Endocrine Abstracts

A prevailing concept regarding the mechanism controlling the timing of puberty proposes that GnRH release from the hypothalamus increases at puberty due to a loss of transsynaptic inhibition, accompanied by an increase in neuronal/glial excitatory inputs to GnRH neurons. Without negating the importance of this intercellular communication process, recent evidence suggests that a critical inhibitory/excitatory Yin-Yang mechanism regulating the advent of puberty is epigenetic in ...

The transcription factor Sox9 is a member of the HMG-box-DNA binding family essential for chondrocyte differentiation, sexual determination, and the maintenance of the stem/progenitor cells in several tissues. Furthermore, Sox9 is involved in the development of endoderm-derived-organs. Owing to the endodermic origin of the thyroid, we proposed to study the expression of Sox9 in thyroid follicular cells and its regulation by TSH and TGFβ, two main factors involved in thyro...

Objectives: To evaluate the degree of control of atherogenic dyslipidaemia in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Methods: Retrospective cohort study which included patients with T2DM followed in a primary care setting. Patients were classified according to the following criteria: strict control of dyslipidaemia (LDL <100 mg/dl and triglycerides <150 mg/dl), partial control of dyslipidaemia (LDL ≥100 mg/dl or triglycerides ≥...

Background: Parathyroid carcinoma accounts for <1% of cases of primary hyperparathyroidism. Clinical presentation is usually related to severe hypercalcemia associated to elevated serum PTH (three times above the upper limit). These values are so much higher than in primary hyperparathyroidism due to a benign adenoma. Moreover, 30–75% of patients had a palpable neck mass.Clinical case: Fifty one-year-old male, submitted to bariatric surgery by a...

The aim of this study was to analyze IGF1R gene expression in patients with idiopathic short stature (ISS) and correlate it with their GH and IGF1 status. In a previous study, we reported lower final height in subjects with ISS and GH peak ≥40 mU/l (Group1, n=16) compared to those with ISS and GH peak between 20 and 40 mU/l (Group2, n=15), after stimulation test (ITT) performed before or during puberty. Patients were 16–24 (Group1) and 15–26 (Grou...

Introduction: Single adenoma is the most frequent cause of Primary hyperparathyroidism (HPT1). Surgical excision has a high success rate, particularly when associated with a fast intraoperative intact parathyroid hormone assay (PTHi).Aim: Evaluate the success rate of primary hyperparathyroidism surgery in our unit.Methods: Descriptive study of the last 33 consecutive HPT1 patients who undertook surgery, 27 of which with PTHi. The P...

Background: Regular physical exercise during childhood and adolescence can promote growth and development of muscle and bone mass. Although physical exercise is closely linked to the anabolic function of the GH /IGF-I axis the real impact of resistance training on GH/IGF axis is still unclear. The kinetics of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 during chronic training is not fully understood yet and an initial catabolic phase followed by an later anabolic phase has been reported in swimmers.</p...

Background: The GH-IGF system plays an important role in strength gain. Some studies suggest that Zinc, Magnesium and Pyridoxine (ZMA) supplementation could increase GH/IGF and testosterone levels in young subjects. This hypothetical increase could lead to significant changes in body composition. ZMA is a very popular supplement, easily found in specialty stores, and it is presumed to increase GH, IGF-I and testosterone levels. However, studies are divergent regarding its effi...

Introduction: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is highly prevalent and negatively impacts the patient’s and the partner’s quality of life. It is a well-established red flag for ongoing neuro-vascular disease and a predictor of coronary, cerebral and peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Our aim was to document how often do clinicians investigate ED and use it as a predictor of neuro-vascular pathology to trigger a thorough revision of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF). This a...

Undifferentiated thyroid carcinomas are extremely aggressive and currently lack effective treatment. Aberrant RAS-ERK signaling, triggered mainly by BRAF and RAS mutations, is responsible for the occurrence and progression of most thyroid carcinomas, which led to the clinical use of small kinase inhibitors targeting kinases of the pathway. The results were disappointing, because of the emergence of resistance and high-associated toxicity. A more specific approach, targeting si...