A summary of the Russian clinical guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis.

Key statements of the Russian clinical guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis are summarized. They were developed by a task force representing the key Russian professional associations involved in the management of osteoporosis and approved by the Russian Ministry of Health. PURPOSE: To summarize key statements of the Russian clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis. METHODS: The Russian clinical guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis were developed by a task force representing the key Russian professional associations involved in the management of osteoporosis: These comprised the Russian Association of Endocrinologists, the Russian Association for Osteoporosis, the Association of Rheumatologists of Russia, the Association of Orthopedic surgeons and Traumatologists of Russia, the Russian Association of Gynecologists-Endocrinologists, and the Russian Association of Gerontologists and Geriatrics. The guidelines are based on a systematic literature review and principles of evidence-based medicine and were compiled in accordance with the requirements for clinical recommendations developed by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. RESULTS: Key statements included in the Russian guidelines of osteoporosis approved by the Russian Ministry of Health in 2021 are summarized. The statements are graded based on levels of evidence and supported by short comments. The guidelines are focused on the current approach to screening, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and treatment of osteoporosis. CONCLUSION: These guidelines are a practical tool for general practitioners, as well as medical specialists, primarily endocrinologists, rheumatologists, orthopedic surgeons, and other physicians who are involved in the management of patients with osteoporosis.

Three-year progress report of Bone Health TeleECHO Moscow: a strategy to improve the care of patients with osteoporosis and other metabolic skeletal diseases in underserved communities of Russia.

Bone Health TeleECHO Moscow is the first Russian-speaking Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) program that is modeled after the original Bone Health TeleECHO created in the USA. Bone Health TeleECHO Moscow was effective (effect size of 0.87 p < 0.001) at improving clinicians' skills in the management of osteoporosis based on self-evaluation over 3 years. INTRODUCTION: Bone Health TeleECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) Moscow is the first Russian-speaking ECHO program, modeled after Bone Health TeleECHO at the University of New Mexico, USA. The bone ECHO programs are designed to expand the capacity to deliver best practice skeletal healthcare worldwide through ongoing technology-enabled case-based collaborative learning. To evaluate the impact of the first 3 years of Bone Health TeleECHO Moscow on physicians' knowledge in the management of bone diseases. METHODS: Demographic data were obtained, and outcomes were assessed through an electronic blinded self-efficacy questionnaire focusing on competence and skills in 20 domains of osteoporosis care before and after each year of participation in the Bone Health TeleECHO Moscow. RESULTS: Over 3 years, a total of 296 participants completed the questionnaire. Average attendance for each monthly session increased from 64 in 2019 to 73 in 2020 and to 96 in 2021. Participants were from all regions of Russia and Russian-speaking countries. The mean age of respondents was 43 years with the youngest being 23 and the eldest 74. The most common participants' primary specialties were endocrinology (n = 263), gynecology (n = 20), orthopedics (n = 3), and other (n = 10). All of our participants were physicians, including 73 MD PhDs. This educational intervention was associated with a statistically significant improvement in each of the 20 domains of osteoporosis care, with an effect size of 0.87 (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Bone Health TeleECHO is effective at improving clinicians' skills in the management of osteoporosis based on self-evaluation over 3 years.

Prediction of recurrence and remission within 3 years in patients with Cushing disease after successful transnasal adenomectomy.

BACKGROUND: Some laboratory and clinical features are associated with a probability of recurrence after transnasal adenomectomy for Cushing disease (CD). However, there is no consensus on a set of predictors. Rules for prediction of recurrence were not proposed earlier. AIM: To develop prediction model of recurrence/remission after successful neurosurgical treatment for CD. METHODS: Retrospective single-site comparative study included 349 patients (52 men and 297 women) with a verified diagnosis of CD who underwent effective endoscopic transsphenoidal adenomectomy between 2007 and 2014. Clinical and laboratory parameters were evaluated. Laboratory tests were performed using immunochemiluminescent method. Time-to-event analysis and ROC-analysis were applied. Multivariate models were developed using logistic regression and artificial neural network (ANN). RESULTS: Postoperative cortisol and ACTH levels and their combinations cannot be used for prediction of recurrence. ANN for prediction of recurrence within 3 years after successful surgery was developed. Input variables are age, duration of the disease, MRI data on adenoma, morning postoperative levels of ACTH and cortisol, output variable is binary (recurrence/remission). Predictive value for remission is 93%, 95% CI [89%; 96%], and predictive value for recurrence is 85%, 95% CI [71%; 94%]. Web-calculator based on the model is developed and free for use. CONCLUSION: Effective method for prediction of recurrence and long-term remission within 3 years after successful endoscopic transsphenoidal adenomectomy is proposed.

Genetic and Epigenetic Aspects of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: Modern View on the Problem.

Omics technologies accumulated an enormous amount of data that advanced knowledge about the molecular pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes mellitus and identified a number of fundamental problems focused on the transition to personalized diabetology in the future. Among them, the most significant are the following: (1) clinical and genetic heterogeneity of type 1 diabetes mellitus; (2) the prognostic significance of DNA markers beyond the HLA genes; (3) assessment of the contribution of a large number of DNA markers to the polygenic risk of disease progress; (4) the existence of ethnic population differences in the distribution of frequencies of risk alleles and genotypes; (5) the infancy of epigenetic research into type 1 diabetes mellitus. Disclosure of these issues is one of the priorities of fundamental diabetology and practical healthcare. The purpose of this review is the systemization of the results of modern molecular genetic, transcriptomic, and epigenetic investigations of type 1 diabetes mellitus in general, as well as its individual forms. The paper summarizes data on the role of risk HLA haplotypes and a number of other candidate genes and loci, identified through genome-wide association studies, in the development of this disease and in alterations in T cell signaling. In addition, this review assesses the contribution of differential DNA methylation and the role of microRNAs in the formation of the molecular pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes mellitus, as well as discusses the most currently central trends in the context of early diagnosis of type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Application of Clinical Blood Metabogram to Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

The clinical blood metabogram (CBM) was developed to match a tailored analysis of the blood metabolome to the time, cost, and reproducibility constraints of clinical laboratory testing. By analyzing the main blood metabolite groups, CBM offers clinically relevant information about the intake of low-molecular substances into the organism, humoral regulation, liver function, amino acid level, and the lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. The purpose of this work was to investigate the relevance of using the CBM in patients with diabetes mellitus. For this, a CBM was obtained for 18 healthy individuals, 12 individuals with prediabetes, and 64 individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus, separated into groups according to fasting blood glucose and oral glucose tolerance tests. The results showed that the CBM reveals diabetes-associated metabolic alterations in the blood, including changes in the levels of carbohydrates, ketone bodies, eicosanoids, phospholipids, and amino acids, which are consistent with the scientific data available to date. The CBM enabled the separation of diabetic patients according to their metabolic metabotypes, providing both a general overview of their metabolic alterations and detailing their individual metabolic characteristics. It was concluded that the CBM is a precise and clinically applicable test for assessing an individual's metabolic status in diabetes mellitus for diagnostic and treatment purposes.

The Russian registry of primary hyperparathyroidism, latest update.

Introduction: Until recently no major epidemiological research of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) has been conducted in the Russian Federation, this led to the creation of the Russian online registry. The objective of this study is to estimate the clinical and biochemical profile, classical and non-classical complications, surgical intervention and medical therapy of the patients with different forms of PHPT in the Russian Federation. Materials and methods: The cross-sectional, observational, continuous study was conducted at the Endocrinology Research Centre (Moscow). The present study explored retrospective data from 6003 patients submitted to the Registry between 12.12.2016 and 25.10.2022 from 81 regions of the Russian Federation (http://pgpt.clin-reg.ru/). Results: The median age was 59 [60; 66] years with a female:male ratio of 11.7:1. Symptomatic PHPT was observed in 74.3% while asymptomatic form - only in 25.7% of cases. Bone pathology was the predominant clinical manifestation in 62.5% of cases (n=2293), mostly in combination with visceral complications 45.7% (n=1676). The majority of patients (63.3%) had combined visceral disorders including kidney damage in 51.8% and gastroduodenal erosions/ulcers in 32.3% of patients. Symptomatic patients were older (60 [53; 67] vs. 54 [45; 62] years, p<0.001) and had more severe biochemical alterations of calcium-phosphorus metabolism. Cardiovascular disease (СVD) was recorded in 48% of patients, among them the most frequent was arterial hypertension (up to 93.9%). A genetic test was conducted in 183 cases (suspicious for hereditary PHPT) revealing the mutations in MEN1, CDC73, RET genes in 107, 6 and 2 cases, respectively. Surgery was performed in 53.4% of patients with remission achievement in 87%, the relapse/persistence were recorded in 13% of cases. Histological examination revealed carcinoma in 4%, atypical adenoma in 2%, adenoma in 84% and hyperplasia in 11% of cases. Drug therapy was prescribed in 54.0% of cases, most often cholecalciferol. Conclusion: The detection rate of PHPT has increased in the Russian Federation in recent years. This increase is associated with the start of online registration. However, the majority of patients remain symptomatic with significant alterations of phosphorus-calcium metabolism that indicates delayed diagnosis and requires further modifications of medical care.

Circulating Plasma MicroRNA in Patients With Active Acromegaly.

CONTEXT: Excessive production of growth hormone causes marked multiorgan changes in patients with acromegaly, which may involve epigenetic mechanisms. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate differences in circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) associated with chronic growth hormone overproduction in adults. DESIGN AND SETTING: A cross-sectional case-control study was conducted at a tertiary medical center. PARTICIPANTS: We enrolled 12 consecutive patients with acromegaly along with 12 age- and sex-matched controls in the discovery phase of the study and then extended this cohort to 47 patients with acromegaly and 28 healthy controls for the validation study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Plasma miRNAs were quantified by next-generation sequencing (NGS) in the discovery phase. Levels of selected miRNAs were validated on extended cohorts using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), compared between groups, and correlated with clinical parameters. RESULTS: Based on NGS data, we selected 3 plasma miRNAs downregulated in patients with acromegaly compared to healthy controls: miR-4446-3p -1.317 (P = 0.001), miR-215-5p -3.040 (P = 0.005), and miR-342-5p -1.875 (P = 0.013) without multiplicity correction for all 3 miRNAs. These results were confirmed by RT-qPCR in the validation phase for 2 miRNAs out of 3: miR-4446-3p (P < 0.001, Padjusted < 0.001), area under the receiver-operator curve (AUC) 0.862 (95% CI 0.723-0.936; P < 0.001) and miR-215-5p (P < 0.001, Padjusted < 0.001), AUC 0.829 (95% CI 0.698-0.907; P < 0.001) to differentiate patients with acromegaly from healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: In a 2-phase experiment using 2 different techniques we found and validated the downregulation of plasma miR-4446-3p and miR-215-5p in patients with acromegaly compared to healthy subjects, which makes them promising biomarkers for further research.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Methods for Detection of Antibodies against Type I Interferons in Patients with Endocrine Disorders.

Autoantibodies against type 1 interferons (IFN-I) are a highly specific marker for type 1 autoimmune polyglandular syndrome (APS-1). Moreover, determination of antibodies to omega-interferon (IFN-ω) and alpha2-interferon (IFN-α2) allows a short-term diagnosis in patients with isolated and atypical forms of APS-1. In this study, a comparison of three different methods, namely multiplex microarray-based, cell-based and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for detection of antibodies against omega-interferon and alpha2-interferon, was carried out. A total of 206 serum samples from adult patients with APS-1, APS-2, isolated autoimmune endocrine pathologies or non-autoimmune endocrine disorders, and healthy individuals were analyzed. In the APS-1 patient cohort (n = 18), there was good agreement between the results of anti-IFN-I antibody tests performed by three methods, with 100% specificity and sensitivity for microarray-based assay. Although only the cell-based assay can determine the neutralizing activity of autoantibodies, the microarray-based assay can serve as a highly specific and sensitive screening test to identify anti-IFN-I antibody positive patients.

Clinical course and outcome of patients with ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome infected with novel coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19): case presentations.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical presentations of patients with endogenous Cushing's syndrome (CS) affected by Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who were referred to our clinic with active CS from 31st March to 15th May 2020 were screened for COVID-19 using real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Late-night serum cortisol (64-327 nmol/L), late-night salivary cortisol (LNSC) (0.5-9.4 nmol/L), or 24-h urinary free cortisol (24 hUFC) (100-379 nmol/24 h) were measured by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. RESULTS: Among 22 patients with active CS we found three cases affected by COVID-19. Nonspecific inflammation markers were within the reference range or slightly elevated in these patients. A 71-year-old woman with newly diagnosed CS (late-night serum cortisol >1750 nmol/L, LNSC 908.6 nmol/L) developed dyspnea as an only symptom and died from bilateral polysegmantal hemorrhagic pneumonia 7 days later. A 38-year-old woman with a 5-year medical history of active Cushing's disease (CD) (late-night serum cortisol 581.3 nmol/L, 24 hUFC 959.7 nmol/24-h) suffered from dyspnea, cough, fever (39.3 °C) and chest pain. Oxygen therapy, antibiotics and symptomatic treatments lead to full recovery 24 days later. A 66-year-old woman with a 4-year medical history of mild CD (late-night serum cortisol 603.4 nmol/L, LNSC 10.03 nmol/L) tested positive for COVID-19 in routine screening and remained asymptomatic. CONCLUSIONS: The outcome of COVID-19 in patients with CS depends on the severity of hypercortisolism. Thus, severe hypercortisolism is a warning sign that CS affected by COVID-19 could require emergency care despite a lack of clinical presentations and low inflammation biomarkers.

Effect on carbohydrate metabolism and analysis of acceptability (menstrual cycle control) of extended regimens of the vaginally inserted hormone-releasing system 'NuvaRing' as compared with the standard 21/7 regime in reproductive-age women with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

AIM: To evaluate the effect of the vaginally inserted hormone-releasing system 'NuvaRing' on carbohydrate metabolism and acceptability (menstrual cycle control) of extended regimens of using as compared with the standard regimen (21/7) in women with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) in reproductive period during 24 months. METHODS: The open randomised study included a total of 109 women with type 1 DM, using 'NuvaRing' in different regimens (21/7, 42/7, 84/7 and 357/7). Average daily insulin requirements, the levels of glycosylated haemoglobin were determined at baseline, after 6, 12, 18 and 24 months of contraception. The control group was composed of 22 age-matched women with type 1 DM using no methods of contraception. RESULTS: Using the contraceptive system 'NuvaRing' in type 1 DM women in the reproductive period has proved to exert no clinically significant effect on carbohydrate metabolism in prolonged regimens, as well as in standard regimen. The overall number of bleeding days and spotting days was comparable in different groups. Longer regimens with fewer breaks were associated with fewer days of bleeding but a larger number of spotting days as compared with the shorter regimens, with a tendency towards a gradual decrease in spotting days during a year. CONCLUSION: The releasing system 'NuvaRing' proved to be a reliable and safe means of contraception for late reproductive age women with type 1 DM.

Combined therapy with L-thyroxine and L-triiodothyronine compared to L-thyroxine alone in the treatment of primary hypothyroidism.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare various parameters in patients with hypothyroidism receiving either monotherapy with L-thyroxine (L-T4) or combination therapy with L-T4 and L-triiodothyronine (L-T3). DESIGN: We conducted a randomized, controlled trial in 36 premenopausal women with hypothyroidism. The patients were divided into two groups: Group A (n=20) received only L-T4, while Group B received the combination L-T4 and L-T3. The treatment period lasted for 6 months. RESULTS: At baseline, the various parameters examined did not differ in the two groups. No significant difference between monotherapy and combined therapy was demonstrated on TSH level, ECG monitoring, densitometry, or thyroid symptoms score. The lipid profile was better during combined treatment compared to L-T4 alone; in Group A during treatment with L-T4 the levels of cholesterol and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol were unchanged, while in group B total cholesterol and LDL decreased (p<0.05). The changes in osteocalcin levels did not differ in the two groups, whereas the levels of urine deoxypyridinoline at the end of therapy were higher in the group with combination therapy, compared to monotherapy. CONCLUSION: Compared with L-T4 alone, replacement therapy with the combination of L-T4+L-T3 shows favourable changes in serum lipid profile, but higher activation of bone resorption.

[Diabetes and COVID-19: analysis of the clinical outcomes according to the data of the russian diabetes registry].

BACKGROUND: Data on the national level and worldwide show a higher rate of mortality in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) due to COVID-19, which determines the high relevance of risk factor analysis for outcomes in DM patients to substantiate the strategy for this category of patients. AIM: To assess the effect of clinical and demographic parameters (age, gender, body mass index (BMI), glycemic control (HbA1c), and antidiabetic and antihypertensive drugs, including ACE inhibitors and ARBs) on clinical outcomes (recovery or death) in patients with type 2 DM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the Russian Register of Diabetes database was performed, including patients with type 2 DM (n=309) who suffered pneumonia/COVID-19 in the period from 01.02.2020 to 27.04.2020 and the indicated outcome of the disease (recovery or death) RESULTS: The percentage of lethality was determined to be 15.2% (47 of 309 people). The degree of lethality was found to be significantly higher in males (OR=2.08; 95% CI 1.1–3.9; p=0.022) and in patients on insulin therapy (OR=2.67; 95% CI; 1.42–5.02; p=0.002), while it was significantly lower in patients with an age <65 years (OR=0.34; 95% CI 0.18–0.67; p=0.001) and in patients receiving metformin (OR=0.26; 95% CI 0.14–0,5; p<0.0001), antihypertensive therapy (OR=0.43; 95% CI 0.22–0.82; p=0.009), β-blockers (OR=0.26; 95% CI 0.08–0.86; p=0.018), diuretics (OR=0.4; 95% CI 0.17–0.93; p=0.028) and renin-angiotensin system blockers (ACE inhibitors or ARBs) (OR=0.36; 95% CI 0.18–0.74; p=0.004). A tendency to an increase in lethality at higher rates of HbA1c and BMI was present, but it did not reach a statistical significance. Differences between patients receiving insulin therapy and those who were not receiving the insulin therapy were observed as follows: a significantly longer duration of type 2 DM (13.4 vs. 6.8 years, respectively; p<0.0001), worse overall glyacemic control (HbA1c: 8.1% vs. 7.0%, resp.; p<0.0001), and three times more frequent failure to achieve the HbA1c goal by more than 2.5% (14.7% vs. 5.9%, resp.; p=0.04). CONCLUSION: The identified risk factors for lethality in patients with type 2 DM indicate that good glycemic control and previous treatment with metformin and antihypertensive drugs (including RAS blockers) could reduce the frequency of deaths. In patients on insulin therapy, a higher lethality degree was associated with worse glycemic control.

A registry for patients with chronic hypoparathyroidism in Russian adults.

Hypoparathyroidism and pseudohypoparathyroidism are rare endocrine disorders, characterized by low serum calcium due to inappropriate parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels or resistance to its action. There is little epidemiological information regarding chronic hypoparathyroidism in Russia. This study aims to build a registry database of Russian patients with chronic hypoparathyroidism who were referred for hospital treatment in order to conduct initial analysis of clinical presentations and hospital management. The Italian registry model was taken to be able to integrate our data in the future. Two hundred patients with hypoparathyroidism (n = 194) and pseudohypoparathyroidism (n = 6) were enrolled over 2 years (2017-2019). The most frequent cause of hypoparathyroidism was neck surgery (82.5%, mostly females), followed by idiopathic hypoparathyroidism (10%), syndromic forms of genetic hypoparathyroidism (4.5%) and forms of defective PTH action (3%). Calcium supplements and alfacalcidol were prescribed in most cases. However, a minority of patients (n = 6) needed to receive teriparatide as the only way to maintain calcium levels and to prevent symptoms of hypocalcemia. Consequently, substitution treatment with parathyroid hormone should be available in certain cases of hypoparathyroidism. This database will be useful to estimate the potential requirement for recombinant PTH in Russia and standards for clinical and therapeutic approaches.

Circulating Plasma microRNA to Differentiate Cushing's Disease From Ectopic ACTH Syndrome.

Corticotropinomas and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-secreting neuroendocrine tumors exhibit differential levels of some microRNAs (miRs) compared to normal tissue. Because miRs can be released from tissues into circulation, they offer promise as novel disease biomarkers. Objective: To evaluate whether miRs are differentially detected in plasma samples of patients with ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome (CS). Design: Case-control study. Methods: Morning fasting plasma samples were collected from 41 consecutive patients with confirmed ACTH-dependent CS and 11 healthy subjects and stored at -80°C. Twenty-one miRs previously reported to be differentially expressed in ACTH-secreting tumors vs. healthy tissue samples were quantified in plasma by qPCR. Results: Among enrolled subjects, 28 were confirmed to have Cushing's disease (CD), 13 had ectopic ACTH secretion (EAS) and 11 were healthy controls. We found statistically significant differences in the circulating levels of miR-16-5p [45.04 (95% CI 28.77-61.31) in CD vs. 5.26 (2.65-7.87) in EAS, P < 0.001; q = 0.001], miR-145-5p [0.097 (0.027-0.167) in CD vs. undetectable levels in EAS, P = 0.008; q = 0.087] and differences in miR-7g-5p [1.842 (1.283-2.400) in CD vs. 0.847 (0.187-1.507) in EAS, P = 0.02; q = 0.14]. The area under the receiver-operator (ROC) curve was 0.879 (95% CI 0.770-0.987), p < 0.001, when using miR-16-5p to distinguish between CD and EAS. Circulating levels of miR-16-5p in the healthy control group differed from that of both the CD and EAS groups. Conclusions: Plasma miR levels differ in patients with CD and EAS. In particular, miR-16-5p, miR-145-5p and miR-7g-5p are promising biomarkers for further research to differentiate ACTH-dependent CS.

[Epidemiology, clinical manifestations and efficiency of different methods of treatment of acromegaly according to the United Russian Registry of Patients with Pituitary Tumors].

BACKGROUND: The registry is the main source of information about patients with acromegaly for assessing the quality of medical care, effectiveness of treatment, determining the compliance of real clinical practice with existing standards and patient management protocols. AIMS: To evaluate epidemiological, demographic and clinical characteristics of acromegaly in Russian Federation and effectiveness of treatment modalities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The object of the study was the database of the united Russian registry of patients with pituitary tumors with specific analysis of patients with acromegaly only. We analyzed the data of 4114 patients with acromegaly stored on the online system in February 2019. RESULTS: Based on the data 32% of patients had complete clinical and laboratory remission of acromegaly; the percentage of patients with no remission was 68%, among them 22.5% had significant improvements in clinical symptoms and a decrease in growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) without IGF-1 normalization. The average age of patients at the onset of the disease was 42.7 years and at diagnosis – 45.8 years. The ratio of men to women was 1:2.6. In patients with acromegaly hypopituitarism was registered in 14.7% of cases and among them hypothyroidism (66%) and hypogonadism (52%) were registered more often. Among other complications the leading were diabetes mellitus (15.7%) and acromegalic arthropathy (15%). The proportion of patients receiving neurosurgical treatment increased from 35.7% to 49.6% in 2012–2019; the portion of patients undergoing radiation therapy decreased significantly from 17.7% in 2012 to 0.8% in 2019. Remission was achieved in 40.47% after neurosurgery and 28.95% after medical treatment as a first line therapy p<0.01. The number of patients receiving medical treatment at the time of the study was 1209. Among them 51% of patients treated with long-acting lanreotide and 24% receiving long-acting octreotide achieved remission (p<0.0001) CONCLUSIONS: The remission rate of acromegaly remains suboptimal despite increased surgical activity, which corresponds to global trends. Long-acting lanreotide was significantly superior versus long-acting octreotide in the rate of acromegaly remission, which does not correspond with clinical trials.

Body Weight Reduction Associated with the Sibutramine Treatment: Overall Results of the PRIMAVERA Primary Health Care Trial.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness and safety of long-term sibutramine therapy in routine clinical practice. METHODS: In total, 98,774 patients (82.3% women, 17.7% men) from 142 cities of the Russian Federation were enrolled in the PRIMAVERA program. The mean age of the patients was 39.39 ± 10.38 years, the mean body weight was 99.1 ± 14.28 kg, and the mean BMI was 35.7 ± 4.41 kg/m2. The duration of the sibutramine therapy was determined by physicians: 59.3% of patients took the drug for 6 months, the treatment course of 37.7% of patients was 12 months, and 3% of patients had treatment for 3 months. RESULTS: The BMI reduction correlated with the treatment duration: 3.4 ± 1.53 kg/m2 after 3 months of therapy, 5.4 ± 2.22 kg/m2 after 6 months, and 7.2 ± 3.07 kg/m2 after 12 months. The body weight reduction after 3, 6 and 12 months of treatment was 9.5%, 15.1%, and 19.7%, respectively. The body weight loss associated with sibutramine treatment was accompanied by a slight decrease in blood pressure and did not lead to any significant increases of the heart rate. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the PRIMAVERA study confirmed the lack of increased risk of using sibutramine in routine clinical practice in patients without underlying cardiovascular disease and low rate of adverse events.

A Novel Mutation in the Critical P-Box Residue of Steroidogenic Factor-1 Presenting with XY Sex Reversal and Transient Adrenal Failure.

BACKGROUND: Although the importance of steroidogenic factor-1 (SF1, NR5A1) for adrenal development is supported by numerous in vitro and in vivo studies, cases of SF1 deficiency associated with adrenal failure are exceptionally rare. The first human NR5A1 mutation was a heterozygous de novo p.G35E variant identified in a patient with disorder of sex development (DSD) 46,XY and primary adrenal insufficiency. Here we describe another association of the "classic" SF1 phenotype with a novel NR5A1 mutation affecting G35 residue. METHODS: We describe the clinical characteristics of a phenotypically female patient presenting at 2 months with signs of adrenal insufficiency. DSD 46,XY was diagnosed at 4 years. The NR5A1 gene was analyzed by Sanger sequencing. Minigene splicing and dual luciferase reporter assays were used to characterize effects of the novel mutation on splicing and transcription, respectively. RESULTS: Sequencing of the NR5A1 gene revealed a de novo heterozygous c.104G>A:p.G35D substitution. The minigene experiments demonstrated that c.104G>A substitution did not affect splicing. However, transactivation activity of the p.G35D mutant was clearly impaired, which was comparable with the effect of the p.G35E mutation. CONCLUSIONS: The findings stress the importance of G35 residue for adrenal development. The current observation also suggests that some patients with SF1 deficiency may present with transient adrenal failure.

Effects of active acromegaly on bone mRNA and microRNA expression patterns.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the response of bone to chronic long-term growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF1) excess by measuring the expression of selected mRNA and microRNA (miR) in bone tissue samples of patients with active acromegaly. DESIGN: Case-control study. METHODS: Bone tissue samples were obtained during transsphenoidal adenomectomy from the sphenoid bone (sella turcica) from 14 patients with clinically and biochemically confirmed acromegaly and 10 patients with clinically non-functioning pituitary adenoma (NFPA) matched by sex and age. Expression of genes involved in the regulation of bone remodeling was studied using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). RESULTS: Of the genes involved in osteoblast and osteoclast activity, only alkaline phosphatase (ALP) mRNA was 50% downregulated in patients with acromegaly. GH excess caused increased expression of the Wnt signaling antagonists (DKK1) and agonists (WNT10B) and changes in the levels of miR involved in mesenchymal stem cell commitment to chondrocytes (miR-199a-5p) or adipocytes (miR-27-5p, miR-125b-5p, miR-34a-5p, miR-188-3p) P < 0.05; q < 0.1. Relevant compensatory mechanisms were found through the changes in miR involved in osteoblastogenesis (miR-210-5p, miR-135a-5p, miR-211, miR-23a-3p, miR-204-5p), but the expression of TWIST1 was 50% downregulated and RUNX2 was unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: Acromegaly had minimal effects on tested mRNAs specific to osteoblast or osteoclast function except for downregulated ALP expression. The expressions of miR known to be involved in mesenchymal stem cell commitment and downregulated TWIST1 expression suggest acromegaly has a negative effect on osteoblastogenesis.

High frequency of mutations in 'dyshormonogenesis genes' in severe congenital hypothyroidism.

OBJECTIVE: Results of the screening of disease causative mutations in congenital hypothyroidism (CH) vary significantly, depending on the sequence strategy, patients' inclusion criteria and bioinformatics. The objective was to study the molecular basis of severe congenital hypothyroidism, using the next generation sequencing (NGS) and the recent guidelines for assessment of sequence variants. DESIGN: 243 patients with CH (TSH levels at neonatal screening or retesting greater than 90 mU/l) and 56 control subjects were included in the study. METHODS: A custom NGS panel targeting 12 CH causative genes was used for sequencing. The sequence variants were rated according to American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) guidelines. RESULTS: In total, 48 pathogenic, 7 likely pathogenic and 57 variants of uncertain significance were identified in 92/243 patients (37.9%), while 4 variants of uncertain significance were found in 4/56 control subjects (7.1%). 13.1% (12/92) of the cases showed variants in 'thyroid dysgenesis' (TD) genes: TSHR, n = 6; NKX2-1, n = 2; NKX2-5, n = 1; PAX8, n = 3. The variants in 'dyshormonogenesis' (DH) genes were found in 84.8% (78/92) of cases: TPO, n = 30; DUOX2, n = 24; TG, n = 8; SLC5A5, n = 3; SLC26A4, n = 6; IYD, n = 1. 8 patients showed oligonenic variants. The majority of variants identified in DH genes were monoallelic. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to earlier studies demonstrating the predominance of TD in severe CH, the majority of variants identified in our study were in DH genes. A large proportion of monoallelic variants detected among DH genes suggests that non-mendelian mechanisms may play a role in the development of CH.

The Relationship Between Brown Adipose Tissue Content in Supraclavicular Fat Depots and Insulin Sensitivity in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Prediabetes.

BACKGROUND: The evaluation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) and its role in metabolism and obesity remains an important topic in the recent literature. This study evaluated the influence of the BAT triglyceride content measured by proton magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) and prediabetes on insulin sensitivity. METHODS: A total of 25 patients with DM2 and prediabetes (45.9 ± 10.1 years old, body mass index [BMI] of 31.6 ± 5.4 kg/m2) underwent anthropometric measurements (BMI), insulin sensitivity analysis (M value during euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance), proton MR spectroscopy, and blood tests (total cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins, high-density lipoproteins, and triglycerides). The relationship between the triglyceride content in the supraclavicular fat depot and insulin sensitivity, anthropometric measurements, and blood test results was assessed. RESULTS: The triglyceride content in the supraclavicular fat depot varied between 79.2% and 97.1% (mean: 92.6% ± 4.2%). The triglyceride content in the subcutaneous white adipose tissue of the neck was significantly higher (85.3%-99.3%; mean: 95.5% ± 2.9%; P = 0.0007). The triglyceride content in the supraclavicular fat depot exhibited a significantly moderate correlation with the BMI (r = 0.64; P = 0.0009). A significant weak negative correlation between the supraclavicular fat content and M value was revealed (r = -0.44; P = 0.002). Patients with high insulin resistance (IR) had a higher triglyceride content in the supraclavicular fat depot than patients with normal and lower IR (94.3% ± 2.0% vs. 90.4% ± 5.2%; P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Reducing the BAT content in the supraclavicular fat depot can influence the development of IR in patients with DM2 and prediabetes.