Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Smoking is an independent risk factor for Graves’ disease (GD) and an independent predictor for Graves’ophtalmopathy (GO), but the influence on hyperthyroidism severity was not established.Aim: To evaluate the relationship between smoking and thyroid function at diagnosis and after administration of antithyroid drugs (ATDs) in GD patients.Materials and methods: We prospectively investigated 116 newly diagnos...

Ethanol and laser ablation of benign thyroid nodules is bursting rapidly in clinical practice because of its efficacy, safety and economy. However, these techniques require some manual operator training. In order to facilitate this hands-on training, we propose two homemade, cheap and specific simulators to practice these clinical procedures.Material and methodsTwo models were optimized: Gel-Phantom Coruna VR16 (gelatine a...

The ubiquitin-proteasome cascade has been described as a critical factor in adipocyte biology, insulin signaling and obesity, but the function of Nedd8, the ubiquitin-like protein with the closest homology to ubiquitin, remains unknown. Using 3T3-L1 preadipocyte cells, we found that MLN-4924, a specific neddylation inhibitor, blocks adipocyte differentiation. Screening for signaling and transcriptional factors driving adipogenesis, we found that neddylation blockade inhibits t...

Hyponatraemia represents an independent risk factor for osteoporosis and fractures, affecting both bone density and quality. A direct stimulation of osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption in the presence of reduced extracellular sodium concentrations ([Na+]) has been shown, but, to date, the effects of reduced [Na+] on osteoblasts have not been elucidated. This study investigated the effects of a chronic reduction of extracellular [Na+], independently of osmotic stress, on hum...

Introduction: There is evidence that chronic mild hyponatremia (serum (Na+) 130–135 mmol/l) may have clinical consequences, such as fracture occurrence and neurological symptoms including unsteadiness, falls and attention deficits. These have been traditionally associated to water movement into nervous cells, as a result of the hypotonic state. The aim of the present study was to determine whether low extracellular sodium directly exerts negative effects on human neuronal...

Accumulating evidence suggests that ghrelin’s physiological role extends beyond appetite and energy balance to include reward-seeking behaviour both for food (a natural reward) and chemical drugs. The neurochemical circuitry that links ghrelin to reward behavior and the level of the mesolimbic reward system remains unclear. Ghrelin receptors can be found on the ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons. It is not known, however, which dopaminergic projections are rele...

Introduction: Secondary hypogonadism (sHG) is the most common form of hypogonadism. sHG can arise from any dysregulation of hypothalamic-pituitary (HP) axis due to functional or organic disorders. HP organic disorders are often diagnosed using pituitary magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, MRI is an expensive and not widespread exam and it cannot be routinely offered to all sHG patient. The Endocrine Society guidelines suggest MRI scan in sHG men with total testosterone ...

Background: Prevalence of hypogonadism is high (30%) in men with HIV. In these patients T treatment (TT) is currently used mainly to counteract wasting syndrome and/or HIV-related lipodystrophy, irrespective of patients’ serum T. However, its effect and safety in HIV-infected men is still not completely known.Aim: To investigate both beneficial and adverse effects related to TT in HIV-infected men using a meta-analytic approach.<p class="abstext...

Introduction: In the last few years the view that subclinical endocrine disorders represent milder forms of the clinically overt disease has emerged. Accordingly, it has been proposed that compensated hypogonadism represents a genuine clinical subgroup of individuals with late onset hypogonadism (LOH). The aim of the present study is to investigate the association of compensated hypogonadism with clinical and psychological characteristics of male subjects complaining for sexua...

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, ...