Endocrine Abstracts

Transthyretin (TTR) is a protein mainly synthesized by the liver and choroid plexus (CP) of the brain. Besides its role as a carrier for thyroid hormones, TTR also sequesters the amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide impairing its deposition in nervous tissues, and its concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) appear to be inversely correlated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) onset and progression. Abundant evidence suggests that the depletion of progesterone (PROG) at menopa...

Since earlier publications revealed a prominent and versatile impact of the neuromedin peptide family on several neuroendocrine processes, in the present experiments we focused on the effects of a recently discovered member of neuromedines, neuromedine S on such phenomena as open-field behaviour and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) activation. The peptide was administered intracerebroventricularly to freely moving rats and 30 minutes later the aforementioned neuronedocrine...

Phaeochromocytomas (PCC) are rare tumours of chromaffin cells that are generally characterised by autonomous production of catecholamines. PCC vary considerably in the relative and total amounts of catecholamines produced and stored, in the overall rates of synthesis and in individual-to-individual differences in sensitivities to catecholamines. It is these differences that contribute to the diversity of signs and symptoms. Thus diagnosis depends on a high index of clinical su...

Pheochromocytomas and abdominal paragangliomas are catecholamine-producing tumors of the sympathetic nervous system, while head and neck paragangliomas are non-secreting tumors of parasympathetic origin.Here we present a case of 20-year-old patient with the metastases of malignant paraganglioma. In 2004 the disease has been detected at accidental abdominal sonography. Patient has not had any symptoms, such as headache, hyperhidrosis, palpitation, weight ...

IntroductionKallmann syndrome (isolated hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism and anosmia), is caused by loss of KAL-1 function in the developing human olfactory system. Gene function is also conserved in eukaryotes, including nematodes, chick and rodents. However, the precise role of kal-1 in the developing nervous system is unclear. D.melanogaster an ideal model to study kal-1 function, as many molecular aspects of olfactory development are shared with mammal...

Patients with craniopharyngioma suffer from excess mortality and morbidity, especially patients with childhood onset of the disease. The impaired outcome in these patients is in part related to hypothalamic obesity, which is mainly caused by hypothalamic damage. The hypothalamic damage seems to result in autonomic nervous system dysfunction as well as leptin and insulin resistance. These factors negatively affect food intake, food satisfaction, metabolism and energy expenditur...

Thyroid hormones play an important role in all stages of life, including old age. Several differences have been observed in thyroid function parameters with age, including an increase in circulating thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels gradually increase with age. In order to identify determinants of human longevity, the Leiden Longevity Study (LLS) included 421 families with at least two long-lived Caucasian siblings fulfilling the age criteria (men ≥89 years and wo...

Intracranial germ cell tumors (GCTs) account for only 0.4–3.4% of all central nervous system (CNS) tumors. A 18 year old patient with an unremarkable medical history was presented to the ophtalmology outpatient clinic with a 2 month history of loss of vision at left eye and blurrred vision at right also headache and fatigue. Ophtalmological examination showed loss of visual acuity at left eye and decreased 0.05–0.1 at the right and bilateral optic atrophy. Further ph...

IntroductionWolfram syndrome (also known as DIDMOAD syndrome) is a rare, genetic, endocrine disorder characterized by the early onset of diabetes mellitus and optic atrophy. It is frequently associated with diabetes insipidus, deafness and neurological signs.ObservationA 26-year-old woman was burn out of a consanguineous marriage. Diabetes mellitus was revealed at the age of 6 by ketoacidosis, treated from th...

Mitochondria, which are essential organelles for endocrine health, plays an important role in various physiological functions including hormonal biosynthesis, cell metabolism, proliferation and differentiation. Thus, mitochondrial toxicity can affect a variety of organs, such as liver, heart, muscle, kidney, and central nervous system. Mitochondrial toxicity is recognized as a contributor to drug-induced toxicity of various drugs such as hydroxytamoxifen, valproic acid, acetam...