Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Syndrome 2B (MEN 2B) is a very rare genetic disorder which affects the thyroid and the adrenal glands, the development of mucosal neuromas and the general appearance of the patient’s body. Therefore, we can encounter Medullary Thyroid Carcinomas (MTC), adrenal sympathetic paragangliomas (or Pheochromocytomas) and habitus Marfanoid. The disease represents a challenge for every clinician, especially if it occurs in a child.<p c...

Introduction: Iron deficiency contributes to stabilization of HIF1α and upregulation of genes that stimulate angiogenesis in diseases associated with oxidative stress. The authors’ interest is centered on evaluation of the relation between iron status and angiogenesis (VEGF-A, sVEGFR) in patients with melanoma.Methods: The study included 128 patients with melanoma before surgical removal of the tumor. We determined ferritin (immunoturbidimetric...

BackgroundFluid balance in patients with diabetes insipidus and COVID-19 is very fragile. The prevalence of hyponatraemia in patients with pneumonia due to COVID-19 seems to be low, but in patients admitted to intensive care units (ICU) is high (up to 20.5%). In contrast, hypernatraemia may also develop in COVID-19 patients in ICU (up to 3.7% of cases), due to insensible water losses from pyrexia, increased respiration rate and use of diuretics. Both hyp...

Background: Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) encompases a wide spectrum of disease from clinically insignificant micro-tumors to aggressive cancers. The molecular signature can be used to predict tumor behaviour, and the co-existence of BRAF and TERT promoter mutations has been identified as a marker of adverse prognosis, but we have yet no available molecular data for the Romanian population.Objectives: To determine the prevalence of BRAF V600E and T...

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by germline mutations of MEN1 gene, without genotype–phenotype correlation. It is defined as the occurrence of two or more primary neuroendocrine tumors (parathyroid, enteropancreatic, pituitary), or the occurrence of one of the MEN1-associated tumors in family members of a patient with a clinical diagnosis of MEN1. Multiple parathyroid tumors with hyperparathyroidism are the most common m...

Introduction: Pheochromocytomas (PHEOs) are tumors arising from medulla chromaffin cells. Their diagnosis is challenging due to a large clinical spectrum – from classical crisis to completely asymptomatic. Approximately 5.0–6.5% of adrenal incidentalomas are pheochromocytomas, and 8% of pheochromocytomas are completely asymptomatic, usually in a familial form.Aim: To compare biochemical and imagistic features of symptomatic/asymptomatic PHEOs.<...

Introduction: The incidence of parathyroid carcinoma in primary hyperparathyroidism is less than 1% and the association with ACTH-independent Cushing syndrome is very rare.Case report: A 40-year-old female was admitted for weight gain and reddish-purple striae. One month earlier she had a ¾ parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism with histopathological examination showing a parathyroid carcinoma and two parathyroid adenomas. She also had a...

Background: Screening for primary aldosteronism (PA) needs aldosterone-to-renin ratio (ARR) measurement, followed by confirmative tests.Aim: To assess the clinical value of captopril challenge test (CCT) in PA diagnosis.Methods: Thirty patients were screened for secondary endocrine hypertension; study group consisted in 15 PA patients (7M/8F, aged 44.6±13.3 years). Control group consisted in 15 patients (5M/10F) with negative ...

Introduction: Primary aldosteronism is associated with increased prevalence of cardiometabolic complications. The mechanisms are not fully elucidated, but an association with autonomous cortisol secretion could increase vascular and metabolic risk.Aims: To assess glucocorticoid axis in patients with primary aldosteronism as compared to patients with ACTH-independent Cushing syndrome and control hypertensive patients without gluco or mineralocorticoid exc...

Introduction: BRAF V600E mutation is reported to occur in 28–83% of papillary thyroid cancer, being associated with increased tumour aggressiveness.Objective: To determine the prevalence of BRAF V600E mutation in Romanian patients with thyroid nodules referred to surgery in a reference endocrinology centre.Materials and methods: 140 patients were included in the study: 70 patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), 42 pat...