Wilmar M. Wiersinga
Thyroid nodules in childhood and adolescence are less prevalent but more often malignant than in adulthood. Malignant nodules are predominantly papillary cancers; benign nodules are mostly solid colloid nodules/adenomas, but can be cystic or due lymphocytic thyroiditis…
Alexandra Bargiota, Konstantinos Dimitropoulos, Vassilios Tzortzis,, Georgios N. Koukoulis
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a common disease worldwide and a growing public health burden. The number of people with diabetes is increasing due to population growth, aging, urbanization, and increasing prevalence of obesity and physical inactivity. Diabetes is known to cause multiple medical …
Georgios A. Christou, Dimitrios N. Kiortsis
OBJECTIVE: The combination of 32 mg naltrexone and 360 mg bupropion prolonged release (NB32) was recently approved by both the food and drug administration (FDA) and the European medicines agency (EMA) as an adjunct to a comprehensive lifestyle intervention to achieve weight loss …
Dafni-Kalliopi Papafragkaki, George Tolis
Obesity is one of the most frequently encountered medical problems of our time. Among the complications of this pathologic entity, renal disease is an important issue and its pathophysiologic mechanisms are a challenge for the physician, since a variety of etiologic factors are implicated in its genesis. For example, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and insulin resistance …
Maria P. Yavropoulou, John G. Yovos
Wnts are a large family of proteins that participate in an array of cellular biological processes such as embryogenesis, organogenesis and tumor formation. These proteins bind to membrane receptor complexes comprised of a frizzled (Fz) G-protein-coupled receptor and other membrane co-receptors forming molecular groups that initiate, at least …
Nasiru Akamnu Ibrahim, Idowu Olusegun Fadeyibi
Ectopic thyroid refers to the presence of thyroid tissue in locations other than the normal anterior neck region between the second and fourth tracheal cartilages. It is the most frequent form of thyroid dysgenesis, accounting for 48-61% of the cases.1 Prevalence of this condition is reported to be between 1 per 100,000-300,000 persons …
Paschalia K. Iliadou, Christos Tsametis, Athina Kaprara, Ioannis Papadimas, Dimitrios G. Goulis
The Sertoli cell is important for endocrine and paracrine control of spermatogenesis. Functions attributed to Sertoli cells are: (1) supportive and trophic functions for the cells of the seminiferous epithelium, (2) transport of mature spermatids towards the lumen of seminiferous tubules, (3) secretion of androgen binding protein …
Niki Karavitaki, John AH Wass
Acromegaly, a multisystemic disease resulting from excessive growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels in adults, is associated with a two-to-threefold increase in mortality. The available treatment options (surgery, radiotherapy and medical treatment with somatostatin analogues or dopamine agonists) fail to achieve the currently accepted goals of therapy in a substantial number of patients …
Andrzej Bartke, Michael Bonkowski, Michal Masternak
In laboratory mice, suppression of growth hormone (GH) signaling by spontaneous mutations or targeted disruption of GH- or IGF1-related genes can lead to an impressive increase of longevity…
Predrag Miljic, Dragana Miljic, Joshua William Cain, Márta Korbonits, Vera Popovic
Chronic exposure to high glucocorticoid levels in Cushing’s syndrome (CS) is often associated with alterations in the hemostatic system and the expression of prothrombotic phenotypes. Increased frequency of both atherothrombotic and venous thromboembolic events (VTE) has been reported in patients with CS …
Apostolos Achimastos, Theodoros Alexandrides, Dimitrios Alexopoulos, Vasilios Athyros, Alexandra Bargiota, Eleni Bilianou, Christina Chrysochoou, Evridiki Drogari, Moses Elisaf, Emanouel Ganotakis, Ioannis Goudevenos, Ioannis Ioannidis, Genovefa Kolovou, Vasilios Kotsis, Ioannis Lekakis, Evangelos Liberopoulos, Andreas Melidonis, Vasilios Nikolaou, George Ntaios, Nikolaos Papanas, Stavros Pappas, Christos Pitsavos, Loukianos Rallidis, Dimitrios Richter, Ioannis Skoumas, Nicolaos Tentolouris, Dimitrios Tousoulis, Alexandros Tselepis, KonstantinosTsioufis, Dimitrios Tziakas, Konstantinos Tziomalos, Panagiotis Vardas, Charalabos Vlachopoulos, Dimitrios Vlahakos
Two proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors, evolocumab and alirocumab, have recently been approved by both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. These fully human monoclonal antibodies selectively block PCSK9, thus permitting the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor to effectively recycle to the surface of liver cells. The administration of these antibodies leads to robust LDL …
Konstantinos Makrilakis, Nikolaos Katsilambros
Type 2 diabetes mellitus is one of the most costly and burdensome chronic diseases of our time and a condition that is increasing in epidemic proportions worldwide. Its complications are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality and a tremendous economic burden to the society. Effective prevention programs are therefore urgently needed…
Dimitrios Galaris, Michalis Mantzaris, Christos Amorgianiotis
According to the free radical theory of aging proposed by Denham Harman more than 50 years ago, oxidatively modified cellular components accumulate continuously in the cells during the organism’s lifespan leading to progressive decline of cellular functions. Since then, it has been shown that proteins, lipids, nucleic acids and other cell components undergo reversible and/or irreversible oxidative modifications during aging …
Lampros Fotis, Dionysios Giannakopoulos, Lela Stamogiannou, Maria Xatzipsalti
In 1995 David Barker formulated the ‘Barker hypothesis’ according to which there is a correlation between undernutrition in utero and several diseases in adult life. More specifically, undernutrition in utero permanently affects the vascular bed, resulting in a predisposition to diseases later on …
Sílvia Paredes, Claudia Matta-Coelho, Ana Margarida Monteiro, Alice Brás, Olinda Marques, Marta Alves, Laura Ribeiro
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the cardiovascular effect of antidiabetic drugs are today critical medical issues, with the prevalence of T2DM in particular showing a steep increase worldwide, mainly due to unhealthy lifestyle habits. T2DM in association with obesity and other cardiovascular risk factors, results in the development of CVD, the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with T2DM …
Eustratios V. Gotzaridis, Athina Markou, Zdenek Gregor
Patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus experience a high incidence of severe ocular complications and are more likely to have significant ocular problems during their lifetimes. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2), however, make up the majority of clinical cases with diabetic eye disease because of the higher incidence of DM2…
Evangelia Zapanti, Konstantinos Terzidis, George Chrousos
Abnormalities of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis have been documented in HIV patients in the early as well as late stages of the infection and range from subtle subclinical disturbances to frank adrenal insufficiency. Potential etiologies of these disorders include opportunistic infections, neoplasms …
Hesham Fahmy, Katerina Spyridaki, Bhimanna Kuppast, George Liapakis
The maintenance of homeostasis is a basic prerequisite for life, ensuring the stability of our body in response to external or internal stimuli (stressful stimuli). The maintenance of homeostasis requires alterations in the function of the endocrine system …
Marina Michalaki, Panagiotis Bountouris, Nikolaos D Roupas, Anastasia Theodoropoulou, Niki Agalianou, Theodoros Alexandrides, Kostas Markou
BACKGROUND: The current trend in the management of low risk differentiated thyroid carcinoma is to follow less aggressive strategies. Objective: To assess the long-term morbidity and mortality outcomes of low-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) patients undergoing minimal intervention. DESIGN: We retrospectively analyzed 137 patients with low-risk PTC …
Sofia Kitsiou-Tzeli, Aggeliki Kolialexi, Ariadni Mavrou
Microdeletions, translocations or other rearrangements of chromosomal region 22q11.2 have been reported in association with >80 different birth defects and malformations occurring in many combinations and with widely differing severity…
Athina Kaprara, Gerasimos E. Krassas
The relation of thyroid autoimmunity to miscarriage is an important issue that has attracted the interest of many investigators. A number of papers have been published so far, which include healthy women, women with recurrent miscarriage and those undergoing assisted reproductive techniques. Most studies have shown a significant positive association between the presence of thyroid autoantibodies and miscarriage rate…
Nikolaos Pontikides, Spyros Karras, Athina Kaprara, Angeliki Cheva, Argyrios Doumas, Dimitrios Botsios, Aris Moschidis, Elias Efthimiou, John Wass, Gerasimos E. Krassas
BACKGROUND: Parathyroid cysts (PC) are uncommon entities in routine clinical practice. The vast majority are nonfunctioning and are commonly present as asymptomatic nodular cervical lesions. PC should be considered in the differential diagnosis of an asymptomatic neck mass …
Anastasia Markaki, Emmanuel Psylinakis, Aspasia Spyridaki
Adiponectin (ADPN) is an adipokine with significant anti-inflammatory, insulin-sensitizing and anti-atherogenic properties, which is generally associated with a beneficial cardiometabolic profile. Paradoxically, end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is characterized by markedly increased plasma ADPN levels and increased cardiovascular risk. In spite of the cardioprotective properties …
Lambrini Gouva, Agathocles Tsatsoulis
The effects of estrogens on reproductive tissues and climacteric symptoms are unambiguous. However, their effects on other tissues and, in particular, the cardiovascular system remain controversial. In general, premenopausal women are protected from coronary heart disease (CHD) compared with aged-matched men but this `female protection’ appears to be lost after menopause, suggesting beneficial effects of female sex hormones on the cardiovascular system…
Friedhelm Raue, Karin Frank-Raue
Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN2) is an autosomal dominant tumour syndrome caused by germline activating mutations of the RET proto-oncogene. It has a strong penetrance of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) and can be associated with bilateral pheochromocytoma and primary hyperparathyroidism (MEN2A) within a single patient or family…