Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Cortistatin (CST) is a 17 amino-acid neuropeptide involved in sleep regulation. Due to its structural resemblance to somatostatin (SS), CST binds with high affinity to the 5 known SS receptors. CST also binds to the putative MrgX2 receptor. Previously we demonstrated that various types of human immune cells and tissues as well as lymphoid cell lines express CST mRNA. We suggested that CST plays a regulatory role in immune cell function both in physiological and p...

Background: Several adverse events are recorded during treatment with tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Hypocalcemia was reported during phase III clinical trials with both Lenvatinib and Vandetanib, but scanty data are available in a real-life setting. Aim of our study was to evaluate hypocalcemia occurrence and its characteristics in a cohort of patients treated with these drugs for advanced thyroid cancer. Moreover, in patients treated with Lenvatinib, we examined a possib...

Personalized medicine is a crucial part of modern medicine. As a result, other therapeutic options apart from levothyroxine are considered when treating hypothyroidism. Desiccated thyroid pharmaceuticals, that in addition to thyroxine (T4), contain triiodothyronine (T3), are one of them. ETA recognized the rapid use of desiccated thyroid pharmaceuticals and described specific guidelines for its utilization. The biggest problem of their use is unresolved issues of content that ...

Background: Cortisol has a suppressive effect on corticotroph proliferation. In Cushing’s disease (CD), the relative resistance to glucocorticoid (GC) action may favor corticotroph tumor formation and autonomous ACTH secretion.Objective: To analyze the consequences of long-term GC exposure on corticotroph tumor cell proliferation and to evaluate the modification of gene expression attributable to prolonged GC treatment.Methods...

Background: Timing of puberty is associated with height, cardiovascular health and cancer risk, with a significant public health impact. Previous studies estimate that 60–80% of variation in the timing of pubertal onset is genetically determined. Self-limited delayed puberty (DP) segregates in an autosomal dominant pattern, but the underlying genetic background is unknown.Methods: We performed whole exome sequencing in 111 members of 18 families fro...

Hepatocytes are both insulin sensitive and the primary site for synthesis of SHBG. Thus, it is possible that a condition of hepatic insulin resistance may impair hepatic synthesis of SHBG. In this study, we assessed SHBG circulating levels after 30 days of a very low-calorie ketogenic diet (VLCKD) based on high-biological value protein preparations diet (ISOMED) and natural food in a cohort of insulin-resistant obese male subjects. Moreover, we investigated the effects of expo...

Background: Growth monitoring identifies treatable conditions in apparently healthy children and prevents inappropriate referrals. Systematic growth monitoring is not currently a UK priority and growth disorders are frequently diagnosed late.Objectives: Develop and test the accuracy of a smartphone app which enables families to measure a child’s height at home as a cost-effective alternative to primary care growth monitoring.M...

The past decade, epidemiological studies have associated disturbances of the biological clock, as occurs in shift work, with low bone mineral density and increased fracture risk. As a large part of the working population participates in shift work (e.g. almost 30% of workers in the U.S.), this demonstrates the need for further research on the risk of skeletal disorders associated with circadian disturbances. In this study, we aimed to investigate to what extent rhythmicity exi...

Bilateral adrenalectomy usually results in lifelong primary adrenal insufficiency. Evidence exists that up to 34% of patients with Cushing’s disease (CD) have some degree of endogenous cortisol secretion after bilateral adrenalectomy due to ACTH driven hyperplasia of residual cortical tissue. We present a case of a patient with atypical corticotropinoma/carcinoma and recurrence of CD after bilateral adrenalectomy.A 59-year-old man presented with Cus...

Background: Aberrations in the timing of puberty may result in significant adverse health outcomes, including cancers, cardiovascular and neurological pathologies. Self-limited delayed puberty (DP) (i.e. constitutional delay of puberty) runs in families with either autosomal dominant or complex inheritance patterns in >70% of families, indicating a strong genetic basis of the trait. However, only a few genes have been identified underlying DP so far....