Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Adipose tissue is recognized as an important endocrine organ, secreting many endocrine factors. Adiponectin is the most abundant peptide released into circulation, encoded by ADIPOQ gene localized in chromosome 3q27.3. Adiponectin decreases intracellular ceramide, implicated in insulin resistance, inflammation and atherosclerosis. It stimulates fatty acid oxidation in skeletal muscle and inhibits glucose production in the liver. Hypo-adiponectinemia plays a centr...

Introduction: Sporadic primary hyperparathyroidism (sporadic PHPT) is a common endocrine disorder, usually caused by a single parathyroid adenoma. However, up to 15% of patients present with multiple gland disease (MGD), which cannot be always diagnosed preoperatively, raising serious management problems. No predictive genetic screening tests are currently available to distinguishing adenomas from MGD in sporadic PHPT. MiRNAs are widely established as genetic molecules that ha...

Background: Many chemicals present within the environment, as well as natural and artificial components of our diet, have the potential to interfere with the physiological role of hormones, interfering with hormone biosynthesis, signalling or metabolism. In the last years AMH, a protein secreted by granulosa cells, has emerged as a reliable marker of ovarian reserve. It is largely accepted the influence of age and smoking on AMH serum levels, although a clear effect of environ...

: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) affects 6–10% of women of childbearing age. The pathophysiology of PCOS is related to increased insulin resistance (IR). Obesity, the leading cause of high IR, is present in 50% of women with PCOS, but lean women with PCOS also have higher IR than women with the same BMI without PCOS. Recent studies have correlated high IR with presence of thyroid nodules (TN), which motivated us to evaluate the occurrence of TN in patients with PCOS. ...

Aim: To evaluate the use of Denosumab in accordance to the UK National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal guidelines TA204 – Denosumab indicated for the prevention of osteoporotic fractures in post-menopausal women.Methods: A retrospective audit involving 129 patients prescribed Denosumab for osteoporosis between October 2011 and March 2015 at Nottingham University Hospitals, UK. Denosumab prescription data was obtai...

Introduction: Thyroid nodules are discovered by ultrasound (US) in a large percentage of population. In most cases they are benign and asymptomatic. When to perform or not a fine-needle-aspiration (FNA) is still matter of debate. Aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of a easy-to-use US classification, based on three US classes.Methods: We prospectively evaluated US features of 1118 thyroid nodules, allocating each nodule in one of three class...

Introduction: A woman’s iodine requirements increase substantially during pregnancy to ensure adequate supply to both mother and fetus. The deficiency of this element may cause several maternal-fetal repercussions. For this reason, iodine supplementation for pregnancy has been recommended and the World Health Organization (WHO) commends an iodine urinary concentration at a median UIC 150–249 μg/l. As in many other countries around the world, there is evidence of...

Epidemiological and preclinical studies propose that metformin, a first-line drug for type- 2 diabetes, exerts direct antitumoral activity. Although several clinical trials are currently ongoing, the molecular mechanisms of this effect are unknown. The AMP-activated kinase-dependent pathway, and the down-stream effectors (e.g. mTOR) are considered the main effectors. Several studies reported the involvement of, in metformin metabolic activity. Nevertheless, contrasting evidenc...

Introduction: Cutaneous metastization of differentiated thyroid carcinomas is a rare event.Clinical case: MMS, a 69-year-old male was submitted to left hemithyroidectomy+isthmectomy on May 2006 after FNA of a left node revealed follicular tumor. Histology showed Hurthle cell adenoma. The patient maintained irregular follow-up by endocrinologist. In October 2011 he referred the appearance of small bilateral cervical skin nodules. Physical exam showed thre...

Introduction: Long-lived mice with targeted disruption of the GHRH gene (GHRH knockout; GHRHKO) constitute a unique animal model of altered somatotrophic signaling and are characterized by reduced body mass and size, low plasma IGF1 and enhanced insulin sensitivity. These features are also observed in long-lived GH receptor knockout (GHRKO) mice, characterized by increased visceral obesity that usually promotes insulin resistance. GHRKO mice have also increased subcutaneous fa...