Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: A possible association between the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2 pandemic, in terms of infection and/or vaccination, and subacute thyroiditis (SAT) has been recently reported. Although a higher SAT incidence in pandemic has been described, data are still conflicting.Aim: To determine SAT incidence in Italy during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and to characterize clinical peculiarities and response to medical treatment...

Background: Adherence to anti-osteoporotic therapy is fundamental to prevent harmful consequences including fragility fractures and, in the specific case of denosumab discontinuation, of rebound fractures. Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) lockdowns have impacted on management of osteoporosis, but data about adherence to denosumab and rebound fractures during the Covid-19 pandemic are still lacking. The use of telemedicine is increasingly widespread albeit supported by little evi...

Introduction: The serum calcium/phosphorus (Ca/P) ratio has been proposed to identify patients with primary hyperparathyroidism and chronic hypoparathyroidism (HPT) from healthy subjects. However, other disorders of the Ca-P metabolism might present similar biochemical profile of HPT, such as pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP), for which the use of Ca/P can be useful. Aim: To test the performance of Ca/P ratio in the diagnosis of PHP in comparison to healthy...

Introduction: Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is a glycoprotein that support reproduction by regulating ovarian follicular growth and development. Recent studies demonstrated that proliferative signals mediating folliculogenesis are mediated by the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) expressed in ovarian tissues throughout the follicular phase. In granulosa cells, GPER forms heteromers with FSHR, reprogramming cAMP-induced death signals to AKT-dependent, anti-apoptot...

Introduction: Type 5 phosphodiesterase (PDE5) inhibitors (PDE5i) lead to intracellular cyclic-guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) increase and are used for clinical treatment of erectile dysfunction. Studies found that cGMP may up/downregulate the growth of certain endocrine tumor cells, suggesting that the use of PDE5i could impact the risk of certain tumors, such as colorectal cancer.Aim: We evaluated if PDE5i may impact thyroid cancer cell growth in vi...

Background: Gender-affirming hormone treatment (GAHT) is the cornerstone in the therapeutic management of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people, which are currently classified as transgender assigned-female-at birth (t-AFAB) and assigned-male-at birth (t-AMAB) subjects. Due to its hormonal nature, GAHT is commonly handled by the endocrinologist and available guidelines on this topic mimic the recommendations for cis-gender hypogonadal populations. However, the GAHT long ...

In the ovary, the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) forms heteromeric complexes with the follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR), reprogramming FSH-induced signals and determining the follicular fate. Based on the structural similarity, we evaluated whether GPER interacts with the luteinizing hormone (LH)/choriogonadotropin (hCG) receptor (LHCGR) modulating gonadotropin-dependent signals. LHCGR-GPER heteromers were evaluated in transiently transfected HEK293 cell...

Thyroid cancer is the most common type of endocrine tumor and reaches the peak of incidence between the age of twenty and fifty years. It has 4-fold higher prevalence in females than males, suggesting that estrogens and their receptors could be involved in thyroid cancer pathogenesis. Previous studies demonstrated allosteric interference operated by G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) to molecules structurally similar to the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor (T...

Background and Aim: Potential adverse effects of metabolic surgery on skeletal integrity remains an important concern. Bone loss is common after surgery due to multiple factors including vitamin D deficiency, altered calcium metabolism, mechanical load reduction and hormonal pattern changes. It is still not clear if the effects on bone health and calcium homeostasis vary according to each surgical technique. Further, long-term data of different surgical approaches are poor. Th...

Background: Metabolic dysfunction associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), the leading cause of chronic liver disease, is defined as the presence of hepatic steatosis and metabolic risk factors. Both testosterone and estradiol seem to have a pivotal role in hepatic lipid homeostasis, although underlying mechanisms are still unclear. Low testosterone serum levels result independently associated with MAFLD, but no studies so far evaluated MAFLD prevalence and severity in hypogona...