Endocrine Abstracts

Background: In the core phase of the PAPE study until 24 weeks we have shown that switching to pasireotide LAR (PAS-LAR) in well-controlled acromegaly patients receiving combination therapy of somatostatin analogues and pegvisomant (PEGV), normalizes IGF1 levels in the majority of patients. PAS-LAR induced a significant PEGV sparing effect, but this was at the expense of a higher incidence of diabetes. This extension study until 48-weeks assesses the efficacy, safety and quali...

Introduction: Daily administration of Pegvisomant normalizes IGF1 levels >71% of acromegalics (1). Few studies have assessed the efficacy of weekly administration. We assessed the efficacy of weekly pegvisomant for 12 months, after withdrawal of long-acting somatostatin analogs (SSA) in acromegalics previously controlled on combination therapy.Design: Fifteen subjects (8 males), age 58 (35–80) (median (range)) years on combination therapy of hig...

In Europe more than 50 million adults are diabetic. Of these, 90–95% have type 2 diabetes (T2D). It is also recognized that an even larger population is insulin resistant and it is thought that treatment at this early phase of the metabolic syndrome may prevent the occurrence of overt diabetes and associated pathologies. We are in the process of developing unacylated ghrelin (UAG) analogues as therapeutics for T2D. Towards this goal, we have used a mouse protocol in which...

Introduction: Craniopharyngiomas are benign tumors in the suprasellar region that have encouraging survival rates between 77-93%. Unfortunately, long-term sequelae are frequent, resulting in excessive endocrine and metabolic morbidity, including premature cardiovascular disease and reduced bone health.Objective: To determine the prevalence of unfavorable body composition and low bone mineral density (BMD) in patients with craniopharyngioma.<p class="...

Objective: Craniopharyngioma (CP) is a benign tumor of the sellar/hypothalamic region. It is associated with endocrinopathies, which may potentially impair bone health. Our objective was to determine bone health status in CP patients.Methods: In this retrospective study, Dutch/Swedish CP patients were included if data was available on fractures, bone mineral density (BMD) (T/Z-score), or final height (age >18 years). Data is presented as mean±<s...

Background: Previous studies indicate that PAS-LAR can achieve control of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) levels and may reduce tumor size, however a subset of acromegaly patients responds poorly. T2-signal intensity, somatostatin receptor (SST) subtype 2 and 5 expression, and the response to first-generation somatostatin receptor ligands (SRLs) are recognized predictors of therapy response. Valid prediction of the response to PAS-LAR can alter treatment stratification.</...

Objective: The objective of this study was to asses the quality of self-management in patients with primary and secondary adrenal insufficiency and to find patient-related factors that influence quality of self-management.Methods: The quantitative research was assessed by a questionnaire. Mainly focused topics were i) demographic data ii) daily medication intake iii) en route precautions and iv) dose adaptation during medical emergencies. One hundred and...

Introduction: Adults with GH deficiency (GHD) have a decreased life expectancy due to cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Recombinant GH treatment has made replacement therapy an option in adults with GHD. Data on long-term efficacy and safety are limited and the implication for life expectancy remains to be established.Methods: The Dutch National Registry of GH Treatment in Adults was founded to gain more insight into long-term efficacy and safety of GH ther...

Objective: A cytosine-adenine (CA)n microsatellite repeat polymorphism in the promoter region of the insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) gene has reported to be associated with IGF-1 serum levels, birth weight, body height, bone mineral density and risk for type 2 diabetes and myocardial infarction. Carriers and non-carriers of the most frequent allele (length 192 base pairs (bp)) showed significantly different total IGF-1 serum levels. This polymorphism may direct...

Purpose: Hypopituitarism is frequently associated with lifelong replacement therapy. However, it has been suggested that recovery from hypopituitarism after transsphenoidal surgery (TSS) for pituitary adenomas may occur during follow up. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis recovery after TSS in patients with non-functioning pituitary adenomas and acromegaly.Methods: Over the 3-year observational ...