Minerva Endocrinologica

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

In current practice, an adrenal adenoma usually comes as an unexpected byproduct of an imaging study performed for unrelated reasons, without any prior suspect of adrenal disease. Therefore, these tumors currently represent a public health challenge because they are increasingly recognized due to the widespread use of high-resolution cross-sectional imaging for diagnostic purposes. In radiology series, the prevalence of adrenal adenomas increases steeply with age, from around 3% below the age of 50 years up to 10% in the ageing population...

INTRODUCTION: The different presentation of adrenocortical tumors in benign adenoma (ACA) or adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is related to the variability at the molecular level. The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system is one of the most frequently altered pathways in ACC. In this review we will critically analyze the evidence regarding the pathogenic role of the IGF system in adrenal tumorigenesis, focusing on ACC. We will also examine the pre-clinical and clinical studies which investigated the targeting of the IGF system as a therapeutic approach in ACC...

Somatic mutations affecting genes in the cAMP/PKA (Protein Kinase A) signaling pathway have been described as causative for the pathogenesis of benign unilateral adrenocortical adenomas associated with cortisol over secretion. These include predominantly somatic mutations in the PRKACA gene which encodes the catalytic subunit α of PKA. In addition, mutations in the GNAS gene, coding for the stimulatory G protein α, have been observed in approximately 10 % of cortisol producing adenomas (CPAs). The mutations render PKA signaling constitutively active and are therefore involved in cortisol over secretion of these tumours...

The diagnostic work up of adrenal tumours, often incidentally discovered, has emerged as an ever-increasing diagnostic problem for clinical endocrinologists. No imaging modality has sufficiently high sensitivity and specificity at differentiating benign from malignant adrenal lesions. It has long been observed that adrenocortical carcinomas (ACCs) present an immature pattern of steroidogenesis, dominated by steroid hormone precursors. Modern mass spectrometry-based assays can generate multi-steroid metabolite profiles in urine collections, which can detect differences between ACCs and benign adrenocortical adenomas (ACAs)...

Adrenal incidentaloma is a frequent clinical finding. Once an adrenal mass is detected, is mandatory to determine whether the lesion is malignant or benign and whether it is hormonally active or non- functioning, to estabilish an adequate treatement or follow-up. The European Society and ENSAT Guidelines recently provided the best recommendation based on the available literature. However, due to the retrospective design of the majority of the studies, the small number of patients included and the inadequate follow-up, some issues are still unresolved...

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare malignancy with poor prognosis. It has been undergone to in-depth clinical and laboratory investigations, with the help of the most important research groups of all over the world. Nonetheless the cure for this kind of neoplasia is not right around the corner, given its complexity and multi-faceted feature, that lead researchers to think at "one person one ACC". Currently total resection is the most concrete option for ACC patients, whenever possible. Although years are still necessary for an effective treatment, indubitably the use of mitotane, among the available pharmacological treatments, in the early 60's revolutionized the approach to this rare disease...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

TSH receptor antibodies (TRAbs) are characteristic indicators for the common autoimmune thyroid disease Graves disease (GD). In almost all patients stimulating TRAbs are found leading to hyperthyroidism as these antibodies act in an agonistic manner to TSH. Besides stimulating TRAbs, other TRAbs are also frequently found leading to inhibition of TSH receptor signaling (blocking TRAbs) or to the activation of different signaling cascades resulting in e.g. thyrocyte apoptosis (cleavage antibodies). Patients' sera may contain all three types of TRAbs...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this project was to investigate the expression and clinical significance of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and the transforming growth factor-α (TGF-α) in the occurrence and development of chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. METHODS: We recruited 31 patients with chronic pancreatitis, 42 with pancreatic cancer, and 20 with normal pancreas in our hospital. Chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, and normal pancreas expressed EGF and TGF-α mRNAs as well as EGF and TGF-α proteins...

Clinical endocrinology has always had a close relationship with laboratory medicine. In fact, the quantification of hormones is of great importance for diagnosis, treatment, recurrence and patient's prognosis of endocrine disorders. This review dealt with the role of the laboratory in diagnosing endocrine pathologies related to adrenal gland, pituitary, gonads and thyroid. The measurements of the main hormones (17-hydroxyprogesterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate, testosterone, estradiol, cortisol, aldosterone, metanephrines, thyroglobulin and insulin-like-growth factor-1) were described considering analytical characteristics but also some aspects of preanalytical and postanalytical steps...

The endocrine system is interested by several autoimmune diseases, characterized by different impact and severity, according to the organs involved. Autoimmune thyroid disorders (i.e. Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Graves' disease) and type 1 diabetes mellitus are the most common autoimmune endocrine disorders, while hypophysitis, adrenalitis (90% of cases of primary hypocortisolism or Addison's disease), POF and hypoparathyroidism represent quite rare conditions. Autoimmune endocrine diseases can also coexist in the same individuals and cluster in families...

Cytology is an easily-accessible, cost-effective, and safe procedure for the initial evaluation of most endocrine/neuroendocrine lesions. Both fine-needle aspiration cytology and exfoliative cytology have shown good sensitivity and specificity in detecting endocrine/neuroendocrine benign proliferations and malignancies. Thanks to its utility for early diagnosis, cytology has contributed to the decline in mortality of endocrine/neuroendocrine neoplasms. The endocrine system comprises different endocrine organs, such as the thyroid, adrenal glands, paraganglia, parathyroid, pancreas, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, ovaries and testes, which can give rise to non-neoplastic, benign and malignant proliferations...