Endocrine Abstracts

Prostate cancer (PC) is the most common malignancy and third most common cause of cancer-related death among men in Europe. Although most PCs grow slowly, 20–25% of the patients believed to have organ-confined disease will experience biochemical recurrence already during 5-years of follow-up. The standard treatment against advanced PC is androgen deprivation (ADT). Unfortunately, androgen deprivation treatment eventually fails leading to the emergence of castration resist...

Introduction: Acromegaly is a rare disease (estimated prevalence 40–125 cases per million) resulting from GH/IGF1 hypersecretion, mostly by pituitary adenomas. SAS has a prevalence of up to 80% in acromegalic patients. The high frequency of acromegaly-related comorbidities and delayed diagnosis although effective treatments exist, make it necessary a screening of acromegaly in at risk populations.Aim: In a national multicenter study, to determine th...

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is characterized by insulin resistance accompanied byreduced beta-cell compensation to increased insulin demand, typically observed in the secondand third trimester and associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. There is a need for abiomarker that can accurately diagnose GDM, predict onset and accurately monitor status, reducing foetal-maternal morbidity and mortality risks. To this end, circulating microRNAs(miRNAs) present themselves as p...

Introduction: The hypothalomo-pituitary response to the loss of ovarian function due to ageing is an increase in GnRH induced gonadothropic activity: FSH. It is thought that the pituitary gives maximum endogenous stimulation leading to FSH levels above the ovarian threshold to develop follicular growth and it is a matter of debate whether exogenous FSH (r-FSH) will or will not improve ovarian response. In intrauterine insemination (IUI) treatment r-FSH is used to induce multif...

Increasing evidence has recently accumulated suggesting that IGF1 system is involved in the regulation of longevity. While in animal models alterations of IGF1 signalling increase life expectancy, in humans there are contradictory data. Centenarians are an extraordinary model to study human longevity, however, they present a number of drawbacks: rarity, frailty due to extreme age and lack of a control group of the same age. The availability of an age-matched control group is c...

Introduction: Adults with GH deficiency (GHD) have a decreased life expectancy due to cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Recombinant GH treatment has made replacement therapy an option in adults with GHD. Data on long-term efficacy and safety are limited and the implication for life expectancy remains to be established.Methods: The Dutch National Registry of GH Treatment in Adults was founded to gain more insight into long-term efficacy and safety of GH ther...

Introduction: Primary empty sella (PES) is a frequent ‘incidental’ finding reported in 5–25% of general population and is associated with endocrine abnormalities in 8–60% of cases. In this collaborative multicentric study we evaluated cardiovascular risk by assessing clinical characteristics, glucidic profile and lipid parameters.Design: A total of 94 PES patients (39M-55F; mean age 50.3±0.9 years; mean BMI 28.9±0.5 kg/m<sup...

Pasireotide (SOM230), a somatostatin (SST) analogue targeting multiple SST receptors, is effective in reducing urinary free cortisol in patients with Cushing disease (CD), due to inoperable or recurrent ACTH secreting pituitary adenomas. The efficacy of SOM230 seems to be dependent on the presence of appropriate SSTRs, mainly SSTR2 and 5, on the membrane of tumor cells. Polyclonal antibodies available up to now recognizing cellular intracellular sites of receptors and their re...

Pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs) are mostly benign lesions originating from the anterior pituitary and represent 10–15% of all the intracranial neoplasms. PitNETs can be classified in non-secretory, clinically non-functioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs), and secretory, comprising prolactin (PRL), growth hormone (GH) and adrenocoticotropic hormone (ACTH). Surgical resection is the first line treatment for PitNETs, whereas chemotherapy and radiotherapy are preferre...

Metformin has recently emerged as a potential therapeutic tool for different tumour pathologies, including prostate cancer (PCa)1, one of the leading causes of cancer-deaths in men worldwide. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the antitumor effects of metformin in PCa are not fully elucidated. In this context, previous reports have suggested a relationship between metformin and the process of alternative splicing in some cell-types. Nevertheless, the poten...