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Xichang Wang Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism and The Institute of Endocrinology, NHC Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Thyroid Diseases, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China

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Xiaochun Teng Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism and The Institute of Endocrinology, NHC Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Thyroid Diseases, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China

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Chenyan Li Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism and The Institute of Endocrinology, NHC Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Thyroid Diseases, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China

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Yushu Li Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism and The Institute of Endocrinology, NHC Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Thyroid Diseases, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China

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Jing Li Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism and The Institute of Endocrinology, NHC Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Thyroid Diseases, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China

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Weiping Teng Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism and The Institute of Endocrinology, NHC Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Thyroid Diseases, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China

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Zhongyan Shan Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism and The Institute of Endocrinology, NHC Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Thyroid Diseases, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China

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Yaxin Lai Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism and The Institute of Endocrinology, NHC Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Thyroid Diseases, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China

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Objective

To conduct a questionnaire survey of the current clinical practice for overt hyperthyroidism in China.

Methods

An online questionnaire survey was conducted in July 2020. The two questionnaires covered 35 and 8 questions about non-pregnancy and pregnancy clinical practice for overt hyperthyroidism, respectively.

Results

One thousand, two hundred fifty-six physicians participated. Chief physicians and associate chief physicians accounted for 58.6% of the participants. Approximately 95.2% of the respondents chose the thyrotropin receptor antibody (TRAb) test to clarify the etiology of thyrotoxicosis, while only 27.0% of them chose radioactive iodine uptake (RAIU). In terms of treatment for non-pregnant patients, anti-thyroid drugs (ATDs) were the first choice, and most of the clinicians chose methimazole. Compared with clinicians in recent studies, Chinese physicians used serum TRAb to diagnose Graves’ disease more commonly, and there were obviously more physicians preferring ATDs. For maternal hyperthyroidism, most physicians preferred propylthiouracil administration before or during the first trimester, which is consistent with the 2016 American Thyroid Association (ATA) guidelines. In terms of the initial ATD dose, monitoring the treatment process, indications for ATD withdrawal and treatment of special cases, the preferences of Chinese physicians were generally consistent with the guidelines.

Conclusion

Chinese physicians can generally follow the ATA guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of hyperthyroidism. Moreover, there are small differences from foreign studies or the guidelines with respect to particular problems. These findings provide evidence for future clinical research in China.

Open access
Eric Seidel Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Nephrology and Medical Intensive Care, BCRT – Berlin Institute of Health Center for Regenerative Therapies, Berlin, Germany
Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany
Department of Nephrology, School of Medicine, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

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Gudrun Walenda Department of Nephrology, School of Medicine, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

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Clemens Messerschmidt Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
Core Unit Bioinformatics, Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany

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Benedikt Obermayer Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
Core Unit Bioinformatics, Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany

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Mirko Peitzsch Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany

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Paal Wallace Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany

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Rohini Bahethi Department of Nephrology, School of Medicine, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

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Taekyeong Yoo Department of Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

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Murim Choi Department of Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

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Petra Schrade Charité – Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Institut für Vegetative Anatomie, Berlin, Germany

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Sebastian Bachmann Charité – Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Institut für Vegetative Anatomie, Berlin, Germany

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Gerhard Liebisch Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Regensburg University Hospital, Regensburg, Germany

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Graeme Eisenhofer Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany

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Dieter Beule Core Unit Bioinformatics, Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany

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Ute I Scholl Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Nephrology and Medical Intensive Care, BCRT – Berlin Institute of Health Center for Regenerative Therapies, Berlin, Germany
Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany
Department of Nephrology, School of Medicine, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

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Mitotane is the only drug approved for the therapy of adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC). Its clinical use is limited by the occurrence of relapse during therapy. To investigate the underlying mechanisms in vitro, we here generated mitotane-resistant cell lines. After long-term pulsed treatment of HAC-15 human adrenocortical carcinoma cells with 70 µM mitotane, we isolated monoclonal cell populations of treated cells and controls and assessed their respective mitotane sensitivities by MTT assay. We performed exome sequencing and electron microscopy, conducted gene expression microarray analysis and determined intracellular lipid concentrations in the presence and absence of mitotane. Clonal cell lines established after pulsed treatment were resistant to mitotane (IC50 of 102.2 ± 7.3 µM (n = 12) vs 39.4 ± 6.2 µM (n = 6) in controls (biological replicates, mean ± s.d., P = 0.0001)). Unlike nonresistant clones, resistant clones maintained normal mitochondrial and nucleolar morphology during mitotane treatment. Resistant clones largely shared structural and single nucleotide variants, suggesting a common cell of origin. Resistance depended, in part, on extracellular lipoproteins and was associated with alterations in intracellular lipid homeostasis, including levels of free cholesterol, as well as decreased steroid production. By gene expression analysis, resistant cells showed profound alterations in pathways including steroid metabolism and transport, apoptosis, cell growth and Wnt signaling. These studies establish an in vitro model of mitotane resistance in ACC and point to underlying molecular mechanisms. They may enable future studies to overcome resistance in vitro and improve ACC treatment in vivo.

Open access
Barbara J Boucher Blizard Institute, Barts & The London school of Medicine & Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK

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Our knowledge of vitamin D has come a long way since the 100 years it took for doctors to accept, between 1860 and 1890, that both sunlight and cod liver oil (a well-known folk remedy) cured and prevented rickets. Vitamins D2/D3 were discovered exactly a hundred years ago, and over the last 50 years vitamin D has been found to have many effects on virtually all human tissues and not just on bone health, while mechanisms affecting the actions of vitamin D at the cellular level are increasingly understood, but deficiency persists globally. Observational studies in humans have shown that better provision of vitamin D is strongly associated, dose-wise, with reductions in current and future health risks in line with the known actions of vitamin D. Randomised controlled trials, commonly accepted as providing a ‘gold standard’ for assessing the efficacy of new forms of treatment, have frequently failed to provide supportive evidence for the expected health benefits of supplementation. Such RCTs, however, have used designs evolved for testing drugs while vitamin D is a nutrient; the appreciation of this difference is critical to identifying health benefits from existing RCT data and for improving future RCT design. This report aims, therefore, to provide a brief overview of the evidence for a range of non-bony health benefits of vitamin D repletion; to discuss specific aspects of vitamin D biology that can confound RCT design and how to allow for them.

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Maria Stelmachowska-Banaś Department of Endocrinology, The Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, Warsaw, Polska, Poland

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Izabella Czajka-Oraniec Department of Endocrinology, The Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, Warsaw, Polska, Poland

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Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) belong to a new group of anticancer drugs targeting T-cell proteins involved in the activation of immune response toward malignancies. Their introduction into clinical practice was a milestone in modern cancer treatment. However, the significant advantage of ICIs over conventional chemotherapy in terms of therapeutic efficacy is accompanied by new challenges related to specific side effects. ICI-induced immune system activation could lead to the loss of self-tolerance, presenting as autoimmune inflammation and dysfunction of various tissues and organs. Thus, the typical side effects of ICIs include immune-related adverse events (irAEs), among which endocrine irAEs, affecting numerous endocrine glands, have been commonly recognized. This review aimed to outline the current knowledge regarding ICI-induced endocrine disorders from a clinical perspective. We present updated information on the incidence and clinical development of ICI-induced endocrinopathies, including the most frequent thyroiditis and hypophysitis, the rarely observed insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and primary adrenal insufficiency, and the recently described cases of hypoparathyroidism and lipodystrophy. Practical guidelines for monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment of ICI-related endocrine toxicities are also offered. Rising awareness of endocrine irAEs among oncologists, endocrinologists, and other health professionals caring for patients receiving ICIs could contribute to better safety and efficacy. As immunotherapy becomes widespread and approved for new types of malignancies, increased incidences of endocrine irAEs are expected in the future.

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Margret J Einarsdottir Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Institute of Medicine at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Department of Endocrinology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden

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Penelope Trimpou Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Institute of Medicine at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Department of Endocrinology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden

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Gudmundur Johannsson Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Institute of Medicine at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Department of Endocrinology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden

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Oskar Ragnarsson Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Institute of Medicine at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Department of Endocrinology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
Wallenberg Center for Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

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Objective

It is unknown whether glucocorticoid (GC)-induced adrenal insufficiency may cause premature mortality in GC users. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to investigate if undiagnosed and undertreated GC-induced adrenal insufficiency is a contributor to premature death in GC users.

Methods

Information on dispensed prescriptions in West Sweden from 2007 to 2014 was obtained from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register. Cause of death was collected from the Swedish Cause of Death Register. Of 223,211 patients who received oral GC prescriptions, 665 died from sepsis within 6 months of their last prescription. Three hundred of these patients who had died in hospital were randomly selected for further investigation. Medical records were initially reviewed by one investigator. Furthermore, two additional investigators reviewed the medical records of patients whose deaths were suspected to be caused by GC-induced adrenal insufficiency.

Results

Of 300 patients (121 females, 40%), 212 (75%) were prescribed GC treatment at admission. The mean age was 76 ± 11 years (range 30–99). Undiagnosed or undertreated GC-induced adrenal insufficiency was considered a probable contributor to death by at least two investigators in 11 (3.7%) patients. In five of these 11 cases, long-term GC therapy was abruptly discontinued during hospitalization. Undiagnosed or undertreated GC-induced adrenal insufficiency was considered a possible contributing factor to death in a further 36 (12%) patients.

Conclusion

GC-induced adrenal insufficiency is an important contributor to premature death in GC users. Awareness of the disorder during intercurrent illness and following cessation of GC treatment is essential.

Open access
Alessandro Barbato Auxo-endocrinology Unit, Meyer Children's Hospital IRCCS, Florence, Italy
Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

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Giulia Gori Medical Genetics Unit, Meyer Children’s Hospital IRCCS, Florence, Italy

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Michele Sacchini Metabolic and Muscular Unit, Meyer Children's Hospital IRCCS, Florence, Italy

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Francesca Pochiero Metabolic and Muscular Unit, Meyer Children's Hospital IRCCS, Florence, Italy

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Sara Bargiacchi Medical Genetics Unit, Meyer Children’s Hospital IRCCS, Florence, Italy

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Giovanna Traficante Medical Genetics Unit, Meyer Children’s Hospital IRCCS, Florence, Italy

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Viviana Palazzo Medical Genetics Unit, Meyer Children’s Hospital IRCCS, Florence, Italy

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Lucia Tiberi Medical Genetics Unit, Meyer Children’s Hospital IRCCS, Florence, Italy

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Claudia Bianchini Pediatric Neurology and Neurogenetics Unit and Laboratories, Meyer Children’s Hospital IRCCS, Florence, Italy

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Davide Mei Pediatric Neurology and Neurogenetics Unit and Laboratories, Meyer Children’s Hospital IRCCS, Florence, Italy

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Elena Parrini Pediatric Neurology and Neurogenetics Unit and Laboratories, Meyer Children’s Hospital IRCCS, Florence, Italy

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Tiziana Pisano Pediatric Neurology and Neurogenetics Unit and Laboratories, Meyer Children’s Hospital IRCCS, Florence, Italy

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Elena Procopio Metabolic and Muscular Unit, Meyer Children's Hospital IRCCS, Florence, Italy

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Renzo Guerrini Pediatric Neurology and Neurogenetics Unit and Laboratories, Meyer Children’s Hospital IRCCS, Florence, Italy
NEUROFARBA Department, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

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Angela Peron Medical Genetics Unit, Meyer Children’s Hospital IRCCS, Florence, Italy
Department of Clinical and Experimental Biomedical Sciences “Mario Serio”, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

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Stefano Stagi Auxo-endocrinology Unit, Meyer Children's Hospital IRCCS, Florence, Italy
Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

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Context

Cytochrome C oxidase (COX) is the fourth component of the respiratory chain and is located within the internal membrane of mitochondria. COX deficiency causes an inherited mitochondrial disease with significant genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity. Four clinical subtypes have been identified, each with distinct phenotypes and genetic variants. Mitochondrial complex IV deficiency nuclear type 4 (MC4DN4) is a form of COX deficiency associated with pathogenic variants in the SCO1 gene.

Case description

We describe three patients with MC4DN4 with developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE), hypopituitarism, and SCO1 pathogenic variants. These patients’ phenotypes considerably differ from previously reported MC4DN4 phenotypes as they associate DEE with progressive hypopituitarism and survival beyond the first months after birth. Pituitary deficiency in these patients progressively worsened and mainly involved growth hormone secretion and thyroid function.

Conclusions

Our findings expand knowledge of phenotypic variability in MC4DN4 and suggest that SCO1 is a candidate gene for genetic hypopituitarism and DEE.

Significance statement

Our paper describes three patients affected by MC4DN4 with hypopituitarism and developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE), two features that have never been associated with this condition. In addition, we reviewed the clinical features of all previous cases of MC4DN4 to give the other clinicians a wide picture of the clinical phenotype of this genetic disease. We hope that the publication of our data may help others to identify this disease and consider the chance to analyze the SCO1 gene in cases of DEE associated with pituitary dysfunction. Our article contributes to expanding the spectrum of genetic hypopituitarism and proposes a model to explain an association between this condition, mitochondrial anomalies, and neurodevelopmental defects.

Open access
Jia Liu Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Chao-yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China

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Lin Zhang Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Chao-yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China

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Jing Fu Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Chao-yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China

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Qiu Wang Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Chao-yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China

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Guang Wang Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Chao-yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China

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Objective

Prolactin (PRL) has been demonstrated as a metabolic hormone to regulate energy metabolism recently. The present study aims to investigate the association between PRL and metabolic alterations in different obesity phenotypes.

Methods

A total of 451 drug-naive participants were recruited, comprising 351 obese patients and 100 age- and sex-matched healthy participants with normal weight. PRL, anthropometric, and clinical parameters were measured.

Results

In the obesity group, 15.1% (53/351) were categorized as 'metabolically healthy obesity (MHO)'. Besides favorable blood pressure, glucose, and lipids profiles, the MHO group exhibited increased PRL, and lower levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and adipose tissue insulin resistance (adipo-IR) than the metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUHO) group (PRL, HOMA-IR, and adipo-IR: P < 0.01; hsCRP: P < 0.05). The severe MUHO group showed significantly decreased PRL levels than the mild MUHO group (P < 0.05). Multivariate linear regression analysis indicated that fasting plasma glucose (FBG) and adipo-IR were significantly associated with PRL (FBG: β = −0.263, P < 0.05; adipo-IR: β = −0.464, P < 0.01). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that hsCRP (OR = 0.824) and PRL (OR = 1.211) were independent predictors of MHO (all P < 0.01).

Conclusion

The MHO group had significantly increased circulating PRL levels when compared with the control and MUHO groups, and multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that PRL was independent predictors of MHO. Our findings suggested that increased circulating PRL might be a compensatory response for favoring energy metabolism during obesity.

Open access
Anastasia P Athanasoulia-Kaspar Clinical Neuroendocrinology, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany

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Matthias K Auer Clinical Neuroendocrinology, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany

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Günter K Stalla Clinical Neuroendocrinology, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany

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Mira Jakovcevski Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany

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Objective

Patients with non-functioning pituitary adenomas exhibit high morbidity and mortality rates. Growth hormone deficiency and high doses of glucocorticoid substitution therapy have been identified as corresponding risk factors. Interestingly, high levels of endogenous cortisol in, e.g., patients with post-traumatic stress disorder or patients with Cushing’s disease have been linked to shorter telomere length. Telomeres are noncoding DNA regions located at the end of chromosomes consisting of repetitive DNA sequences which shorten with aging and hereby determine cell survival. Therefore, telomere length can serve as a predictor for the onset of disease and mortality in some endocrine disorders (e.g., Cushing’s disease).

Design/methods

Here, we examine telomere length from blood in patients (n = 115) with non-functioning pituitary adenomas (NFPA) in a cross-sectional case–control (n = 106, age-, gender-matched) study using qPCR. Linear regression models were used to identify independent predictors of telomere length.

Results

We show that patients with NFPA exhibited shorter telomeres than controls. No significant association of indices of growth hormone deficiency (IGF-1-level-SDS, years of unsubstituted growth hormone deficiency etc.) with telomere length was detected. Interestingly, linear regression analysis showed that hydrocortisone replacement dosage in patients with adrenal insufficiency (n = 52) was a significant predictor for shorter telomere length (β = 0.377; P = 0.018) independent of potential confounders (gender, age, BMI, arterial hypertension, systolic blood pressure, number of antihypertensive drugs, total leukocyte count, waist-to-hip ratio, waist circumference, diabetes mellitus type 2, HbA1c, current statin use). Median split analysis revealed that higher hydrocortisone intake (>20 mg) was associated with significantly shorter telomeres.

Conclusion

These observations strengthen the importance of adjusted glucocorticoid treatment in NFPA patients with respect to morbidity and mortality rates.

Open access
Soraya Puglisi Internal Medicine 1, Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy

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Paola Perotti Internal Medicine 1, Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy

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Mattia Barbot Endocrinology Unit, Department of Medicine DIMED, University of Padua, Padua, Italy

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Paolo Cosio Internal Medicine 1, Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy

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Carla Scaroni Endocrinology Unit, Department of Medicine DIMED, University of Padua, Padua, Italy

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Antonio Stigliano Endocrinology Unit, Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Sant’Andrea Hospital University of Rome, Rome, Italy

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Pina Lardo Endocrinology Unit, Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Sant’Andrea Hospital University of Rome, Rome, Italy

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Valentina Morelli Endocrinology Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan and Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Italy

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Elisa Polledri Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, Laboratory of Toxicology, University of Milan and Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy

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Iacopo Chiodini Endocrinology Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan and Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Italy

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Giuseppe Reimondo Internal Medicine 1, Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy

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Anna Pia Internal Medicine 1, Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy

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Massimo Terzolo Internal Medicine 1, Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy

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Objective

Metyrapone has been approved for the treatment of patients with Cushing’s syndrome (CS), but only few retrospective clinical studies are available. The aim of our study was the prospective assessment of metyrapone as pre-operative treatment.

Design and methods

Before adrenalectomy, seven patients with ACTH-independent CS due to adrenal adenoma were prospectively treated with metyrapone for 3 months in three tertiary academic centers, with endocrine work-up and clinical evaluation at screening and at predefined evaluation time points (Days 14, 31, 48, 65, 82).

Results

In all patients, UFC levels decreased up to normal range from baseline to Day 82 (609 (188–1476) vs 69 (28–152) nmol/24 h, P < 0.02), with a reduction of serum and salivary cortisol levels, and no significant increase of plasma ACTH and serum DHEAS levels. Clinical improvement was reported on quality of life (+16.7 (+4.2; +52.00) points, P < 0.04) and pressure control (systolic pressure, −25 (−52; −10) mmHg, P < 0.01; diastolic pressure, −16 (−50; +2 mmHg), P < 0.03). No significant change in weight, electrolytes, glycemic and lipid profile was reported. Although in women a significant increase of testosterone and androstenedione was reported, no worsening of clinical hyperandrogenism was observed. All drug-related adverse events (nausea, fatigue, low grade fever, edema of lower limbs and facial rash) were grade 1 or 2 and generally transient.

Conclusions

This prospective pilot study demonstrated that metyrapone is effective in normalizing biochemical and clinical parameters in patients with CS due to adrenal adenoma before surgical intervention, with minimal side effects.

Open access
Jia Liu Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

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Min Liu Department of Radiology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China

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Zhe Chen Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

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Yumei Jia Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

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Guang Wang Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

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Objective

Autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) is the most common autoimmune thyroid disease. Longitudinal relaxation time mapping (T1-mapping) measured by MRI is a new technique for assessing interstitial fibrosis of some organs, such as heart and liver. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between T1-mapping value and thyroid function and determine the usefulness of T1-mapping in identifying thyroid destruction in AIT patients.

Methods

This case–control study recruited 57 drug-naïve AIT patients and 17 healthy controls. All participants were given thyroid MRI, and T1-mapping values were measured using a modified look-locker inversion-recovery sequence.

Results

AIT patients had significantly higher thyroid T1-mapping values than the healthy controls (1.077 ± 177 vs 778 ± 82.9 ms; P < 0.01). A significant increase in thyroid T1-mapping values was presented along with the increased severity of thyroid dysfunction (P < 0.01). Correlation analyses showed that increased thyroid T1-mapping values were associated with higher TSH and lower FT3 and FT4 levels (TSH: r = 0.75; FT3: r = −0.47; FT4: r = −0.72; all P < 0.01). Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis revealed a high diagnostic value of T1-mapping values for the degree of thyroid destruction (area under the curve was 0.95, 95% CI: 0.90–0.99, P < 0.01).

Conclusions

AIT patients have higher thyroid T1-mapping values than the healthy controls, and the T1-mapping values increased with the progression of thyroid dysfunction. Thyroid T1-mapping value might be a new index to quantitatively evaluate the degree of thyroid destruction in AIT patients.

Open access