Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Chromogranin A (CgA) is a major representative of the protein family named granins stored predominately in secretory granules of the diffuse neuroendocrine system. Circulating CgA serves as a biomarker of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), but its increased plasma concentration is present in various cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, renal and inflammatory diseases. Intra-granular and/or extracellular proteolysis of CgA generates a variety of biologically active fragme...

Introduction: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is an independent risk factor of coronary artery disease (CAD). We investigated how influenced this risk is by the definition of MS, and whether the risk is greater than that conferred by its components.Methods: We analyzed 200 consecutive patients (35–79 years, mean 59.23±8.6, men 132, women 68) who underwent coronary angiography due to suspected myocardial ischemia. MS was obtained by several definitions:...

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is rare and aggressive malignancy with poor prognosis. Patients present with hormone excess or a local mass effect, or incidentally. ACC has undergone metastatic spread in 40–70% of patients at the time of diagnosis. Surgical removal is treatment of choice. Standard chemotherapy with mitotane has limited efficacy.The aim of this paper is to present the results of single tertiary center for diagnosis and treatment of AC...

Introduction: Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 syndrome (MEN1sy.) is a complex disease predisposing to a variety of multifocal neuroendocrine tumors (NET). Approximately 5% of pancreatic VIPomas and glucagonomas are associated with MEN1sy., most of them with metastases at diagnosis.Case report: A 15-year-old boy was admitted with primary hyperparathyroidism, pituitary microadenoma (6 mm) and suspected MEN1sy. His father had primary hyperparathyroidism...

Ghrelin is a somatotrophic, orexigenic and adipogenic hormone that has an important homeostatic role by linking regulatory systems for growth and energy balance. Ghrelin- secreting neuroendocrine tumors are rare, but we had the opportunity to study a 71 years old female patient with a gastric ghrelinoma. The patient was submitted to gastroenterological examination after having episodes of diarrhea, and small subepithelial polyp (5 mm) was revealed on gastroscopy. Pathohystolog...

Cortisol rise during pregnancy is connected with fetal maturation. Together with the increase of insulin resistance it might have a role in allocation of nutrients between mother and fetus. Cortisol and insulin secretion during pregnancy seems to be induced by fluctuations in BMR. Here, we try to identify relationship between BMR and secretion of cortisol and insulin during pregnancy.In 25 healthy women (age range 20–39 years; mean±S.D.<...

Background: Ret protooncogene germ-line mutations are associated with the inherited multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 syndromes (MEN2a and MEN2b) and also with familial medullary thyroid carcinoma (FMTC). In this study, we report a large scale of mutations in exon 10, 11, 13 and 14 RET protoocogene in patients from Serbia. Our study included patients with MTC.Methods: Our study included 180 patients. Patients were tested for RET protooncogene mutations...

A 34 year-old female patient was admitted to the hospital because of a large nodule in the left thyroid lobe and elevated calcitonine level. A large encapsulated tumor was found and total thyroidectomy with left neck dissection was performed. Pathohistology revealed medullary and papillary carcinoma separate from each other in tumor tissue but mixed in regional lymph nodes. Papillary component was dominant in thyroid tissue but not in lymph nodes. Both calcitonine and thyroglo...

Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) have a unique ability to produce and secrete a variety of biogen amines and peptide hormones. They arise from multipotential stem cells, which differentiate during tumorigenesis into specific cell lines. Some of these tumours are functional, producing characteristic clinical syndromes. We present a female patient incidentally discovered to have diffuse liver metastases of neuroendocrine tumour of unknown primary origin. She was free of symptoms at...

Criteria to define biochemical remission of acromegaly following surgery have changed over the years, but still the controversy about current consensus exists. We assessed seventy newly diagnosed patients with acromegaly (43 females and 27 males, mean age 46.9±1.4 years, range 17–66 yrs) 8 weeks after transsphenoidal pituitary adenomectomy done by the same neursurgeon. Current consensus criteria were used to define postoperative remission: glucose-suppressed (nadir) ...