Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Reproduction exhibit a regular cyclicity and is regulated by complex interactions between circadian signals, gonadotropins and sex steroid hormones. Peripheral circadian rhythm is generated upon cyclic transcription of clock genes expressed in several cells, e.g. granulosa cells in the ovary. Here we investigated whether cyclic intracellular events occurring in response to gonadotropins are linked to expression of clock genes.Methods: Prima...

Introduction: HIV infection treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) seems to be associated with hypogonadism in men. Less is known in HIV-infected women gonadal status. The aim of this study is to investigate gonadal function, in menopausal HIV-infected women compared sex- and age-matched healthy subjects (HS).Methods: We retrospectively compared 188 HIV-infected women with 192 HS selected reviewing record charts and laboratory database...

Introduction: LH and hCG act on the same receptor (LHCGR), have different half-lives and in vivo biopotency. It is not known whether they elicit the same cellular and molecular response. The aim of this study was to compare the kinetics of cAMP response to recombinant LH and hCG.Design: In COS-7 cells permanently expressing the human LHCGR (COS-7/LHCGR) we evaluated LH and hCG dose-response curves, by measuring total cAMP after 3 h of incubation. ...

Objectives: Male pseudohermaphroditism, or Leydig cell hypoplasia (LCH), is an autosomal recessive disorder in individuals with a 46, XY karyotype, characterized by a predominantly female phenotype despite the presence of testicular structures. It is caused by mutations in the luteinizing hormone/chorionic gonadotropin receptor gene (LHCGR), which impair either LH/CG binding or signal transduction. However, molecular analysis has revealed that the LHCGR is apparently normal in...

Male sexual development and masculinization are triggered by two hormones, CG and LH. While CG, produced by the trophoblasts during pregnancy, is essential for normal development of male secondary sex organs, pituitary LH is indispensable for virilization and initiation and maintenance of spermatogenesis. Both hormones exert their action via the LH receptor (LHR) expressed in the Leydig cells by stimulating testosterone biosynthesis. This two hormone/one receptor system is exc...

Background: The LHR is a crucial mediator for normal sexual development and fertility. In the marmoset monkey (Callithrix jacchus), LHR type II, lacking exon 10, is the native receptor type. In addition to the testis, the LHR is expressed in the adrenal gland where its function remains unknown.Aim: To characterise marmoset LHR expression at different stages of puberty in the testis and adrenal gland and examine different splice variants in the tes...

Background: The rare 46, XX-male syndrome has to be distinguished from more frequent forms of hypogonadism, especially the Klinefelter syndrome (47, XXY). We report 11 cases of SRY-positive XX-males in comparison to 101 age-matched Klinefelter patients and 78 age-matched normal men in a case-control study.Methods: The comparison included results from the physical examination, endocrinological data, semen analysis, cytogenetic and molecular genetic findin...

Introduction: Hypothalamic gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) regulates mammalian reproductive system. It binds receptors (GnRHRs) expressed in gonadotrope cells of anterior pituitary, regulating the synthesis and secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). GnRHR is a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) coupled to Gαq/11 protein and, to a lesser extent, to Gαi/Gαs proteins, simultaneously activating Ca2+, β-cate...

Background: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) management profoundly changed across years, with increasing emphasis on stringent glycaemic control. While it is well demonstrated that the progressive improvement of glycaemic control allows a tighter command of diabetes-related complications, the positive implications thereof on reproductive functions are still unclear. Indeed, it is well known that oligomenorrhea and amenorrhea are more frequently detected in young women with T1DM...

Introduction: The prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) in patients with coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 varies widely, depending on population characteristics, country, age and disease severity. Moreover, pre-existing DM seems to double the risk of both critical COVID-19 and mortality.Aim: To evaluate incidence and mortality risk of COVID-19 in a large diabetic population in Northern Italy.Methods: A retrospective, observational, bi...