Endocrine Abstracts

Objective: Most patients with ACTH-dependent Cushing’s syndrome have Cushing’s disease, i.e. a pituitary corticotroph adenoma, but the presence of another tumor secreting ACTH (although the prevalence of ectopic ACTH syndrome is lower) needs to be considered in the differential diagnosis. Distinguishing between these two etiologies can be difficult despite biochemical and radiological examinations. Previous research showed that inferior petrosal/cavernous sinus sampl...

Introduction: The differential diagnosis of sellar masses is broad and includes - apart from the most common pituitary adenomas - other neoplasms such as craniopharyngiomas, germinomas, gliomas, meningiomas, and others. Hemangiopericytoma (HPC) is a rare vascular tumor arising from pericytes that may appear at any site of the body. We report an unusual case of an intrasellar HPC.Case Report: A 63-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital complaining ab...

Background, aims: Acromegaly is caused by excessive growth hormone (GH) secretion, usually by a pituitary adenoma. Surgical removal of the GH-producing adenoma is the most effective treatment. Drug treatment is second-line option. Earlier work suggested Soluble (s)Klotho levels to be a supplementary biomarker to IGF-1. We tested whether IGF-1 and sKlotho serum levels show a concomitant reduction under medical treatment. If yes, is the extent of reduction in serum IGF-1 and sKl...

Improved therapies for pancreatic and pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), which may occur in Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type 1 (MEN1), are needed. We assessed the effects of pasireotide, a somatostatin analogue with high affinity for somatostatin receptors (SSTRs) −1, −2, −3 and −5, in a mouse model of MEN1. Men1+/− mice treated from 12 months of age with 40 μg/g pasireotide (n=71), or phosphate-buffered sal...

Introduction: 18F-fluorocholine is a PET tracer used in the diagnostic work-up of patients with prostate cancer but was incidentally found to detect other tumours such as meningiomas, pituitary and parathyroid adenomas. 18F-fluorocholine PET/MRI is currently under investigation as an imaging tool for detecting hyperfunctioning parathyroid glands in primary or secondary hyperparathyroidism, especially in patients qualifying and willing to undergo parathyro...

The increasing prevalence of obesity is paralleled by related metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Extensive efforts across disciplines are made to reveal underlying mechanisms and develop effective therapies against obesity and its comorbidities. Since PET–CT studies provided evidence for functional brown adipose tissue (BAT) in adult humans, this specialized thermogenic compartment of adipocytes is in the focus of current r...

Background: Sleep loss in the early morning has been shown to reduce secretory activity of the pituitary–gonadal axis in men, but the determinants of this effect are unknown.Objective: To assess the effects of sleep restriction on serum concentrations of LH, testosterone , and prolactin (PRL).Methods: Fifteen young, healthy men were examined in a condition of sleep time restriction to 0245–0700 h for two consecutive night...

Cushing’s disease is caused by ACTH-secreting pituitary adenomas. Gold standard therapy is the resection of the adenoma by transsphenoidal surgery with high cure rates even in cases of negative MR imaging. Surgical failure despite clear endocrinological test results is possible and mostly explained by hidden minute adenomas within the gland.We report on a 50-year-old woman suffering from ACTH-dependent Cushing’s syndrome. Endocrinological work-...

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...

Objectives: We report on a case of a 32-year-old patient with urticaria pigmentosa, the cutaneous form of mastocytosis, since the age of 13. A bone marrow biopsy revealed systemic mastocytosis disease. In 2005, after a minor trauma, the patient had an X-ray of the spine which showed a new fracture of the thoracic vertebrae 3–4. Further DXA examination of the bone mineral density showed osteoporosis (T-Score −2.8 lumbar vertebrae; right/left femur −1.0/&...