Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Current guidelines recommend that susceptible patients should be tested and treated for AGHD. Still, it is not universally recognised as a distinct entity and reimbursement of GH replacement therapy is not available in some countries.Aim: 1) to record current practice of AGHD management throughout Europe and benchmark it against existing guidelines, 2) to evaluate educational status of health care professionals.Patients...

Introduction: Full blood count (FBC), C-reactive protein (CRP), albumin and serum inflammation-based scores reflect systemic inflammation and predict outcomes in oncological patients. While these are increasingly used in cancer, little is known in pituitary adenomas (PAs). We aimed to characterise FBC and inflammation-based scores in patients with PAs and investigate the usefulness of such parameters in predicting aggressive/refractory disease.Methods: W...

Introduction: Recently, major advances have been made in genetics of familial acromegaly and isolated pituitary adenoma (FIPA). Mutations in the aryl hydrocarbon interacting protein (AIP) gene have been found in 25–50% of patients with FIPA and familial acromegaly.Aim of the study: Our goal was to identify and collect data on patients who met the criteria for FIPA.Patients and methods: The patients were identified between 2008...

GH is an important anabolic hormone involved in the regulation of longitudinal bone growth. However, acromegaly patients have a higher prevalence of vertebral fractures despite normal bone mineral density (BMD), suggesting that overexpression of GH has adverse effects on skeletal architecture and strength. We used giant bovine GH (bGH) transgenic mice to analyse the effects of high serum GH levels on bone architecture and mechanical strength. Five month-old hemizygous male bGH...

Background: Although pituitary adenomas are common endocrine neoplasms, the background of their pathogenesis has not clearly revealed. G1/S checkpoint alterations of the cell cycle have already been described in these tumours. MicroRNAs (miRs) which are small, non-coding RNA molecules, and posttranscriptionally regulate protein expression have also identified as potential pathogenic factors in certain cases. Our aim was to determine miR expression profile in pituitary adenomas...

Case report: 24-year. old man presented with change in facial appearance and joint pain. His symptoms began at puberty with the thickening and folding of the skin on the forehead and scalp and thickening of his fingers. These changes progressed over the next 5 years with marked seborrhoea, hyperhidrosis and linear palmar–plantar keratosis. The lower legs and forearms are cylindrically thickened, hands and feet increased in size, the terminal phalanges of the fingers show ...

Introduction: Mutations in AIP have been associated with the familial isolated pituitary adenoma (FIPA) syndrome, an autosomal dominant disease with incomplete penetrance characterised by pituitary adenomas in a familial setting. However, the mechanisms by which AIP inactivation promotes pituitary tumorigenesis are unknown. Studies of AIP in model organisms, such as the fruitfly, harbouring the AIP orthologue CG1847, as well as the zebrafish, are theoretically promising models...

20% of cases of FIPA have AIP gene mutations. These adenomas are often large and invasive. Our index case presented aged 13 with pituitary apoplexy. Histology showed necrotic tissue. He continued to grow and was 195 cm 4 y later. GH excess was confirmed. After treatment with octreotide and radiotherapy remission was achieved. His first cousin had also been successfully treated for acromegaly. This led to the original familial diagnosis. Subsequently, the c.910C>T, p.R304X ...

Background: Abnormal microRNAs (miRNAs) expression profiles have been recently associated with sporadic pituitary adenomas, suggesting that miRNAs can contribute to tumor formation. miRNAs are small noncoding RNAs which inhibit post-transcriptional expression of target mRNAs by binding to complementary sequences usually located in the 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR). However, the substantial lack of knowledge about miRNAs’ targets hinder full understanding of t...

Introduction: Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a regulator of cellular and systemic energy homeostasis. Many of the changes seen in glucocorticoid excess correspond to the metabolic steps regulated by AMPK. In the hypothalamus and adipose tissues, glucocorticoids and cannabiniods share the same tissue specific effects on AMPK activity. Cannabinoids have central orexigenic and peripheral metabolic effects via the cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1). The ...