Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Vitamin D plays an important role on musculoskeletal composition, but new evidences highlight others possible pleiotropic effects on many tissues and also metabolic functions. Vitamin D insufficiency should be associated with all-cause mortality, in particular with cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome. International studies suggested that 25(OH)D level sufficiency should be established at 30 ng/ml, insufficiency between 30 and 20 ng/ml and deficiency low...

Introduction: The risk association between the insulin like growth factor-1 (IGF1) and cardiovascular risk is inconclusive in adults and under-explored in the pediatric population. We aimed to investigate the associations between serum concentrations of IGF1 and cardiovascular risk factors in obese children and adolescents.Methods: Cross-sectional study. Clinical and metabolic evaluations including an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) were performed at ...

TSH receptor (TSHR) is a G-protein-coupled seven-transmembrane domain receptor located in the basolateral membrane of thyroid follicular cells. The activated receptor couples to two major signal transductions pathways: the Gs/adenylate cyclase and the Gq/11/phospholipase C signalling. Many loss of function mutations have been identified in this gene leading to a wide spectrum of thyroid abnormalities, ranging from hyperthyrotropinemia and TSH resistance to severe hypothyroidis...

GH secretion is usually impaired in active Cushing’s syndrome (CS), due to concomitant mechanisms, including diminished GHRH and/or increased somatostatin release and impaired pituitary somatotrope responsiveness. Differently, IGF1 levels not parallel GH insufficiency in CS, being reported reduced, normal or increased. Both ghrelin and GHRH+arginine (ARG) are powerful GH secretagogues, influenced by age and/or BMI. In 27 CS (42.7±2.9 years, 28.8±0.9 kg/m2</...

Introduction: Three peptides, acylated ghrelin (AG), unacylated ghrelin (UAG) and obestatin are derived from a common prohormone, preproghrelin by posttranslational processing, originating from endocrine cells in the stomach. Circulating ghrelin levels are decreased in obese subjects and increased by fasting and in patients with anorexia nervosa, but the physiological role of the three peptides is poorly understood in particular in childhood.Aim: In orde...

Objective: Hypopituitarism in adults may be a consequence of TBI, but in the acute or long term management of TBI patients (ptx), endocrine evaluations are not usually included. Aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of hypopituitarism and metabolic syndrome in a population of 54 severe (n=31) and moderate (n=23) TBI ptx (38 M, 16 F; age (mean±S.D.): 39.8±2.1 years) who had TBI more than 12 months before.<p class="abstext...

BackgroundIn lipodystrophy (LD) adipose tissue function is impaired, leading to a severe metabolic syndrome. Familiar Partial LD (FPLD) type I (Kobberling Syndrome) overlaps with Cushing’s syndrome phenotype. The latter and the metabolic impairment observed in FPLD1 may suggest a crosstalk between the HPA axis, assuming that leptin sensitivity is preserved in this context. We aimed to evaluate if leptin levels are associated with glucocorticoid acti...

Background: The increase of global childhood obesity has led to an increase of associated co-morbidities also at a young age. The pro-inflammatory state and insulin resistance are two master regulators of several complications, including hypertension and pre-diabetes frequently connected in a complex cross-talk.Aim: To evaluate the relationship between glucose alterations and blood pressure and the pathogenetic involvement of the renin-aldosterone system...

Background: The relationship between composition and function of microbiota, obesity and nutrition has been increasingly studied and is still a challenge.Aims: To test whether in a group of 12 pediatric patients with obesity the treatment with a structured hospital and in-home Mediterranean Diet intervention had an impact on gut microbiota composition, function, and metabolite production, including Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs).M...

Introduction: Lipodystrophy syndromes are characterized by a progressive metabolic impairment secondary to adipose tissue dysfunction and genetic background. The role of microbiota is still uninvestigated.Objective: Evaluate the gut microbiome ecology in relation to dietary and clinical parameters in two infant siblings with congenital generalized lipodystrophy type 4 (CGL4) before and after treatment with recombinant leptin.Method...