Endocrine Abstracts

Diurnal salivary and plasma cortisol variations are considered valid expression of circadian cortisol rhythmicity. The aim of this study was to assess the reliability of salivary and plasma cortisol evaluating if glycemia and glycemic oscillations may interfere with their concentration.Methods: Forty-seven type 2 diabetic patients and 31 controls were studied for glycemic profile and diurnal salivary and plasma cortisol variations on two contemporary sam...

Germline AIP mutations (AIPmut) predispose to young onset somatotroph pituitary adenomas (GHPA) and gigantism. AIPmut GHPA are often aggressive and resistant to pharmacological treatment, which may be especially challenging in the paediatric setting. We report our experience with two young Italian AIPmut male patients with incipient gigantism due to childhood pituitary macroadenomas, who both experienced recurrent ...

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor interacting protein gene has been mainly involved in the pathogenesis of GH/PRL-secreting pituitary adenomas (PA). We wished to study the significance of AIP expression in clinically non-functioning PA (NFPA).Material and methods: 48 NFPA -27 gonadotroph (GnPA), 21 null cell (ncPA) – were studied for AIP, βFSH and cyclin D1 expression by real-time RT-PCR (qRT), compared with four normal post-mortem pituitaries (NP)...

Background: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is common in patients with acromegaly, with a reported prevalence of 19–64%. We have studied CTS in a large national cohort of patients with acromegaly, and the temporal relationship between the diagnosis of the two diseases.Methods: Retrospective nationwide cohort study including patients diagnosed with acromegaly in Sweden between 2005 and 2017. Patients with acromegaly were identified in the Swedish Natio...

Background: Adults with GH deficiency (GHD) may have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Several studies showed that also GHD children may present cardiovascular risk factors. However results are controversial.Objective: Aim of this prospective, case-control study on a large cohort of children with GHD was to evaluate the effects of GHD and GH therapy on cardiovascular risk factors, such as lipid profile, clinical measures of visceral adiposity ...

Background: There is a great controversy on whether subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) in children should be treated for TSH values between 4.5 and 10 mU/l. In adults SH has been associated with abnormalities in lipid profile and increased risk of atherosclerosis. Data in untreated SH children are scanty.Objective: The aim of this cross-sectional controlled study was to evaluate in children the effects of long term untreated SH on lipid profile and endothel...

Background: Patients with classical congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) require life-long therapy with glucocorticoids in order to suppress the androgen production through the inhibition of CRH and consequently ACTH. The therapy must be balanced to avoid either iatrogen hypercortisolism or hyperandrogenism both potentially associated with adverse cardiovascular risk profile.Objective: Aim of this cross-sectional controlled study was to investigate the m...

Background: Adults with untreated GH deficiency (GHD) may have a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors. The effects of GH replacement therapy on insulin homeostasis in GHD subjects are still debated. Only a few studies investigated the effects of GHD and GH therapy on glucose metabolism in children.Objective: To evaluate the effects of GHD and GH treatment on glucose metabolism in a large cohort of GHD children before and after GH replacement therapy.</...

PATZ1 is a recently discovered zinc finger protein that, due to the presence of the POZ domain, acts as a transcriptional repressor affecting the basal activity of different promoters, and associates with a variety of transcription factors (i.e. RNF4, HMGA1, gscl, SPBP). We have previously described, by using mice lacking the PATZ1 gene, its crucial role in spermatogenesis. Consistently, PATZ1-KO mice are unfertile and testes from these mice showed only few spermatocyte...

Background: Transsphenoidal surgery (TSS) is able to determine the biochemical remission of acromegaly in 45%–80% of the patients, thereby inducing an improvement of cardiovascular function and glucose metabolism. Only 3–5% of acromegalics are diagnosed over 65-years-old, so few data are available about post-operative cardiovascular and metabolic changes in this group.Patients and Methods: Fifteen acromegalic patients ≥65 years-old who un...