Endocrine Abstracts

Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) remains the mainstay in the study of thyroid nodules, with cytologic adequate specimens in almost 85% of cases in expert hands. Apart from the limitation of inadequate samples, there are false negative diagnoses in some cases, particularly in larger (>3 cm) nodules. Considering this, Large-needle biopsy (LNB) could be useful to improve diagnostic precision. We review the pathology reports (PR) of more than 100 patients operated since ...

Objective: An adequate thyroid function during pregnancy is essential for the normal brain development of the foetus, and some organochlorine compounds (OCs) can interfere with the thyroid system. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the association between exposure to some OCs and thyroid function in pregnant women from two different areas in Spain, as well as to investigate the potential confounding effect of iodine intake.Methods: Thyroi...

Introduction: The fetus is the most vulnerable to severe iodine deficiency and hypothyroidism during pregnancy. Severe iodine deficiency and hypothyroidism during pregnancy have long been known to be associated with neurologic deficits and mental retardation The effects of mild iodine deficiency and subclinical hypothyroidism are poorly known. The present study assesses the association between thyroid hormones and urinary iodine concentration (UIC) in healthy pregnant women an...

Subclinical CS, mild hypercortisolism without overt clinical manifestations, is the most frequent (5–8%) hormonal abnormality detected in patients with secreting adrenal incidentalomas.Unclear clinical features and mild hypercortisolism make the diagnosis problematic, although laboratory criteria have recently been reviewed. In these cases, scintiscan is a central tool to define the adrenal functional activity.A 60-year-old ma...

One of the proposed mechanisms responsible for Diabetes mellitus (DM)-associated erectile (ED) dysfunction is overactivity of RhoA/ROCK signalling. Because statins may decrease RhoA activation, we investigated whether atorvastatin ameliorated DM-induced ED in alloxan-treated (100 mg/kg) rabbits (in vitro studies) and streptozotocin-treated (STZ, 50 mg/kg) rats (in vivo studies). A subgroup of diabetic animals received atorvastatin 5 mg/kg per daily 2 weeks before...

Introduction: Although involved in feeding and weight homeostasis, stimulation of pituitary GH secretion is the best established action of stomach-produced hormone ghrelin. However, its role in regulation of GH secretion is not yet clear. Some evidence indicates that circulating concentrations of GH and/or IGF-I could influence ghrelin levels. The pathophysiology of ghrelin secretion in acromegaly (specially aftar an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is unclear.<p class="...

A previous study demonstrate that chronic tadalafil administration (2 mg/kg per day) was able to prevent some, but not all, penile alterations induced by long-term (3 months) bilateral cavernous neurotomy (BCN) in the rat. In particular, in vitro acetylcholine responsiveness and reduced eNOS and nNOS expression were not preserved, while PDE5 down-regulation, along with muscle/fiber ratio and hypoxygenation (hypoxyprobe) were significantly restored by chronic tadalafil (...

Epididymis (epi) is a sex steroid-sensitive duct provided with spontaneous motility, allowing sperm transport. We previously demonstrated that human epi expresses a high abundance of mRNA for ER-alpha and ER-beta. We demonstrated that in epi estrogens up-regulate either oxytocin (OT) responsiveness, acting at the receptor level, and responsiveness to endothelin-1 (ET-1), another well-known stimulator of epididymal motility. However, we did not find any significant change eithe...

Morbid obesity is associated with a decreased life expectancy and a myriad of serious medical problems. The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGBP) is the most effective procedure for the treatment of these patients, but it can be responsible of early and late complications. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the rate of visceral protein malnutrition (VPM) in morbid obese (MO) patients two years after laparoscopic RYGBP. Albumin (Alb), prealbumin (Prealb), transferrin ...

Introduction: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with an increase of maternal-fetal complications. Continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) detects parameters of glycemic variability through which it could be predicted the appearance of maternal-fetal complications.Methods: Women with GDM at 26–32 gestational weeks were allocated a 6-day CGM system (IproTM2) right after diagnosis in an observational prospective study. It...