Weight-gain independent effect of mirtazapine on fasting plasma lipids in healthy men.

Treatment with mirtazapine, a widely prescribed antidepressant, has been linked to weight gain and dyslipidemia. Whether dyslipidemia occurs secondary to increased appetite due to antidepressant treatment, or due to direct pharmacological effects of mirtazapine is unknown. The aim of this analysis is to complement our previously published results of the effect of mirtazapine on metabolism and energy substrate partitioning from a proof-of-concept, open-label clinical study (ClinicalTrials.

Patients' perception on the quality of care for multiple endocrine neoplasia disorders in Europe: an online survey from a patient support group.

Purpose: European Patient Advocacy Groups (ePAGs) within the Endo-ERN identified a lack of knowledge about quality of care (QoC) of patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN). The aim of this study was to identify inequalities in care and to encourage improvements.

Methods: The European MEN Alliance (EMENA) developed and conducted a survey, using the European Commissions' EUSurvey platform.

Effect of mirtazapine on metabolism and energy substrate partitioning in healthy men.

Background: Weight gain and metabolic changes during treatment with antidepressant drugs have emerged as an important concern, particularly in long-term treatment. It is still a matter of ongoing debate whether weight gain and metabolic perturbations with antidepressant use are the consequence of increased appetite and weight gain, respectively, or represents direct pharmacological effects of the drug on metabolism.

Methods: We therefore conducted a proof-of-concept, open-label clinical trial, hypothesizing that in exceptionally healthy men no change of metabolic parameters would occur under mirtazapine, when environmental factors such as nutrition, sleep, and physical exercise were controlled and kept constant.

[Multiple endocrine neoplasia].

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 and 2 are hereditary cancer syndromes. They are characterized by the occurrence of many benign and malignant tumor types, in MEN1 parathyroid tumors, pituitary tumors, and pancreas tumors, in MEN2 medullary thyroid carcinoma, pheochromocytoma, and parathyroid tumors. The autosomal dominant inherited tumor syndromes are caused by mutations in the MEN1 gene, a tumor suppressor gene, and mutations in the RET gene, an activated oncogene, in MEN2.

Mirtazapine provokes periodic leg movements during sleep in young healthy men.

Study Objectives: Recent evidence suggests that certain antidepressants are associated with an increase of periodic leg movements (PLMS) that may disturb sleep. So far, this has been shown in patients clinically treated for depression and in cross-sectional studies for various substances, but not mirtazapine. It is unclear whether antidepressants induce the new onset of PLMS or only increase preexisting PLMS, and whether this is a general property of the antidepressant or only seen in depressed patients.

Glucose metabolism and antidepressant medication.

Impaired glucose tolerance is observed in depressed patients, and patients suffering from depression have an increased risk to develop diabetes mellitus. In depressed and diabetic patients, studies have shown both a beneficial effect of antidepressants on glucose homeostasis and the opposite. This review aims to structure the conflicting data and focuses on the question, which effect specific antidepressants have on glucose homeostasis.

The relationship between adult neuropsychological profiles and diabetic patients' glycemic control.

The purpose of this study was to assess, in relation to metabolic control, the cognitive, depressive, and anxiety symptoms among 40 adult patients (age: 18-60 years) with either type 1 (n = 28) or type 2 (n = 12) diabetes mellitus (DM1, DM2). Nineteen healthy subjects matched for age, gender, and education served as the control group. For most cognitive domains, no significant performance differences were found between subjects from the diabetic groups and control subjects.

Age-related penetrance of endocrine tumours in multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1): a multicentre study of 258 gene carriers.

Objective: In multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1), age-related tumour penetrance according to the type of MEN1 germline mutation has not been investigated in-depth. This study was conducted to examine whether carriers of out-of-frame/truncating and in-frame MEN1 mutations differ in age-related tumour penetrance.

Design: A multicentre study with biochemical, hormonal and radiological screening for MEN1-associated tumours.

The influence of 4-week treatment with sertraline on the combined T3/TRH test in depressed patients.

In the present study, the influence of a 4-week treatment with sertraline on the regulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis activity in depression was investigated, in particular the impact of sertraline on the thyroid receptor (TR)-mediated negative feedback control as measured by the combined T3/TRH test. In 20 drug-free patients (8 men, 12 women) suffering from a major depressive episode according to DSM-IV criteria the single TRH-stimulation test (administration of 200 microg TRH at 09:00h) was carried out followed by a combined T3/TRH test (pre-treatment with 40 microg 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine [T3] the night before; administration of 200 microg TRH at 09:00h the next day). After 4 weeks of treatment with sertraline at a standard dosage of 50 mg/day, both the single TRH test and the combined T3/TRH test were repeated in the depressed patients.

The combined T3/TRH test in depressed patients and healthy controls.

It is well established that depressed patients show a blunted TSH response in the TRH-stimulation test. However, it has not been investigated so far whether pre-treatment with 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T3) is able to further suppress the TRH-induced TSH response in depressed patients or whether it may cause an escape-phenomenon with paradoxically enhanced TSH stimulation in a subsequent TRH test. In 20 drug-free depressed patients (eight men, 12 women) suffering from a major depressive episode according to DSM-IV criteria and in 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls, the single TRH-stimulation test (administration of 200 microg TRH at 09:00 h) was carried out followed by a combined T3/TRH test (pre-treatment with 40 microg T3 at 23:00 h the night before; administration of 200 microg TRH at 09:00 h the next day).

Functional in vitro studies on the role and regulation of interleukin-6 in human somatotroph pituitary adenomas.

Objective: Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a member of the gp130 cytokine family, is considered to be an important modulator of function and growth in endocrine anterior pituitary cells. In pituitary adenomas, where IL-6 is often produced by the tumour cells, it is thought to be involved in pituitary adenoma pathophysiology via autocrine/paracrine mechanisms.

Methods: We have studied in primary cell cultures of human somatotroph adenomas whether IL-6 stimulates growth hormone secretion and whether intratumoral IL-6 is affected by various IL-6-regulating factors.

Clinical and molecular diagnosis of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1.

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) is a classic hereditary tumor syndrome characterized by a genetic predisposition to develop a variety of neuroendocrine neoplasias and hormone excess syndromes. The disease is caused by inactivating mutations of the MEN1 tumor suppressor gene, detectable in >95% of MEN1 families. The distinction of MEN1-associated tumors from sporadic neuroendocrine neoplasias is clinically important for providing optimal surgical and medical therapy, appropriate clinical follow-up, and counsel for affected patients and their families.

Nocturnal secretion of TSH and ACTH in male patients with depression and healthy controls.

Profound alterations of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) systems at the hypophyseal level have been described in affective disorder. To precisely characterize the basal alterations of both axes during sleep, we simultaneously investigated sleep EEG and the secretion of thyrotropin, ACTH and cortisol in nine drug-free male patients with depression in comparison to 10 healthy age and sex matched controls. In depressed patients the nearly diametrical nocturnal secretion of thyrotropin and ACTH was disturbed by significantly blunted thyrotropin values (TSH AUC 51.