Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Patients with transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia (TDT) frequently exhibit elevated urinary calcium excretion, contributing to kidney stone formation and osteoporosis. The underlying mechanism of hypercalciuria in β-thalassemia remains elusive, with FGF23 playing a potential role. FGF23, a bone-derived hormone, primarily acts on the kidneys by inhibiting phosphate reabsorption in the proximal tubules while enhancing calcium uptake in the distal tubules....

Background: Patients with transfusion-dependent β -thalassemia (TDT) often experience several endocrine complications, including diabetes mellitus (DM). In TDT, the reliability of glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) assessment is compromised due to elevated erythrocytes turnover and frequent transfusions. Glycated Albumin (GA), a product of non-enzymatic albumin glycation, has been investigated as a medium-term glycaemic marker (21 days) in the general diabetic population. Since...

Background and aim: Obesity is associated with a dysregulation of the immune system which can result in a predisposition to the development of autoimmune diseases. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate anti-pituitary antibodies (APA) in severe obese patients, in order to identify a possible role of the immune system in obesity and to correlate these antibodies with pituitary hormone changes found in obese patients.Matherials and methods: ...

The diagnosis of normocalcemic primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) can be made in subjects whose total and ionized serum calcium are completely normal but in whom the PTH level is persistently elevated. In order to make the diagnosis of normocalcemic PHPT, secondary causes for an elevated PTH level should be ruled out, such as vitamin D insufficiency, or renal insufficiency. Replacing the former patients with vitamin D to reach levels now considered to be normal (i.e. >30 n...

Background: Soluble alpha klotho (sαKL) is a circulating protein that has been linked to the growth hormone (GH) axis. We previously showed its association to disease activity in patients with acromegaly, with considerable robustness towards biological confounders. However, there is scarce data in literature regarding the analytical performance of the assay, and pre-analytical stability of sαKL in blood samples. Objective: We aimed to evaluate ...

Introduction: Pasireotide is a potent somatostatin analogue (SSA) and used in therapy-refractory acromegaly, commonly after failure of treatment with first-generation SSA. However, it may induce severe hyperglycemia, which usually occurs rapidly after initiation of therapy and in general gradually improves over time. We here present two cases of young male patients who developed severe pasireotide-induced hyperglycemia after several years of treatment.Ca...

Hypothyroidism therapy is based on the administration of appropriate dose of L-thyroxine (L-T4). Absorption of L-T4 takes place in the duodenum and upper tract of the small intestine (jejunum), is maximal when stomach is empty, and is affected by a number of gastrointestinal disorders, including Helicobacter pylori–related gastritis, as well as ingestion of drugs, dietary fibers, and herbal remedies. Failure to achieve a good control of disease may be due to malabsorption...

Introduction: Pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGLs) are chromaffin cell tumors that arise from neuroectodermal cells. These tumors are characterized by a very heterogeneous natural history and an unpredictable ability to metastasize. The rate of metastatic disease ranges from lessthan 1% to 79%, depending on tumor site and size, age at diagnosis and genotype.30% are considered to be hereditary. Primary hyperparathyroidism can be associated with PPLGs. We report a case o...

Introduction: The Munchausen syndrome, also known as factitious disorder, involves a compulsion to simulate illness or trauma. Individuals may go as far as taking medication or inflicting harm on their bodies to evoke compassion. The aim of this report is to illustrate the example of factitious hypoglycemia, one of the most common forms of factitious disorders in the endocrine-metabolic field, accounting for 4-11% of all non-diabetic hypoglycemias.Observ...

Introduction: Tumors of the pineal region are rare, constitute 0.5% to 1% of intracranial tumors in adults in Europe and the United States. Anatomical location deeply buried under the cerebral hemispheres behind the third ventricle and the brainstem, and the variety of different histological types explain management difficulties. Cysts of the pineal gland, often calcified, may go unnoticed and be discovered during autopsy especially in the elderly, but some cysts are symptomat...