Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Recent studies show that traumatic brain injury (TBI) and aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) are frequent causes of long-term disturbances of hypothalamo–pituitary function. Still little is known about risk factors and clinical characteristics of pituitary impairment after brain damage. This study aimed to address these questions on a larger scale by establishing a national registry of these patients.Methods: All centers treating p...

Background: Hypopituitary patients with untreated growth hormone deficiency (GHD) have increased fat mass, dyslipidaemia and insulin resistance. Inappropriately low thyroxine doses in patients with central hypothyroidism (CH) may also promote such clinical features.Objective: To examine metabolic outcome of thyroxine replacement in hypopituitary patients before and after GH replacement.Method: One thousand and six hundred and two p...

Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) can occur after treatment for acromegaly. It is unclear whether treatment with recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) in these patients is beneficial. Patients were randomized to either 1 year of rhGH replacement (n=10) or placebo followed by rhGH replacement for 1 year (delayed rhGH treatment, n=6). Sixteen patients (8 men, mean age 56 years) with GHD after treatment for acromegaly were studied. Study parameters were assessed at ...

Introduction: In a recent 16-week Phase II study in patients with de novo, persistent or recurrent acromegaly, pasireotide effectively controlled GH and/or IGF-I levels in 56% of patients, and reduced tumor volume by >20% in 39% of patients. We present preliminary 6-month results from the ongoing extension phase of this study.Methods: This extension study enrolled patients who achieved biochemical control (GH ≤2.5 μg/l and normalize...

GH and IGF-I excess causes a specific cardiomyopathy, often complicated by diastolic and systolic dysfunction until heart failure. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of long-term treatment with pegvisomant on cardiac performance in acromegalic patients. Twelve patients (4 men and 8 women, age 29–58 years) entered the study. A radionuclide angiography at rest and during exercise was performed at baseline and after 18 months of treatment with pegvisomant with ...

Ghrelin, cannabinoids and glucocorticoids have all orexigenic and widespread metabolic effects. AMPK is a major controller of many metabolic processes. We have studied the effects of ghrelin and glucocorticoids and their interaction with endocannabinoids using cannabinoid-receptor-1 (CB1) knock-out mice and CB1 antagonist-treated mice, and using tissue samples from patients with Cushing’s syndrome and from a rodent model of Cushing’s syndrome. AMPK activity and downs...

The exposure of cells to high glucose concentrations is considered a determinant of diabetic neuropathy. Conversely, members of the Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF) system are well known neurotrophic factors. Here, we investigated the effects of constant and intermittent high glucose concentrations on IGF-I and IGF Binding Proteins (IGFBPs) in human neuroblast long-term cell cultures (FNC). We first demonstrated that FNC express the IGF-I receptor, and express and release in t...

Background: Central nervous insulin is critically involved in the regulation of body weight and memory processing. Long-term administration of intranasal insulin reduces body weight in men but not in women while improving hippocampus-dependent memory processing in both genders. Here, acute effects of intranasal insulin on food intake and memory functions were studied in men and women.Methods: Thirty-two healthy, normal-weight subjects (14 men, 18 women) ...

Oxytocin is a hormone and neurotransmitter with antiinflammatory and neuroimmune-modulatory properties. Physiological states of elevated plasma oxytocin levels are associated with reduced hypothalamic–pituitaty–adrenal response to different stressors. We examined the effect of exogenous oxytocin administration on bacterial endotoxin induced innate immune responses in humans. Ten healthy men received in a randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over design (1) placebo, ...