Publications (3)13.7 Total impact
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Article: Hyperplasia-adenoma sequence in pituitary tumorigenesis related to aryl hydrocarbon receptor interacting protein gene mutation.
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ABSTRACT: Mutations of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor interacting protein (AIP) gene are associated with pituitary adenomas that usually occur as familial isolated pituitary adenomas (FIPA). Detailed pathological and tumor genetic data on AIP mutation-related pituitary adenomas are not sufficient. Non-identical twin females presented as adolescents to the emergency department with severe progressive headache caused by large pituitary macroadenomas require emergency neurosurgery; one patient had incipient pituitary apoplexy. Post-surgically, the patients were found to have silent somatotrope adenomas on pathological examination. Furthermore, the light microscopic, immunohistochemical, and electron microscopic studies demonstrated tumors of virtually identical characteristics. The adenomas were accompanied by multiple areas of pituitary hyperplasia, which stained positively for GH, indicating somatotrope hyperplasia. Genetic analyses of the FIPA kindred revealed a novel E216X mutation of the AIP gene, which was present in both the affected patients and the unaffected father. Molecular analysis of surgical specimens revealed loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in the adenoma but showed that LOH was not present in the hyperplastic pituitary tissue from either patient. AIP immunostaining confirmed normal staining in the hyperplastic tissue and decreased staining in the adenoma in the tumors from both patients. These results demonstrate that patients with AIP germline mutation can present with silent somatotrope pituitary adenomas. The finding of somatotrope hyperplasia unaccompanied by AIP LOH suggests that LOH at the AIP locus might be a late event in a potential progression from hyperplastic to adenomatous tissue.Endocrine Related Cancer 03/2011; 18(3):347-56. · 4.36 Impact Factor -
Article: Interferon-β but not Glatiramer acetate stimulates CXCL10 secretion in primary cultures of thyrocytes: a clue for understanding the different risks of thyroid dysfunctions in patients with multiple sclerosis treated with either of the two drugs.
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ABSTRACT: Autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) has been reported in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) receiving interferon-beta (IFN-β), but not in those receiving Glatiramer acetate (GA). CXCL10 is a chemokine playing a pathogenetic role in AITD and MS. Our aim was to evaluate the effects on CXCL10 secretion of IFN-β and GA, alone and in combination with TNF-α, in primary cultures of thyrocytes (PCT). Significant and dose-dependent secretions of CXCL10 were induced by IFN-β but not GA. TNF-α synergistically increased IFN-β induced CXCL10 secretion. These results may provide an explanation for the occurrence of AITD during IFN-β, but not during GA, treatment for MS.Journal of neuroimmunology 03/2011; 234(1-2):161-4. · 2.84 Impact Factor -
Article: Clinical characteristics and therapeutic responses in patients with germ-line AIP mutations and pituitary adenomas: an international collaborative study.
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ABSTRACT: AIP mutations (AIPmut) give rise to a pituitary adenoma predisposition that occurs in familial isolated pituitary adenomas and less often in sporadic cases. The clinical and therapeutic features of AIPmut-associated pituitary adenomas have not been studied comprehensively. The objective of the study was to assess clinical/therapeutic characteristics of AIPmut pituitary adenomas. This study was an international, multicenter, retrospective case collection/database analysis. The study was conducted at 36 tertiary referral endocrine and clinical genetics departments. Patients included 96 patients with germline AIPmut and pituitary adenomas and 232 matched AIPmut-negative acromegaly controls. The AIPmut population was predominantly young and male (63.5%); first symptoms occurred as children/adolescents in 50%. At diagnosis, most tumors were macroadenomas (93.3%); extension and invasion was common. Somatotropinomas comprised 78.1% of the cohort; there were also prolactinomas (n = 13), nonsecreting adenomas (n = 7), and a TSH-secreting adenoma. AIPmut somatotropinomas were larger (P = 0.00026), with higher GH levels (P = 0.00068), more frequent extension (P = 0.018) and prolactin cosecretion (P = 0.00023), and occurred 2 decades before controls (P < 0.000001). Gigantism was more common in the AIPmut group (P < 0.000001). AIPmut somatotropinoma patients underwent more surgical interventions (P = 0.00069) and had lower decreases in GH (P = 0.00037) and IGF-I (P = 0.028) and less tumor shrinkage with somatostatin analogs (P < 0.00001) vs. controls. AIPmut prolactinomas occurred generally in young males and frequently required surgery or radiotherapy. AIPmut pituitary adenomas have clinical features that may negatively impact treatment efficacy. Predisposition for aggressive disease in young patients, often in a familial setting, suggests that earlier diagnosis of AIPmut pituitary adenomas may have clinical utility.The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism 11/2010; 95(11):E373-83. · 6.50 Impact Factor
