Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: The role of testosterone in cardiovascular (CV) health of men is controversial. Several data suggest that hypogonadism is associated with CV mortality but not morbidity. However, recent evidence shows that hypogonadal subjects treated with testosterone replacement therapy have a higher incidence of major adverse CV events (MACE). The aim of this study is to analyse whether the gonadal status might predict MACE incidence according to the previous history of MACE, ...

Introduction: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and multiple sclerosis (MS) are organ-specific autoimmune diseases. Their association, first described in a study in Sardinia, left questions about their clustering, clarified by the Familial Autoimmune and Diabetes Study, which showed for the first time an highly increased prevalence of MS in adults with T1DM, reinforced by further epidemiological studies that also revealed increased risk of T1DM in MS patients.<p class="abste...

Introduction: The XXYY Syndromeis an extremely rare sex chromosomal disorder characterized by the presence of extra X and Y chromosomes, and clinically by tall stature, dysfunctional testes associated with infertility and hypogonadism, cognitive, affective and social functioning impairments, global developmental delay, and an increased risk of congenital malformations.Case report: A 46-year-old man was referred to theFracture Osteoporosis OutpatientClini...

Introduction: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is considered an early surrogate marker of silent, or even overt, cardiovascular diseases (CVD). However, epidemiological studies take into account only sexual intercourse-related erections. Although autoeroticism is a very common practice, data on masturbation-induced erections as a possible predictor of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) are lacking.Aim: To evaluate the clinical correlates of impaired mas...

Central obesity and insulin resistance are more prevalent in women with PCOS, affecting both normal weight and obese subjects. The metabolic effects of insulin are partially dependent on the amount of lean mass and insulin resistance seems to selectively affect the metabolic, but not the mitogenic, actions of insulin. Therefore, this age-matched case-control study assessed total and segmental lean muscle mass in classic or ovulatory polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients an...

BackgroundAgouti related peptide (AgRP) is a neuropeptide, produced by the hypothalamus and by the adrenal glands. AgRP is an antagonist of proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and its principal role is to stimulate appetite. Although current evidences suggest that AgRP levels are influenced by glucocorticoids, it is still not clear, whether they depend on adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) or cortisol. One of the aims of this study was to address this issue. Furt...

Background: Male hypogonadism is defined by low circulating testosterone level associated with signs and symptoms of testosterone deficiency. Although the bidirectional link between hypogonadism and cardiovascular disease has been clarified recently, the association between testosterone and chronic heart failure (CHF) is more controversial. Methods: We critically review published studies relating to testosterone, hypogonadism, and CHF and provide practic...

Objective: To investigate whether routine assessment of free testosterone improves the diagnostic accuracy of functional male hypogonadism.Methods: Total and free testosterone (calculated through SHBG assessment) were determined in 372 male patients (median age 44) referring to our department for sexual symptoms symptoms (188 patients) or infertility (184 men). Low total and free testosterone were defined as < 2.31 ng/ml and <63 pg/ml, respective...

Background: Prolactinomas (PRL) are pituitary adenomas mainly characterized by hyperprolactinemia. In addition to the endocrine effects of prolactin, metabolic alterations have been described in PRL patients. Changes in inflammatory parameters have recently been identified in pituitary adenoma patients. Since both, metabolic (MM) and inflammatory markers (IM) showed promising results in characterization/prognosis of tumor patients, it is tempting to speculate whether those mig...

Introduction: The differential diagnosis of sellar masses is broad and includes - apart from the most common pituitary adenomas - other neoplasms such as craniopharyngiomas, germinomas, gliomas, meningiomas, and others. Hemangiopericytoma (HPC) is a rare vascular tumor arising from pericytes that may appear at any site of the body. We report an unusual case of an intrasellar HPC.Case Report: A 63-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital complaining ab...