Endocrine Abstracts

Background. The endothelial dysfunction prevalent in hypertension and diabetes is associated with an imbalance in the levels of nitric oxide (NO) and superoxide (SO). NAD(P)H oxidase is the predominant source of SO in the vasculature. Objectives. To manipulate levels of SO using the NAD(P)H oxidase inhibitors, apocynin, phenyl arsine oxide (PAO) and 4(2aminoethyl)benzenesulfonyl fluoride (AEBSF) and relate this to NO bioavailability. Methods. NO bioavailability was compared in...

Background: PAs are the most frequent pituitary neoplasms, however molecular pathogenesis is largely unknown. The AHR is a ligand-activated transcription factor that regulates expression of various genes that mediate cellular response to xenobiotics. The exact functional role of two AHR single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs); Arginine554Lysine (Arg554Lys) and Valine570Isoleucine (Val570Ile) has not yet been established, however studies suggest that these mutations might increa...

Gliomas are a highly heterogeneous group of brain tumours that are refractory to treatment, and highly invasive. The treatment and prognosis depend upon the tumor grade. Treatment of Grade II/III gliomas typically consists of maximal safe resection, followed by external beam radiation therapy. Although less aggressive than GBM, mortality is high with a 5-year survival rate of only 25.9%. Glioma tumors has been demonstrated NK-1 receptor system and substance P can be used as a ...

BackgroundAromatase deficiency is an extremely rare autosomal recessive condition due to mutations on CYP19A1 gene. Despite the size and complexity of this gene, only about 40 cases with aromatase deficiency have been reported.Case reportThe patient was born at term from non-consanguineous parents. Maternal signs of virilization were verified during third trimester (deep voice, acne on arms and face ...

Introduction: Paragangliomas belong to the neuroendocrine tumours arising from autonomic nervous system. Various localizations, symptoms that can mimic a wide range of diseases and often unpredictable ability to metastasize are the reasons why paragangliomas pose a significant diagnostic challenge. More than one third of paragangliomas is associated with germline mutations –succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) subunit genes are among the most common susceptibility genes. SDHD wa...

Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a malignant tumour deriving from parafollicular C cells, with a highly chemoresistant phenotype. Failure of medical therapy has been ascribed, at least in part, to multi drug resistance (MDR1) gene over-expression. MDR1 encodes for a transmembrane glycoprotein, P-gp, which hampers intracellular accumulation of cytotoxic drugs. It has been demonstrated that P-gp expression and function depend on cyclo-oxygenase 2 (COX-2) expression, which is...

Background: Oxidative stress is involved in the pathogenesis of Graves hyperthyroidism (GH) and a disbalance of the cell redox state is associated with thyroid hyperfunction and the reccurence of the disease. Aim: To study the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and NAD(P)-dependent dehydrogenases of peripheral blood neutrophils in patients with compensated and relapse GH ongoing thiamazole. Materials and Methods: The study incl...

Background: Evaluating treatment (Tx) Response in NETs using CT/MRI scans can be difficult. Previous studies, including the E2211, have shown improved progression-free survival (PFS) but no significant difference in Rp as measured by RECIST 1.1 (R1.1) criteria. Therefore, it is difficult to determine Tx effectiveness with short-term imaging, further complicated by differences in imaging protocols and inter-reader variability. Incorporating tumor density, using smaller threshol...

Background: Up to 2016, NIFT-P was considered a non-invasive encapsulated follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (FV-PTC) and was reclassified and downgraded to a pre-malignant lesion. However, if these nodules have peculiar ultrasonographic features able to pre-operatively suggest their histology is still a matter of discussion. We evaluated a large series of NIFT-P, FV-PTC, FTC, and FA to characterize their ultrasonographic features.Methods:...

Endokinin B (EKB) is a recently identified tachykinin whose role is not yet fully understood. EKB displays equivalent affinity for the three tachykinin receptors as substance P (SP) which it is often found co-expressed with. SP has been implicated in a variety of neuroendocrinological responses including stress regulation, and affective and anxiety-related behaviours. An important aspect, therefore, is to dissect a distinct role for EKB from that of SP. Here, we have attempted...