Endocrine Abstracts

Aim: ACC is an extremely rare heterogeneous aggressive disease. Clinical presentation are various. The prognosis is very poor. There are limited data to define prognostic markers for survival beyond stage.The aim of this study is to describe the experience of our institution with patients affected by ACC.Material and methods: This study was performed on 13 patients aged between 26 and 76 years, from 1992 to 2009 who turned to our I...

Visceral fat (VAT) may represent the more important site of endocannabinoid dysregulation in obesity. No data are available on the expression of the ECs in morbid obesity. Eleven morbidly obese women, who underwent bariatric surgery, were enrolled and paired samples of VAT and subcutaneous fat tissue (SAT) were obtained from each patient. Real-Time PCR for the gene expression levels of cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptor, N-acyl-phosphatidil-ethanolamine (NAPE), and fatty...

The aim of this study was: 1) to determine whether there is a correlation between a stressful event, such as the mourning, the hyperactivity of HPA axis, and the fast weight gain 2) to assess whether there is a specific parameter that can predict the susceptibility of individuals to develop metabolic syndrome following a stressful event. We investigated 80 obese women, aged between 23 and 67 years; each subject underwent a clinical evaluation, an OGTT and biochemical, metaboli...

In a previous study, we demonstrated that the concept of functional ovarian hyperandrogenism (FOH), as documented by the exaggerated 17OHP response to buserelin (GnRH-analogue) does not represent a specific feature of all women with PCOS, being present in less than half of PCOS and is a condition characterized by more severe hyperandrogenemia, glucose-stimulated B-cell insulin secretion and worse insulin resistance. INSL3 is produced in the Leydig cells and at reduced levels i...

Obesity is strictly connected with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). However, we still do not know whether a form of PCOS secondary to obesity exists or whether obesity exacerbates manifestations of the syndrome. To answer this question we contacted seventy obese patients with PCOS that attended our Endocrinology Unit in the last 3 years and that lose weight after at least 6 months of dietary treatment. Sixty-five out of 70 patients agreed to take part to the study and gave th...

It is well known that cannabinoid type 1 receptor (CB1) antagonist drugs may reduce body weight and improve metabolic profiles in obese animals and humans by a double mechanism: at first, targeting mesolimbic and hypothalamic nuclei and, thereafter, peripheral organs involved in energy storage and expenditure. However, it is still unknown which of these sites of action may have a predominant role in the endocannabinoid effect on energy balance regulation. To solve this questio...

The endocannabinoid system has recently emerged as an important modulator of several functions of adipose tissue by altering cell proliferation and gene expression. In this work, we investigated the effects of CB1 activation/blockade in mouse 3T3-L1 adypocite cells by using WIN55,212, a CB1/CB2 agonist and rimonabant, a specific CB1 antagonist, in different experimental settings such as acute treatment on pre-adipocytes and on mature adipocytes, and chronic treatment during di...

Among the uncertainties surrounding the etiology of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) the role of increased peripheral cortisol metabolism has become interesting, particularly in relationship to the pathogenesis of adrenal hyperandrogenism. The patways of cortisol metabolism include irreversible inactivation of cortisol by 5α- and 5β-reductase. To evaluate the association of 5α- and 5β-reductase activity with adrenal hyperandrogenism in PCOS, we recruited 90...

Aim: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (MS) in a cohort of young Mediterranean women with PCOS in reproductive age and to evaluate the association of the MS with clinical and biochemical parameters.Setting: Among 200 PCOS (17-31 years) criteria of MS in accordance with the “NCEP-ATPIII” were used to construct 3 groups: no one criteria, 1 or 2 criteria and 3 or more criteria (affected by MS). All p...

Congenital morphological alteration of anterior and/or posterior pituitary lobes is a rare disease often associated with isolated or multiple hormonal deficiency. In this study we re-evaluated 24 adult patients, 20 males and 4 females, (23–46 years), in whom Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) showed congenital morphological alteration of the gland. Twenty out of 24 patients presented with an association of hypoplasic adenohypophysis and ectopic neurohypophysis, while 4 pres...