Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a systemic autoimmune disorder known for recurrent arterial and venous thrombotic events. It may involve multiple organ systems, but its impact on the endocrine system is rare. However, the adrenal glands are one of the most susceptible endocrine organs to APS, due to thrombosis, leading to primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI). Most cases are diagnosed in patients with known history of APS.Case Report: We r...

Introduction: Ectopic adrenal tissue (EAT) occurs in less than 1% of adults, more commonly in males. It may be found anywhere along the path of embryogenic migration, usually in the kidney and retroperitoneal fat. We report a case of EAT in the fallopian tube, a particularly rare localization.Case: We present a 57-year-old female with a known medical history of nephrolithiasis and previous ectopic pregnancies. The patient was submitted to a laparoscopic ...

Introduction: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM2) remission after bariatric surgery can be achieved in 72% of cases. This mechanism is not fully dilucidated; however, it could be caused by the action of glucose direct deposit in the jejunum.Objective: To assess the preoperative eating behavior impact in postoperative DM2 remission.Materials and methods: A retrospective chart review among obese and type 2 diabetic patients that underwent...

Reproduction is tightly coupled to body energy and metabolic status. GnRH neurons, the final output pathway for the brain control of reproduction, directly or indirectly receive and integrate multiple signals, including metabolic cues regulating reproductive function. Yet, the molecular underpinnings of such phenomenon remain largely unfolded. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a fundamental cellular sensor that becomes activated in conditions of energy deficit, has a key ro...

Background: Bariatric surgery has been associated with a decrease in multiple obesity-related comorbidities including obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSA). This study aims to access the OSA evolution in obese patients who underwent bariatric surgery.Methods: Retrospective longitudinal study of a population of obese patients who underwent bariatric surgery between January/2010 and July/2014 in our centre. Only patients who have undergone polysomnograph...

RF-amide-related peptide-3 (RFRP-3), the mammalian orthologue of the avian gonadotropin-inhibiting hormone (GnIH), has been proposed as major inhibitory signal for the reproductive axis, acting via the NPFF1 receptor (NPFF1R). In addition, RFRP-3 has been recently suggested to modulate feeding, with reported orexigenic actions; a function that might contribute to the integrative control of energy homeostasis and reproduction. However, characterisation of the metabolic effects ...

While female fertility is known to be sensitive to conditions of low body fuel reserves, the reproductive consequences of persistent energy excess remain ill defined. Yet, the pandemic proportions of obesity, and its potential impact on the gonadotropic axis, call for a better understanding of this phenomenon. Alike, the influence of ovarian hormones on the pathophysiology of obesity and its complications merits further investigation. In this work, we aimed to elucidate the me...

Introduction: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare and aggressive tumor, with a poor prognosis and median survival of 3–4 years. Complete surgical resection is the only possibility of cure. The rate of post-surgical recurrence is high, so adjuvant treatment with mitotane plays a key role.Objectives: To evaluate predictive factors of response to adjuvant treatment with mitotane in monotherapy in patients that underwent surgical resection of ACC....

Childhood obesity has become a major health problem, which is coupled to different adverse outcomes and diseases. The escalating prevalence of child obesity parallels that of alterations in pubertal timing, also linked to higher disease burden later on life. Yet, the mechanisms underlying for this association remain unfolded. Ceramides, ubiquitous signaling molecules involved in numerous biological processes, have emerged as mediators of metabolic disorders and transmitters fo...

GnRH neurons are the final output of the brain controlling reproduction. These neurons receive information from multiple central and peripheral signals, ranging from gonadal steroids to metabolic cues and brain neuropeptides, to regulate their activity. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an intracellular sensor, activated by energy deficiency, involved in the regulation of the cellular and whole-body energy homeostasis. Previous in vitro studies suggested the part...