Endocrine Abstracts

Several studies demonstrated that the thyroid hormones (TH) downregulate the transcriptional rate of beta and alpha TSH subunits. Recent data showed that T3 also acts posttranscriptionally reducing the polyadenylation and translational rate of the beta TSH mRNA, when acutely administered to thyroidectomized (Tx) rats. This study aimed to investigate whether similar effects occur for the alpha subunit synthesis after acute administration of T3 or T4</...

Aims: VHL disease is an autossomal dominant syndrome that affects one in every 36 000 live births. The diagnosis is based on clinical criteria and the detection of the mutation on VHL gene. Most cases are diagnosed during the 2nd decade of life; this syndrome includes pheochromocytomas with the following characteristics: extraadrenal location, bilaterality, multifocal lesions, age of onset <30 years and discrete manifestations of catecholamine overproduction.<p class="...

Background: Thyroid cancer commonly presents as a new palpable thyroid nodule or increase in size of a pre-existing nodule. A multidisciplinary thyroid lump clinic was established in September 2008 enabling patients to have one-stop clinical, biochemical, radiological and cytological assessment for evaluation of thyroid nodules. This audit predates this period, aiming to provide background information for future audit.Aim: To evaluate the requests for th...

Introduction: Thyroid hormones play an important role in bone metabolism. The potential action of prolonged levothyroxine therapy on bone mass reduction is still a matter of debate.Objective: The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of levothyroxine treatment on bone mineral density (BMD) and biochemical bone turnover markers.Methods: We determined thyroid function – TSH and free T4 (FT4), r...

High blood pressure is a common problem among patients in a Nephrology ward and outpatient clinic. However in those patients resistant to therapy, we must exclude a secondary cause. The authors present a case of a patient that was referred to our hospital due to complaints of headache, high blood pressure resistant to therapy (BP=240/130 mmHg), and images in renal ecography, which were compatible with enlarge left adrenal gland and left kidney atrophy. At admission the blood r...

Central obesity is strongly associated with insulin resistance and chronic sub-clinical inflammation, which is implicated in the development of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). However, the mechanisms underlying this link remain unclear. Recently JNK, a mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK), has been implicated in obesity and insulin resistance by interfering with insulin action. Studies in rodent models show that phosphorylated JNK-1 is elevated in obesity, whilst the absence of JNK...

Subclinical thyroid dysfunction associated with a poor lipid profile and cardiac dysfunction. Patients with DM2 suffer from a greater risk of vascular disease, often in association dislipidemia. Thyroid dysfunction might either contribute to these factors or make them worse.Objective: To assess the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction among patients with diabetes and the relationship between that condition the control of diabetes and lipid profile.<p ...

Background: Pituitary adenomas(PAs) comprise 10%–25% of all intracranial tumors, the majority of them being benign. But 35% of all PAs are considered invasive, having a higher recurrence rate than benign ones.Objectives: We analyzed the expression of different angiogenic growth factors and their receptors in PAs and identified correlations with the hormone profile that could explain their behavior and prognosis.Methods: Our st...

Background: Glucagon-like-peptide-1 (GLP-1) has been shown to improve body weight and glycaemic control in patients with common obesity and type 2 diabetes. Whether it confers the same metabolic benefits in monogenic syndromic obesity is unknown. This observational study aimed to examine the real-world efficacy of GLP-1 analogues in Alström syndrome (ALMS), a form of monogenic obesity.Method: We screened all 72 UK a...

Paraganglioma (PGL) are rare neuroendocrine tumors with an estimated prevalence of 1:6500, with cardiac PGL being even rarer. Although most PGL are benign, approximately 15–35% of PGLs have metastatic disease, with few effective treatment options. Novel therapeutic indications, such as 177Lu-DOTA-TATE for patients with PGL, has been investigated in several clinical trials. A 66-year-old woman was referred to Cardiology in 2011 due to an incidentaloma adjacent to the right...