Endocrine Abstracts

The cytoskeletal actin-binding protein filamin A (FLNA) is poorly expressed in adrenocortical carcinomas (ACC) compared to adenomas (ACA), and this might contribute to sustain the increased cell proliferation by downregulating IGF1R expression and its downstream signaling. In mouse neural progenitor cells, increased protein expression levels of the CDK1 kinase Wee1 have been found after loss of FLNA. This protein has a leading role in regulating the G2-M checkpoint and functio...

Adrenocortical carcinomas (ACC) are rare endocrine tumors that originate in the cortex of the adrenal gland. They are characterized by the overexpression of insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2), whose bond with two tyrosine-kinase receptors, IGF1R and IR, activates a cancer-promoting signalling cascade. Another component of the IGF system is mannose 6-phosphate/insulin-like growth factor 2 receptor (IGF2R), a scavenger receptor able to bind specifically IGF2. Its main role is t...

The majority of adrenocortical carcinomas (ACC) overexpress insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2). Although IGF2 drives a proliferative autocrine loop by binding to IGF1R and the isoform A of the insulin receptor (IRA), most studies focused on IGF1R. Recently, a high expression of IRA was observed in ACC vs normal adrenal tissues (NA), suggesting its potential involvement in modulating IGF2 effects in adrenocortical tumorigenesis. Aim of this study was to investigate the specifi...

Background: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic disease (Covid-19) is associated with the onset of thyroid dysfunction via multiple mechanisms. Patients hospitalised for severe Covid-19 disease may develop painless atypical thyroiditis coexisting with non-thyroidal illness syndrome, which determines transient thyrotoxicosis with quick restoration of euthyroidism during the following weeks. However signs of thyroiditis at ultrasound and sci...

Autoimmune thyroiditis and related complications represent a growing concern during pregnancy. Selenium is frequently present in nutraceuticals recommended for thyroiditis and pregnancy, given its advocated role in immunity, fertility and thyroid function. However, most evidences come from non-controlled studies. Materials and MethodsWe designed a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (Serena Study: NCT01465867) to evaluate the ...

Patients with Cushing disease (CD) are at increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). It was surmised, but not conclusively shown that the risk is related to plasma hypercoagulability secondary to the effect of glucocorticoids. This study aimed at investigating the thrombin-forming potential of patients with CD in the presence of a functioning protein C system by adding its main physiological activator, thrombomodulin. Under these experimental conditions, which mimic close...

Introduction: Available literature on series of patients affected by ectopic Cushing’s syndrome (ECS) deriving from neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) is relatively scarce. This is the first Italian multicentre study regarding clinicopathologic features, modalities of treatment, and survival of patients with NETs and ECS.Patients and methods: Retrospective analysis of data from patients with ECS from NETs collected in 14 centres between 1986 and 2014, ob...

Background: COVID-19 represents a global health emergency and infected patients with chronic diseases often present a severe impairment. Adrenal insufficiency (AI) is supposed to be associated with an increased risk of infections which could trigger adrenal crisis. Our primary aim was to evaluate the incidence of COVID-19 symptoms and complications in AI patients.Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective case-control study, in 279 patients with...

Objectives: SARS CoV-2 infections have been associated with the onset of classic subacute thyroiditis (SAT) or atypical SAT, observed in 10-15% of patients hospitalized for severe COVID19 disease (COV-A-SAT) and characterized by absence of neck pain, mild thyrotoxicosis associated with non-thyroidal illness syndrome and thyroiditis-like areas which may persist in the thyroid gland up to 12 months following SARS-CoV-2 infection, despite normalization of thyroid function. Little...

Objectives: In Graves’ disease (GD) and Graves’ orbitopathy (GO) self-reactive lymphocytes escape immune tolerance, although the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. We aimed to characterize the immune signatures of target tissue-resident lymphocytes in relation to GD and GO.Methods: Lymphocytes were derived from blood and ultrasound-guided-fine-needle aspiration (US-FNA) of thyroid and neck lymph nodes (LNs) of the following patient...