ACTA ENDOCRINOLOGICA (BUC)

Context. Many negative effects of stress regarding cognitive performances and gastrointestinal habits were previously reported in both animal models and human participants. Objective. We aimed to compare perceived stress levels with declared gastrointestinal habits changes in a small cohort of college students during academic acquisition and evaluation periods. Design. College students were recruited and divided into two groups: the control group evaluated during the acquisition period of the academic year and the stressed group evaluated during the examination period. Subject and Methods. The students’ psychological and gastrointestinal status was evaluated using a common stress questionnaire and a gastrointestinal habits survey. Results. Our results showed increased perceived stress in college students during stressful conditions, as compared to lesser demanding periods. Similarly, more than 40%of the participants declared that gastrointestinal habits changes occurred during stressful periods. We observed significant correlations between the perceived stress levels and gastrointestinal habits changes. Conclusion. This small-sized survey study showed that the occurrence of the stressful event in young adults recorded higher perceived stress scores and frequent functional gastrointestinal symptoms, as compared to the lower stressful periods. Also, we showed that functional gastrointestinal symptoms are rather common and could be regarded as a negative response to stress.

Objectives. The objective of this retrospective study was to evaluate weight gain at 3 months following insulin therapy initiation and to determine if it is due to fat or fat free tissue. Methods. Fifty-eight patients with T2DM and initiation of insulin therapy were evaluated. Body composition was assessed with InBody720 device (Biospace, Korea) before and 3 months after the initiation of insulin therapy. Results. The insulin therapy was initiated with basal insulin in 84.48% of the cases. The initial dose of insulin was 22.76±12.89 units/day and increased at 3 months to 30.81±18.49 units/day (p<0.001). The initial HbA1c was 9.86±2.02% and decreased to 7.58±1.19% (p<0.001). The body weight increased from 87.01±17.37 kg to 88.04±16.64 kg (p=0.026). The fat body mass and the percent of fat decreased with no statistical significance; the intracellular and extracellular body water increased significantly (intracellular: 26.30±5.96 vs. 27.26±6.16; extracellular: 16.61±3.63 vs. 17.03±3.84; p<0.001). Conclusion. During the first 3 months after initiation of insulin therapy a modest weight gain due to increase in the body water after restoration of the metabolic balance was observed.

This study was performed to search the effect of a fiber rich dietary product on anthropometric measurements and some biochemical parameters of obese adult women. A total of 25 adult women (12 were in study and 13 were in control group, all randomly selected) volunteered in this study. At the beginning of the study, height, weight, waist and hip circumferences of all women were measured, and blood samples were collected for fasting blood glucose (FBG), insulin, triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol, HDL-C, LDL-C, VLDL-C levels. Patients having endocrine and metabolic disturbances and who need to use anti-obesity medications were not enrolled. A low calorie weight losing diet consisting of 50-55% carbohydrate, 15-20% protein and <30% fat was given to all cases, but women in the study group were given a specific dietary product rich in apple and wheat fiber as an exchange of one slice of bread every day. Patients were checked monthly with respect to their weight loss and diet adhesion during the three months of treatment period. Although biochemical parameters did not show any significant differences between the two groups at the beginning of the study, FBG and insulin levels were significantly lower in the study group than in the control group at the end of the treatment period. There were also significant decreases in insulin, triglyceride, total cholesterol and VLDL-C levels in the study group after 3 months of treatment, but not in the control group. Women in both groups lost weight, and their waist and hip circumferences decreased significantly. This concludes that the fiber rich, fat, sugar and salt free dietary product could be a useful dietary treatment not only in obesity, but also in dislipidemia and insulin resistant states.

Context. As the life expectancy prolongs, malignancy has become an important issue in renal transplant recipients (RTRs). Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy with ongoing increase in incidence all over the world. Objective and design. This is a cross-sectional study that investigates the thyroid disorders and the prevalence of thyroid nodule and cancer in RTRs. Subjects and methods. 204 RTRs were evaluated for the thyroid diseases with ultrasonography, serum thyroid stimulating hormone, free T4, free T3 levels, antithyroglobulin antibody and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody levels; FNAB was carried if required. Results. 191 patients (94.1%) had normal thyroid function. Subclinical hypothyroidism was diagnosed in 11 patients, subclinical hyperthyroidism in 1 patient and low T3 syndrome in 4 patients. The FNAB was performed in 17 (27.9%) from 61 patients with thyroid nodule. The cytological examination of biopsy materials revealed that 2 (11.8%) nodules were suspicious for malignancy, 13 (76.5%) were benign, and 2 (11.8%) with non diagnostic cytology. Thyroid cancer prevalence was 0.2% in Turkey but we detected that 0.98% of RTRs had thyroid cancer. Conclusions. Screening the RTRs for thyroid disorders is necessary, so that early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of thyroid disease and cancer may improve the quality of life.

Introduction. The most frequent abdominal tumors in newborn girls are ovarian cysts, with an incidence of more than 30%. Smaller cysts (<4-5 cm) can regress spontaneously within the first 1-6 months after birth and usually require periodic follow-up, while larger cysts have a greater risk of torsion (50-70% of cases), rupture, hemorrhage or can determine compression on nearby organs. There still is no general consensus regarding the optimal management of ovarian cysts in newborns and infants Patients. Methods. Seven newborn female patients were referred to our hospital from maternity wards with a prenatal diagnosis of abdominal mass, over a period of 4 years (2011-2015). In all cases the postnatal ultrasound confirmed the presence of a cystic mass pertaining to the right or left ovary. We divided the patients into 2 groups taking into account the size of the cystic masses and their radiological characteristics: if the cyst was smaller than 4 cm, we followed the patient with periodic ultrasounds and in cases where the cyst was greater than 4 cm, surgical management was considered if the patient presented with complications. Of the 7 cases, 4 underwent surgery, while in 3 cases the decision was made to perform periodic followups. Conclusion. Ovarian cysts are frequently encountered in the neonatal period. No precise guide to the management of this pathology has been established. Close follow-up should be performed and surgical intervention should be done in order to avoid complications.

Objective. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of obesity and visceral obesity (VO) within children living on the small Greek island of Tinos and their associated factors. Methods. Three hundred and fifty two healthy children and pre-adolescents (54% boys) attending the primary schools of Tinos island were evaluated, aged (mean±SD) 8.53±1.72 years (range 6-11), from which 286 (81.25%) were of Greek origin and 65 (18.46%) foreign immigrants. Body weight, height and waist circumference (WC) were measured, plus BMI and WC percentiles were calculated. Children with WC > 90th percentile were categorized as having VO. Results. Among our patients, 235 (66.76%) were of normal weight, 88 (25%) overweight and 29 (8.2%) obese. Obese children, as opposed to their normal weight counterparts, were more likely to be of younger age (p=0.009). VO was found in 65 (18.47%) children, with a higher prevalence among the obese than overweight ones (96.43% vs. 42%, p<0.001). There was no difference in the prevalence of VO between children and pre-adolescents. However, foreign immigrants had lower frequency of overweight and obese children (p=0.026) and less viscerally obese children (9.09% vs. 20.63%, p=0.018) than the Greek participants. Conclusions. The prevalence of childhood obesity in rural Tinos was 8.24%, which was lower than the reported national prevalence of obesity in Greece, whilst almost all of the obese and 42% of the overweight children presented VO. The low prevalence of childhood obesity and VO on this small island could possibly be attributed to a more healthy diet and natural way of life.

Background. Usually, silver stain is needed to differentiate between normal or hyperplastic hypophysis and pituitary adenomas. Many papers reported the lack of reticular fibers network as mandatory for pituitary adenoma diagnosis. \r\nAim. Differences between the architecture of reticular fibers in normal pituitary and pituitary adenomas \r\nMethods. Gordon- Sweet silver staining of pituitary specimens, prelevated during pituitary surgery performed in 138 patients with the endocrine and imagistic diagnosis of pituitary macro-adenomas. \r\nResults.Pituitary specimens of pituitary adenomas was confirmed in 133 cases; 3 specimens were with normal pituitary tissue, 1 with pituitary hyperplasia, 1 with pituitary apoplexy.Twelve of 133 pituitary adenomas specimens were associated also with normal pituitary tissue.There was a loss of acinar network of reticular fibres in 115 cases, but the present study describes the persistence of reticular fibers networks in 18 (13,53%) of 133 pituitary adenomas. We identified five distribution patterns of remanent reticular fibers network in pituitary adenomas using silver staining. \r\nIn conclusion, persistence of reticular fibers in a small number of pituitary adenomas could be a possible pitfall in the discrimination between the normal hypophysis and pituitary adenoma.

Sarcoidosis, a disease of an unknown etiology, is characterized by the presence of noncaseating granulomas that are most often found in the intrathoracic lymph nodes, lung and in other organs. Hashimoto' thyroiditis is one of the most common organ-specific autoimmune diseases. Although several reports describe the coincidence of sarcoidosis and Hashimoto's thyroiditis, the understanding of the relationship between these two disorders is limited. A 50 year old woman was admitted for cervico-thoracic goiter having a long history of nodular goiter for about 25 years and being suspect of pulmonary sarcoidosis. A chest radiograph and CT scan showed plunging intrathoracic goiter, lymphadenopathy with a pulmonary interstitial infiltrating process. A tracheo-bronchial lung biopsy revealed non-caseating granulomatous lesions consisting of epithelioid cells, confirming sarcoidosis. Angiotensin converting enzyme was high, therefore the patient was diagnosed as having sarcoidosis. The thyroid gland showed signs of goiter, tenderness and nodularity, without latero-cervical adenopathy. Thyroid function tests were normal and thyroid antibodies were positive. For cervico - thoracic goiter, total thyroidectomy with cervical lymph-adenomectomy was practiced. The histopathological exam demonstrated thyroid sarcoidosis, lymph nodes involvement and chronic thyroiditis.

Background. The present study aims to evaluate the parameters for aortic stiffness by comparing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) with a healthy control group via transthoracic echocardiography. Methods. This was a cross-sectional study involving monitoring of 62 pregnant women (33 with GDM and 29 with uncomplicated pregnancy as controls) during the third trimester. The aortic strain, aortic distensibility, and aortic stiffness values were measured via transthoracic echocardiography. Measurements of GDM group were repeated after 6 months. Results. Blood pressure levels, heart rate, and basic echocardiography were similar in both groups, but BMI was significantly higher in the GDM group (p <0.001). Whereas, aortic strain and distensibility were significantly lower in the GDM group (p <0.001). Aortic stiffness index was significantly higher in the GDM group (p <0.001). Aortic stiffness parameters did not exhibit any significant difference between the insulin-receiving GDM group and the diet-controlled GDM group. Postprandial glucose levels were correlated positively with the aortic stiffness index (p=0.04) and negatively with the level of aortic strain (p<0.01) and distensibility (p=0.03). The aortic stiffness in normoglycemic postpartum group at 6th month showed a significant improvement (p<0.001); but not in hyperglycemic postpartum group. Conclusion. Arterial stiffness was increased in women with GDM compared to the control group. A correlation between postprandial glucose and arterial stiffness was found. The aortic stiffness can be affected irreversibly from increased clinical and subclinical levels of glucose in postpartum period.

Introduction. Ganglioneuromas are rare, benign tumors that arise from the neural crest tissue and are usually asymptomatic and discovered accidentally. GN have good prognosis with surgical removal and the standard treatment for such lesions is laparoscopic adrenalectomy. Case report. We report the case of a 13 year old patient who presented to our hospital with abdominal pain. The ultrasound and the CT scan confirmed the presence of a well-defined mass situated in the right renal space. Taking into account the size of the tumor, its position and the fact that CT scan showed no local signs of invasion, the decision was taken to perform a laparoscopic removal of the right adrenal mass. After dividing the main adrenal vein and while dissecting the adrenal gland, we noticed an intraoperative bleeding due to the fact that one of the clips used to ligate the vein had slipped. Because we were unable to control the intraoperative bleeding we decided to convert to open surgery. The histopathological result showed that the adrenal lesion was a ganglioneuroma. Conclusion. While the role of minimal invasive adrenalectomy in patients with larger lesion is still controversial, advantages such as reduced hospital stay and postoperative morbidity, lower rate of complications, have resulted in the laparoscopic approach for adrenal pathology becoming the choice procedure in the removal of adrenal lesion.