Endocrine Abstracts

Somatostatin (SST) and growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) are hypothalamic hormones that, respectively, inhibit and stimulate pituitary GH secretion. In addition, in peripheral tissues somatostatin and its analogues inhibit, whereas GHRH stimulates, both normal and cancer cell growth and survival. Furthermore, both somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR-2) and GHRH expression have been shown in normal human endometrium. Endometriosis is a common estrogen-dependent disorder defined...

Inflammation activates a variety of inflammatory cells, which induce and activate several oxidant-generating enzymes which are able to produce high concentrations of free radicals and oxidants which react with each other to generate other more potent reactive oxygen and nitrogen species such as peroxynitrite (ONOO−) that can damage DNA, RNA, lipids, and proteins by nitration, oxidation, etc., leading to increased mutations and altered functions of enzymes and ...

The recommended nutrient intake (RNI) for iodine during pregnancy has been re-evaluated in 2005 by an international expert committee under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO). The consensus reached was that the RNI for iodine during pregnancy should range between 200 and 300 μ/d with an average of 250 μ/d.To asses the adequacy of the iodine intake during pregnancy in a population, urinary iodine concentration (UIC) should be mea...

Sunitinib (SU11248) is a multitarget inhibitor of tyrosine-kinases (RTK) recently tested in clinical trials for the treatment of some human cancers. Side effects are mostly represented by asthenia and appear in a dose and time correlated manner. After the unexpected observation of a myxedematous coma in a patient affected with GIST and treated with Sunitinib, we evaluated the effect of this drug on thyroid function in 24 patients treated for GISTs Imatinib resistant. Patients ...

Central Hypothyroidism (CeH) is a rare thyroid hormone production defect due to an insufficient stimulation of a normal thyroid gland. Candidate genes for isolated CeH include TSHβ (several cases reported) and TRHR (only one case reported so far). Here, we report the clinical and genetic studies in 2 males and 3 females affected with isolated CeH with normal/low TSH levels (0.05–0.95 mU/L) and low FT4 levels (3.6–4.6 pM). None of the patients was detected at neo...

Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) with a normal located thyroid gland may be transient or permanent and environmental, iatrogenic, immunologic or genetic factors can be involved. PAX-8, TSH receptor and THOX2 gene mutations have been identified in cases of CH with a gland of normal size.In this study we performed genetic analysis of PAX8, TSH receptor and THOX2 genes in 14 children with CH and a normal sized eutopic gland. Genomic DNA was extracted from lym...

Toxic multinodular goiter is a heterogeneous disease producing hyperthyroidism frequently found in iodine-deficient areas. The aim of this study was to evaluate the gene expression profile of functioning and non-functioning thyroid nodules present in the same thyroid gland from two patients affected by autonomous multinodular goiter by using the Affymetrix technology.Total RNA was extracted from nodular and non nodular tissues, retrotranscribed, and the ...

Background: Steroid profiling by mass spectrometry (MS) provided novel insights into the pathogenesis of adrenocortical tumors and hypercortisolism. The aims of the study were (I) to analyze the steroid profiling by liquid chromatography-tandem MS (LC-MS/MS) in a large cohort of patients with adrenal incidentalomas and (II) to investigate the relationship between steroid profile and clinical outcomes.Methods: We included 307 patients with mono- and bilat...

Hypothyroid patients with gastric disorders require a higher dose of oral thyroxine (T4) to reach target serum TSH. In vitro evidence supports the notion that the variations of gastric pH may also interfere with T4 dissolution profile. The present study is aimed at confirming in vivo the supposed correlation between the gastric pH, directly measured during endoscopy, and the therapeutic dose of thyroxine using a controlled treatment schedule. A total of 61 tablet T4-t...

Background and objectives: The role of adjuvant mitotane therapy after radical surgery for adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is still debated. The aim of our study is to assess the effects of adjuvant mitotane on recurrence free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) in non-metastatic ACC patients and to evaluate prognostic factors in adjuvant setting.Methods: Retrospective data were collected from 152 patients affected by ACC (stage I-III) referred to ou...