Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Adrenocortical tumors (ACTs) are usually divided in adenoma (ACA) or carcinoma (ACC) according to histopathologic methods. Some lesions are occasionally difficult to classify according to these criteria. We studied the use of some immunohistochemical markers to recognise the difference between malignant and benign tumors.Materials and methods: We studied 12 patients affected by ACC and 10 by ACA. Clinical evaluation and hormone analysis wer...

Aims: SC can be discovered in 5–20% of the incidentalomas. Subclinical secretion is defined by the failure to suppress plasma cortisol after 1 mg-overnight dexamethasone <50 nmol/l, but there is no agreement in literature. The aim of our study was to evaluate cortisol response to oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) as potential marker of autonomous activity of these adenomas.Methods: Ninety subjects, 47 females and 43 males, underwent the protoco...

Aim: ACC is an extremely rare heterogeneous aggressive disease. Clinical presentation are various. The prognosis is very poor. There are limited data to define prognostic markers for survival beyond stage.The aim of this study is to describe the experience of our institution with patients affected by ACC.Material and methods: This study was performed on 13 patients aged between 26 and 76 years, from 1992 to 2009 who turned to our I...

Background: Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHP) is associated with increased rates of cardiovascular (CV) risk. Moreover, it is not fully clear whether surgery can attenuate CV risk. The intima-media thickness (IMT) of carotid vessels is considered a marker of atherosclerosis and CV events.Aim: Of the study was to evaluate IMT and some metabolic parameters in PHP patients.Subjects: Of 56 subjects were studied. Patients were divided i...

Introduction: Nitric oxide (NO) plays a wide spectrum of biological actions including a positive role in oocyte maturation and ovulation. Free radicals have been shown elevated in PCOS and therefore would be responsible for quenching NO that, in turn, would play a role in determining oligo or amenorrhea connoting PCOS. We recently demonstrated that the combined administration of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and arginine (ARG) is able to exert an antioxidant action leading to ...

Specific ablation of the androgen receptor (AR) in selected target cells prevents the major developmental defects inherent to generalised AR inactivation (Tfm, ARKO) and allows a detailed analysis of the contribution of defined cells and molecular pathways to more complex effects of androgens. We successfully applied this approach in the study of the role of androgens in the control of spermatogenesis, by developing a Cre/loxP-based mouse model with a Sertoli cell (SC)-selecti...

Spermatogenesis is a complex process involving interactions between the somatic cells (Sertoli, Leydig, peritubular) and germ cells within the adult testis. Androgens are key regulators of spermatogenesis and intra-testicular concentrations of testosterone (T), produced by the Leydig cells, are higher than that in blood. Androgen action is mediated by the androgen receptor (AR), an X-chromosome-encoded, ligand-activated, transcription factor. The mechanisms by which androgens ...

Background: Correlation between therapy with interferons, thyroid autoimmunity and dysfunction is widely reported. Currently we used two different pegilated-interferons (α-2a, α-2b).Aim: Evaluate a probable different behaviour of two PEG-IFN responsible of thyroid abnormalities.Patients and methods: We observed 236 consecutive naïve-patients with HCV-related chronic-disease undergoing a treatment with antiviral thera...

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess prevalence of impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia (IAH) by the Gold method in people with type 1 diabetes and to compare people with and with IAH regarding metabolic control.Methods: In a cross-sectional study, we assessed IAH in 139 people with type 1 diabetes (54.1y, diabetes duration 24.0y, HbA1c 7.1%) attending the University outpatient department for endocrinology and metabolic diseases. IAH was assesse...

Importance: Adrenal insufficiency is a life-threatening condition complicating heterogenous disorders across various disciplines, with challenging diagnosis and a notable drug-induced component.Objective: To describe the spectrum and main features of drug-induced adrenal insufficiency through adverse drug event reports received by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Design: We conducted a retrospective disproportionality analysi...