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Life
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Diagnostic and Therapeutic Advances in Endocrine Disorders
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Diagnostic and Therapeutic Advances in Endocrine Disorders

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Physiology and Pathology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2024) | Viewed by 10461

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Carmine Bruno

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Istituto Dermopatico dell’Immacolata—IDI IRCCS, Rome, Italy
Interests: reproductive endocrinology; andrology; pituitary
Dr. Sanja Medenica

E-Mail
Guest Editor
Department of Endocrinology, Internal Medicine Clinic, Clinical Center of Montenegro, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro
Interests: reproductive endocrinology; thyroid; metabolic disorders
Dr. Emanuela Traini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Endocrine Surgery Unit, GVM San Carlo di Nancy Hospital, Rome, Italy
Interests: thyroid; parathyroid; endocrine surgery

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Research in the field of endocrine–metabolic diseases has experienced a great boost in recent years. In this field, the concept of personalized medicine, which has pervaded all branches of medicine and endocrinology, has an important role—targeted therapy in advanced thyroid cancer, molecular characterization in hypothalamic–pituitary diseases, or the personalization of medical therapy for diabetes mellitus are just some examples. Similarly, in the field of basic research, the role of oxidative stress, low-grade inflammation, or the interaction between the immune system and the microbiome represent just some of the many topics on which translational research is being oriented.

Finally, the new advances in diagnostics, particularly with respect to the role of artificial intelligence in the diagnosis of diseases or the personalization of surgical therapies, represent interesting areas on which the clinical research of the present and future is based and will probably be based.

Therefore, this Special Issue intends to collect original research or literature reviews regarding the pathophysiology and clinical treatment of endocrine–metabolic diseases, both in the basic sciences and in the clinic.

Dr. Carmine Bruno
Dr. Sanja Medenica
Dr. Emanuela Traini
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Life is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • thyroid
  • adrenal gland
  • reproduction
  • infertility
  • diabetes
  • obesity
  • PCOS
  • pituitary
  • metabolism
  • parathyroid
  • endocrine surgery

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 742 KiB  
Article
Associations of Ultrasound Findings with Serum Iron and Ferritin Levels in Children with Obesity
by Mioara Desdemona Stepan, Ștefănița Bianca Vintilescu, Claudiu Marinel Ionele, Gheorghe Gindrovel Dumitra, Mihaela Andreea Podeanu, Camelia Cristiana Bigea, Victor Mihai Sacerdoțianu, Cătălina Mihaela Anastasescu and Dan Nicolae Florescu
Life 2024, 14(4), 484; https://doi.org/10.3390/life14040484 - 7 Apr 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1745
Abstract
The nutritional status of children is always a concern for medical professionals. Increasingly, obesogenic factors have created a new global epidemic. Obesity is characterized by persistent inflammation, which can have detrimental effects on the growth and development of children. Iron and ferritin are [...] Read more.
The nutritional status of children is always a concern for medical professionals. Increasingly, obesogenic factors have created a new global epidemic. Obesity is characterized by persistent inflammation, which can have detrimental effects on the growth and development of children. Iron and ferritin are both important factors to consider when evaluating these children due to their role in the pathophysiology of chronic inflammation. Recently, ultrasonographic evaluation seems to be an increasingly used method in pediatric clinical practice. In this study, we included 98 children aged 6–14 years, 72 of whom were obese and 26 had normal weight. The data obtained indicated that there was an association between low iron and increased ferritin levels, aspects of non-alcoholic fatty liver visualized by ultrasonography, and the degree of fibrosis assessed elastographically. Ultrasonography can help us identify liver damage, but the possibility of identifying an association with other paraclinical investigations such as iron and ferritin levels can be cumulative. In this way, the assessment can be more complex, as the child benefits from comprehensive evaluation and management. The results drew attention to non-invasive, easy-to-perform, and low-cost methods of assessing obese children in terms of iron metabolism and structural liver changes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnostic and Therapeutic Advances in Endocrine Disorders)
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16 pages, 349 KiB  
Article
HLA Class II Allele Groups Involved in Autoimmune Thyroid Diseases: Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and Basedow–Graves Disease
by Alin-Dan Chiorean, Gheorghe Zsolt Nicula, Ștefana Bâlici, Mihaela Laura Vică, Luminita-Ioana Iancu Loga, Lucia Dican and Horea Vladi Matei
Life 2024, 14(4), 441; https://doi.org/10.3390/life14040441 - 27 Mar 2024
Viewed by 2397
Abstract
Autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD), particularly Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) and Basedow–Graves disease (BGD) are diseases of global public health concern, characterized by autoimmune attacks on the thyroid gland, leading to hypothyroidism in HT and hyperthyroidism in BGD. We conducted a study between 2019 and [...] Read more.
Autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD), particularly Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) and Basedow–Graves disease (BGD) are diseases of global public health concern, characterized by autoimmune attacks on the thyroid gland, leading to hypothyroidism in HT and hyperthyroidism in BGD. We conducted a study between 2019 and 2021 in northwestern Transylvania (Romania) on patients with HT and with BGD compared to the control group. The aim of the study was to investigate the correlations of HLA class II alleles with AITD by identifying potential genetic susceptibility factors such as HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 genes in patients diagnosed with HT and BGD. Various molecular biology methods, including SSP-PCR low-resolution and PCR-SSO were employed to analyze DNA samples from patients and control subjects. Our study revealed the influence of the HLA-DRB1*03/*16 genotype as a genetic susceptibility factor for HT, a similar influence regarding BGD being observed for the HLA-DRB1*03 allele group, DRB1*03/*16 genotype, and the DRB1*03/DQB1*06 haplotype. The only protective factor detected in our study was the HLA-DRB1*13 allele group, for both HT and BGD. By elucidating any specific allele or genotype associations that might contribute to the development of AITD, our study can contribute to the prevention and early detection of these diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnostic and Therapeutic Advances in Endocrine Disorders)

Review

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11 pages, 698 KiB  
Review
FSH Therapy in Male Factor Infertility: Evidence and Factors Which Might Predict the Response
by Giuseppe Grande, Andrea Graziani, Raffaele Scafa, Andrea Garolla, Daniele Santi and Alberto Ferlin
Life 2024, 14(8), 969; https://doi.org/10.3390/life14080969 - 31 Jul 2024
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2087
Abstract
Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) administration is applied in the management of subjects affected by hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Whilst this application is widely recognized and established alone or in combination with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a similar strategy is empirically advocated in idiopathic male factor infertility [...] Read more.
Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) administration is applied in the management of subjects affected by hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Whilst this application is widely recognized and established alone or in combination with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a similar strategy is empirically advocated in idiopathic male factor infertility (MFI). In this setting, FSH therapy has been used to increase sperm quantity, quality, and pregnancy rate when FSH plasma concentrations are below 8 IU/L and when the seminal tract is not obstructed. In the literature, several studies suggested that giving FSH to patients with idiopathic MFI increases sperm count and motility, raising the overall pregnancy rate. However, this efficacy seems to be limited, and about 10–18 men should be treated to achieve one pregnancy. Thus, several papers suggest the need to move from a replacement approach to an overstimulating approach in the management of FSH therapy in idiopathic MFI. To this aim, it is imperative to determine some pharmacologic markers of FSH efficacy. Furthermore, it should be useful in clinical practice to distinguish, before starting the treatment, among patients who might respond or not to FSH treatment. Indeed, previous studies suggest that infertile men who have normal levels of gonadotropins in plasma might not respond to FSH treatment and about 50% of patients might be defined as “non-responders”. For these reasons, identifying predictive markers of FSH action in spermatogenesis and clinical markers of response to FSH treatment is a fascinating area of study that might lead to new developments with the aim of achieving personalization of the treatment of male infertility. From this perspective, seminal parameters (i.e., spermatid count), testicular cytology, genetic assessment, and miRNA or protein markers in the future might be used to create a tailored FSH therapy plan. The personalization of FSH treatment is mandatory to minimize side effects, to avoid lost time with ineffective treatments, and to improve the efficacy, predicting the most efficient dose and the duration of the treatment. This narrative review’s objective is to discuss the role of the different putative factors which have been proposed to predict the response to FSH treatment in idiopathic infertile men. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnostic and Therapeutic Advances in Endocrine Disorders)
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11 pages, 965 KiB  
Review
Prevalence and Clinical Management of Adrenal Tumour-Related Hyperandrogenism: A Narrative Review
by Sanja Medenica, Dusan Zivanovic, Domenico Milardi, Carmine Bruno, Ljubica Batkoska, Emanuela Traini and Alfredo Pontecorvi
Life 2024, 14(3), 360; https://doi.org/10.3390/life14030360 - 9 Mar 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3461
Abstract
Hyperandrogenism is a condition in which the levels of androgen hormones in the blood are significantly increased and could be of an adrenal or ovarian origin. The adrenal androgens, normally secreted by the zona reticularis, are steroid hormones with weak androgen activity. The [...] Read more.
Hyperandrogenism is a condition in which the levels of androgen hormones in the blood are significantly increased and could be of an adrenal or ovarian origin. The adrenal androgens, normally secreted by the zona reticularis, are steroid hormones with weak androgen activity. The causes of hyperandrogenism are diverse and could be endogenous and exogenous. Androgen excess affecting different tissues and organs results in clinical features such as acne, hirsutism, virilization, and reproductive dysfunction such as oligomenorrhoea/amenorrhoea. Although androgen excess is rarely associated with adrenal tumours, it is important as it could be predictive of malignancy. A careful evaluation of the androgen pattern, also in patients with clear signs of hyperandrogenism, could be useful. Laboratory evaluation should focus on measuring total testosterone levels, followed by the estimation of other androgens such as dehydroepiandrosterone and androstenedione, and using visualisation procedures in the further management. The treatment of adrenal hyperandrogenism is eminently surgical, in consideration of the frequent malignant origin. The aim of this review is to elaborate and summarize the prevalence and clinical management of hyperandrogenism of an adrenal origin by describing the physiological mechanisms of adrenal androgen steroidogenesis, the clinical manifestations of hyperandrogenism with a special reference to hyperandrogenism in adrenal adenomas and carcinomas, and the diagnostic methods that will lead us to establishing the correct diagnosis and different treatment options to manage this condition according to the clinical presentation of the patient. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnostic and Therapeutic Advances in Endocrine Disorders)
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