Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Disorders-Drug Targets (Formerly Current Drug Targets - Immune, Endocrine & Metabolic Disorders) - Volume 16, Issue 4, 2016

Background: Insulin Autoimmune Syndrome (IAS) is a rare condition characterized by the combination of recurrent severely spontaneous hypoglycemia without evidence of exogenous insulin administration, high concentration of total serum insulin, and the presence of a high titer of insulin autoantibody (IAA). But now we describe a case with IAS caused by gliclazide and hardly occuring hypoglycemia. Case Report: A 7 Read More

Tumors are complex tissues in which transformed cells communicate with the surrounding microenvironment and evolve traits promoting their own survival and malignancy. Hypoxia and inflammation are constant characteristics of prostate tumor microenvironment influencing both cancer stem cells and differentiated tumor cells. HIFs and NF-kB are the key regulators of the transcriptional response to hypoxic and inflammatory s Read More

Background: Patients with hypothalamic-pituitary disorders (HPD) may be of increased risk to develop overweight and obesity, thereby fostering cardiovascular events. However, it remains unclear if patients with pituitary dysfunctions per se have an increased risk of becoming obese. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate prevalence and to identify possible predictors of overweight and obesity in patient Read More

Background: Measuring indicators of oxidative protein and lipid metabolism is a diagnostic criterion of oxidative metabolism disruption at the early stages of chronic somatic pathology formation. Purpose was to assess the status of protein and lipid oxidative metabolism as a pathogenic link of acute rheumatic fever by measuring markers of early lesion. Methods: Research included measurement of lipid peroxidation products a Read More

Background: Rhinocerebral mucormycosis is a rare, rapidly progressive and potentially lethal disease almost exclusively affecting immunocompromised hosts or patients with metabolic disorders, such as poorly controlled diabetes mellitus. Methods: This work is aimed to describe five cases of rhinocerebral mucormycosis to review and possibly define diagnostic and surgical treatment guidelines. In all the Read More

Background: Osteocalcin, a protein synthesized by osteoblasts during the bone formation phase of bone remodeling, is used as a biomarker for the bone production process, and its serum levels are positively correlated with bone mineral density during treatment with anabolic bone drugs for osteoporosis. Higher fat mass has been shown to be a risk factor for osteoporosis and fragility fractures and body fat and bone interplay Read More

Background: Magnocellular neurosecretory neurons of the hypothalamic supraoptic (SON) and paraventricular (PVN) nuclei synthesize vasopressin and oxytocin in response to signals generated by osmoreceptors and baroreceptors and, respectively, by receptors of the nipples and cervix. Methods: We analyzed the literature identifying relevant articles dealing with synaptic inputs of neural afferent pathways to Vasopressin- Read More

Background: Alterations of glucose metabolism represent well known risk factors for the atherosclerotic process and then for cardiovascular disease. Objective: To investigate the association between fasting glucose and early signs of atherosclerosis, by means of carotid intima-media thickness (c-IMT) in a population of apparently healthy overweight/obese subjects. In addition, we evaluated the possible existence of a Read More