Endocrine Abstracts

Purpose of study: The study was focused on MRI of morphological changes of pituitary gland, pituitary fossa and surrounding structures in patients with primary growth failure. We evaluated MRI, clinical status and hormonal changes in 18 patients with primary growth failure referred to University Hospital.Methods and patients: We examined 18 patients (10 male, 8 female), average age 18.3 (2–34) years. All patients had a severe growth hormone deficien...

P450 Oxidoreductase Deficiency (ORD) is a novel form of congenital adrenal hyperplasia with biochemical evidence of combined 21-hydroxylase and 17α-hydroxylase deficiency. Mutations in P450 oxidoreductase (POR), a crucial electron donor to microsomal P450 enzymes including CYP17 and CYP21, have recently been identified as the cause of disease. Clinical features in ORD include ambiguous genitalia, glucocorticoid deficiency and craniofacial malformations resembling the Antl...

NPY acts centrally to stimulate appetite and the HPA axis. During late pregnancy enhanced inhibition of parvocellular paraventricular nucleus (pPVN) corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH)/ arginine vasopressin (AVP) neurones reduces HPA-axis stress responses1,2. We investigated activation of hypothalamic neurones regulating HPA responses to NPY, and a role for endogenous opioids in HPA hyporesponsiveness in late pregnancy.Pregnant (d21) and vi...

Resistin is a newly-described hormone whose expression in adipose tissue is regulated by fasting, insulin and obesity. We recently reported that resistin mRNA is also expressed in mouse hypothalamus and pituitary (FEBS Letts. 526, p26 (2002)). In the present study we hypothesized that adiposity would influence hypothalamic resistin immunoreactivity (ir). Two different, polyclonal antisera ( raised against aa 51-108, human ; aa 83-91, mouse ) revealed resistin ir in coronal sec...

Introduction: Even if obesity has been associated to several hormonal imbalances, pituitary appearance at Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in obese patients is understudied.Aim: To measure pituitary signal intensity and homogeneity at MRI in obese subjects free of focal pituitary disease, in the context of the CHIasM study (Changes in the Hypotalamic-pItuitary region of patients with Metabolic syndrome and obesity).Materials and me...

Introduction: First described in 1944, the condition is a rare pediatric genetic disease estimated to affect 1 in 48 000 individuals. Kallmann syndrome is an uncommon hereditary disorder and is among the most frequent cause of isolated congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (CHH). In its classical form, it is characterized by hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and anosmia/hyposmia. Absent endogenous GnRH-induced LH pulsations occur due to failure of neuronal migr...

Background: Reduced growth hormone (GH) secretory capacity is common in patients with obesity and metabolic derangements. The prevalence of GH deficiency (GHD) in this population is difficult to establish. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) pituitary findings may reflect specific endocrine alterations, as for GHD which is associated with lower pituitary height and volume (PV).Purpose: Our aim was to identify the pituitary morphological alterations predicti...

Background: Cross-sectional imaging (e.g. CT/MRI) can not always reliably identify the site of ACTH secretion in Cushing’s disease (CD) or the ectopic ACTH syndrome (EAS). We report our experience of localising the source of ACTH-dependent Cushing’s syndrome, using functional imaging with 11C-methionine positron emission tomography (Met-PET).Methods: Forty consecutive patients with: (i) de novo ...

Background: Cross-sectional imaging (e.g. CT/MRI) can not always reliably identify the site of ACTH secretion in Cushing’s disease (CD) or the ectopic ACTH syndrome (EAS). We report our experience of localising the source of ACTH-dependent Cushing’s syndrome, using functional imaging with 11C-methionine positron emission tomography (Met-PET).Methods: Forty consecutive patients with: (i) de novo ...

Introduction: Somatotroph Pituitary Neuroendocrine Tumor’s (sPitNET) signal intensity in T2-weighted MR images (SI) was reported as prognostic marker for tumor’s aggressiveness and poor response to 1st generation somatostatin analogs (SSA). Tumors are arbitrary divided into 3 groups: hyperintensive (HYPER), isointensive (ISO) and hypointensive (HYPO). Aim: Our aim was to quantitatively assess SI of sPitNETs and investigate its clinic...