International initiative for a curated variant database improving the diagnosis of hereditary paraganglioma and pheochromocytoma.

Background: is one of the major genes predisposing to paraganglioma/pheochromocytoma (PPGL). Identifying pathogenic variants in patients with PPGL is essential to the management of patients and relatives due to the increased risk of recurrences, metastases and the emergence of non-PPGL tumours. In this context, the 'NGS and PPGL (NGSnPPGL) Study Group' initiated an international effort to collect, annotate and classify variants and to provide an accurate, expert-curated and freely available variant database.

Definition and management of colorectal polyposis not associated with APC/MUTYH germline pathogenic variants: AIFEG consensus statement.

An expert consensus panel convened by the Italian Association for Inherited and Familial Gastrointestinal Tumors (Associazione Italiana per lo Studio della Familiarità ed Ereditarietà dei Tumori Gastrointestinali, AIFEG) reviewed the literature and agreed on a number of position statements regarding the definition and management of polyposis coli without an identified pathogenic mutation on the APC or MUTYH genes, defined in the document as NAMP (non-APC/MUTYH polyposis).

Selenium Supplementation, Body Mass Composition, and Leptin Levels in Patients with Obesity on a Balanced Mildly Hypocaloric Diet: A Pilot Study.

Background: Adequate levels of selenium (Se) have protective effects against several chronic diseases, such as obesity. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of Se supplementation in a selected group of patients with obesity.

Methods: This randomized prospective study included 37 overweight/obese individuals aged 18-65 years, who adopted a slightly hypocaloric diet for 3 months.

Impedance Spectroscopy as a Tool for Monitoring Performance in 3D Models of Epithelial Tissues.

In contrast to traditional 2D cell cultures, both 3D models and organ-on-a-chip devices allow the study of the physiological responses of human cells. These models reconstruct human tissues in conditions closely resembling the body. Translation of these techniques into practice is hindered by associated labor costs, a need which may be remedied by automation.

Dissimilar associations of same metabolic parameters with main chronic noncommunicable diseases (cancer vs some other NCDs).

Hormone-dependent tissues' cancers (mainly breast and endometrial and several others) are among the most frequent malignancies in adults and are often discussed in context of their correlation with other chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), for example, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular conditions, and their risk factors, which may also be hormone metabolic. An idea that is often expressed delineates common factors leading to NCDs of malignant and nonmalignant nature. However, this idea is not always confirmed by study results.

Endocrinology of obese and nonobese endometrial cancer patients: is there role of tumor molecular-biological type?

To compare endocrine characteristics of  endometrial cancer (EC) patients based on recent molecular EC types classification.  A total of 234 treatment-naive EC patients as well their tumors were studied. Patients with mutations demonstrated tendency to lower body mass index (BMI) and higher serum estradiol.

Correction to: Paragangliomas arise through an autonomous vasculo-angio-neurogenic program inhibited by imatinib.

The given and family names of two co-authors were incorrect in the published article. The correct spelling should read as: Sampath Chandra Prasad and Vinagolu K Rajasekhar.

Paragangliomas arise through an autonomous vasculo-angio-neurogenic program inhibited by imatinib.

Tumours can be viewed as aberrant tissues or organs sustained by tumorigenic stem-like cells that engage into dysregulated histo/organogenetic processes. Paragangliomas, prototypical organoid tumours constituted by dysmorphic variants of the vascular and neural tissues found in normal paraganglia, provide a model to test this hypothesis. To understand the origin of paragangliomas, we built a biobank comprising 77 cases, 18 primary cultures, 4 derived cell lines, 80 patient-derived xenografts and 11 cell-derived xenografts.

Endometrial cancer evolution: new molecular-biologic types and hormonal-metabolic shifts.

The question hidden in the title of this manuscript (whether the topic develops or remains constant) is important for all areas of science. It is also a serious problem for endometrial cancer (EC) study. In recent times the incidence of EC gradually increases in parallel with obesity epidemics.

Features of endometrial cancer in patients with 'metabolically healthy' versus 'standard' obesity: the decreasing frequency of metabolically healthy obesity.

Background: As endometrial cancer (EC) prevalence increases with obesity, we aimed to determine whether EC characteristics depend upon obesity type: 'standard' (SO) or 'metabolically healthy obesity' (MHO).

Patients & Methods: 258 EC patients were included. Data on anthropometry, blood hormones, lipids and glucose, and tumor features were collected.

Brain signaling systems in the Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome: promising target to treat and prevent these diseases.

The changes in the brain signaling systems play an important role in etiology and pathogenesis of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and metabolic syndrome (MS), being a possible cause of these diseases. Therefore, their restoration at the early stages of T2DM and MS can be regarded as a promising way to treat and prevent these diseases and their complications. The data on the functional state of the brain signaling systems regulated by insulin, IGF-1, leptin, dopamine, serotonin, melanocortins and glucagon-like peptide-1, in T2DM and MS, are analyzed.

Features of omental adipose tissue in endometrial cancer patients with 'standard' or 'metabolically healthy' obesity: associations with tumor process characteristics.

Purpose: Adipose tissue products may contribute to endometrial cancer (EC) initiation and further growth that encourages the analysis of this issue in patients with different obesity phenotypes.

Methods/patients: Omental fat depot characteristics were studied in EC patients (n = 57) with "standard" (SO) or "metabolically healthy" (MHO) obesity. Collected omental samples were evaluated by immunohistochemistry /IHC/ for brown fat marker UCP1, CYP19 (aromatase) and macrophage infiltration markers (CD68, CD163, crown-like structures/CLS) expression.

Feasibility of Telomerase-Specific Adoptive T-cell Therapy for B-cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Solid Malignancies.

Telomerase (TERT) is overexpressed in 80% to 90% of primary tumors and contributes to sustaining the transformed phenotype. The identification of several TERT epitopes in tumor cells has elevated the status of TERT as a potential universal target for selective and broad adoptive immunotherapy. TERT-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) have been detected in the peripheral blood of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) patients, but display low functional avidity, which limits their clinical utility in adoptive cell transfer approaches.

A multicenter experience on the prevalence of ARMC5 mutations in patients with primary bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasia: from genetic characterization to clinical phenotype.

ARMC5 mutations have recently been identified as a common genetic cause of primary bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasia (PBMAH). We aimed to assess the prevalence of ARMC5 germline mutations and correlate genotype with phenotype in a large cohort of PBMAH patients. A multicenter study was performed, collecting patients from different endocrinology units in Italy.

The phenomenon of acquired resistance to metformin in breast cancer cells: The interaction of growth pathways and estrogen receptor signaling.

Metformin, a biguanide antidiabetic drug, is used to decrease hyperglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes. Recently, the epidemiological studies revealed the potential of metformin as an anti-tumor drug for several types of cancer, including breast cancer. Anti-tumor metformin action was found to be mediated, at least in part, via activation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-intracellular energy sensor, which inhibits the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and some other signaling pathways.

Insulinemia, heterogeneity of obesity and the risk of different types of endometrial cancer: existing evidence.

Due to a number of reasons, endometrial cancer is a point of interest not only for oncologists, but also for a variety of specialists - especially endocrinologists. The endocrinology of endometrial cancer can be firmly divided into two categories - steroid and non-steroid. The steroid approach dominated during several decades due to hyperestrogenization signs observed in some patients.

Lectin-induced agglutination method of urinary exosomes isolation followed by mi-RNA analysis: Application for prostate cancer diagnostic.

Background: Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. Prostate-specific antigen has, however, insufficient diagnostic specificity. Novel complementary diagnostic approaches are greatly needed.

The Effect of Long-Term Intranasal Serotonin Treatment on Metabolic Parameters and Hormonal Signaling in Rats with High-Fat Diet/Low-Dose Streptozotocin-Induced Type 2 Diabetes.

In the last years the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) was carried out using regulators of the brain signaling systems. In DM2 the level of the brain serotonin is reduced. So far, the effect of the increase of the brain serotonin level on DM2-induced metabolic and hormonal abnormalities has been studied scarcely.

Potential and real 'antineoplastic' and metabolic effect of metformin in diabetic and nondiabetic postmenopausal females.

Aim: The goal of this study was to determine if the single nucleotide polymorphisms marking potential sensitivity to metformin (MF) correlate with hormone-metabolic status as well as with actual response to MF in postmenopausal cancer patients with or without Type 2 diabetes mellitus and in diabetics without cancer.

Patients & Methods: The carriage of ten different SNPs was evaluated in all patients by PCR, and hormone-metabolic status was estimated by anthropometry, ELISA and enzyme colorimetric assays. The response to daily 1-1.

The Influence of Intranasal Insulin on Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Thyroid Axis in Normal and Diabetic Rats.

The functions of hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis are attenuated in type 1 diabetes mellitus due to insulin deficiency. The use of intranasally administered insulin is of considerable interest for treatment of diabetes and cognitive disorders, but its effect on the thyroid system has not been investigated yet. We studied the influence of long-term treatment with intranasal insulin on the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis of nondiabetic rats and diabetic animals with streptozotocin models of acute and mild type 1 diabetes mellitus.