Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Benzold abscess remains rare, and its occurrence implies immunosuppression, particularly within unbalanced diabetes.Methods and Results: Observation of a 76-year-old patient, diabetic for 29 years, on metformin, admitted for CMO of the right ear, complicated by Bezold’s abscess. The interrogation revealed purulent otorrhea hypoacusis. The clinical examination revealed hyperglycemia, a swelling of the sternocleidomastoid, responsible fo...

Objectives: Radical prostatectomy is an effective therapy for clinically localized prostate cancer. A significant number of men develops post-prostatectomy erectile dysfunction (PPED), due to surgery-related nervous damage. PPED is relatively refractory to PDE5i therapy. In a rat model of bilateral cavernous neurotomy we evaluated whether chronic tadalafil treatment (CTT) could ameliorate anatomical and functional damage to corpora cavernosa (CC).Methods...

Introduction: Acromegaly is a chronic disease that requires continuous follow-up and examinations over time. During the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak many endocrinological scientific societies recommend to reduce pituitary patient access to hospital facilities to decrease risk of infection. Aim: The aim of our study is to evaluate the impact of restrictions on outpatient access in the clinical management of the patient with acromegaly during COVID19 pandemi...

Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of clinical conditions, associated to an increased cardiovascular and metabolic risk, to hypogonadism and erectile dysfunction (ED). Lifestyle modification (including physical exercise, PhyEx) and metformin (MET) are well-known treatments for the condition. We established an animal model of MetS that recapitulates the human phenotype, including andrologic derangements.The aim of this study was to investigate in expe...

The nuclear Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and the G protein-coupled bile acid receptor 1 (TGR5) are bile acids receptors that play a key role in energy metabolism. In an animal model of non-genomic metabolic syndrome (MetS), obtained with a high fat diet (HFD), treatment with the dual FXR/TGR5 agonist INT767 reduced visceral adipose tissue (VAT) accumulation, insulin resistance, hypercholesterolemia and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). In liver, INT767 reduced the high macrop...

Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) dysfunction is closely associated with the rising incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Two distinct types of adipose tissue, white (WAT) and brown (BAT), are present in mammals. Development of ‘brown-like’ adipocytes within white adipose tissue has potential antiobesity and insulin-sensitizing effects. Genetic manipulation of cGMP formation suggests a new role for this pathway in preadipocytes commitme...

Introduction: In subjects with erectile dysfunction (ED) responding poorly to sildenafil, metformin was reported to improve erections.Aims: To investigate metformin’s mechanism of action on erectile function, particularly focusing on adenosine (ADO), and NO signalling in an animal model of high fat diet (HFD)-induced metabolic syndrome (MetS).Methods: In vitro contractility studies of penile strips. Penile expression ...

Increased RhoA/Rho-kinase (ROK) signalling is known to impair erectile function. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) over-express penile RhoA and show an impaired erectile response. We tested treatments known to inhibit RhoA activation, on erectile function and sildenafil responsiveness in SHR. SHR have been treated for two weeks with atorvastatin (5 and 30 mg/Kg/day), or with elocalcitol (30 μg/Kg/day), a vitamin D receptor (VDR) agonist. The normotensive Wistar Kyoto ...

Objectives: Radical prostatectomy is an effective therapy for men with clinically localized prostate cancer. A significant number of men develop erectile dysfunction after radical prostatectomy (PPED) due to intraoperatory cavernous nerve injury causing hypoxia and fibrosis of corpus cavernosus. We established an experimental model of bilateral cavernous neurotomy (BCN) in the rat in order to investigate whether sildenafil treatment in PPED patients could prevent penile tissue...

Objectives: Hypogonadism is often associated with diabetes mellitus and both conditions represent major risk factors for erectile dysfunction (ED). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of diabetes-induced hypogonadism on ED using two distinct animal models: alloxan-rabbits and streptozotocin (STZ)-rats.Methods: A subgroup of diabetic animals was Testosterone (T) replaced. After 8 weeks from induction of diabetes, erectile function was evaluat...