Cushing's Disease: Assessment of Early Cardiovascular Hemodynamic Dysfunction With Impedance Cardiography.

Background: Cushing's disease is a rare condition associated with a high cardiovascular risk and hypercortisolemia-related hemodynamic dysfunction, the extent of which can be assessed with a noninvasive method, called impedance cardiography. The standard methods for hemodynamic assessment, such as echocardiography or ambulatory blood pressure monitoring may be insufficient to fully evaluate patients with Cushing's disease; therefore, impedance cardiography is being currently considered a new modality for assessing early hemodynamic dysfunction in this patient population. The use of impedance cardiography for diagnosis and treatment of Cushing's disease may serve as personalized noninvasive hemodynamic status assessment and provide a better insight into the pathophysiology of Cushing's disease. The purpose of this study was to assess the hemodynamic profile of Cushing's disease patients and compare it with that in the control group. Material and Methods: This observational prospective clinical study aimed to compare 54 patients with Cushing's disease (mean age 41 years; with 64.8% of this population affected with arterial hypertension) and a matched 54-person control group (mean age 45 years; with 74.1% of this population affected with arterial hypertension). The hemodynamic parameters assessed with impedance cardiography included the stroke index (SI), cardiac index (CI), systemic vascular resistance index (SVRI), velocity index (VI), (ACI), Heather index (HI), and thoracic fluid content (TFC). Results: The Cushing's disease group was characterized by a higher diastolic blood pressure and a younger age than the control group (82.9 vs. 79.1 mmHg, p=0.045; and 41.1 vs. 44.9 years, p=0.035, respectively). Impedance cardiography parameters in the Cushing's disease group showed: lower values of SI (42.1 vs. 52.8 ml/m2; p ≤ 0.0001), CI (2.99 vs. 3.64 l/min/m2; p ≤ 0,0001), VI (42.9 vs. 52.1 1/1000/s; p=0.001), ACI (68.7 vs. 80.5 1/100/s2; p=0,037), HI (13.1 vs. 15.2 Ohm/s2; p=0.033), and TFC (25.5 vs. 27.7 1/kOhm; p=0.006) and a higher SVRI (2,515 vs. 1,893 dyn*s*cm-5*m2; p ≤ 0.0001) than those in the control group. Conclusions: Cushing's disease is associated with significantly greater vasoconstriction and left ventricular systolic dysfunction. An individual assessment with impedance cardiography may be useful in Cushing's disease patients in order to identify subclinical cardiovascular complications of chronic hypercortisolemia as potential therapeutic targets.

Potential associations between immune signaling genes, deactivated microglia, and oligodendrocytes and cortical gray matter loss in patients with long-term remitted Cushing's disease.

INTRODUCTION: Cushing's disease (CD) is a rare and severe endocrine disease characterized by hypercortisolemia. Previous studies have found structural brain alterations in remitted CD patients compared to healthy controls, specifically in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). However, potential mechanisms through which these persistent alterations may have occurred are currently unknown. METHODS: Structural 3T MRI's from 25 remitted CD patients were linked with gene expression data from neurotypical donors, derived from the Allen Human Brain Atlas. Differences in gene expression between the ACC and an unaffected control cortical region were examined, followed by a Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis. A cell type enrichment analysis was conducted on the differentially expressed genes, and a disease association enrichment analysis was conducted to determine possible associations between differentially expressed genes and specific diseases. Subsequently, cortisol sensitivity of these genes in existing datasets was examined. RESULTS: The gene expression analysis identified 300 differentially expressed genes in the ACC compared to the cortical control region. GO analyses found underexpressed genes to represent immune function. The cell type specificity analysis indicated that underexpressed genes were enriched for deactivated microglia and oligodendrocytes. Neither significant associations with diseases, nor evidence of cortisol sensitivity with the differentially expressed genes were found. DISCUSSION: Underexpressed genes in the ACC, the area vulnerable to permanent changes in remitted CD patients, were often associated with immune functioning. The specific lack of deactivated microglia and oligodendrocytes implicates protective effects of these cell types against the long-term effects of cortisol overexposure.

Disruption of Rich-Club Connectivity in Cushing Disease.

OBJECTIVE: Cushing disease (CD) is a rare clinical disease in which brain structural and function are impaired as the result of excessive cortisol. However, little is known whether rich-club organization changes in patients with CD, as visualized on resting-state magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), can reverse to normal conditions after transsphenoidal surgery (TSS). In this study, we aimed to investigate whether the functional connectivity of rich-club organization is affected and whether any abnormal changes may reverse after TSS. METHODS: In this study, 38 patients with active CD, 33 with patients with CD in remission, and 41 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy control participants underwent resting-state fMRI. Brain functional connectivity was constructed based on fMRI and rich club was calculated with graph theory approach. We constructed the functional brain networks for all participants and calculated rich-club connectivity based on fMRI. RESULTS: We identified left precuneus, right precuneus, left middle cingulum, right middle cingulum, right inferior temporal, right middle temporal, right lingual, right postcentral, right middle occipital, and right precentral regions as rich club nodes. Compared with healthy control participants, rich-club connectivity was significantly lower in patients with active CD (P < 0.001). Moreover, abnormal rich-club connectivity improved to normal after TSS. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show rich-club organization was disrupted in patients with active CD with excessive cortisol production. TSS can reverse abnormal rich-club connectivity. Rich club may be a new indicator to investigate the outcomes of TSS and to increase our understanding of the effect of excessive cortisol on brain functional connectivity in patients with CD.

Predictive factors for the recurrence of Cushing's disease after surgical treatment in childhood.

INTRODUCTION: Cushing's disease (CD) is a rare cause of hypercortisolaemia caused by excessive adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) excretion by a pituitary adenoma. Data on the predictive factors for the recurrence of the disease are limited in comparison with those for the adult population. The identification of the predictive factors for CD recurrence in patients after surgical treatment in childhood was the aim of the presented study. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 26 CD patients, mean age at the time of diagnosis 13.46 years, treated at the Children's Memorial Health Institute (CMHI) in the years 1994-2018. Two time points were set at which the follow-up (FU) of patients was finished. The first time point (shorter FU, 24 patients) was set when the patients completed their treatment at the CMHI. The second time point (longer FU, 26 patients) was determined on the basis on the time when adult patients (previous CMHI patients) completed the author's questionnaire. In the case of the other patients (current CMHI paediatric patients and patients who did not respond to the questionnaire), the latest FU in this second time point was made during the last visit to the CMHI. The predictors of disease recurrence were evaluated by the construction of a logistic regression model and receiver operating characteristics. RESULTS: The average FU after transsphenoidal pituitary surgery (TSS) of 26 patients was 10.23 years (0.67-24.50). Recurrence of CD occurred in four out of 26 patients (15.4%) after an average time of 3.6 years (0.92-8.08) following definitive treatment. The results of the statistical analysis of potential predictive factors for CD recurrence were not conclusive, with no variables confirmed above the statistical significance threshold of p < 0.05. As regards the longer FU, two potential predictors: mean cortisol level at night (p = 0.10) and max. ACTH level after ovine corticotropin-releasing hormone (oCRH) test (p = 0.10), were the closest to meeting the assumed threshold of statistical significance. CONCLUSION: Recurrence of CD may be diagnosed even a long time after its effective treatment. It is possible that cortisol levels at night and ACTH values in oCRH test before TSS may be helpful to predict which patients may experience a recurrence after successful initial treatment. However, further studies on a larger sample are needed to confirm this hypothesis.

The 5-factor modified frailty index predicts health burden following surgery for pituitary adenomas.

PURPOSE: Frailty is known to influence cost-related surgical outcomes in neurosurgery, but quantifying frailty is often challenging. Therefore, we investigated the predictive value of the 5-factor modified frailty index (mFI-5) on total hospital charges, LOS, and 90-day readmission for patients undergoing pituitary surgery. METHODS: The medical records of all patients undergoing endoscopic endonasal resection of pituitary adenomas at an academic medical center between January 2017 and December 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Bivariate statistical analyses were conducted using Fisher's exact test, chi-square test, and independent samples t-test. Linear and logistic regression models were used for multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Our cohort (n = 234) had a mean age of 53.8 years (standard deviation 14.6 years). Sex distributions were equal, and most patients were Caucasian (59%). On multivariate linear regression, with each one-point increase in mFI-5, total LOS increased by 0.64 days in the overall cohort (p < 0.001), 1.08 days in the Cushing disease cohort (p = 0.045), and 0.59 days in non-functioning tumors cohort (p = 0.004). Total charges increased by $3954 in the whole cohort (p < 0.001), $10,652 in the Cushing disease cohort (p = 0.033), and $2902 in the non-functioning tumors cohort (p = 0.007) with each one-point increase in mFI-5. Greater mFI-5 scores were associated with greater odds of 90-day readmission in both overall and Cushing disease cohorts, but these associations did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSION: A patient's mFI-5 score is significantly associated with increased length of stay and hospital charges for patients undergoing pituitary surgery. The mFI-5 may hold peri-operative value in patient counseling for pituitary adenoma surgery.

Cushing's Disease in Children: A Review.

Cushing's disease is rare in the paediatric age group. The disease manifestations are similar to that seen in adults. Most of the management protocols have, therefore, been adopted from experience in adults and the therapeutic strategies employed in the latter group. Management of paediatric Cushing's disease poses significant challenges with regard to achieving an optimal growth, a proper body composition, an adequate bone health and reproductive capability as well as a good quality of life. This article reviews the special clinical, biochemical, radiological, surgical, and adjunctive therapeutic considerations in paediatric Cushing's disease.

Open angle glaucoma secondary to endogenous cortisone due to pituitary microadenoma in a young patient, a case report. / Glaucoma de ángulo abierto secundario a cortisona endógena por microadenoma hipofisario en un paciente joven, a propósito de un caso.

CASE REPORT: A 31-year-old male was referred for evaluation after being diagnosed with Cushing syndrome secondary to a pituitary microadenoma. He presented with a reduced visual acuity and high intraocular pressure (IOP) of 48mmHg in both eyes. The examination with biomicroscopy showed normal anterior segment, increased cup to disc ratio, and open angle. There was a moderate-advanced involvement in the visual field. The patient was diagnosed with glaucoma secondary to endogenous corticosteroids, and medical treatment was initiated pending the removal of the adenoma. The IOP did not return to normal after the incomplete removal of the adenoma, so a trabeculectomy was performed to control the IOP. As conclusions: In the case of an ocular hypertension with pituitary tumour, secondary glaucoma to endogenous cortisone should be suspected. Early treatment of the tumour is necessary to bring the cortisone and IOP levels back to normal. Late diagnosis or incomplete treatment of these tumours may lead to not obtaining adequate IOP control.

Long-acting pasireotide improves clinical signs and quality of life in Cushing's disease: results from a phase III study.

PURPOSE: Cushing's disease (CD) is associated with significant clinical burden, increased mortality risk, and impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This analysis explored the effect of long-acting pasireotide on clinical signs of hypercortisolism and HRQoL in a large subset of patients with CD. METHODS: In this phase III study (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT01374906), 150 adults with CD and a mean urinary free cortisol (mUFC) level between 1.5 and 5.0 times the upper limit of normal (ULN) started long-acting pasireotide 10 or 30 mg every 28 days with dose increases/decreases permitted based on mUFC levels/tolerability (minimum/maximum dose: 5/40 mg). Changes in clinical signs of hypercortisolism and HRQoL were assessed over 12 months of treatment and were stratified by degree of mUFC control for each patient. RESULTS: Patients with controlled mUFC at month 12 (n = 45) had the greatest improvements from baseline in mean systolic (- 8.4 mmHg [95% CI - 13.9, - 2.9]) and diastolic blood pressure (- 6.0 mmHg [- 10.0, - 2.0]). Mean BMI, weight, and waist circumference improved irrespective of mUFC control. Significant improvements in CushingQoL total score of 5.9-8.3 points were found at month 12 compared with baseline, irrespective of mUFC control; changes were driven by improvements in physical problem score, with smaller improvements in psychosocial score. CONCLUSIONS: Long-acting pasireotide provided significant improvements in clinical signs and HRQoL over 12 months of treatment, which, in some cases, occurred regardless of mUFC control. Long-acting pasireotide represents an effective treatment option and provides clinical benefit in patients with CD. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01374906.

Impaired brain network architecture in Cushing's disease based on graph theoretical analysis.

To investigate the whole functional brain networks of active Cushing disease (CD) patients about topological parameters (small world and rich club et al.) and compared with healthy control (NC). Nineteen active CD patients and twenty-two healthy control subjects, matched in age, gender, and education, underwent resting-state fMRI. Graph theoretical analysis was used to calculate the functional brain network organizations for all participants, and those for active CD patients were compared for and NCs. Active CD patients revealed higher global efficiency, shortest path length and reduced cluster efficiency compared with healthy control. Additionally, small world organization was present in active CD patients but higher than healthy control. Moreover, rich club connections, feeder connections and local connections were significantly decreased in active CD patients. Functional network properties appeared to be disrupted in active CD patients compared with healthy control. Analyzing the changes that lead to abnormal network metrics will improve our understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying CD.

USP8 Mutations and Cell Cycle Regulation in Corticotroph Adenomas.

Corticotroph adenomas frequently harbor somatic USP8 mutations. These adenomas also commonly exhibit underexpression of P27, a cell cycle regulator. The present study aimed to determine the influence of USP8 mutations on clinical features of Cushing's disease and to elucidate the relationship between USP8 mutations and P27 underexpression in these tumors. Retrospective study with 32 patients with Cushing's disease was followed at the Ribeirao Preto Medical School University Hospital. We evaluated the patients' clinical data, the USP8 mutation status and the gene expression of cell cycle regulators P27/CDKN1B, CCNE1, CCND1, CDK2, CDK4, and CDK6 in tumor tissue in addition to the protein expression of P27/CDKN1B. We observed somatic mutations in the exon 14 of USP8 in 31.3% of the patients. Larger tumor size was observed in patients harboring USP8 mutations (p=0.04), with similar rates of remission, age of presentation, salivary cortisol at 23:00 h and after 1 mg dexamethasone, ACTH levels, and early postoperative plasma cortisol. We observed no differences regarding the gene or protein expression of the cell cycle regulators according to USP8 mutation status. In this Brazilian series, the observed frequency of USP8 somatic mutations was similar to that reported in European ancestry populations. Although it was reasonable that USP8 mutations could contribute to cell cycle dysregulation and P27 underexpression in corticotroph adenomas, our data did not confirm this hypothesis. It is possible that increased deubiquitinase activity observed in mutated USP8 might influence other pathways related to cell growth and proliferation.

GEOFFREY HARRIS AWARD 2019: Translational research in pituitary tumours.

Although effective treatment regimens (surgical resection, drug treatment with dopamine agonists or somatostatin analogues, radiotherapy) have been established for the therapy of most pituitary tumours, a considerable proportion of affected patients cannot completely cured due to incomplete resection or drug resistance. Moreover, even if hormone levels have been normalized, patients with hormone-secreting tumours still show persistent pathophysiological alterations in metabolic, cardiovascular or neuropsychiatric parameters and have an impaired quality of life. In this review reasons for the discrepancy between biochemical cure and incomplete recovery from tumour-associated comorbidities are discussed and the clinical management is delineated exemplarily for patients with acromegaly and Cushing's disease. In view of the development of additional treatment concepts for the treatment of pituitary adenomas we speculate about the relevance of RSUME as a potential target for the development of an anti-angiogenic therapy. Moreover, the role of BMP-4 which stimulates prolactinoma development through the Smad signalling cascade is described and its role as putative drug target for the treatment of prolactinomas is discussed. Regarding the well-known resistance of a part of somatotropinomas to somatostatin analogue treatment, recently identified mechanisms responsible for the drug resistance are summarized and ways to overcome them in future treatment concepts are presented. Concerning novel therapeutic options for patients with Cushing's disease the impact of retinoic acid, which is currently tested in clinical studies, is shown, and the action and putative therapeutic impact of silibinin to resolve glucocorticoid resistance in these patients is critically discussed.

Lipid Abnormalities in Patients With Cushing's Disease and Its Relationship With Impaired Glucose Metabolism.

Purpose: Dyslipidemia has been frequently reported and associated with increased cardiovascular risk in patients with Cushing's disease (CD). Few studies are available regarding the relationships between lipid abnormalities and other preoperative metabolic comorbidities in CD, and the data on alterations of the lipid profile after surgery is quite variable. We aimed to investigate the associations between hyperlipidemia and other baseline metabolic and hormonal parameters and the impact of surgical remission on lipid metabolism in patients with CD. Methods: This retrospective study included 104 patients diagnosed with CD. Baseline hormonal and metabolic parameters were compared between the hyperlipidemia (HLP) group and non-hyperlipidemia (NLP) group, and their relationships with hyperlipidemia at diagnosis were evaluated. Alterations in lipid profiles after surgical remission of CD were evaluated in 65 patients with available follow-up data. Results: Upon baseline, logistic regression analysis showed that impaired glucose metabolism (IGM) (OR=4.68, 95%CI:1.38-15.91) and morning cortisol levels (per 10 µg/dl change) (OR=1.81, 95%CI:1.11-2.95) are both independent risk factors of preoperative occurrence of hyperlipidemia in patients with CD. The baseline triglyceride (TG) level was positively correlated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) (r=0.297, p=0.003). Lipid abnormalities had improvement but may persist after surgical remission, and the persisted hyperlipidemia is associated with higher baseline total cholesterol (TC) levels (r=0.505, p=0.033). Conclusions: Persistence of post-surgery hyperlipidemia is associated with severe baseline lipid abnormalities. Surgical remission with concomitant control of impaired glucose metabolism at diagnosis may have significant implications for controlling hyperlipidemia and reducing cardiovascular risk in CD.

Reversibility of cerebral blood flow in patients with Cushing's disease after surgery treatment.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cushing's disease (CD) patients have metabolic abnormalities in the brain caused by excessive exposure to endogenous cortisol. However, the reversibility of brain metabolism of CD patients after treatment remains largely unknown. METHODS: This study recruited 50 CD patients seeking treatment and 34 matched normal controls (NCs). The patients were treated with Transsphenoidal Adenomectomy (TSA) and reexamined 3 months later. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) of the patients was assessed using 3D pseudo-continuous arterial spin labelling (PCASL) imaging before the treatment and at the 3-month follow-up and were compared with CBF measure of the NCs using a whole-brain voxelwise group comparison method. For remitted patients, their CBF measures and hormone level measures, including adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), 24-hour urinary free cortisol (24hUFC) and serum cortisol, were compared before and after the treatment. Finally, a correlation analysis was carried out to explore the relationship between changes of CBF and hormone level measures of the remitted CD patients. RESULTS: After the treatment, 45 patients reached remission. Compared with the NCs, the CD patients before the treatment exhibited significantly reduced CBF in cortical regions, including occipital lobe, parietal lobe, superior/middle/inferior temporal gyrus, superior/middle/inferior frontal gyrus, orbitofrontal cortex, precentral gyrus, middle/posterior cingulate gyrus, and rolandic operculum, as well as significantly increased CBF in subcortical structures, including caudate, pallidum, putamen, limbic lobe, parahippocampal gyrus, hippocampus, thalamus, and amygdala (p < 0.01, false discovery rate corrected). For the remitted patients, the change in CBF before and after the treatment displayed a spatial pattern similar to the difference between the NCs and the CD patients before the treatment, and no significant difference in CBF was observed between the NCs and the remitted CD patients after the treatment. The changes of 24hUFC were significantly correlated with the changes of averaged CBF within the subcortical region in the remitted patients (p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that the brain metabolic abnormalities of CD patients are reversible when their hormone level changes towards normal after surgery treatment.

Long-term outcome in patients after treatment for Cushing's disease in childhood.

INTRODUCTION: Cushing's disease (CD) is a rare cause of hypercortisolemia presenting a major diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Data on pituitary function in long-term follow-up after CD treatment in childhood is limited. AIM: Long-term assessment of patients of the Children's Memorial Health Institute (CMHI) after CD treatment in childhood. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 29 CD patients, mean age at the time of diagnosis 13.46 yrs. The long-term follow-up (FU) was done by: 1) obtaining the data from a patient's questionnaire (75% of adult patients); 2) using the data from the last clinic visit for patients who did not respond to the questionnaire and for current CMHI patients. The average long-term FU from transsphenoidal pituitary surgery (TSS) was 10.23 yrs. RESULTS: At the latest FU: 18 patients (62%) had long-term disease remission after TSS1, 2 patients (6.9%) after TSS2, 1 patient (3.4%) after the post-TSS radiotherapy (XRT) cycle and 3 patients (10.3%) after bilateral adrenalectomy (BA). One patient (3.4%) died after TSS2 due to postoperative complications, 1 patient (3.4%) had persistent disease at latest FU, in 1 patient (3.4%) the long-term FU was not possible to perform. CD recurrence occurred in 4 out of 28 patients (14%) at an average time 3.6 yrs. from definitive treatment. One patient (3.4%) after BA was operated because of Nelson's syndrome. Two patients (6.9%) were suspected of relapse at latest assessment. At the time of the last evaluation, 17 patients (63%) were on levothyroxine therapy since definitive treatment, 16 patients (59%) were on hydrocortisone treatment, 10 patients (37%) were taking sex hormones replacement, 4 patients (15%)-antidiuretic hormone. CONCLUSIONS: Relatively large number of patients after CD treatment in childhood have hormonal pituitary deficits as well as mood and cognitive disorders. CD recurrence can occur even after a long time post effective treatment.

Cushing's disease-from Minnie G to key issues in the early 21st century.

Oct 7, 2019, marks the 80th anniversary of the death of Harvey Cushing, the father of modern neurosurgery. Here we give a historical perspective from Cushing's original description of the clinical syndrome that now bears his name through to the modern day. We highlight some of the key milestones that allowed improved understanding and management of this extraordinarily challenging condition, and identify some of the key issues that still exist in the 21st century.

Long-term safety and efficacy of subcutaneous pasireotide in patients with Cushing's disease: interim results from a long-term real-world evidence study.

PURPOSE: Clinical trials have demonstrated the favorable efficacy/safety profile of pasireotide in patients with Cushing's disease (CD). We report interim long-term results of an ongoing real-world evidence study of subcutaneous pasireotide in patients with CD. METHODS: Adults with CD receiving pasireotide, initiated before (prior-use) or at study entry (new-use), were monitored for ≤ 3 years during a multicenter observational study ( http://clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT02310269). Primary objective was to assess long-term safety of pasireotide alone or with other CD therapies. RESULTS: At the time of this interim analysis, 127 patients had received pasireotide (new-use, n = 31; prior-use, n = 96). Eight patients had completed the 3-year observation period, 53 were ongoing, and 66 had discontinued. Among 31 new-use and 92 prior-use patients with ≥ 1 safety assessment, respectively: 24 (77%) and 37 (40%) had drug-related adverse events (AEs); 7 (23%) and 10 (11%) had serious drug-related AEs. Most common drug-related AEs were nausea (14%), hyperglycemia (11%) and diarrhea (11%); these were more frequently reported in new users and mostly of mild-to-moderate severity. 14 (45%) new-use and 15 (16%) prior-use patients experienced hyperglycemia-related AEs. Mean urinary free cortisol (mUFC) was within normal range at baseline and months 1, 12 and 24, respectively, in: 1/16 (6%), 9/18 (50%), 1/3 (33%) and 0/0 new users; 28/43 (65%), 15/27 (56%), 27/33 (82%) and 12/19 (63%) prior users. CONCLUSIONS: Pasireotide is well tolerated and provides sustained reductions in mUFC during real-world treatment of CD. The lower rate of hyperglycemia-related AEs in prior users suggests that hyperglycemia tends not to deteriorate if effectively managed soon after onset. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02310269.

Turner syndrome and Cushing disease - the coexistence with overlapping complications: case report and literature review.

We present an unusual case of Turner syndrome (TS) and Cushing disease (CD) in a young woman, admitted to our department seven years after a successful surgical removal of ACTH-secreting pituitary tumor. To our knowledge, this is the first ever report of these two disorders coexisting. Our patient was diagnosed with TS at the age of 16 due to primary amenorrhea and short stature. Hormone replacement therapy with estrogen was initiated, but she did not receive growth hormone therapy. At the age of 28, she developed clinical and biochemical abnormalities consistent with hypercortisolism, but the definitive diagnosis of CD was established nine years later when she was admitted to our department. Appropriate treatment was applied, however, the patient developed serious complications: a myocardial infarction, diabetes and osteoporosis. Surgical treatment appeared to improve some, but not all of the symptoms, indicating a significant contribution of concomitant TS to the severity of adverse cardiovascular and bone turnover outcomes in a subject with a genetic susceptibility to these complications. Thus, multidisciplinary evaluation in such patients is strongly indicated, particularly if more predisposing conditions are present.

Dysregulation of resting-state functional connectivity in patients with Cushing's disease.

PURPOSE: To explore the anatomical distance-dependent functional connectivity patterns in patients with active phase of Cushing's disease (CD) and to evaluate the associations between hypercortisol exposure and regional normalized functional connectivity strengths (nFCSs). METHODS: Based on the fMRI data in 32 CD patients and 32 healthy controls (HCs), we computed the nFCSs for each voxel in the brain and further divided them into long-range and short-range nFCSs. General linear models was used to investigate between-group differences in these nFCS metrics and the correlations between the nFCSs and clinical variables. RESULTS: Compared with HC, CD patients showed dysregulation of the nFCSs mainly in the default mode network. They showed an overall higher nFCS in bilateral parahippocampal cortex mainly owing to the disruption of long-range nFCS and a relatively lower nFCS in bilateral posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), bilateral lateral parietal cortex (LP), and right prefrontal cortex (PFC). In addition, their long-range nFCS was lower in the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex, PCC, and LP; short-range nFCS was lower in the bilateral PFC. Notably, the positive correlation between the nFCSs in their right parahippocampal cortex and serum cortisol levels at 08:00 remained significant after taking the anatomical distance into consideration. CONCLUSION: The discrepant functional connectivity patterns found in our study indicated a hypercortisol-associated, distance-dependent disruption of resting-state functional connectivity in patients with active CD. We provide novel insights into the impacts of hypercortisol exposure and the pathophysiologic mechanisms of CD, which may facilitate advances in CD intervention ultimately.

Recovery of Adrenal Function after Pituitary Surgery in Patients with Cushing Disease: Persistent Remission or Recurrence?

BACKGROUND: Cushing disease (CD) represents the principal cause of endogenous hypercortisolism. The first-line therapy of CD is surgical removal of the ACTH-secreting pituitary adenoma, which is generally followed by adrenal insufficiency (AI). OBJECTIVE: To analyze the recovery of AI in patients with CD after pituitary surgery in relation with recurrence and persistent remission of CD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients with CD who met the following inclusion criteria: adult age, presence of AI 2 months after the surgical intervention, and a minimum follow-up of 3 years after the surgical intervention. RESULTS: Sixty-one patients were followed for a median of 6 years. Ten (16.4%) patients recurred during follow-up. The patients who restored adrenal function did so after a median time of 19 months, with a significantly shorter time in the recurrence group (12.5 vs. 25 months, p = 0.008). All 10 patients who recurred recovered their adrenal function within 22 months. The recovery rate of AI in the persistent remission group was 37.3% (19/51) at 3 years and 55.8% (24/43) at 5 years. In all patients the duration of AI was negatively associated with disease recurrence. CONCLUSION: The duration of postsurgical AI in patients with recurrent CD is significantly shorter than that in patients with persistently remitted CD, and this parameter may be a useful predictor of recurrence. Patients showing a normal pituitary-adrenal axis within 2 years after surgery should be strictly monitored as they are at higher risk of disease relapse.

Long-Term Survival After Transformation of an Adrenocorticotropic Hormone-Secreting Pituitary Macroadenoma to a Silent Corticotroph Pituitary Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Pituitary carcinomas are rare and aggressive neoplasms that despite current treatment regimens continue to have a poor prognosis. Adrenocorticotrophic hormone pituitary tumors have been shown to alter their clinical manifestations with conversion to Cushing disease and silent types. CASE DESCRIPTION: The purpose of this paper is to present the first documented case of an adrenocorticotrophic hormone-secreting pituitary adenoma with Cushing disease that differentiated into a silent corticotroph pituitary carcinoma with metastases to distant sites in the central nervous system. CONCLUSIONS: This patient was later treated with radiotherapy, temozolomide, and bevacizumab, with 8 years of progression-free survival.