Endocrine Abstracts

Purpose: The condition of pituitary apoplexy contains the clinical spectre from life-threatening emergency to a condition with chronic symptoms and self-limiting course, which partly determines diagnostic delay and management. Outcome evaluation of course and management of pituitary apoplexy is hampered by the diverse presentation of this condition and requires appraisal. This study aimed to describe the patient journey, clinical presentation and management of various types of...

Background: Despite the benign nature of pituitary adenomas, microscopic examination of surgical specimens showed that dural invasion occurs in about 42-85% of cases. No studies about dura mater invasion were conducted specifically in acromegaly, so the aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between histologically verified dural invasion and the “aggressiveness” features of GH-secreting adenomas.Methods: A prospective study i...

Background: In recent years, increasing cases of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) with in situ thyroid gland are identified. Outcome of children affected from CH with normally sited thyroid of normal size is still unknown. The objective of our study is to describe the natural history of this specific form of CH. Patients and methods: We retrospectively evaluated clinical, biochemical and instrumental data of 74 patients with diagnosis of CH with in situ thyroid...

Infertility is a growing concern in Western countries. Several factors, including lifestyle habits and increased prevalence of chronic disorders associated with hormonal alterations, increased chronic inflammation and systemic oxidative stress (such as obesity and diabetes mellitus), are contributing to the reduction of reproductive potential among males in modern societies. Evidence suggests these factors negatively impact human sperm quality resulting in a combination of alt...

COVID-19 pandemic obliged physicians to find out alternative options to classical pathways, to lower viral spread and related dangers as well as to cope with redeployment of personnel and resources. We describe here two cases in whom surgery for adrenal Cushing’s syndrome (CS) and pheochromocytoma (PHEO) was deferred due to the unavailability of surgical facilities.Case no 1: A 69-yo woman was evaluated for CS. Type 2 diabetes mellitus was diagnosed...

Background: The classical steroidogenic route to the synthesis of dihydrotestosterone in Leydig cells involves delta-5 and delta-4 precursors. Besides, the “backdoor pathway”, encompassing progesterone metabolites, is gaining increasing interest in fetal development and men pathophysiology. Nowadays, liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is the ideal technique to simultaneously quantify large panels of steroids with elevated sensitivity and specif...

Introduction: The effects of testosterone on coagulation have not yet been clarified. In particular, it is still controversial whether male hypogonadism, or testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), may slightly increase the risk of venous thromboembolism, in particular during the first months of therapy. This study aimed to assess the hemostatic balance in hypogonadal men before and after short-term TRT, compared to healthy controls.Methods: Thrombin gene...

Background: Excess testosterone in PCOS is accompanied by increased levels of other ovarian and adrenal androgens and precursors. Recently, 11-oxygenated adrenal androgens have been postulated as major components of the circulating androgen pool in PCOS. Obesity is strictly connected with androgen excess and with the derangement of hormone circadian rhythmicity. To date, it has not been clarified whether hyperandrogenism in PCOS, either complicated by obesity or not, is accomp...

Introduction: Mitochondrial uncoupling proteins (UCPs) are mitochondrial transmembrane channels belonging to the anion carrier family. Six UCP homologues (UCP1-6) had been identified with a ubiquitous distribution throughout the body and many different physiological functions. UCPs are important regulators of several biological processes, including thermogenesis, oxidative phosphorylation, ROS production, as well as cellular metabolism. However, the knowledge concerning the mo...

Infertility is a global health problem that affects about 15% of couples and approximately half of infertility cases are associated with male factors. Oxidative Stress (OS) is reported as one of the major causes of male infertility, mainly due to spermatozoa’s vulnerability to the attack of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Infertile couples often recur to assisted reproductive technology (ART) to achieve a successful pregnancy. However, ART protocols also increase the expos...