Endocrine Abstracts

Coronavirus disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus (Covid-19) is associated with a variable clinical syndrome, ranging from a mild-moderate to a severe disease, progressing towards acute respiratory distress syndrome. Hypocortisolism is associated with a depletion of innate immunity and disruption of immune response, which could contribute to an increased risk of infection and development of a severe disease. Glucocorticoid (GC) replacement therapy(GCRT), especially if administere...

In the last years an increasing incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) has been reported in young adults (18-45 yrs), probably accounted by the significant increase in CV risk (CVR) factors. Observational and interventional studies, mainly focused on middle-aged and elderly men, demonstrated that metabolic CVR (mCVR) factors and CVD manifestations are common in hypogonadal men and, conversely, testosterone deficiency is highly prevalent in metabolic disorders; the lack of ...

Adipose tissue is an endocrine organ releasing adipokines and expressing specific markers and intracellular mediators, which regulate whole-body energy by balancing lipid accumulation and utilization through adipogenesis, the differentiation of preadipocytes into mature adipocytes associated with gradual lipid storage, and lipogenesis, the additional lipid accumulation in mature adipocytes. Adipogenesis and lipogenesis, strongly induced by insulin, occur in white adipocytes, s...

Obesity, characterized by an abnormal body fat accumulation mainly caused by a chronic imbalance between energy intake and expenditure, is a massive public health problem. Targeting excessive fat deposition in adipose tissue and ectopic fat accumulation in skeletal muscle through promoting lipid oxidation pathway may represent a promising strategy to counteract obesity. This study aims at investigating the effects of cabergoline (CAB), a dopamine agonist, on adipose and skelet...

Cushing’s disease (CD), caused by an adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-secreting pituitary tumor, is the most common form of hypercortisolism. Pituitary surgery is the first-line treatment of CD and medical treatment is an alternative second-line approach to control cortisol excess. Long-term exposure to glucocorticoids (GC) downregulates the expression of somatostatin receptor type 2 (SSTR2) but not type 5 (SSTR5) in human and mouse ACTH-secreting tumor cell cultures; t...

Cushing’s Syndrome (CS) is associated with a severe myopathy mainly affecting type 2 muscle fibres, with a higher prevalence in male subjects. The excess of glucocorticoids (GC) levels represents the most common cause of myopathy due to an alteration of protein metabolism. The non-coding post-transcriptional gene regulators muscle-specific microRNAs (miRNA) control muscle development and differentiation but when dysregulated lead to skeletal muscle (SM) disorder. The aim ...

Hyperprolactinemia is associated with abnormalities in glucose and lipid profile with development of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome (MetS), which have been found to be improved by treatment with cabergoline (CAB). The current study aimed at investigating hormonal and metabolic effects of long-term CAB withdrawal in patients with prolactinomas. In 46 patients (37 F, 9 M, aged 34.5±11.5 yrs, 36 microadenomas and 10 macroadenomas) anthropometric (weight, BMI, wais...

Conventional glucocorticoids (CGCs) are unable to mimic physiological cortisol rhythm in adrenal insufficiency (AI), resulting in increased metabolic morbidity and impaired quality of life (QoL). Non-physiological cortisol pattern and elevated evening cortisol levels may be responsible for the increased risk of metabolic disorders observed in AI patients under CGCs. Once daily dual-release-hydrocortisone (DR-HC), which better reproduces physiological daily cortisol profile, si...

HCC is a difficult-to-treat- cancer with poor prognosis. Despite EVOLVE-1 trial demonstrated that EVE did not improve overall survival in molecularly and clinically unselected patients with advanced sorafenib resistant HCC, in selected patients, the established antitumor effect of EVE could make this drug a potential adjuvant therapy. Unfortunately, the acquired EVE resistance due to the tumour adaptation to chronic drug use is a current challenge. VitD has been deemed as pote...

Chronic cortisol excess as a consequence of ACTH overproduction from a pituitary tumour is responsible for the development of Cushing’s disease (CD). The first-line treatment for CD is pituitary surgery, but medical treatment is an alternative second-line approach to control cortisol excess. Among pharmacological agents, the adrenal-blocking drug ketoconazole (KT), is able to control cortisol excess in the majority of patients with CD. During KT treatment, the adrenal blo...