Endocrine Abstracts

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a clustering of cardio-metabolic risk factors (hyperglycemia, hypertension, dyslipidemia, visceral fat accumulation) that is also associated with hypogonadism and erectile dysfunction (ED). The study was aimed at clarifying the relationships among MetS, hypogonadism, and ED, we developed an animal model of MetS.Methods: Male rabbits fed a high-fat diet (HFD), with or without testosterone (T) supplementation, were compared wit...

In male, lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) have been associated, beside benign prostatic hyperplasia, to some unexpected co-morbidities, such as hypogonadism, obesity and metabolic syndrome, which are essentially characterized by an unbalance between circulating androgens and estrogens. Within the bladder, LUTS have been linked to overactivity of the RhoA/ROCK pathway. Here we investigate the effects of changing sex steroids on bladder smooth muscle. The effects of androgens...

Objective: Early puberty is associated with increased risk of subsequent cardiovascular disease. Low sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels are a feature of early puberty as well as conditions associated with increased cardiovascular risk. The aim of the present study was to evaluate SHBG as predictor of glucose metabolism and metabolic risk during puberty.Research design and methods: Cross-sectional study on 132 healthy Caucasian children and adoles...

One of the proposed mechanisms responsible for Diabetes mellitus (DM)-associated erectile (ED) dysfunction is overactivity of RhoA/ROCK signalling. Because statins may decrease RhoA activation, we investigated whether atorvastatin ameliorated DM-induced ED in alloxan-treated (100 mg/kg) rabbits (in vitro studies) and streptozotocin-treated (STZ, 50 mg/kg) rats (in vivo studies). A subgroup of diabetic animals received atorvastatin 5 mg/kg per daily 2 weeks before...

A previous study demonstrate that chronic tadalafil administration (2 mg/kg per day) was able to prevent some, but not all, penile alterations induced by long-term (3 months) bilateral cavernous neurotomy (BCN) in the rat. In particular, in vitro acetylcholine responsiveness and reduced eNOS and nNOS expression were not preserved, while PDE5 down-regulation, along with muscle/fiber ratio and hypoxygenation (hypoxyprobe) were significantly restored by chronic tadalafil (...

We have created transgenic mice in which Cyp11b1, the gene encoding 11β-hydroxylase, has been knocked out. Since mice do not secrete adrenal androgens, this knockout line allows a more detailed investigation of phenotypes associated with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) without the overwhelming virilisation that characterises patients with CAH. Starting with a BAC containing the mouse Cyp11b1/b2 locus and including flanking up- and downstream sequences, a const...

Epididymis (epi) is a sex steroid-sensitive duct provided with spontaneous motility, allowing sperm transport. We previously demonstrated that human epi expresses a high abundance of mRNA for ER-alpha and ER-beta. We demonstrated that in epi estrogens up-regulate either oxytocin (OT) responsiveness, acting at the receptor level, and responsiveness to endothelin-1 (ET-1), another well-known stimulator of epididymal motility. However, we did not find any significant change eithe...

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most common motor neurone disorder in human adults, presents is characterized by selective and progressive degeneration of upper and lower motor neurones in central nervous system. GH secretion, evaluated by GHRH+arginine test, has been recently reported to be impaired in about 70% of untreated ALS patients. The currently available drug for ALS treatment is riluzole, a compound acting through inhibition of glutamate relase, post-synapti...

Introduction: Prednisolone is standard treatment of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and giant cell arteritis (GCA), but many patients are reluctant to discontinue prednisolone treatment even after remission of the inflammatory conditions. Prednisolone-induced adrenal insufficiency can give manifest or latent symptoms, causing failure to taper and withdraw prednisolone. We therefore aimed to find the prevalence of adrenal insufficiency in prednisolone-treated patients with PMR/GCA...

Ectopic parathyroid tissue remains a significant hurdle in the surgical management of hyperparathyroidism. In diagnostically challenging cases of persistent hyperparathyroidism, unusual ectopic locations of parathyroid adenomas must be considered in order to avoid numerous re-operative explorations and the associated risks to the patient. We present a 30-year-old female was referred to the endocrinology department for symptomatic hypercalcemia. Routine laboratory investigation...