Endocrine Abstracts

Berardinelli-Seip syndrome is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by generalized lipoatrophy, extreme insulin resistance with dyslipidaemia in childhood and development of diabetes and hepatic steatosis in adolescence. The metabolic derangements can be severe and lead to substantial comorbidities, including acute pancreatitis, hepatic cirrhosis, and premature cardiovascular disease. Other manifestations can include polycystic ovarian syndrome, acanthosis nigricans, a...

Excess action of glucocorticoid hormones is implicated in metabolic disease and cognitive decline, 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 (11βHSD1) catalysing generation of active glucocorticoid hormones in tissues. The penetration rates and tissue-specific contribution of 11βHSD1 to glucocorticoid turnover were assessed using tracer kinetics. 9,11,12,12-d4-Cortisol (d4F) was infused (1.75 mg/day, 7 days) into C57Bl6/J male mice and mice lacking 11βHSD1 (n<...

Introduction: The possible change in the pattern of hormonal secretion by pituitary tumours is a very intriguing issue indeed, notably in the case of corticotroph-cell adenomas.Methods/design: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 1259 consecutive endoscopic endonasal surgical procedures for pituitary adenomas from 1998 to 2013. Of these, 132 were ACTH-secreting adenomas associated with Cushing’s disease (CD) and 44 were silent corticotroph-cel...

Introduction: 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D3) deficiency has been associated with diabetes and obesity. However, the mechanisms underlying these relationships are not completely understood. Vitamin D receptor (VDR) is expressed in adipose tissue; it has been reported a higher expression in obese patients than in lean subjects, suggesting a differential vitamin D dynamics in adipose tissue according to the obesity degree. In addition, 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) is a...

We report on the clinical and biochemical outcomes in a 20-year-old male suffering from active craniofacial monostotic fibrous dysplasia (MFD) treated with the RANK-L inhibitor, Denosumab, following unsatisfactory responses to prior long-term bisphosphonates therapy. The patient had been treated over 9 years with pamidronate (cumulative dose of 81 mg), but experienced only mild reductions in pain scores. Following initiation of Denosumab 60 mg subcutaneously, bone pain and bon...

The metabolic interplay occurring between the tumor microenvironment and cancer cells may represent a potential target for novel anti-cancer approaches. Among stromal components, adipocytes and adipose precursors have been shown to actively participate in tumor progression in several solid malignancies. In adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), a rare endocrine neoplasia with a poor prognosis, cancer cells often infiltrate the fat mass surrounding the adrenal organ, enabling a possib...

Introduction: Dumping syndrome is a phenomenon produced by the alteration of the pyloric sphincter. It occurs in 20% of pyloroplasty or distal gastrectomies. The syndrome is attributed to the rapid emptying of the chyme in the intestine. The osmotic gradient attracts fluid to the intestine, and this releases vasoactive hormones, such as serotonin or vasoactive intestinal polypeptide.Case report: We present a 82-year-old woman with gastric intervention in...

In patients with primary aldosteronism (PA), adrenal vein sampling (AVS) is considered the gold standard to distinguish between unilateral and bilateral autonomous production of aldosterone, while diagnostic imaging tests by CT scan or MRI are often inconclusive for the diagnosis. To date agreement is lacking on the best criteria indicating successful cannulation and lateralization.The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of different diagnostic c...

Introduction and objective: CD36 is a scavenger receptor that facilitates the membrane transport of long chain fatty acids into muscle and adipose tissue. Polymorphisms in this gene have been related to abnormal serum fatty acids and obesity-related phenotypes with inconsistent results. Gene-diet interactions could modulate these associations. Our aim was to study whether a common functional variant (rs1761667) in this gene will associate with anthropometric variables and plas...

Background: Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) is currently the primary diagnostic procedure in diagnosing thyroid malignancy. The aim of this study was to report our experience with FNA, and its accuracy.Materials and methods: Retrospective analysis of 166 patients who were operated of thyroid nodule in our hospital from 2003 to 2008, all of them had a previous FNA cytology results. There were evaluated some clinical variables and the correlation with final h...