Publications by authors named "Beckers A"

Paraneoplastic endocrine syndromes define a group of secondary signs and symptoms associated to a neoplasia, independently from the location of the primary tumor or its metastases. Paraneoplastic or ectopic endocrine syndromes usually result from aberrant hormone precursors or hormone-like substances by tumours. Knowledge of paraneoplastic endocrine complications is important both for the early diagnosis of neoplasia and the prognosis of the patient.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Mutations in the aryl hydrocarbon receptor-interacting protein (AIP) were recently shown to confer a pituitary adenoma predisposition in patients with familial isolated pituitary adenomas (FIPA). We report a large Samoan FIPA kindred from Australia/New Zealand with an R271W mutation that was associated with aggressive pituitary tumors.

Design And Methods: Case series with germline screening of AIP and haplotype analyses among R271W families.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Somatostatin analogs (SSA) with their potent antisecretory and antiproliferative effects are the main medical treatment option for patients with neuroendocrine tumors, such as gastroenteropancreatic and acromegaly-associated growth hormone secreting pituitary tumors. Although a good portion of acromegalic patients gets normalized after SSA treatment, strict hormonal control is not achieved in a sizeable proportion of these patients. The reasons for this incomplete response to SSA treatment are unclear.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Germline mutations of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR)-interacting protein (AIP) gene confer a predisposition to pituitary adenomas (PA), usually in the setting of familial isolated PA. To provide further insights into the possible role of AIP in pituitary tumour pathogenesis, the expression of AIP and AHR was determined by real-time RT-PCR and/or immunohistochemistry (IHC) in a large series of PA (n=103), including 17 with AIP mutations (AIP(mut)). Variable levels of AIP and AHR transcripts were detected in all PA, with a low AHR expression (P<0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The majority of pituitary adenomas occur sporadically, however, about 5% of all cases occur in a familial setting, of which over half are due to multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN-1) and Carney's complex (CNC). Since the late 1990s we have described non-MEN1/CNC familial pituitary tumours that include all tumour phenotypes, a condition named familial isolated pituitary adenomas (FIPA). The clinical characteristics of FIPA vary from those of sporadic pituitary adenomas, as patients with FIPA have a younger age at diagnosis and larger tumours.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Pituitary adenomas occur in a familial setting in about 5% of all cases, and over half of these are due to multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) and Carney's complex (CNC). Non-MEN1/CNC familial pituitary tumours of all tumour phenotypes, known as familial isolated pituitary adenomas (FIPA), were first described in the late 1990s. Clinical features of FIPA differ from those of sporadic pituitary adenomas, as patients with FIPA have a younger age at diagnosis and larger tumours.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Pituitary adenomas occur in a familial setting in about 5% of all cases and over half of these are due to multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) and Carney complex (CNC). Since the late 1990s, we have described non-MEN1/CNC familial pituitary tumors that include all tumor phenotypes and have named this condition 'familial isolated pituitary adenoma' (FIPA). Clinical features of FIPA differ from those of sporadic pituitary adenomas in that patients with FIPA are often younger and have larger tumors at diagnosis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Clinically-relevant pituitary adenomas occur with a prevalence of approximately 1 per 1000 population in Belgium. Pituitary adenomas that occur in families are likely to have an important genetic pathophysiological basis. Currently about 5% of all pituitary adenoma cases have a family history of pituitary adenomas, classically due to multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) and Carney complex (CNC).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Familial pituitary adenomas are found in multitumoral syndromes such as multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (NEM1) and type 4 (NEM4) and the Carney complex (CNC); it remains at present the only known condition in the category of familial isolated pituitary adenomas (FIPA). Familial adenomas account for 3-5% of all pituitary adenomas. Their pathogenesis is known in part: mutations of the menin gene in NEM1 (80%), of the CDKN1B gene in NEM4 (several cases described), of the PRKR1A gene in CNC (50%) and the AIP gene in 15% of FIPA cases (50% of the FIPA cases with a homogeneous somatotropic phenotype).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aims: The cardiac valvular risk associated with lower exposure to cabergoline in common endocrine conditions such as hyperprolactinemia is unknown.

Methods And Results: We performed a cross-sectional, case-control echocardiographic study to assess the valvular status in 102 subjects receiving cabergoline for endocrine disorders and 51 matched control subjects. Cabergoline treatment ranged from 12 to 228 months, with a cumulative dose of 18-1718 mg.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: There is ample clinical evidence that skin is responsive to physiopathological levels of circulating thyroid hormones. The aim of the study was to assess some physical changes of the skin in the presence of moderate thyroid dysfunction.

Setting: University Hospital.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
[Hypogonadism due to LH deficiency].

Bull Mem Acad R Med Belg

June 2008

A 30-year-old man was investigated for delayed puberty and infertility. These investigations showed a complete absence of circulating luteinizing hormone (LH). Genetic studies revealed a missense mutation in the LHbeta gene (G36D).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The present study assessed pharmacokinetic testosterone time profile and dose proportionality after application of a new matrix testosterone patch (30, 45, and 60 cm2 containing 0.5mg of testosterone per cm2). This open study was a single dose, three-period, crossover trial with a randomised treatment sequence in 24 hypogonadal men, consisting in a single 48-h application of two patches of 2x 30 cm2, 2x 45 cm2, 2x 60 cm2, separated by a 5-day wash-out.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Prevalence: The prevalence of pituitary tumors has been a topic of controversy for many years. Autopsy and radiological series show that pituitary incidentalomas may be present in one of six people. Recent epidemiological data suggest that clinically apparent pituitary adenomas have a prevalence of approximately one in 1,000 people in the general population.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The similarities between patients with untreated growth hormone (GH) deficiency and those with the cardiometabolic syndrome and the beneficial effects of recombinant human GH (rhGH) on body composition have led to the hypothesis that rhGH treatment may have utility in obesity. GH release is reduced in the setting of obesity, primarily due to hyperinsulinism and increased free fatty acid levels. We reviewed the outcomes of 23 clinical studies carried out between 1987 and 2006 that examined the effects of rhGH administration in the obese state.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Impotence and decreased libido are the cardinal features of prolactinomas in males. We describe the unusual clinical, pathological and biochemical features in a male patient with a giant prolactinoma and normal gonadal function.

Case Report: A 57 year-old man presented with visual symptoms related to a 30x25x60mm tumor of the sella and skull base.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The node and notochord have been extensively studied as signaling centers in the vertebrate embryo. The morphogenesis of these tissues, particularly in mouse, is not well understood. Using time-lapse live imaging and cell lineage tracking, we show the notochord has distinct morphogenetic origins along the anterior-posterior axis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Many causes of thyroxine malabsorption are described in the literature, but the most common cause of failure of thyroxine therapy is poor patient compliance, or pseudomalabsorption. We describe the case of a female patient who underwent total thyroidectomy for Basedow-Graves disease. Post-operatively, several treatment regimens were employed to achieve euthyroidism, but only injectable thyroxine was found to be effective.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Familial pituitary adenomas account for about 5% of cases, primarily linked to genetic mutations in MEN1 and PRKAR1A, with distinct features from sporadic tumors.
  • Recently recognized conditions like familial isolated pituitary adenomas (FIPA) show variations in tumor types within families, presenting at younger ages and with larger tumors compared to sporadic cases.
  • Genetic research has identified AIP gene mutations in FIPA, providing insight into tumor development, especially since about 15% of FIPA patients carry these mutations, which increases in cases of familial acromegaly.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • AIP mutations occur in 15% of familial isolated pituitary adenoma cases, but detailed studies on affected families have been limited.
  • A study of a large Brazilian family with a specific AIP mutation (E174fs) assessed clinical and hormonal features, revealing varied tumor phenotypes and responses to treatment among carriers.
  • The research highlights that while only one-third of adult mutation carriers developed pituitary tumors, the clinical features may also include additional health concerns beyond tumors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Pituitary adenomas occur in a familial setting in multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) and Carney's complex (CNC), which occur due to mutations in the genes MEN1 and PRKAR1A respectively. Isolated familial somatotropinoma (IFS) is also a well-described clinical syndrome related only to patients with acrogigantism. Pituitary adenomas of all types--not limited to IFS--can occur in a familial setting in the absence of MEN1 and CNC; this phenotype is termed familial isolated pituitary adenomas (FIPA).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The mouse homeobox gene Noto represents the homologue of zebrafish floating head (flh) and is expressed in the organizer node and in the nascent notochord. Previous analyses suggested that Noto is required exclusively for the formation of the caudal part of the notochord. Here, we show that Noto is also essential for node morphogenesis, controlling ciliogenesis in the posterior notochord, and the establishment of laterality, whereas organizer functions in anterior-posterior patterning are apparently not compromised.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF