Endocrine Abstracts

Amiodarone induced thyrotoxicosis (AIT) may develop in patients with either underlying thyroid disorders (type 1) or normal gland (type 2). The latter is considered a drug-induced destructive thyroditis, usually responding to glucocorticoids. Further treatments after restoring euthyroidism are often not necessary. The former is a true form of iodine-induced hyperthyroidism the management of which includes thionamides, potassium perchlorate and thyrodectomy. The prevalence of t...

Pituitary GH secretion is regulated by the interplay of at least two hypothalamic hormones, GH-releasing hormone (GHRH) and somatostatin, through their interaction with specific cell surface receptors on the anterior pituitary somatotrophs. A third type of receptor, the growth hormone secretagogue receptor, called GHS receptor type 1a (GHSR1a), was identified in the pituitary and the hypothalamus. Ghrelin is an acylated peptide produced predominantly by stomach and a natural l...

Exon 1 of the androgen receptor (AR) gene contains a variable number of CAG triplets, (CAGr)n which encode a polyglutamine stretch of variable length in the N-terminal domain of the receptor. Experimental evidence has accumulated in demonstrating that the length of this stretch influences the transcriptional activity induced by the AR and therefore modulates target organs responsiveness to androgens.The (CAGr)n is inversely associated with the transcript...

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common motor neurone disorder in human adults. Scanty data on endocrine abnormalities have been reported. Aim of the present study was to investigate the GH-IGF-I axis in ALS patients.22 ALS patients (12 men and 10 women), aged 46–77 years, performed GHRH+arginine test: blood samples for GH were collected at baseline, 30 and 60 minutes; IGF-I was determined at baseline. The control group consisted of 2...

Introduction and aim: A prompt diagnosis of Cushing’s Syndrome (CS) in high-risk populations is mandatory: 1-mg dexamethasone suppression test (1-mg DST); late night salivary cortisol (LNSC) and urinary free cortisol (UFC) are recommend, despite thresholds calculated in retrospective studies. Our aim was to study the diagnostic accuracy of LNSC measured with chemiluminescence assay in a prospective study, confirming discrepancies with mass spectrometry (MS).<p class="...

Background: ACTH-secreting pituitary adenomas represent two-thirds of Cushing’s syndrome (CS), the so-called Cushing’s disease (CD). These tumors are sometimes >10 mm in maximal diameter (macro-CD), but the majority of them are <10 mm (micro-CD). The aim of this study was to compare baseline characteristics of patients with micro-CD and macro-CD.Materials and methods: Clinical, hormonal and radiological data of 226 patients with CD were...

We report an interference in an immunoassay for aldosterone, which potentially could have led to a wrongful diagnosis and unnecessary surgery. The interference was serendipitously recognized due to a preanalytical error. A 59-year-old female patient with hypertension was referred to the department of endocrinology after an adrenal incidentaloma was detected. Because of her hypertensive history, screening for primary hyperaldosteronism was performed. An elevated aldosterone and...

Introduction: The bone-sparing effect of oestrogen is mediated via oestrogen receptor alpha (ERα), which stimulates transcriptional action through its two activation functions (AF1 and AF2). In addition to these nuclear effects, a fraction of this receptor is targeted to the plasma membrane and triggers membrane initiated steroid signaling (MISS). Whereas, ERα AF1 plays a crucial role in trabecular bone, but not cortical bone, ERα AF2 is necessary for the oestro...

Introduction: Cushing’s disease (CD) is a severe disease, associated with an increased rate of comorbidities and mortality. Remission rate after surgery of pituitary tumor, is around 78%. Relapse occurs in 13% of patients within 10-years after surgery. According to guidelines, patients with unfeasible or non-curative surgery, require additional treatment, including medical therapies. Metyrapone, inhibits 11ß-hydroxylase enzyme, blocking the final step of cortisol syn...

Primary hyperparathyroidism is the third most common endocrine disorder, caused, in the majority of cases, by a single parathyroid adenoma and rarely by multigland adenoma or parathyroid carcinoma. Giant parathyroid adenomas, defined as larger than 3 g, represent an uncommon cause of primary hyperparathyroidism, with only a few cases described in the literature. We present the case of a 47 years old female who presented with a significant, unpainful, left cervical mass associa...