Endocrine Abstracts

Pain due to bone metastases can be relieved by local radiotherapy (RT). The mechanism of pain relief by RT has not been fully elucidated. Inhibition of bone resorption has been proposed as a possible mechanism. Osteoprotegrin (OPG) has been shown to block behaviours indicative of pain in mice with bone metastases and to diminish bone destruction (Honore et al., 2000, Nature Medicine 6; 521–8).The aim of this study was to evaluate serum OPG le...

Background: GH deficiency (GHD) may occur in about 60% of acromegalics treated and cured by surgery or radiotherapy. Effects of GH replacement have not yet been extensively studied in such a patients.Aim: To investigate whether rhGH replacement improve metabolic parameters in acromegalic patients who become GHD.Patients and methods: Forty GHD patients (mean age (S.D.): 48±10, BMI 27±3 kg/m2) were...

Background: Despite optimal management, children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may suffer from growth retardation. The role of rhGH in these children is unclear.Design: Randomised controlled trial of rhGH (0.067 mg/kg per day) for 6 months.Subjects: Twenty-two children with IBD and HtSDS<−2 or HtSDS<−1 and HVSDS<−1. Eleven were in the control group (C) and eleven in the treatment group (Rx).</p...

Corepressors and coactivators mediate thyroid hormone receptor-dependent repression and transactivation of positively-regulated target genes respectively, but their role in negative regulation is not understood.A 4 years old boy was born at 31 weeks. He was jittery at birth, with neonatal respiratory distress. Childhood features included poor weight gain, heat intolerance, tachycardia and hyperactivity. Ongoing problems are low frequency hearing loss, po...

VEGF is an endothelial-cell specific mitogen and is a critical regulator of developmental and reproductive angiogenesis. VEGF165 is the most abundant isoform, with the N-terminal 110 aa domain containing the receptor binding site and the C-terminal 55 aa domain containing a heparin-binding site. The activity of the molecule is mediated through its interaction with two main receptors, VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2, the binding to which is modulated by both cell surface-associated glycosa...

Introduction: Primary empty sella (PES) is a frequent ‘incidental’ finding reported in 5–25% of general population and is associated with endocrine abnormalities in 8–60% of cases. In this collaborative multicentric study we evaluated cardiovascular risk by assessing clinical characteristics, glucidic profile and lipid parameters.Design: A total of 94 PES patients (39M-55F; mean age 50.3±0.9 years; mean BMI 28.9±0.5 kg/m<sup...

Deficiency of 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 3 (17βHSD3), an enzyme converting androstenedione (A) to testosterone (T) in the Leydig cells of the testis, is a rare cause of autosomal recessive 46,XY disorders of sexual development (DSD). A 18-year-old phenotypically female patient presented with primary amenorrhea. She had deep voice, macrocephaly, broad forehead, enlarged nasal tip, macrostomia, facial acne, gynecomastia, left-convex dorsal scoliosis, hypopla...

Preliminary data from the French SAGhE study of 6928 pts with isolated idiopathic GH deficiency (IsIGHD), idiopathic short stature (ISS) or born small for gestational age (SGA) who started GH treatment during childhood (1985–1996) & were followed up in 2009, suggested increased mortality vs the French general population (pop; standardized mortality ratio (SMR): 1.3, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1–1.6; 116 403 person-years (PY))1.<p class="abstex...

Case: A 77-year-old woman, with a 50-year history of type 2 diabetes mellitus and multiple micro- and macrovascular complications, was hospitalized for a foot ulcer on a chronic Charcot foot. On admission, systematic anamnesis revealed back pain around L1-L2 for a week. There was no history of trauma or fever. Examination was normal except a symetrical loss of sensitivity on the feet related to his diabetic polyneuropathy. On admission, blood test showed an inflammatory syndro...

Background: To arrest the immune-mediated destruction of the insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells in type 1 diabetes (T1D), interventional studies have predominantly focussed on two distinct approaches: arresting the ongoing immune response or protecting the pancreatic beta cells. Recently, both approaches using respectively low-dose anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG), an immune-depleting agent, and verapamil, a calcium channel blocker with beta cell protective ...