Endocrine Abstracts

Topiramate (TPM) is an anticonvulsant drug used for the treatment of epilepsy and prophylaxis of migraine. Weight loss is a side effect frequently reported in patients and animal models treated with TPM. Some studies showed that TPM may decrease energy storage, and thus increase energy expenditure and thermogenesis. However, the mechanisms by which TPM reduces body weight are not completely understood. Anorexigenic hormones such as insulin and leptin regulate the activity of d...

Gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) are rare neoplasms with heterogeneous clinical behavior and potential long-term survival. In the last decade GEP–NET nomenclature has been twice reviewed. However, the 2000 WHO classification had poor prognostic power in well differentiated (WD) neoplasms. This led to the introduction of two new important parameters by the European Neuroendocrine Tumors Society (ENETS), grade and stage; the former became part of t...

The Liver X Receptor (LXR) agonists have been shown to influence the development of hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis in mouse models. It has also been demonstrated that some LXR agonists can cause hepatic steatosis in experimental animals. GH is also known to regulate hepatic metabolism and absence of the hepatic GH receptors leads to hepatic steatosis. In this study we analyzed whether actions of LXR agonists could involve interference with GH signaling. We showed that LXR ...

Introduction: The large, randomized, phase III study of pasireotide in Cushing’s disease found that pasireotide treatment resulted in rapid and sustained decreases in UFC levels and in significant improvements in signs and symptoms over 12 months of treatment. A 12-month extension of this trial has recently completed, and the results are reported here.Methods: Patients with persistent/recurrent or de novo (if not surgical candidates) Cushing&...

Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHP) and growth hormone deficiency (GHD) are both associated with alterations of bone metabolism.GH secretion is frequently impaired in PHP patients; thus GH/IGF-I system alterations could be involved in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis.In the present study 50 post-menopausal women with PHP were evaluated by GH response to GH-releasing hormone (GHRH)+arginine (ARG) test and femoral neck bone mineral den...

Introduction: Although the etiology of osteoporosis is different between men and women, the underlying pathophysiologic mechanism is similar, namely an absolute or relative increase in bone resorption, leading to progressive bone loss. Transforming growth factor (TGF) beta-1 is a growth factor in human bone, which is produced by osteoblasts and inhibits osteoclast proliferation and activity and stimulates proliferation and differentiation of preosteoblasts.<p class="abstex...

The beta-HLH transcription factors NeuroD1 and ASH1 are frequently expressed by pituitary adenomas, both being present in all corticotroph, most clinically non-secreting (CNS) and a subset of GH and/or PRL-secreting adenomas. We wished to investigate the expression of the related beta-HLH factors neurogenins (Ngn) 1, 2 and 3 in the pituitary (n=4) and in a series of pituitary adenomas (n=45). RT-PCR was performed at different amplification cycles (up to 45) in al...

Somatostatin (sst) receptors are expressed in many tissues and multiple subtypes are often present in the same cells. Their activation by endogenous sst as well as by sst-analogues leads to inhibition of secretion and growth in some tumor, such as the neuroedocrine ones.Pheochromocytomas (Pheos) and paragangliomas (PGLs) are neural crest-derived tumors which can be sympathetic or parasympathetic in origin and present themselves as sporadic or familial. T...

In order to investigate the correlations between immunohistochemical picture with proliferative index (Ki-67), the clinical course and outcome of GH-secreting pituitary adenomas not cured by neurosurgery, we studied 41 consecutive acromegalic patients (M 12, F 29; aged 43±10.8 yr) previously undergone neurosurgical resection of adenoma. Two patients underwent neurosurgical intervention at least twice. Post-surgical follow-up ranged from 6 to 36 months and all patients rec...

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is a key factor in the regulation of blood pressure and therefore its' blockade may reduce the vascular complications which arise with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Adipose tissue expresses all the components of the RAS system that includes the pre-prohormone angiotensinogen (AGT) and its' active metabolite angiotensin II (ANG II), which mediates vasoconstriction and electrolyte balance and as such may contribute to obesity associated hyp...