C. Dacou-Voutetakis
Dear Colleague, “HORMONES”, the new peer reviewed International Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, has finally been born. Every creation is marked by birth followed by growth and maturation, and we hope that our Journal will follow these evolutionary steps…
Achille Gravanis, Antonis Makrigiannakis, Ekaterini Chatzaki, Emmanuel Zoumakis, Christos Tsatsanis, Andrew N. Margioris
Human endometrium exhibits characteristics of a neuroendocrine-like stress organ in addition to its classical role as the main target of ovarian steroid hormones. Indeed, the epithelial cells of human endometrium express the stress-associated neuropeptide genes corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), proopiomelanocortin, proenkephalin and prodynorphin…
Edward M. Brown
The system that regulates extracellular calcium (Ca2+o) homeostasis maintains a nearly constant level of Ca2+o so as to ensure the availability of calcium for its numerous intra- and extracellular roles. The molecular cloning and characterization of a G protein-coupled, Ca2+o-sensing receptor has elucidated the mechanism through which parathyroid cells …
Vera Popovic, Felipe F. Casanueva
Recent data suggest that in addition to leptin’s role in conveying signals of the amount of energy stores to the central nervous system, this adipocyte secreted hormone interacts with the endocrine system to provide critical information about the size of fat stores, acting as a permissive factor that allows the triggering of energy demanding situations …
Gerasimos P. Sykiotis, Athanasios G. Papavassiliou
Nuclear receptors are ligand-regulated transcription factors that evolved from an ancestral orphan receptor into a highly diverse family present throughout the entire animal kingdom. They encompass receptors for steroid and non-steroid hormones, vitamins and metabolic intermediates. These receptors signal through endocrine, paracrine, autocrine and intracrine networks …
Luigi Bartalena, Maria Laura Tanda, Alessandra Medea, Claudio Marcocci, Aldo Pinchera
Severe Graves’ ophthalmopathy constitutes a complex therapeutic challenge and treatment outcome often is not satisfactory. Established methods of treatment include high-dose glucocorticoids, orbital radiotherapy and orbital decompression. Recently, the use of intravenous glucocorticoids has been shown to provide more favorable results than oral glucocorticoids…
Christine Spitzweg, John C. Morris
Active transport of iodide into the thyroid gland is a crucial and rate-limiting step in the biosynthesis of thyroid hormones which play an important role in the metabolism, growth and maturation of a variety of organ systems, in particular the nervous system1. Although, iodide transport into the thyroid gland has been known …
Gregory A. Kaltsas, Zoe Stefanidou, Dimitris Papadogias, Ashley B. Grossman
Neuroendocrine tumours (NET) have a particular tendency to express functional receptors and/or uptake mechanisms. Radionuclides, such as 111In-pentetreotide, a somatostatin analogue, which bind to somatostatin receptors, present an imaging modality that has been used for both the diagnosis and staging of NET…
Evagelos N Liberopoulos, Moses S Elisaf
Thyroid disorders are known to influence lipid metabolism and are common in dyslipidemic patients. Overt and subclinical hypothyroidism have an adverse effect on the serum lipid profile that may predispose to the development of atherosclerotic disease. Although thyroid substitution therapy is beneficial for patients with overt hypothyroidism …
Maria Alevizaki, Ilpo Huhtaniemi
The pituitary glycoprotein hormones thyrotrophin (thyroid-stimulating hormone, TSH), lutrophin (luteinising hormone, LH) and follitrophin (follicle-stimulating hormone, FSH), as well as the placental choriongonadotrophin (human chorionic gonadotrophin, hCG) are composed of a common α-subunit and a specific β-subunit, coupled by noncovalent interactions …
Nikolaos Pontikides, Gerassimos E. Krassas
Both smoking and thyroid dysfunction are frequent in the general population. Many studies have shown that cigarette smoking interferes with thyroid function and with the evolution of thyroid pathology (e.g. goiter formation and thyroid cancer development). Some studies have also suggested a significant correlation of Graves’ hyperthyroidism and Graves’ ophthalmopathy…
Demetrios A. Koutras
“Goiter” means thyroid enlargement, and “endemic” means frequent in a certain locality. The problem is from what volume and up a thyroid is considered to be large enough as to be classified as goiter and also from what prevalence and up an area is considered to be endemic. It is obvious that by playing with these definitions one may increase or decrease …
Nicholas J. Sarlis, Loukas Gourgiotis, Frank Pucino, George J. Tolis
Several authors have suggested a positive association between Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) and breast cancer (BrCa). Others have refuted these findings; hence, this subject remains controversial. We therefore reviewed the world literature on this subject accumulated over the last 50 years and performed a quantitative research synthesis …
Dimitra Vasiliadi, Yannis Gratsias, Stylianos Tsagarakis, Eythimia Botoula, Panagiotis Trivizas, Nick Thalassinos, Paraskevi Moutsatsou
Glucocorticoids (GC) affect virtually all organ systems, acting mainly via the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). The immune system is the best characterized tissue for assessing GC sensitivity. It is well established that the immune system GC sensitivity varies widely between normal subjects …
Ioanna Tzavara, Marinella Tzanela, Barbara Vlassopoulou, George Kouyioumoutzakis, Calliopi Alevizaki, Nicke C. Thalassinos
Radioactive iodine is a widely used treatment for hyperthyroidism caused by solitary autonomously functioning thyroid nodule (toxic adenoma). The aim of this retrospective analysis is to report the long term effects of this therapy on the thyroid function of patients with toxic adenoma treated in our department. Between 1968 and 1996…
Nicholas Bikas, Joan Gribisi, Joan Messari and Anastasia Sfikakis
ACTH infusion at the time of unilateral adrenalectomy inhibits the early rapid compensatory growth (CAG) in the remaining adrenal. We examined the hypothesis that different duration of surgery and/or the enhanced response to the stress of surgery, induced by estradiol treatment, might modify CAG. Adult male rats untreated …
Gerasimos P. Sykiotis, Argyro Sgourou, Adamantia Papachatzopoulou, Kostas B. Markou, Venetsana Kyriazopoulou, Athanasios G. Papavassiliou, Apostolos G. Vagenakis, Neoklis A. Georgopoulos
Thyrotropin (TSH) is the prime regulator of thyroid cell growth and function and acts through the thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) located on the surface membrane of thyrocytes. Somatic heterozygous mutations that cause TSHR activation in the absence of TSH have been found in toxic adenomas and in hot nodules of multinodular goiters…
Odysseas Gregoriou,George Christodoulakos, Charalambos Siristatidis, Socrates Conidaris, Evangelia Kouskouni, George Creatsas
Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) on plasma lipoprotein levels, bone mass and the endometrium. Methods: Thirty healthy women were enrolled in the study for climacteric symptoms and received a combination of 17β-estradiol and norethisterone acetate continuously for 2 years …
George Koukoulis, Antonis Polymeris, Ioanna Tzavara, Dimitrios Pappas, Nicke Thalassinos
Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (ANP) is a hormone produced by cardiac atrial myocytes. Thyroid hormones may affect its release. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of hyper and hypothyroidism on the secretion of ANP and its relationship with the changes of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. Plasma ANP concentration as well as plasma renin activity (PRA) and aldosterone …
Ioannis Ilias, Maria Alevizaki, Elli Lakka-Papadodima, Demetrios A. Koutras
Thyroid cancer (TC) is a relatively rare neoplasia, accounting for 0.35%-0.38% of total deaths due to cancer in Greece. Environmental/nutritional factors are considered to play a role in its pathogenesis. The aim of this retrospective review of patients’ histories from three of the largest specialized centers in southern Greece, from 1963 to 2000…
Fotini Psychou, Polyxeni Nicolaidou, Helen Georgouli, Maria Maniati-Christidis, Catherine Dacou-Voutetakis
We report a boy with pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP), hypothyroidism and low growth hormone (GH) values with no response to growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH). He presented at age 17 mo because of developmental delay. He had the typical features (short stature, obesity, round face, brachydactyly) of Albright’s hereditary osteodystrophy (AHO) …
Anastasios Papadimitriou, Dimitrios Chiotis, Georgios Tsiftis, Maria Hatzisimeon, Maria Maniati, Xenofon Krikos, Anastasia Tzonou, Catherine Dacou-Voutetakis
Statural growth is dependent on hereditary and environmental factors, i.e disease, nutrition. The improvement of socioeconomic conditions that took place during the 20th century resulted in a secular trend towards greater height and earlier sexual maturation. Greek society has changed dramatically from a mainly agricultural society …
Kyriaki Karavanaki, Andriani Divoli, Mehul Dattani, George Briassoulis, Virginia Theodorou, Vasiliki Hatzara, Spyros Avlonitis
A 6-year old girl was examined having two years previously presented a transient Cushing’s syndrome, followed by recurrent hyponatremia, attributed to inappropriate ADH secretion (SIADH). The brain MRI showed no abnormalities on repeated examinations, except for a suggestion of empty sella syndrome. During the past two years she also presented recurrent episodes of a prolonged febrile illness of unknown origin…
John Papadimas, Dimitrios G. Goulis, Eudokia Mandala, George Georgiadis, Vassiliki Zournatzi, Basil C. Tarlatzis, John N. Bontis
β-thalassemia (β-thal) is characterized by disturbances of the reproductive system. The aim of the present study was: 1) to assess the hypothalamic _ pituitary – gonadal axis in patients with β-thal in relation to their phenotype and 2) to determine prognostic features of current gonadal status. We studied 135 patients (67 males and 68 females) with β-thal through history…
Athina Markou, Justin Vale, Bhumita Vadgama, Marjori Walker, Stephen Franks
A 29-year old male and his wife presented with an 18 month history of primary infertility. History and initial investigations suggested no major female pathologic component but a semen analysis revealed azoospermia. There was no history of any sexual dysfunction and neither partner was receiving any medication …