Endocrine Abstracts

Sleep related breathing disorders (SRBD), due to bone mass and soft tissue swelling of the upper airways, are frequently reported by acromegalic patients, but sleep disorders other than SRBD were rarely studied in acromegaly. We evaluated 38 acromegalics (14 M, 24 F, age 52.8±2.3 yrs) by a structured interview for insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), SRBD, sleep related movement disorders (SRMD), circadian sleep disorders and parasomnias. Epworth sleepness scale ...

Background: Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is a rare metabolic, inherited disease of bone metabolism, caused by loss-of-function mutations within the gene coding for TNSALP, that result in a decrease in serum ALP concentrations and consequent accumulation of ALP substrates outside of the cell, including inorganic pyrophosphate which inhibits bone mineralization. HPP leads to a variety of clinical manifestations across all ages and its prognosis is conditioned principally by the skelet...

Objective: Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of hyperthyroidism, and its complications. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs), compounds derived from non-enzymatic transformation of macromolecules, are able to increase oxidative stress and promote inflammation and are increased in several oxidative stress-related disorders, including autoimmune thyroiditis. In the same diseases, the activity of paraoxonase-1 (PON-1), an anti-oxidant enzyme protecting ag...

Objectives: The interaction between genetic predisposing factors and environmental triggers is crucial for the development of HT. In last decades, the steady rise in frequency of HT in developed countries pointed to a strong influence of changing environmental factors, including increased pollution. Air pollutants, like dioxins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, are ligands of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR). This ligand-activated transcription factor, involved in pollu...

Background: Lymphocytic infiltration and inflammation in autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITDs) results in accumulation of HA, contributing to the pathogenesis of both thyroidal and extra-thyroidal (ophthalmopathy, pretibial dermopathy and mixedema) manifestations of AITDs. HA fragments, originating from native HA during tissue inflammation and injury, in turn promote the expression of different mediators of oxidative stress and inflammation, by interacting with the Toll-like rec...

Background: Pituitary adenomas in children/adolescents represent around 3% of all intracranial neoplasms. They are more frequently hormone-secreting lesions, usually diagnosed in early childhood and late adolescence. Female gender is generally prevalent, because of most evident symptoms (i.e., irregular periods, galactorrhea, etc.). Giant pituitary adenomas (GA) very rarely occur in pediatric age, posing frequent challenges in their management.Patients a...

Background: PCBs are chemical pollutants able to promote inflammation and carcinogenesis. They can accumulate in human tissues through the food chain causing a variety of adverse health effects. The NF-E2 p45-related factor 2 (NRF2) and the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) are ligand activated transcription factors controlling pathways modulating xenobiotic metabolism. Increasing evidence indicate the involvement of AhR in regulating extracellular matrix (ECM) homeostasis. ECM ...

Objective: AGEs, compounds formed by the transformation of proteins, are increased in conditions of oxidative stress and promote inflammation by interacting with their receptor (RAGE) on cell membrane. By contrast, the soluble receptor for AGE (sRAGE), that is proteolytically cleaved from cell surface receptor via matrix metalloproteinases, sequester RAGE ligands and act as a cytoprotective and anti-inflammatory agent. AGEs/sRAGE interaction play a role in the pathogenesis of ...

Chronic hypercortisolism is associated with dramatic increase in fragility fractures. The evaluation of skeletal fragility in Cushing’s syndrome (CS) is a clinical challenge, since fractures may occur even in presence of normal bone mineral density (BMD). Recently, measurement of bone marrow fat (BMF) by vertebral magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) was proposed as alternative tool for evaluating skeletal fragility in primary and secondary osteoporosis. Noteworthy, rece...

Background and objective: Optimization of glucocorticoid (GC) replacement therapy in adrenal insufficiency (AI) is crucial to avoid consequences of under- or overtreatment. Dosing of GC replacement is mainly based on clinical grounds; however, the impact of patient’s characteristics on daily GC requirement is poorly evaluated. The aim of the study is to assess the influence of sex (M/F) and BMI on dosing GC in patients with AI of different etiology....