Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Routine clinical use of arginine-vasopressin (AVP) is limited by its small molecular size and pre-analytical errors. In contrast, copeptin – a peptide of 39 amino acids co-secreted with arginine-vasopressin (AVP) - is a stable protein and its measurement represents a reliable measure of AVP concentration. The aim of this study was to analyze diagnostic role of copeptin in diagnosis of diabetes insipidus (DI) in patients treated for hypothalamic-pituitary disea...

Background: Thyroid nodules were reported with high prevalence in acromegalic patients.Patients and methods: 63 acromegalic patients (16 males and 47 females), aged at diagnosis 43.6±12.7 years were retrospectively reviewed. Median duration of acromegaly was 8 years. 25 patients were residents in iodine deficient areas. GH, IGF1, TSH, FT4 were measured by chemiluminescence (Liaison). Thyroid ultrasound was performed. In suspected nodules,...

Background: AIP mutations cause sporadic and familial pituitary adenomas, but establishing the pathogenic role of missense AIP variants with unknown significance is difficult. The AIP interaction partner AHR – a xenobiotic-activated transcription factor – regulates transcription of xenobiotic-metabolising enzymes, mediates xenobiotic toxicity, and has been implicated in tumorigenesis.Aim: To describe the effect of AIP...

Myasthenia gravis (MG) and autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD) may coexist and influence one another clinical expression. The opportunity of thymectomy in this association is controversial, since not all the studies have proven its efficacy. We report eight patients (one man and seven women) diagnosed with AITD (Graves’ disease (GD) – five cases, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) – three cases) and MG. The AITD diagnosis preceded (two cases), followed (three case...

Background: Acromegaly is associated with increased prevalence of thyroid diseases, particularly of differentiated thyroid carcinoma.Aim: To assess prevalence of thyroid diseases and thyroid cancer in patients with acromegaly.Patients and methods: Forty (10 M/30 F) acromegalic patients, 14 residents in iodine deficient areas, aged 47±12.8 years, were retrospectively reviewed. Mean duration of acromegaly was 7.6±9.5 years ...

Background: Adrenocortical oncocytoma is a veryrare adrenal tumor type, usually nonfunctioning and benign. Neurofibromatosistype 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant disease caused by mutations of the NF1 gene encoding neurofibromin, a tumor supressor gene that acts by activating a RAS GTP-ase which negatively regulates RAS activity. NF 1 is usually associated with pheocromocytoma, rarely with adrenal carcinoma, and no association with adrenal oncocytoma has been reported.<p c...

Background: PCOS-associated increased metabolic risk may be selective, owing to its heterogeneous nature. Identification of high-risk individuals could enable better studies and prevention of complications.Aim: To characterize the metabolic risk, as metabolic syndrome (MetS), of specific PCOS subphenotypes.Subjects and methods: Romanian PCOS (Rotterdam criteria) and 64 controls, 18–35 years. PCOS subphenotypes were defined: i)...

Background: A large spectrum of AIP gene mutations has been identified in familial and sporadic pituitary adenomas (PA) with over 70 different mutations described to date. c.47G>A, p.R16H is an AIP exon 1 variant of unknown significance, its contribution to pituitary adenoma development being controversial.Aim: Characterization of p.R16H prevalence in a large Romanian cohort of PA patients and controls.Patients and methods: spo...

We present an experimental study on human prolactinoma in cell culture from a patient that partially responded to cabergoline treatment and had to have surgical treatment.Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the effect of cabergoline, dopamine and melatonin on prolactin secretion and cell proliferation in human prolactinoma cell culture from a patient that had transsphenoidal surgery.Material and methods: Tissue specimen derived...

Introduction: Parasellar extension of macroprolactinomas defined on imaging criteria was reported to be an independent predictor of hormonal resistance to dopamine agonists (DA).Methods: Two hundred and twelve patients with macroprolactinomas (87 M/125 F), treated with DA for 5 years median period; prolactin (fluoroimmunoassay or chemiluminescence), CT scan and/or MRI with contrast agents were performed; maximum diameter evolution was reported.<p cla...