Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: The standard management of Graves’ disease includes initial use of antithyroid drugs, while radioactive iodine ablation or thyroid surgery are later definitive treatment options. Management of thyrotoxicosis secondary to the use of amiodarone can be challenging as patients may not promptly respond to antithyroid or corticosteroid therapy, and thyrotoxicosis may be more harmful in those patients owing to the underlying cardiac disease. In rare thyrotoxicosis ...

Retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) is considered as an important mediator of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome (MS). In adipose tissue (AT)) it is mainly secreted from visceral depots. The residual metabolic risk which remains beyond that caused by visceral AT seems to be hold by upper body subcutaneous AT. This large pathogenic depot might be representative by subcutaneous neck AT.The aim of this study was to examine and to compare RBP4 gene expre...

Aim of the study was to evaluate whether clinical parameters and echographic patterns may be predictive of malignancy in thyroid nodules with a cytological diagnosis of follicular (FOL) and H?rthle cell (HC) neoplasia. The study included 495 patients (388 F: mean age 45±14 yr; 107 M: mean age 46±14 yr) with FOL (n=418) and CH (n=77) nodules, ‘cold’ at scintiscan and undergone to thyroidectomy. Clinical parameters considered were: sex, age, goi...

Aim of the study was to establish the diagnostic value of nuclear atypia thyroid nodules with cytological diagnosis of follicular (FOL) and Hv¨rthle cell (HC) neoplasia. 1039/23.313 fine needle aspiration (FNA) performed in January 2002 June 2005 in the Department of Endocrinology, University of Pisa had cytological diagnosis of FOL e CH. FNA was performed under echo guidance, using 23 gauge needle attached to 10 mL syringe. The material was air-dryed and stained with Pap...

About 10–15% of FNA cytologies are nondiagnostic, because of inadequate material or indeterminate (i.e. follicular neoplasms). Aim of this study was to analyse the practical usefulness of the analysis of BRAF mutations and RET/PTC rearrangements, known to be associated to papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), in FNA-material.We analysed 100 thyroid nodules with a nondiagnostic cytology: 75 follicular nodules and 25 cases with inadequate material. Fifte...

Adipokines are an important contributor to the circulatory milieu of the body. The spectrum of adipokines changes as dysfunctional features of adipose tissue develop and the menopause is a time when an impairment of metabolic balance appears. The aim of this study was to examine several serum adipokines and adiponectin gene expression in subcutaneous and deep neck adipose tissue in women. Samples of serum, subcutaneous and deep neck adipose tissue were taken in 41 (12 premenop...

Adipose tissue distribution is one of the key determinants of metabolic dysfunction in obesity. Several large scale studies found that enlarged neck circumference is independently associated with cardiovascular risk.The aim of this study was to examine the association of neck circumference with metabolic risk factors in patients undergoing neck surgery.In 36 patients undergoing thyroid or vascular neck surgery we determined serum l...

Although primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) can be successfully cured by parathyroidectomy (PTX) and indications for surgery are well defined, a considerable number of patients do not get operated on. By evaluating referrals for PTX in our academic hospital, we might improve our approach to the care of these patients. We retrospectively reviewed patients’ hospital records with newly diagnosed PHPT between 2014 and 2020. Biochemical and clinical parameters along with resul...

Background: Evaluation of steroid replacement therapy (SRT) in adrenal insufficiency (AI) is challenging for the lack of reliable parameters. Measurement of salivary cortisol and cortisone emerged as a non-invasive tool for AI management, however poorly investigated. Aim: To analyse the cortisol and cortisone circadian rhythm in normal controls (NC) and patients with primary AI (PAI) under different SRTs, and to identify useful biomarkers. <p class="...

Objective: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small endogenous non-coding RNAs that pair with target messengers regulating gene expression. They are involved in biological processes including development, organogenesis, tissue differentiation, cell cycle and metabolism. Changes in miRNA levels occur in human cancers, including thyroid cancer. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) with cytologic evaluation is the most reliable tool for malignancy prediction in thyroid nodules, but cytologic diagnos...