Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: The relationship between alcohol consumption and erectile function is still not completely clarified. Aims of the present study are to explore a number of biological and clinical correlates of alcohol consumption in a sample of men consulting for sexual dysfunction, and to verify possible associations with the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs).Methods: A consecutive series of 1956 (mean age 55±11.9 years old) att...

Introduction: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is often associated with male hypogonadism. The role of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) in T2DM has not been completely clarified. To systematically analyse the relationship between androgen levels and T2DM by reviewing and meta-analyzing available prospective and cross-sectional studies. In addition, a specific meta-analysis on the metabolic effects of TRT in available randomised clinical trials (RCTs) was also performed.</...

Objectives: Recommending general dynamic penile color doppler ultrasound (D-PCDU) screening in patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) has been questioned due to an inadequate cost-benefit ratio. The aim of the present study is to asses the validity of different risk scores in the identification of patients being screened for arteriogenic ED at D-PCDU.Design and methods: A consecutive series of 738 (mean age 53.6±9.2 years) patients with ED was stud...

Reproduction in mammals is centrally regulated by neuroendocrine neurons scattered in the hypothalamus and secreting the decapeptide GnRH (gonadotropin releasing hormone). During development, GnRH-secreting neurons originate in the olfactory placode – at least in rodents – and migrate along olfactory nerves (the vomeronasal and the terminalis) to gain access to the forebrain and reach their final destinations in the hypothalamus. Defects in the migration of these neu...

Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), a pleiotropic cytokine of the interleukine-6 superfamily, is involved in several functions including the control of reproduction at the embrionic-endometrial interface and the regulation of energy homeostasis. LIF activates a cell-surface receptor complex (LIF-Rs) composed of one ligand-specific low affinity LIF receptor β (LIFRβ) subunit and the gp130 subunit. Since little is known about the involvement of LIF in the modulation of t...

Objectives: The aim of present study is to determine psychobiological characteristics of sexual dysfunction (SD) associated with metabolic syndrome (MS; as defined by National Cholesterol Education Program’s Adult Treatment Panel III, NCEP-ATP-III criteria) in a consecutive series of 803 male out-patients.Methods: Several hormonal, biochemical and instrumental (penile doppler ultrasound, PDU) parameters were studied, along with psycho...

Objectives: Radical prostatectomy is an effective therapy for men with clinically localized prostate cancer. A significant number of men develop erectile dysfunction after radical prostatectomy (PPED) due to intraoperatory cavernous nerve injury causing hypoxia and fibrosis of corpus cavernosus. We established an experimental model of bilateral cavernous neurotomy (BCN) in the rat in order to investigate whether sildenafil treatment in PPED patients could prevent penile tissue...

Introduction and objectives: Anxiety has a relevant impact on everyday life, including sexual life, and therefore is considered the final common pathway by which social, psychological and biological stressors negatively affect sexual functioning. The aim of this study is to define the psycho-biological correlates of free-floating anxiety in a large sample of patients complaining erectile dysfunction (ED) based sexual problems.Methods: We studied a consec...

Objectives: Hypogonadism is often associated with diabetes mellitus and both conditions represent major risk factors for erectile dysfunction (ED). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of diabetes-induced hypogonadism on ED using two distinct animal models: alloxan-rabbits and streptozotocin (STZ)-rats.Methods: A subgroup of diabetic animals was Testosterone (T) replaced. After 8 weeks from induction of diabetes, erectile function was evaluat...

Obesity is associated with increased and dysfunctional white adipose tissue (WAT). Pharmacological approaches of obesity are still far from obtaining a stable weight loss. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) have been proposed as anti-obesity drugs due to their effects on weight loss. Furthermore, dual agonists engaging both GLP-1 and glucagon are currently under investigation for their marked effects on weight loss, although their mechanisms of action is stil...