Endocrine Abstracts

Risk factors involved in new-onset diabetes mellitus after transplantation (NODAT) remain unclear. Clinical studies have demonstrated the association between low vitamin D levels with insulin resistance and diabetes. In animal models, osteocalcin deficiency leads to high glucose levels and insulin resistance.The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of NODAT and other alterations of glucose metabolism after liver transplantation (LT) at our ins...

Introduction: Research has demonstrated that knowledge about medications, diet, exercise, home glucose monitoring, foot care, and treatment modifications is necessary to effectively self-manage diabetes, and the assessment of diabetes-related knowledge is an important first step from which to individualize diabetes education programs and make evaluations of their effectiveness.Purpose: To assess the knowledge of diabetes mellitus (about the disease, its ...

It is well established that most TSH effects on the thyroid gland, including stimulation of proliferation, thyroid hormone synthesis and expression of thyroid-specific genes, are transmitted mainly by the adenylate cyclise pathway. However, in human follicular cells and in rat FRTL-5 cells, TSH can also stimulate the β-isoforms of PLC that catalyzes the hydrolysis of phosphatidyl-inositol 4,5-phosphate, yielding the second messengers DAG and inositol 1,4,5-phosphate facil...

Introduction: A key factor in the progressive increase in the prevalence of obesity is poor dietary habits. The treatment of obesity with regular diets often fail, so knowing the specific habits of these patients can be very useful to individualize treatment.Objective: Evaluate the dietary habits of subjects consulting for obesity in our clinic of Endocrinology and NutritionMaterials and methods: We conducted a survey of eating hab...

Protein kinase C (PKC) is a key enzyme which regulates proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation, representing a pharmacological target for tumor therapy. PKC is a serin/threonin kinase involved in the control of neoplastic transformation, carcinogenesis, neoplastic invasion, chemoresistance. The role of PKC depends on the tissue and on the specific isoform, among the 11 identified so far. In particular, PKC beta II inhibits cell functions, while PKC delta has a protective ...

The change of aminoacid Arginine (CGG) to Glutamine (CAG) at position 171 (R171Q) in the MEN1 gene has been occasionally reported in MEN1 carriers, but also in 1.4 to 5% subjects among the general population, therefore it is still unclear whether it might represent a polymorphism and/or it has a role in tumourigenesis. The aim of our study was to evaluate the presence of the R171Q polymorphism in patients with MEN1-related states presenting for MEN1 genetic screening. F...

Using gene expression profiling we found that the CBX7 gene was drastically down-regulated in six thyroid carcinoma cell lines versus control cells. This suggested that CBX7 is an oncosuppressor. The aim of this study was to determine whether CBX7 is related to thyroid cancer phenotype, and to try to identify new tools for the diagnosis and prognosis of thyroid cancer. We thus evaluated CBX7 expression in various snap-frozen and paraffin-embedded thyroid carcinoma tissues of d...

A 34-year-old male presented in March 2006 to the eye department with reduced visual acuity in left eye over 2 months and was initially diagnosed as retrobulbar neuritis. His vision was not improving in the next 2 months and so an MRI of the optic nerve was arranged which revealed a pituitary tumour impinging on the optic chiasma and his visual fields showed an early bitemporal hemianopia. Initial bloods revealed T4 13.5 pmol/l, TSH 1.4 μ/l, cortisol 305 nmol/l, prolactin...

The skeletal muscle expresses the Glucagon-like Peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor, although its effects in this tissue are not well known. Muscles are a major sink of energy substrates. The aim of our study was to examine the mid-term effect of Liraglutide (LIRA), a GLP-1 receptor agonist, in the expression of molecular indicators of the metabolic activity of the muscle, which includes enzymes, transporters, and intracellular signals. Twenty young Spague-Dawley male rats (350-400 g) ...

Background: The incidence of thyroid cancer (TC) has been increasing in recent years while mortality has remained stable. The cause of this increase is unclear, although several hypotheses have been proposed. While the increased incidence may only be apparent due to increased testing, there is data that suggest that there may be a real increase in incidence related to different risk factors. The aim of this meta-analysis was to determine the current incidence of TC in Europe.<...