Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: High circulating levels of some but not all unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) can be related with reduced insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake in skeletal muscle. The real mechanisms by which UFAs impair the insulin sensitivity need to be clarified; nevertheless the UFA’s effects in the regulation of activity and/or expression of some transcriptional factors such as, nuclear factor κB (NFκB), hypoxia inducible factor-1a (HIF-1a), peroxisome prolifer...

Introduction: Patients bearing thyroid cancer that have already gone into surgery and 131I therapy that in the follow-up have high thyroglobulin levels and negative 131I whole body scan represent a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. 99mTc HYNIC Octreotide recognizes somatostatin receptors that are expressed in thyroid cancer. The objective of this paper is to evaluate these patients by means of 99mTc HYNIC Octreotide and to correlate the results with other imaging methods.<...

Introduction: The association of autoimmune diseases in the same individual is common. It is well documented that Graves’ disease (GD) is associated to various autoimmune diseases, including: pernicious anemia, vitiligo, type 1 diabetes, Addison’s disease, systemic sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, Sjogren’s syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. In addition, primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) may be associated with rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogr...

Pituitary carcinoma is rare (0.1–0.2% of pituitary tumors), with a poor prognosis. It usually presents as invasive and secretory (ACTH or prolactin) macroadenoma. The diagnosis is confirmed by the presence of metastases. The latency period between the diagnosis of adenoma and carcinoma is variable (9.5 years for corticotrophinoma). The treatment includes surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.We report a 58-year-old male, complaining of visual distu...

Introduction: Von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHLD) is a rare autosomal-dominant syndrome, characterized by the development of multiple cysts and tumours, namely retinal and central nervous system hemangioblastomas, renal cell carcinoma (RCC), phaeochromocytoma, pancreatic endocrine tumours (PET) and endolymphatic sac tumours.Most germinal mutations are missense, related to a high risk for presenting phaechromocytoma (specially if Arg167Trp mutation im...

Introduction: Vitamin D deficiency is very common in the population, including pregnant women. There are few studies in Spain to explain their causes, so we started one in the city of Burgos, Spain (latitude 42.2° N) in April 2009 to study vitamin D status, factors that can influence and their relationship with gestational diabetes. We present preliminary data from the study on vitamin D levels.Aims: Study in pregnancy: i) vitamin levels, and ii) it...

Introduction: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is considered a rare cause of pituitary dysfunction. Recently, some retrospective studies demonstrated that TBI-mediated hypopituitarism is more frequent than previously known. However, its prevalence and natural history are still unclear.Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence of hypopituitarism 1 year after TBI and the association between the seriousness of the traumatism and the pituitary deficits.<p class...

Introduction: High-resolution US and US FNA are techniques of great relevance in the evaluation of thyroid nodules. They are being used much more often by endocrinologists all over the world. In our Endocrinology Department, we started them in 2006; since then they have been progressively amplified. We present our results of US FNA performed from January 2007 until December 2009.Patients and methods: Two thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven FNA were ...

Introduction: Fine needle biopsy (FNB) is a very important diagnostic tool in the assessment of thyroid nodules and plays a prominent role in therapeutic approach. It has a sensitivity around 83 to 85% and a specificity around 80 to 92%.Aims: To correlate cytological (FNB) and final histopathological data in patients with nodular thyroid pathology.Methods: A retrospective study of patients who underwent surgical procedure from Janu...

Introduction: Gastric endocrine tumors (GET) are rare. Type 1 tumors are non-functioning, almost exclusively benign lesions, usually presenting as multiple polyps, usually <1 cm in diameter, which arise from gastric enterochromaffin-like cells in response to chronically elevated gastrin, secondary to (auto-immune) atrophic fundic gastritis. These tumors were traditionally treated with total gastrectomy, like adenocarcinomas. Currently, surveillance or endoscopic treatment ...