Endocrine Abstracts

Subjects and methods: We performed nocturnal penile tumescence and rigidity monitoring (NPTRM) in order to study the effects of Tadalafil on sleep-related erections in 23 adult healthy men (age: 34.27±8.48 years). The subjects were randomly administered Tadalafil, 10 mg tablet, the 1st (N1) or the 2nd (N2) night (Group A and B respectively) of 3 consecutive nights of erections’ monitoring. In Group A the 3rd night monitoring was regarded as control (N-ctr); in Group ...

Several studies have identified a relationship between oncogene activation and dedifferentiation of PTC. Mutations of RAS, RET/PTC and BRAF modulate the expression of thyroid genes. An impaired NIS expression has been demonstrated in PTCs harboring the BRAFV600E mutation.Aim of this study was to analyze BRAF and RET/PTC1-3 alterations and their influence on the expression of thyroid differentiation genes. Seventy-one PTC samples were studied. Quantitative analysis o...

Objective: The Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS) is a thrombophilic disorder characterised by recurrent venous and/or arterial thromboses and increased pregnancy morbidity. There is growing evidence supporting a functional interplay between the neuroendocrine and immune system; the hypothalamic-pituitary-adreal (HPA) axis plays a pivotal role in this network. Previous studies have described normal cortisol levels in APS patients while occurrence of acute adrenal failure was repo...

In a previous study we demonstrated that retinoic acid (RA) decreased the growth only of thyroid carcinoma cell lines expressing RA receptor β (RAR β) and that decitabine (5-Aza-CdR) re-induced RARβ expression. The aim of this study was to analyze the effects induced by the combined treatment with RA and 5-Aza-CdR in the same thyroid cancer cell lines.We studied the effect of 5-Aza-CdR 800 nM and RA 1 μM on the expression of thyroid s...

It is known that the synthesis and release of pituitary GH is controlled by complex neuroendocrine mechanisms that involve several neuropeptides, such as GHRH, SST, PACAP, TRH, GnRH, Ghrelin, among other regulators. Previous reports indicate that, during vertebrate evolution, the potency and efficacy of these secretagogues may vary and play differential effects upon GH regulation. In this work we aimed to study, in vitro, the capacity of these peptides to control the ...

Introduction: Acromegalic heart disease is characterized by concentric left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and impaired LV function. Speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) allows a non-invasive and reproducible study of myocardial strain, a marker of cardiac deformability and early ventricular systolic dysfunction.Objectives: The aims of the study are: 1) evaluation of STE parameters in acromegalic patients at diagnosis and during the follow-up; 2) apprai...

Lenvatinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), approved for the management of locally recurrent or metastatic, progressive, radioactive iodine–refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). A side effect of this drug is the tracheoesophageal fistula, described in 14.7% of patients. When this side effect is present, the interruption/withdrawn of the TKI is required and in this case no valid therapeutic options are described. We present the case of a 63-year-old woman pa...

Background: Overt hypercortisolism is highly associated with venous thromboembolism. Patients with Cushing’s syndrome (CS) typically show an alteration of the intrinsic coagulation pathway, especially an increase in factor VIII (f-VIII), and increased levels of coagulation inhibitors (i.e., antithrombin III) as a compensatory response. Mild autonomous cortisol secretion (MACS) has been variably associated with higher risk of cardiovascular events and mortality compared to...

Background: fragility fractures (FX) occur frequently after lung transplantation (TX), with a higher rate (15-20%) in the first two years, which decreases subsequently. Patients affected from cystic fibrosis (CF) seem to have a lower FX risk in the first two years after TX as compared with those affected with other lung diseases (nCF). The aim of our study is to evaluate and compare the long-term skeletal outcome in CF and nCF patients after TX.Methods: ...

Objective Vitamin D (VD) plays a role in immune response. Recent data shows that low levels of VD could worsen COVID-19 outcomes. This study aimed to establish an association between VD levels among COVID-19 patients with clinical outcomes and inflammatory markers.Methods Prospective multicentric cohort study. Consecutively recruitment. Patients were grouped according admission status and level of VD [sufficient >30 ng/ml (VDS), insufficient 20–...