Endocrine Abstracts

Neurotensin is widely expressed in the brain and gastrointestinal tract. Centrally, neurotensin acts as a neuropeptide to suppress appetite, induce hypothermia and modulate analgesia. Peripherally, neurotensin inhibits gastric emptying and is reported to aid lipid absorption. There is also evidence that neurotensin can influence glucose homeostasis, though this role is contentious. We have found that neurotensin acutely improves insulin release and glucose tolerance in mice, a...

The majority of the body’s 5-HT (serotonin) is produced from enterochromaffin cells (ECs) of the intestinal epithelium. 5-HT has important roles within the gastrointestinal tract in the modulation of motility, secretion and inflammation, while also signalling satiety and discomfort to the central nervous system. The factors regulating release of 5-HT from human small intestinal ECs have not been clearly elucidated: although circulating 5-HT levels typically increase after...

Background: Type 1 diabetes mellitus is an autoimmune disorder caused by the destruction of the pancreatic beta cells which produce insulin. People with type 1 diabetes usually require at least 3-5 years to develop microvascular complications in comparison to those with type 2 diabetes, who may develop such complications even before the diagnosis of diabetes due to its insidious onset and the delay in diagnosis. We discuss a patient who initially presented with proliferative d...

Metastasis to the pituitary gland is a rare occurrence. Here we discuss our experience managing a patient with pituitary neuroendocrine metastasis who first presented with ocular symptoms. A 65-year-old lady presented in July 2015 with progressive diplopia. An MRI scan revealed a pituitary mass lesion with aggressive features and two abnormal enhancing nodules within the brain white matter, raising suspicion of metastatic disease. Radiotherapy was commenced on the basis that t...

Puberty is the process of physical change that occurs between childhood and adulthood, during which adolescents reach sexual maturity and become capable of reproduction. The onset and course of puberty are under the control of the neuroendocrine system. Factors affecting the timing and regulation of the functions of this system may alter the onset and course of puberty. Recent studies have demonstrated a progressive decrease in the age of onset of puberty in children around th...

High doses of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS), especially when taken concomitantly with multiple other preparations, can lead to a decrease in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and an increase in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. After long-term, high-dose AAS abuse, atherosclerosis may develop, leading to coronary artery disease, cerebral vascular disease or peripheral artery disease. The degree of atherosclerosis appears to be dependent on the duration o...

Background: The diagnosis of pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PPGL) requires the measurement of plasma metanephrines; however, several pre-analytical parameters can lead to false positive test results. During venipuncture, pain perception may activate the sympathetic nervous system, increasing catecholamine metabolite levels. Furthermore, hypertension patients exhibit sympathetic hyperactivity compared to normotensive subjects. The purpose of this study was to compare the p...

Introduction: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a rare autosomal dominant disease. Patients affected by NF1 have an increased risk of developing tumors other than neurofibromas, especially of endocrine origin, that’s why this patients should be screened for endocrine lesions. In this report, we describe a patient affected by NF1 who present a thyroid nodule.Observation: A 27-year-old woman was admitted in our department for endocrinological evaluati...

Introduction: Ganglioneuroma (GN) is a benign, well-differentiated nerve tumor composed of mature sympathetic ganglion cells and nerve fibers, and most commonly located in the posterior mediastinum and retroperitoneum. GN’s are rarely found in the adrenal gland. This tumor is usually asymptomatic and, in the majority of cases, detected incidentally. The diagnostic confirmation is histologic. We report a case of adrenal GN revealed by an adrenal incidentaloma.<p class=...

For quite a long time, the brain has been considered as an insulin independent organ capable of utilizing glucose without participation of insulin. Today, insulin is thought to be not only a regulator of glucose transport and metabolism, but also as a modulator of some processes, including neuronal excitability, proliferation and differentiation of progenitor cells, synaptic plasticity, memory formation, secreting of neurotransmitters and apoptosis. The work was initiated to c...