Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Pheochromocytoma (Pheo) is a tumor deriving from chromaffin cells. It can be studied using 18F-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) - positron emission tomography (PET) due to its overexpression of L-type amino acid transporters (LAT1 and LAT2). The oncogenic pathways involved are still poorly understood. This study examined the relationship between 18F-DOPA-PET uptake and LAT1 expression, and explored the role of miR-375 and putative target genes.</...

Recent studies demonstrated that the calcium/calmodulin dependent kinase 2 (CaMKII) is involved in the regulation of proliferation and survival of epithelial cells, were it phosphorylates RAF-1 and modulates MAPK pathway. A endogenous CaMKII inhibitor (hCaKIINα) is expressed in some cell types. It is down-expressed in colon and in ovarian cancer where it inversely correlates with the disease extension.Aim of our study is to determine the possible ro...

Background: Hobnail variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (HPTC) has been recently identified. Given the rarity of the variant its characteristics have been studied only in little series, limiting the quality of the data available for its better management. The aims of our retrospective study were 1) to define the clinical and molecular characteristics of a series of HPTC in a monocentric and relatively large series; 2) to define the clinical and molecular characteristics abl...

Introduction: Thyroid eye disease (TED) is an immune-mediated disorder of the eye. Intravenous glucocorticoid (GC) is the first-line treatment for active moderate to severe TED patients. However, the rate of response is between 50 and 80%. Reliable and easily accessible markers of responsiveness to GC therapy are still lacking.Aim of the study: We aimed to explore the possible role of miR-146a and miR-21 as a predictor of responsiveness to GC treatment i...

Objectives: The aim was to evaluate the iodine nutritional status in pregnant women residing in Veneto region and its associations with diet, iodine supplements and social status (nationality and education).Methods: 292 consecutive pregnant women at the third trimester of pregnancy were enrolled (≥18 years old, and resident in Veneto). Exclusion criteria were a personal history of thyroid disease and the refusal of the informed consent. Every woman...

Background: Adrenocortical tumors (ACT) include benign and malignant forms. Adrenocortical carcinomas (ACC) are highly malignant neoplasms with poor prognosis and strong metastatic potential. Aurora kinase family members (AK) are serine/threonine kinase involved in the regulation of mitosis. Aurora kinase A (AKA) promotes centrosome maturation and spindle assembly, while aurora kinase B (AKB) is necessary for spindle assembly checkpoint and cytokinesis.A...

Background: Calcitonin (CT) is the most sensitive marker for MTC diagnosis. By the way, many pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical pitfalls worsen its accuracy. Procalcitonin (proCT), a CT precursor, has been suggested as a valuable complementary test in MTC diagnosis, given its stability and the reproducibility between different assay kits.Material and Methods: basal CT (bCT) and proCT (bproCT) and stimulated CT (bCT) and proCT (sproCT) (2&#821...

Many single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the RET gene have been described both in the general population and in patients with sporadic medullary thyroid cancer (sMTC), MEN2 or Hirschsprung disease. Some association studies reported a higher prevalence of these variants in the affected patients, suggesting a possible role in modifying the risk of occurrence of the disease. However, data from different cohorts of sMTC are discrepant and the aim of the present study ...

The glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor (GIPR) is a 7-transmembrane class B G-protein coupled receptor that mediates the incretin response after nutrient stimulation. Although mostly involved in metabolic disorders, in the last years an improper activation of the GIP/GIPR axis has been increasingly recognized in endocrine tumors, with a potential diagnostic and prognostic value. In Medullary Thyroid Cancer (MTC), a neuroendocrine tumor of the parafollicular C...

Background: Follicular-derived thyroid cancers (FDTC) generally have a good prognosis. Nonetheless, a minority of them have an aggressive behavior and develop distant metastases, with increased mortality rates. Pre-surgically available prognostic markers, able to identify this group of patients are still lacking.Materials and methods: The study involved 436 FNA samples with a malignant/suspicious cytology obtained from thyroid nodules in 436 consecutive ...