Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Today simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation (SPKT) is an effective method of treatment for patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) and terminal stage of diabetic nephropathy (DN) on renal replacement therapy by hemodialysis. It solves several problems: reduces the severity of intoxication syndrome, contributes to the achievement of euglycemia in most cases, that allows to delay progression of micro- and macrovascular diabetic complications. Case Descr...

A 57-year-old woman was referred in 2012 following an incidental finding of a pituitary macroadenoma. It measured 17×9 mm and was confined to the sella. There was no clinical or biochemical evidence of pituitary dysfunction. In 2017, she was found to have proximal myopathy, plethoric facies and purple abdominal striae. She was also on medication for hypertension and type 2 diabetes. There was no history of sleep apnoea, fractures or use of exogenous steroids. An MRI showe...

Disruption of the gut-liver axis contributes to metabolic syndrome and the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Bile acids (BAs) are potent antimicrobials that support gastrointestinal health and dysregulation of BA homeostasis in NAFLD is thought to contribute to gut dysbiosis. Furthermore, an increase in hydrophobic (cytotoxic) BA species may directly affect gut health. We have previously shown that bile acid synthesis enzyme, 5β-reductase (AKR1D1),...

Metabolic syndrome and its hepatic manifestation, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), are increasing in prevalence. Steroid hormones are established regulators of metabolic phenotype. 5β-reductase (AKR1D1) is highly expressed in human liver, inactivating steroid hormones, including glucocorticoids and androgens. The human AKR1D1 gene contains 9 exons; six splice variants have been identified and three lead to functional protein isoforms (AKR1D1-001, -0...

The enzyme 5β-reductase (AKR1D1) catalyses an essential step in bile acid synthesis. In addition, it controls intra-cellular steroid hormone availability through hormone clearance. As disturbances in steroid hormones and bile acid metabolism have potent effects on metabolic health, we hypothesize that AKR1D1 may play a role hepatic lipid accumulation. We generated global AKR1D1 knockout mice (KO) alongside wild-type controls (WT). Mice were fed either normal chow (NC) or ...

Objective: Aiming to identify individuals with more benign metabolic profile, we explored the link between anthropometric predictors as well as serum levels of sex hormones and phenotypes of metabolic health in non-obese postmenopausal women.Methods: A total of 458 non-obese (BMI <30 kg/m2) postmenopausal women (age 55.2±7.1 years, BMI=24.6±2.8 kg/m2) were retrieved from the Menopause Clinic of Aretaieio Hospital, Nati...

Case history: A 56 year old man presented with a few months history of diffuse bone pain affecting his arms, legs, ribs and particularly his left hip. Past medical history included well controlled HIV infection, hepatitis B co-infection, peripheral neuropathy associated with HAART, lipoatrophy, Kaposi’s sarcoma, ADHD, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and a history of previous Fanconi’s syndrome associated with Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate (TDF) 8 years ago. At his initial ...

The enzyme 5β-reductase (AKR1D1) catalyses an essential step in bile acid synthesis, but in addition, controls intra-cellular steroid hormone availability by generating 5β-reduced dihydrosteroid metabolites. As disturbances in steroid hormone and bile acid metabolism have potent effects on metabolic health and lipid homeostasis, we hypothesize that AKR1D1 may play a role hepatic lipid accumulation and contribute to the development of metabolic disease. We generated a...

Background: Paraganglioma is a rare neuroendocrine tumor from extra-adrenal chromaffin cells of the sympathetic paravertebral ganglia of thorax, abdomen, and pelvis. About 15–20% of chromaffin-cell tumors are paragangliomas. In most cases paragangliomas produce catecholamines in large concentrations and the lack of treatment can lead to cardiovascular and cerebral catastrophes. That is why early diagnosis of this tumor is so important and, consequently, knowledge of its d...

Background: Bariatric surgery remains the most effective method of weight loss and can result in partial or complete resolution of multiple obesity-related comorbidities. Bariatric surgery should be performed in conjunction with a comprehensive preoperative assessment and a follow-up plan consisting of nutritional, behavioral, and medical programs. The bariatric surgical procedures are associated with significant long-term complications, primarily malnutrition.<p class="ab...