Endocrine Abstracts

Disruption of the balance in energy homeostasis and substrate metabolism can lead to obesity and the metabolic syndrome on one hand and body wasting in cachexia associated with cancer and other chronic diseases on the other hand. Indirect evidence suggests that prostaglandins (PGs), products of the cyclooxygenase (COX) pathway, are involved in the regulation of metabolic processes under physiological conditions or during disease, in particular cancer cachexia. However, the dir...

Background: Primary squamous cell carcinomas of the thyroid are uncommon entities with less than 100 cases described in the literature.Case report: We report on the imaging findings in a rare case of primary squamous cell carcinoma of the thyroid that was found to be the primary tumour of humerus and cervical lymph node metastases. Other sources of squamous cell cancer were ruled out by a careful search, including whole body computed tomography (CT), pos...

The prevalence of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) following traumatic brain injury (TBI) based on IGF-1 testing differs in literature between 10 and 40%. In our cohort the frequency of IGF-1 values <1 S.D. was 25%. If our patients had a minimal hepatocellular damage, the IGF-1 value could be <1 S.D. We evaluated the effects of BMI and liver function on IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 values in patients following TBI or subarachnoidal haemorrhage (SAH).<...

Leptin acts not only as an anorexigenic hormone but is also involved in the regulation of cell-mediated immunity. However, since the impact of leptin on NK cells is currently elusive, we investigated the body weight-dependent leptin effects on NK cells numbers and function.In a first set of experiments leptin and MADB106 tumor cells were injected intravenously in male lean and diet-induced obese Lewis and F344 rats. In a second set of experiments an i...

Hypercalcemia is a frequent metabolic disorder in metastatic breast cancer (BC). Aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of hypercalcemia due to PHPT in BC patients. The study group included 271 consecutive BC, mean age±S.D. 57.7±11.96 yrs. 100/271(36.9%) evaluated at different times after mastectomy (A) and 171(63.1%) before surgery (B), with no distant metastases. Age matched control group included 108 healthy women (Co) and 70 women with thy...

Introduction: Fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF-21) is a recently discovered hormone acting as a central regulator of metabolism via adaptation of glucose homeostasis, insulin sensitivity, and ketogenesis. While acute systemic inflammatory conditions come along with profound alterations of metabolism, the role of FGF-21 in these acute phase responses is still unknown.Methods: This is a secondary analysis of two randomized, controlled trials in patients pr...

Thyroid hormones (TH) play an important role in brain development, central nervous system functions and energy metabolism. In order to mediate these effects in the brain, TH are actively transported through the blood-brain barrier from the periphery to the brain. Tanycytes are specialized ependymal cells that line the wall and the base of the third ventricle in the mediobasal hypothalamus. The cell bodies are in contact with the cerebrospinal fluid and send their processes to ...

Objectives: During the Covid-19 pandemic caused by the severe-acute-respiratory-syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), vaccination has been widely adopted. Both SARS-CoV-2 infection and Covid-19 vaccines have been associated with several thyroid disorders. We studied the risk of Thyroid Eye Disease (TED) following Covid-19 vaccination.Methods: This self-controlled-case-series study, validated model in assessing vaccine safety, included 98 consecutive patie...

Objective: There is increasing evidence that multisystem morbidity in patients with Cushing’s disease (CD) is only partially reversible following treatment. We investigated complications from multiple organs in hospitalized patients with CD compared to patients with non-functioning pituitary adenoma (NFPA) after pituitary surgery.Design: Population-based retrospective cohort study using data from the Swiss Federal Statistical Office between January ...

Background: Adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma (CP) is a rare embryonal malformation originating from remnants of the craniopharyngeal duct and located in the sellar and/or parasellar area. Overall survival rates are high (92%), but frequently quality of life (QoL) is severely impaired in patients with CP involving hypothalamic structures. Tumor- and/or treatment-related hypothalamic lesions result in disturbances of circadian rhythms including increased daytime sleepiness.</p...