimmune thyroiditis. In the same diseases, the activity of paraoxonase-1 (PON-1), an anti-oxidant enzyme protecting ag...

Objectives: The interaction between genetic predisposing factors and environmental triggers is crucial for the development of HT. In last decades, the steady rise in frequency of HT in developed countries pointed to a strong influence of changing environmental factors, including increased pollution. Air pollutants, like dioxins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, are ligands of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR). This ligand-activated transcription factor, involved in pollu...

Background: Lymphocytic infiltration and inflammation in autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITDs) results in accumulation of HA, contributing to the pathogenesis of both thyroidal and extra-thyroidal (ophthalmopathy, pretibial dermopathy and mixedema) manifestations of AITDs. HA fragments, originating from native HA during tissue inflammation and injury, in turn promote the expression of different mediators of oxidative stress and inflammation, by interacting with the Toll-like rec...

Background: PCBs are chemical pollutants able to promote inflammation and carcinogenesis. They can accumulate in human tissues through the food chain causing a variety of adverse health effects. The NF-E2 p45-related factor 2 (NRF2) and the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) are ligand activated transcription factors controlling pathways modulating xenobiotic metabolism. Increasing evidence indicate the involvement of AhR in regulating extracellular matrix (ECM) homeostasis. ECM ...

Objective: AGEs, compounds formed by the transformation of proteins, are increased in conditions of oxidative stress and promote inflammation by interacting with their receptor (RAGE) on cell membrane. By contrast, the soluble receptor for AGE (sRAGE), that is proteolytically cleaved from cell surface receptor via matrix metalloproteinases, sequester RAGE ligands and act as a cytoprotective and anti-inflammatory agent. AGEs/sRAGE interaction play a role in the pathogenesis of ...