Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Testosterone (T) in a hydroalcoholic gel is commonly prescribed as androgen replacement therapy and may not be accompanied by peaks and troughs of serum T levels as seen in T-injectables. We assessed in 17 subjects the differences in serum testosterone (sT) and free T (fT) levels during four different application periods.Methods: Patients where on daily 50 mg Androgel®, for 7 consecutive days in each cycle, on day 8 serum was ...

Aspergillus infection (A)is often recognized in severely immunocompromised patients.Although involvement of the thyroid gland is reported for 9–15% of patients with disseminated disease, a localized clinical picture it’s not reported.Here, we present a case of Aspergillus in a LES young patient (15-year-old girl), who underwent to a strong immunosuppressive regimen (high doses of corticosteroids, endoxan and...

Acromegaly is known to be associated to an increased cardiovascular risk, due to the increased prevalence of glucose intolerance and dyslipidemia and pre-atherosclerotic lesions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of treatment with the GH receptor antagonist pegvisomant on cardiovascular risk and atherosclerosis in patients with acromegaly resistant to somatostatin analogues. Twelve patients (4 m, 8 f, 28–58 yrs) and 24 sex-, age- and BMI-matched controls en...

Dopamine agonists have been used as first or adjunctive therapy for acromegaly for many years, but relatively few studies have assessed the efficacy of a newer agonist, cabergoline (CAB) alone or in combination with somatostatin analogues (SSA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of combined treatment with SSA plus CAB in patients with acromegaly and resistance to SSA, defined as lack of normalization of IGF-I levels after long-term (>1 year) and hig...

Toxic multinodular goiter is a heterogeneous disease producing hyperthyroidism frequently found in iodine-deficient areas. The aim of this study was to evaluate the gene expression profile of functioning and non-functioning thyroid nodules present in the same thyroid gland from two patients affected by autonomous multinodular goiter by using the Affymetrix technology.Total RNA was extracted from nodular and non nodular tissues, retrotranscribed, and the ...

Introduction: Ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology (US-FNAC), the gold standard method to distinguish benign from malignant thyroid nodules, is the most accurate, cost-effective and minimal invasive preoperative test, aiming to resolve patient management. However, up to 30% of US-FNACs are classified as indeterminate nodules, making difficult to avoid unnecessary surgeries. Molecular tests may contribute to refine the preoperative diagnosis of thyroid nodules....

Introduction: Several studies recommend the use of molecular tests for a complete diagnosis of malignancy in thyroid carcinomas (TC). The study and identification of molecular markers in thyroid will contribute to a personalized and effective treatment of the patients. The development of TC has been associated with the activation of oncogenes that are implicated in the cell signaling pathway, interfering in cancer promotion and outcome. Moreover, the repertoire of microRNAs (m...

Study Objective: Sevoflurane is a halogenated inhalational anesthetic increasingly used in the intensive care unit (ICU) for its potentially beneficial effects in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. However, safety data on prolonged sevoflurane sedation are lacking and cases of diabetes insipidus (DI) have been observed. The objective of this study was to assess the incidence and risk factors of DI during prolonged sevoflurane sedation.Des...

Aim: Healthy adipose tissue contains numerous innate and adaptive immune cells that carry a type 2 cytokine immune signature, controlled by IL-33 and reflected by accumulation of ST2+ T regulatory cells (Tregs), type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s), and alternatively activated macrophages. These type 2 responses are lost in mice or humans on high-caloric diets that lead to obesity. Understanding how type 2 immunity is regulated in adipose tissue could contribute to ...

Introduction: Effects of prior exposure to testosterone (T) during puberty on the performance of transgender women (TW) in estrogen therapy undergoing physical effort are not known, mainly about cardiopulmonary capacity (CPC). Objectives: To evaluate CPC and muscle strength in TW undergoing long-term gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT). Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out with 15 TW (34.2±5.2 yo), 13 cisgender men (CM) and 14 cisgender women (CW). TW were i...