Endocrine Abstracts

Insulin sensitivity in GHD patients tends to decrease with age and variations in body composition. Several indices of insulin sensitivity have been considered and among these HOMA, ISI and QUICKI are based on mathematical calculations taking into account glucose and/or insulin levels either in basal conditions or after OGTT. Aim of present study was to validate the different indices in a population of pre-pubertal GHD children (n=66) by ROC curve analysis. All patients ...

ACROSTUDY is an international observational study to evaluate efficacy and safety of long-term treatment with pegvisomant (PEGA) in acromegaly. ACROSTUDY Italy was started in 2007 and we report data from the first 185 patients (93M, 92F, mean age, range, 49.9 y; 17–83.8 y) treated with PEGA (mean duration, range, 3.2 y, 0.1–8.5 y), from 24 centers, until 01/2010. Before and during PEGA, IGF1, GH-Ab, liver enzymes, metabolic parameters and pituitary MRI were assessed....

Introduction: Neuroendocrine neoplasms are rare and multiform requiring a multidisciplinary approach. We report the experience of a Neuroendocrine tumor board (TB) established at our University Hospital.Aims: The aim is to share clinical and diagnostic data for best decision-making according to the existing ENETS guidelines.Materials and methods: According to the indications for ENETS Centers of Excellence, meetings with experts in...

Seminal plasma (SP) contains proteins secreted by testis, epididymis and male accessory glands, involved in the successful fertilization of the oocyte. The function of epididymis, prostate and seminal vesicles are dependent upon the presence of androgenic stimuli.To investigate the role of testosterone in the modulation of the proteomic pattern in SP, we analyzed human SP proteome comparing the panel of common seminal proteins in five fertile normogonada...

In order to investigate the correlations between immunohistochemical picture with proliferative index (Ki-67), the clinical course and outcome of GH-secreting pituitary adenomas not cured by neurosurgery, we studied 41 consecutive acromegalic patients (M 12, F 29; aged 43±10.8 yr) previously undergone neurosurgical resection of adenoma. Two patients underwent neurosurgical intervention at least twice. Post-surgical follow-up ranged from 6 to 36 months and all patients rec...

Aim: Lipedema is a painful fat disorder that affects ~11% of the female population, characterized by bilateral, disproportionate accumulation of subcutaneous adipose tissue predominantly in the lower body. The initial manifestations of lipedema arise in phases of hormonal change (puberty, pregnancy, menopause). The pathophysiology of lipedema is unclear. The putative causes proposed include altered adipogenesis, microangiopathy, and disturbed lymphatic microcirculation The dis...

A 35 year old Asian man presented to the emergency department on several occasions with episodes of severe muscle weakness, affecting his arms and legs, to the point he was unable to walk or stand. He was found to be hypokalaemic on both occasions, at 2.3mmol/l and 3.0mmol/l respectively, and his weakness gradually improved with potassium replacement. He gave a history of two years of intermittent weakness and stiffness of the limbs which typically occurred at night or after l...

A 66 year old woman was referred to endocrinology in January 2023 with severe hypercalcaemia of 4.7mmol/ladjusted (2.2-2.6mmol/l) and low normal PTH of 1.8 pmol/l(1.6-6.9 pmol/l). She presented with one week of cough, breathlessness and fatigue, and 3-4 days of nausea and vomiting. She had commenced Furosemide 40 mg for bloating symptoms one month prior. She had a history of breast cancer treated with mastectomy and lymph node clearance in 2019, with subsequent Letrozole (ongo...

Introduction: Due to improved pediatric care, life expectancy of children with complex genetic syndromes (CGS) is increasing. Many children with CGS now do reach adult age and have to make the transition to adult endocrine healthcare. However, many adult endocrinologists are not yet prepared for the increasing number of adults with CGS. Although patients receive multidisciplinary (MD) care at the pediatric department, MD care is not yet available for most adults with CGS. Also...

We report the case of a 37-year-old woman with a 9-month history of intermittent and variable symptoms of anorexia, nausea & vomiting, muscular weakness and pain in association with recurrent hypoglycaemic episodes. The patient stated that she had episodes of myalgia with generalised weakness affecting mobility and a history of significant weight loss as a result of anorexia and nausea & vomiting. The patient had two previous hospital admissions with similar symptoms a...