The glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper gene (GILZ) expression decreases after successful treatment of patients with endogenous Cushing's syndrome and may play a role in glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.

Context: Glucocorticoid-induced bone loss is a serious complication in patients with endogenous Cushing's syndrome. However, the mechanism(s) by which excess glucocorticoids influence bone metabolism is not completely understood.

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the functional role of glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper (GILZ) in bone remodeling with special focus on glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIO).

Restoration of the coupling process and normalization of bone mass following successful treatment of endogenous Cushing's syndrome: a prospective, long-term study.

Objective: Endogenous Cushing's syndrome (CS) is associated with bone loss and an increased risk of fractures. However, the long-term outcome of treatment on bone health has not been adequately clarified.

Design: We followed 33 patients with active CS prospectively before and twice after treatment (mean follow-up 33 (n = 25) and 71 months (n = 18), respectively).

Low-dose GH improves exercise capacity in adults with GH deficiency: effects of a 22-month placebo-controlled, crossover trial.

Fifty-five patients with adult-onset GH deficiency (mean age, 49 years) were enrolled in a placebo-controlled, crossover study to investigate the effects of GH therapy on exercise capacity, body composition, and quality of life (QOL). GH and placebo were administered for 9 months each, separated by a 4-month washout period. GH therapy was individually dosed to obtain an IGF-I concentration within the normal range for age and sex.

Raised serum levels of interleukin-8 and interleukin-18 in relation to bone metabolism in endogenous Cushing's syndrome.

Objective: It is well known that patients with endogenous Cushing's syndrome (CS) have decreased bone mass and enhanced risk for osteoporotic fractures, secondary to decreased bone formation and increased bone resorption. Immunological mediators, such as cytokines, have recently been shown to influence bone metabolism, and in the present study we examined serum levels of several cytokines, with known or potential effects on bone homeostasis, in 33 consecutive recruited untreated CS patients and 33 age-, sex- and body mass index-matched healthy controls.

Methods: Cytokine levels were measured by enzyme immunoassay and bone mass by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.