Endocrine Abstracts

Context: Although diabetes mellitus is a major complication in patients with acromegaly, prevalence and determinants of microvascular and macrovascular complications of diabetes remains unexplored in this population.Aim: To investigate prevalence and determinants of microvascular and macrovascular complications in acromegaly patients with diabetes and to compare them with a group of diabetic patients without acromegaly.Methods: Pro...

Context: Prolactin (PRL) exerts a crucial role in the regulation of mammalian reproduction and in the promotion of lactation as response to the suckling reflex. Beyond this, it directly modulates gluco-insulinemic metabolism.ObjectiveTo dissect glucose metabolism during and after pregnancy in patients with chronic hyperprolactinemia (CTPE).MethodsThis longitudinal study included 52 reproductive aged women with CTPE due to pituitary adenomas (43 microadenomas, 9 macroadenomas),...

Introduction: Constitution of new blood vessels is crucial for cancer self-maintenance and progression. Neo-angiogenesis may be affected from hereditary traits, namely the presence of SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) of genes involved in its regulation. VEGF-A represents the main regulator of angiogenesis. Germline SNPs of the VEGF-A gene have been associated to outcome of several cancers, but no data exist about differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC).<p class="abstext"...

Background: Glucocorticoids (GC) are potent entrainers of the circadian clock, however their effect on biological rhythms in human chronic exposure have been poorly studied. Endogenous hypercortisolism (Cushing’s Syndrome, CS) is a rare condition, in which circadian disruption is sustained by a tumorous source of GC excess, offering the unique opportunity to investigate the in vivo chronic effects of GC.Methods: In a 12-month prospective mu...

Somatostatin (SSTRs) and dopamine (DRs) receptors are expressed in adrenal tumors. It has been demonstrated in pituitary and neuroendocrine tumors that somatostatin-dopamine chimeric molecules, namely dopastatins, which bind both somatostatin (SST2 and/or SST5) and dopamine (D2) receptors, exert a more potent action compared with the single receptor agonists in experimental settings. The aims of this study were to evaluate the expression of DRs and SSTRs, and the effects of do...

Coronavirus disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus (Covid-19) is associated with a variable clinical syndrome, ranging from a mild-moderate to a severe disease, progressing towards acute respiratory distress syndrome. Hypocortisolism is associated with a depletion of innate immunity and disruption of immune response, which could contribute to an increased risk of infection and development of a severe disease. Glucocorticoid (GC) replacement therapy(GCRT), especially if administere...

In the last years an increasing incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) has been reported in young adults (18-45 yrs), probably accounted by the significant increase in CV risk (CVR) factors. Observational and interventional studies, mainly focused on middle-aged and elderly men, demonstrated that metabolic CVR (mCVR) factors and CVD manifestations are common in hypogonadal men and, conversely, testosterone deficiency is highly prevalent in metabolic disorders; the lack of ...

Adipose tissue is an endocrine organ releasing adipokines and expressing specific markers and intracellular mediators, which regulate whole-body energy by balancing lipid accumulation and utilization through adipogenesis, the differentiation of preadipocytes into mature adipocytes associated with gradual lipid storage, and lipogenesis, the additional lipid accumulation in mature adipocytes. Adipogenesis and lipogenesis, strongly induced by insulin, occur in white adipocytes, s...

Obesity, characterized by an abnormal body fat accumulation mainly caused by a chronic imbalance between energy intake and expenditure, is a massive public health problem. Targeting excessive fat deposition in adipose tissue and ectopic fat accumulation in skeletal muscle through promoting lipid oxidation pathway may represent a promising strategy to counteract obesity. This study aims at investigating the effects of cabergoline (CAB), a dopamine agonist, on adipose and skelet...

Cushing’s disease (CD), caused by an adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-secreting pituitary tumor, is the most common form of hypercortisolism. Pituitary surgery is the first-line treatment of CD and medical treatment is an alternative second-line approach to control cortisol excess. Long-term exposure to glucocorticoids (GC) downregulates the expression of somatostatin receptor type 2 (SSTR2) but not type 5 (SSTR5) in human and mouse ACTH-secreting tumor cell cultures; t...