Panagiota Pervanidou, Giorgos Chouliaras, Athanassios Akalestos, Despoina Bastaki, Filia Apostolakou, Ioannis Papassotiriou, George P. Chrousos
OBJECTIVE: Childhood obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) are associated with an increased risk for early onset endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis. Placental growth factor (PlGF), a member of the vascular endothelial growth factor family, plays an important role in atherosclerosis by stimulating angiogenesis …
Maria G. Grammatikopoulou, Eleni P. Kotanidou, Anastasia G. Markaki, Charilaos Stylianou, Assimina Galli-Tsinopoulou, Maria Tsigga, Maria Hassapidou
OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to evaluate by pooled and sensitivity analyses all available data on adolescent overweight/obesity in Cyprus. DESIGN: A thorough literature search determined the studies to be examined using Cypriot adolescent samples …
Eftychia Koukkou, Stavros Kravaritis, Irene Mamali, Georgios G. Markantes, Marina Michalaki, Georgios G. Adonakis, Neoklis A. Georgopoulos, Kostas B. Markou
OBJECTIVE: Adequate dietary iodine intake is necessary for normal thyroid gland function at all times, and most particularly during pregnancy. Increased iodine loss is cited, among other factors, as responsible for the increased iodine demand in this period. Our aim was to compare renal iodine excretion between …
Biljana Nedeljkovic Beleslin, Jasmina Ciric, Milos Zarkovic, Mirjana Stojkovic, Slavica Savic, Miroslav Knezevic, Branislav Stankovic, Bozo Trbojevic
OBJECTIVE: Glucocorticoids (GC) are the treatment of choice for moderate-to-severe and active Graves’ orbitopathy (GO), but optimal treatment is still . The aim of the present study was to analyze the efficacy and tolerability of combined parenteral GC pulse therapy followed by oral GC in the interpulse period …
Antonio J. Amor, Irene Halperin, Rocίo Alfayate, Victoria M. Borrás, Arancha Escribano, Cintia González, Antonio Gutirrez, Montserrat Mauri, Pilar Pérez, Antonio Picό, Irene Vourliotaki, Josep Oriola
OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to describe the clinical, biochemical, and genetic features of a sample of Mediterranean patients with RTH (resistance to thyroid hormone) due to mutations in TRβ (thyroid hormone receptor beta) referred to our institution during the last 15 years …
Stefano Stagi, Neri Pucci, Laura di Grande, Cinzia de Libero, Roberto Caputo, Stefano Pantano, Salvatore Seminara, Maurizio de Martino, Elio Novembre
INTRODUCTION: Vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) is a chronic conjunctivitis that mainly affects children living in temperate areas. The notable difference between genders and VKC’s resolution with puberty have persistently suggested a role of hormonal factors in VKC development. …
Stefano Stagi, Elisabetta Lapi, Marilena Pantaleo, Giovanna Traficante, Sabrina Giglio, Salvatore Seminara, Maurizio de Martino
OBJECTIVE:SOX3 is located on the long arm of the X chromosome (Xq27.1) and both the under- and over-expression of this gene have been reported in cases of hypopituitarism with or without intellectual disabilities. Nevertheless, only a few cases have as yet been extensively described …
Christos Maniotis, Klio Chantziara, Panagiotis Kokkoris, Dimitrios Papadogiannis, Constantinos Andreou, Constantinos Tsioufis, Georgios Vaiopoulos, Christodoulos Stefanadis
OBJECTIVE: This study surveyed the frequencies of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) M235T AGT and C825T GNB3, and their association with insulin resistance, other biochemical markers and qualitative variables in subjects with high normal blood pressure and/or prehypertension in the Greek population …
Sayer I. Al-Azzam, Karem H. Alzoubi, Omar Khabour, Ola Al-Azzeh
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the possible association between response to levothyroxine (L-T4) doses in hypothyroid patients and variation in thyroid stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR) gene and thyroid hormone receptor (THRα) gene …
Efterpi Chouridou, Maria Lambropoulou, Maria Koureta, Ioanna Balgouranidou, Evangelia Nena, Maria Simopoulou, Nikolaos Papadopoulos, Alexandros Kortsaris, Ekaterini Chatzaki
OBJECTIVE: The Corticotropin Releasing Factor (CRF) system (neuropeptides CRF, Ucn I, II, III and binding sites CRFR1, CRFR2, CRF-BP) is responsible for stress regulation and the homeostasis of an organism. Herein we study the CRF system in human normal and pathological fetal lungs …
Stefano Stagi, Cristina Manoni, Valentina Cirello, Danila Covelli, Sabrina Giglio, Francesco Chiarelli, Salvatore Seminara, Maurizio de Martino
The syndrome of resistance to thyroid hormone (RTH) is characterized by elevated serum free thyroid hormones (FT4 and FT3) in the presence of unsuppressed TSH levels, reflecting resistance to the normal negative feedback mechanisms in the hypothalamus and pituitary …
Georgios Valsamakis, Dimitrios C. Papatheodorou, Alexandra Margeli, Vassilios Bakoulas, Efthymios Kapantais, Ioannis Papassotiriou, George Creatsas, Sudhesh Kumar, George Mastorakos
OBJECTIVE: The role of first trimester maternal body mass index (BMI) and adipocytokines in cord blood c-peptide and birth weight in pregnancy was investigated. DESIGN: Seventy non-diabetic pregnant Caucasian women were recruited …
Ali A. Ghazi, Ali Mosaddegh Khah, Fereshteh Kamani, Khandan Zare, Alireza Sadeghipour, Mehdi Hedayati, Marjan Zarif Yeganeh, Treena Cranston, Ashley Grossman
Succinate Dehydrogenase-B (SDH-B) gene mutations constitute one of the most frequent forms of hereditary paragangliomas (PGL). Genetic study is advised in all cases for the evaluation of tumour behaviour, the selection of optimal management and the surveillance of the first degree relative …
Mohsen Taghizadeh, Zatolla Asemi
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of synbiotic food consumption on glycemic status and serum high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels of Iranian pregnant women. DESIGN: This randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial was performed among 52 pregnant women …
Angeliki Angelidi, Andreas Melidonis, Ioannis Protopsaltis, Theodoros N. Sergentanis, Angelos Gritzapis, Ioannis Kornezos, Theofanis Economopoulos, George Dimitriadis, Eleni Boutati, Sotirios A. Raptis
OBJECTIVE: Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have recently been considered as a potential novel marker of vascular integrity, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk. This study was performed to investigate the main determinants of EPC levels in individuals with prediabetes …
Elisa Sala, Emanuele Ferrante, Marco Locatelli, Paolo Rampini, Giovanna Mantovani, Claudia Giavoli, Marcello Filopanti, Elisa Verrua, Elena Malchiodi, Giorgio Carrabba, Maura Arosio, Paolo Beck-Peccoz, Anna Spada, Andrea Gerardo Lania
OBJECTIVE: Transsphenoidal (TNS) surgery remains the primary therapeutic option for GH-secreting pituitary adenomas. The aims of this study were to verify the impact of TNS surgery on treatment of acromegaly before and after identification by a dedicated neurosurgical team and to enumerate diagnostic features …
Marco Mendola, Alessia Dolci, Lanfranco Piscopello, Giustino Tomei, Dario Bauer, Sabrina Corbetta, Bruno Ambrosi
We describe a patient affected by Cushing’s disease due to the presence of double pituitary adenomas, one located within the anterior pituitary and the other in the infundibulum associated with a remnant of Rakthe’s pouch. Cure was achieved only after the infundibulum lesion was surgically removed …
Carlo Cappelli, Mario Rotondi, Ilenia Pirola, Barbara Agosti, Ana Maria Formenti, Pasquale De Cata, Massimo Salvetti, Luca Chiovato, Maurizio Castellano
OBJECTIVE: Metformin treatment may induce a decrease/suppression in serum TSH levels, mimicking sub-clinical hyperthyroidism (SHT). The aim of the present study was to retrospectively evaluate changes in several electrocardiographic indices in euthyroid subjects with diabetes who, after starting metformin treatment …
Rene Chee, Ravin Agah, Roberto Vita, Salvatore Benvenga
OBJECTIVE: To report a case of vaccine-induced Graves’ disease successfully managed with L-carnitine and propranolol and without antithyroid drugs (ATDs). ATDs sometimes need to be used at low doses or can be contraindicated/refused. One of the ancillary compounds available is L-carnitine …
Anastasia K. Armeni, Vasiliki Vasileiou, George Markantes, Christina Damoulari, Angelina Mandrapilia, Fotini A. Kosmopoulou, Varvara Keramisanou, Danai Georgakopoulou, Neoklis A. Georgopoulos
Cases of sexual reassignment in Greco-Roman antiquity, presenting as a pubertal female-to-male gender transformation, are described in the “classical” literature. Textual evidence concerning a case of androgynism, garnered by Diodorus Siculus, among other similar accounts …
Charis Girvalaki, Constantine Vardavas, Christopher Papandreou, Georgia Christaki, Anna Vergetaki, Ioanna G. Tsiligianni, Christos Hatzis, Anthony Kafatos
OBJECTIVE: To investigate all the important factors contributing to the development of metabolic syndrome (MetS) as well as to explore the changes of these factors, over time, by comparing adolescent populations of rural areas of Heraklion, Crete, for the years 2011 and 1989 …
Nikolaos E. Koundourakis, Nikolaos Androulakis, Eirini C. Spyridaki, Elias Castanas, Niki Malliaraki, Christos Tsatsanis, Andrew N. Margioris
OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of three seasonal training programs, largely different in strength volume, on androgen levels and performance parameters in soccer players. DESIGN: Sixty-seven soccer players, members of three different professional teams, participated in the study …
Makarios Eleftheriades, Panagiota Pervanidou, Homeira Vafaei, George Vaggos, Ismene Dontas, Katerina Skenderi, Neil J. Sebire, Kypros Nicolaides
OBJECTIVE: This experimental study aimed to prospectively investigate the impact of combinations of prenatal and postnatal food manipulations on the metabolic profile of adult offspring. DESIGN: On day 12 of gestation, 67 timed pregnant rats were randomized into three nutritional groups …
Anastasia Sfikakis, Pothitos M. Pitychoutis, Aikaterini Tsouma, Ioanna Messari, Zeta Papadopoulou-Daifoti
OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of circulating testosterone (T) and the T/Estradiol (T/Ediol) ratio on chronic stress-induced changes of adrenal and hippocampal weight during proestrus (PE) and estrus (E) in female rats. DESIGN: Stress was composed of repeated vaginal smear screening (VSS) and measured by the emotional reactivity score …
Aleksandra Rojek, Maciej Flader, Elzbieta Malecka, Marek Niedziela
OBJECTIVE: X-linked Adrenal Hypoplasia Congenita (AHC) is a rare disorder caused by mutations in NR0B1 (DAX1) gene. DESIGN: We present two boys (cousins) with AHC who came to our attention at the age of 10 days and 15 days, respectively, in a life-threatening state …