Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Measurement of urinary cortisol is often used to assess disease activity in patients with suspected or proven hypercortisolism. However, specific reference ranges are lacking for some of the newer assays. This study analyzed upper limits of normal (ULN, mean+2S.D.) for two analytical procedures (GC–MS, ECLIA) in relation to various independent variables. Besides, the influence of different storage conditions was investigated (by ECLIA).<p ...

Introduction: Treatment of poorly differentiated neuroendocrine tumors (NET) usually includes chemotherapeutic intervention. However, both the rarity and the heterogeneity of the disease have led to relatively few clinical trials. This study evaluated the outcome of two chemotherapy regimens in patients suffering from undifferentiated and histologically confirmed NET.Methods: Eighteen patients (11 males; age 56.7±2.5) with proven progressive disease...

Background: Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) is the first enzyme in the pathway of catecholamine synthesis catalyzing the conversion of tyrosine to dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA). To establish a molecular marker for adrenal pheochromocytomas, we compared the expression in various adrenal tumors in comparison to normal adrenal glands.Methods: Tissue from 19 pheochromocytomas (PHEO), 20 aldosterone-producing adenomas (APA), 20 cortisol-producing adenomas (CPA), an...

Acromegalic patients under treatment with Octreotide LAR (Oct), 10, 20 or 30 mg were switched to Lanreotide Autogel 120 mg (Lan) at different dose intervals: 56, 42 and 28 days respectively. Just before the fourth Lan injection, IGF-I values were measured and the dose interval for the final three injections adjusted accordingly: if IGF-I values were between 1 and 2 standard deviations (S.D.) above the age and sex related mean value, no change in dose-interval wa...

Objective: The ITT is the gold-standard for assessment of GH and ACTH reserve but has certain contraindications. GH and cortisol responses of <3 ng/ml and <500 nmol/l, respectively, have been defined as evidence of severe deficiency. The GST like the ITT stimulates both the ACTH and GH secretion and is suggested to be a good alternative in terms of efficiacy. However, there are limited prospective data with modern assays on sensitivity and specificity for the GST in co...

Due to its rarity, initial endocrine abnormalities in acromegaly are difficult to investigate in a large cohort, especially with respect to cofounding variables. We searched the German Acromegaly Register for data on the first presentation of patients with acromegaly.Up to November 2005, 1485 patients with acromegaly had been entered into the database. Male patients demonstrated significantly higher random GH (21.0 (0.2–620.0) ng/ml, median (range))...

Adrenal pheochromocytomas are neoplasms characterized by catecholamine excess. We recently reported on the diagnostic value of plasma metanephrines measured by RIA for the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma. However, RIA may not be used in many laboratories.This study evaluated plasma and urinary metanephrines determined by a newly available ELISA as well as serum chromogranin A (CgA) for the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma. Spontaneous blood samples and 24h-ur...

Introduction and Objective: Adult craniopharyngioma as a rare neoplasm of the central nervous system is still very poorly understood. The clinical implications for affected patients are numerous, ranging from endocrine dysfunction to visual loss and neurological impairment. Although the progress of this tumor entity is slow by nature, affected patients often suffer from multiple symptoms even after successful treatment with a strong impact on their individual quality of life. ...

Introduction: Generously supported by IPSEN)-->Measurement of salivary cortisol is a simple, convenient, accurate and reproducible technique with potential value during the diagnosis/management of hypercortisolism. Current analysis evaluates changes in late-night salivary cortisol (LNSC) during pasireotide treatment in patients with Cushing’s disease (CD).Methods: A 12 m, Phase III study enrolled 162 adult...

Background: The diagnosis of hyperaldosteronism is hindered by the absence of a well-defined gold-standard. CYP11B2 (aldosterone synthase) belongs to the steroid-metabolizing enzymes catalyzing the last step of the aldosterone synthesis. To establish a molecular marker for aldosterone-producing adenomas, we compared the expression in various adrenal tumors.Methods: Tissue from 20 aldosterone-producing adenomas (APA), 12 hyperplasias associated with hyper...