Publications by authors named "Maria Cristina De Martino"

Adrenocortical carcinomas (ACCs) are rare and aggressive malignancies of adrenal cortex, associated with largely unknown mechanisms of biological development and poor prognosis. Currently, mitotane is the sole approved drug for treating advanced adrenocortical carcinomas (ACCs) and is being utilized more frequently as postoperative adjuvant therapy. Although it is understood that mitotane targets the adrenal cortex and disrupts steroid production, its precise mechanism of action requires further exploration.

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Acromegaly is a rare disease characterized by a diagnostic delay ranging from 5 to 10 years from the symptoms' onset. The aim of this study was to develop and internally validate machine-learning algorithms to identify a combination of variables for the early diagnosis of acromegaly. This retrospective population-based study was conducted between 2011 and 2018 using data from the claims databases of Sicily Region, in Southern Italy.

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Adrenal insufficiency (AI) is a severe endocrine disorder characterized by insufficient glucocorticoid (GC) and/or mineralocorticoid (MC) secretion by the adrenal glands, due to impaired adrenal function (primary adrenal insufficiency, PAI) or to insufficient adrenal stimulation by pituitary ACTH (secondary adrenal insufficiency, SAI) or tertiary adrenal insufficiency due to hypothalamic dysfunction. In this review, we describe rare genetic causes of PAI with isolated GC or combined GC and MC deficiencies and we also describe rare syndromes of isolated MC deficiency. In children, the most frequent cause of PAI is congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), a group of adrenal disorders related to steroidogenic enzyme deficiencies, which will not be included in this review.

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Acromegaly is a rare disease characterized by an excessive production of growth-hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1, typically resulting from a GH-secreting pituitary adenoma. This study was aimed at comparing and measuring accuracy of newly and previously developed coding algorithms for the identification of acromegaly using Italian claims databases. This study was conducted between January 2015 and December 2018, using data from the claims databases of Caserta Local Health Unit (LHU) and Sicily Region in Southern Italy.

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Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are a type of genetic material that do not encode proteins but regulate the gene expression at an epigenetic level, such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). The role played by ncRNAs in many physiological and pathological processes has gained attention during the last few decades, as they might be useful in the diagnosis, treatment and management of several human disorders, including endocrine and oncological diseases. Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare and aggressive endocrine cancer, still characterized by high mortality and morbidity due to both endocrine and oncological complications.

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Objective: To date, no systematic reviews and meta-analysis on the global epidemiology of acromegaly are available in the literature. The aims of this study are to provide a systematic review and a meta-analysis of the global epidemiology of acromegaly and to evaluate the quality of study reporting for the identified studies.

Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE and The Cochrane Library databases were searched for studies assessing the epidemiology of acromegaly from inception until 31 January 2020.

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Cushing's disease (CD) is rare in paediatric practice but requires prompt investigation, diagnosis and therapy to prevent long-term complications. Key presenting features are a change in facial appearance, weight gain, growth failure, virilization, disturbed puberty and psychological disturbance. Close consultation with an adult endocrinology department is recommended regarding diagnosis and therapy.

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Cushing's disease (CD) is a serious endocrine disorder characterized by chronic hypercortisolism, or Cushing's syndrome (CS), caused by a corticotroph pituitary tumor, which induces an excessive adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and consequently cortisol secretion. CD presents a severe clinical burden, with impairment of the quality of life and increase in mortality. Pituitary surgery represents the first-line therapy, but it is non-curative in one third of patients, requiring additional treatments.

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Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is an orphan disease lacking effective systemic treatment options. The low incidence of the disease and high cost of clinical trials are major obstacles in the search for improved treatment strategies. As a novel approach, registry-based clinical trials have been introduced in clinical research, so allowing for significant cost reduction, but without compromising scientific benefit.

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Article Synopsis
  • Circadian clock disruptions can lead to metabolic disorders, particularly affecting insulin sensitivity, as the interaction between the circadian clock and the adrenal axis is significant.
  • This study examined how different daily timings and concentrations of hydrocortisone (HC) affect insulin sensitivity in mouse muscle cells, using varying cortisol profiles that reflect different treatment approaches for adrenal insufficiency.
  • Results indicated that a steep HC exposure during low circadian activity significantly downregulated multiple insulin sensitivity-related genes compared to flatter cortisol profiles, suggesting timing and dosage of glucocorticoids play a crucial role in metabolic regulation.
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Mitotane is the main option of treatment for advanced adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC). However, limited evidence is available regarding the impact of plasma mitotane levels on patient outcome. To address this question, we retrospectively analyzed patients with advanced ACC treated with mitotane for ≥3 months, with ≥3 measurements of plasma mitotane reported in the Lysosafe Online database (HRA Pharma, France), followed at 12 tertiary centers in Italy from 2005 to 2017.

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Abnormal adrenal function can interfere with linear growth, potentially causing either acceleration or impairment of growth in paediatric patients. These abnormalities can be caused by direct effects of adrenal hormones, particularly glucocorticoids and sex steroids, or be mediated by indirect mechanisms such as the disturbance of the growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor-1 axis and aromatization of androgens to oestrogens. The early diagnosis and optimal treatment of adrenal disorders can prevent or minimize growth disturbance and facilitate improved height gain.

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Adrenocortical carcinomas (ACCs) are rare tumors with scant treatment options for which new treatments are required. The mTOR pathway mediates the intracellular signals of several growth factors, including the insulin-like growth factors (IGFs), and therefore represents a potential attractive pathway for the treatment of several malignancies including ACCs. Several mTOR inhibitors, including sirolimus, temsirolimus and everolimus, have been clinically developed.

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Purpose: The IGF and mTOR-pathways are considered as potential targets for therapy in patients with adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC). This study aims to describe the IGF pathway in ACC and to explore the response to the combined treatment with the IGF1R/IR inhibitor linsitinib, and mTOR inhibitors (sirolimus and everolimus) in in vitro models of ACC.

Methods: The protein expression level of IGF2, IGF1R and IGF2R was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in 17 human ACCs and the mRNA expression level of IGF1, IGF2, IGF1R, IR isoforms A and B, IGF2R, IGF-Binding-Proteins[IGFBP]-1, 2, 3 and 6 was evaluated by RT-qPCR in 12 samples.

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Purpose: PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway activation is common in GH-secreting pituitary tumours, and a target for treatment with mTOR inhibitors, including everolimus (EVE). The current study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of two PI3K inhibitors (PI3Ki), NVP-BKM120 and NVP-BYL719, alone and in combination with EVE in rat GH-secreting pituitary tumour cell line (GH3) and human GH-secreting pituitary tumour cell cultures.

Methods: In GH3 cell line and in six GH-secreting tumour cell cultures, the effects of PI3Ki and EVE, as single agents and in combination, were tested on cell viability and colony survival, by MTT and clonogenic assay, respectively, whereas western blot was performed to evaluate the underlying intracellular signalling pathways.

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Adrenal mass (AM) is a common incidental finding detected during radiological investigations with an estimated incidence of 4%. Subjects with AM do not show any physical signs of adrenal hormonal excess, although they are often insulin resistant. Interestingly, apparently nonfunctioning AMs are often associated with a high prevalence of insulin resistance (IR) and metabolic syndrome.

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Somatostatin analogues and mTOR inhibitors have been used as medical therapy in lung carcinoids with variable results. No data are available on dopamine agonists as treatment for lung carcinoids. The main aim of the current study was to evaluate the effect of the combined treatment of somatostatin analogue octreotide and the dopamine agonist cabergoline with mTOR inhibitors in an in vitro model of typical lung carcinoids: the NCI-H727 cell line.

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Subclinical Cushing's syndrome is a condition of hypercortisolism in the absence of signs specific of overt cortisol excess, and it is associated with an increased risk of diabetes, hypertension, fragility fractures, cardiovascular events and mortality. The subclinical Cushing's syndrome is not rare, being estimated to be between 0.2-2 % in the adult population.

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To date, no data are available on the effects of long-term combined treatment with somatostatin analogues (SA) and pegvisomant (PEG) on cardiovascular complications in acromegaly. The current study aimed at investigating the effects of long-term SA + PEG on cardiac structure and performance. Thirty-six patients (14 M, 22 F, aged 52.

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Cushing's syndrome (CS) is a severe chronic and systemic condition caused by endogenous or exogenous excess of glucocorticoids, associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Patients with active CS suffer from many metabolic alterations, including visceral obesity, systemic arterial hypertension, impairment of glucose metabolism and dyslipidemia. Additionally, in these patients several cardiovascular abnormalities, i.

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Cushing's syndrome is caused by prolonged exposure to elevated cortisol levels. The most common form of endogenous Cushing's syndrome is Cushing's disease, which results from an adrenocorticotropic hormone-secreting pituitary tumour. Cushing's disease is associated with increased mortality, mostly attributable to cardiovascular complications, and a host of comorbidities such as metabolic and skeletal disorders, infections and neuropsychiatric disturbances.

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Cushing's syndrome is a serious endocrine disease caused by chronic, autonomous, and excessive secretion of cortisol. The syndrome is associated with increased mortality and impaired quality of life because of the occurrence of comorbidities. These clinical complications include metabolic syndrome, consisting of systemic arterial hypertension, visceral obesity, impairment of glucose metabolism, and dyslipidaemia; musculoskeletal disorders, such as myopathy, osteoporosis, and skeletal fractures; neuropsychiatric disorders, such as impairment of cognitive function, depression, or mania; impairment of reproductive and sexual function; and dermatological manifestations, mainly represented by acne, hirsutism, and alopecia.

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