Endocrine Abstracts

Kisspeptin is a neuropeptide secreted in anteroventral-periventricular and arcuate hypothalamic nuclei involved pubertal onset and in other functions of adult life. Kisspeptin levels are sex dependent, so they are higher in prepubertal girls and in adult women compared to age-matched male. This sex-related pattern has been reported in adult obesity, but few data are reported in childhood obesity. In order to evaluate correlations between metabolic status and kisspeptin, we stu...

It is known that in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) therapy improves metabolic control and reduces risk of hypoglycaemia in comparison with multiple daily injection (MDI). Metabolic outcomes usually considered are HbA1c, BMI, and inflammatory parameters. However few data are available on pituitary and gonadal hormone responses, which are involved in metabolic processes. In order to study the response of anabolic hormones in patie...

Introduction: Conventional cardiovascular (CV) risk factors identify only half of subjects with incident major adverse CV events (MACE). Hence new markers are needed in high CV risk subjects, as those with erectile dysfunction (ED). A role for dynamic peak systolic velocity (D-PSV) at penile color Doppler ultrasound (PCDU) has been suggested, but it is operator-dependent and time-consuming. Flaccid penile acceleration (FPA) is a PCDU parameter that reflects PSV, the systolic r...

Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD) is a condition characterized by low grade chronic inflammation; increased levels of free light chains of immunoglobulins have been described; moreover, it shares some features with metabolic syndrome (MetS), including insulin resistance and oxidative stress, but with a different pattern of antioxidant response. Finally, it is known that GH, directly or via IGF-1 activity, influences many aspects of immune response; both humoral and cellula...

Introduction: Cushing’s Syndrome (CS) has been associated with bone mass abnormalities and with an increased risk of osteoporotic fractures.Objective: Evaluate the effect of treatment on the 10-year probability of fracture predicted by FRAX® and on the overall bone profile, in patients with CS.Patients and Methods: We evaluated 36 patients (6 M, 30 F, 12 post-menopausal, mean-age 43.6±13.5), 22 with Cushin...

Nowadays Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is not considered a lung specific disease: nutritional alteration, weight loss due to increased energetic expenditure, loss of muscle mass are systemic effects, correlated with the risk of hospitalization due to exacerbation (AECOPD). AECOPD, characterised by augmented indexes like C reactive protein, interleukin-6, procalcitonin and serum amyloid A (SAA), negatively influenced natural history of the illness and were found ...

Hyperprolactinemia may cause bone loss in pre-menopausal women and men. Data on fractures are scanty and it is still unclear which is the skeletal impact of hyperprolactinemia in post-menopausal women. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of vertebral fractures in post-menopausal women with hyperprolactinemia.Forty post-menopausal women (median age 57 years, range: 47–81) with prolactin (PRL)-secreting adenoma and 119 control post-me...

Oxidative stress (OS) could play an important role in metabolic syndrome (MS)-related manifestations contributing to insulin resistance (IR). The reciprocal influences between OS and IR are not clear. We investigated the effects of dietary antioxidants on IR, studying 24 obese (7 males and 17 females, 27–66 years), with IR evaluated by HOMA index, during treatment with metformin, comparing 2 dietary treatments: hypocaloric diet (group A, n=16) or a diet enriched wi...

Cushing’s disease (CD) occur more frequently in females than in males, but in men this disease seems appear at a younger age and with more severe symptoms and clinical course. Aim of this study was to compare clinical features and biochemical indices of hypercortisolism in male and female patients with CD.Methods: Forty-five patients (35 females and 10 males) with confirmed CD were analyzed. All patients underwent a complete biochemical and endocrin...

It is well known that cannabinoid type 1 receptor (CB1) antagonist drugs may reduce body weight and improve metabolic profiles in obese animals and humans by a double mechanism: at first, targeting mesolimbic and hypothalamic nuclei and, thereafter, peripheral organs involved in energy storage and expenditure. However, it is still unknown which of these sites of action may have a predominant role in the endocannabinoid effect on energy balance regulation. To solve this questio...