Germline CDKN1B variant type and site are associated with phenotype in MEN4

Multiple endocrine neoplasia 4 (MEN4) is a rare multiglandular endocrine neoplasia syndrome clinically hallmarked by primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), pituitary adenoma (PitAd), and neuroendocrine tumors (NET), clinically overlapping MEN1. The underlying mutated gene - CDKN1B, encodes for the cell-cycle regulator p27. Possible genotype-phenotype correlations in MEN4 have not been thoroughly assessed. Prompted by the findings in three Israeli MEN4 kindreds, we performed a literature review on published and unpublished data from previously reported MEN4/CDKN1B cases. Univariate analysis analyzed time-dependent risks for developing PHPT, PitAd, or NET by variant type and position along the gene. Overall, 74 MEN4 cases were analyzed. PHPT risk was 53.4% by age 60 years (mean age at diagnosis age 50.6 ± 13.9 years), risk for PitAd was 23.2% and risk for NET was 16.2% (34.4 ± 21.4 and 52.9 ± 13.9 years, respectively). The frameshift variant p.Q107fs was the most common variant identified (4/41 (9.7%) kindreds). Patients with indels had higher risk for PHPT vs point mutations (log-rank, P = 0.029). Variants in codons 94-96 were associated with higher risk for PHPT (P < 0.001) and PitAd (P = 0.031). To conclude, MEN4 is clinically distinct from MEN1, with lower risk and older age for PHPT diagnosis. We report recurrent CDKN1B frameshift variants and possible genotype-phenotype correlations.

High Prevalence of Acromegaly in Different Industrial Areas: A Population-based Study from Haifa and Western Galilee District in Northern Israel

BACKGROUND

National registries for acromegaly and population-based data make an important contribution to disease understanding and management. Data concerning the epidemiology of acromegaly in Israel is scanty.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the epidemiology of acromegaly in different industrial areas in northern Israel.

METHODS

Data from adult patients diagnosed with acromegaly from 2000 to 2020, living in Haifa and the western Galilee District were collected using the electronic database and medical records from Clalit Health Services. The prevalence of acromegaly in three distinct areas and overall were reported. In addition, other epidemiological data including associated co-morbidities, pituitary tumor size, and treatment modalities were collected.

RESULTS

We identified 77 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of acromegaly. The overall prevalence was 155 cases/106 inhabitants without statistically significant differences between the three areas. The mean age at diagnosis was 50 ± 1.8 years and the male to female ratio was 1.1. Macroadenoma and microadenoma were identified in 44 (57%) and 25 (33%), respectively. The frequency rate of acromegaly-associated co-morbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, carpal tunnel syndrome, and osteoporosis was similar to previously reported studies. The mean body mass index (BMI) was 29 ± 5.6 kg/m2 .Obesity, with a BMI ≥ of 30 kg/m2, was found in 29 patients (38%). The majority of patients underwent transsphenoidal surgery 67 (87%). Normalized insulin-like growth factor 1 was reported in 64 (83%).

CONCLUSIONS

A high prevalence of acromegaly was found in northern Israel. The pituitary microadenoma frequency rate is the highest reported.

Long-term safety and efficacy of long-acting pasireotide in acromegaly

BACKGROUND

Pasireotide long acting (LAR) can be effective in normalizing insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 level in acromegaly patients inadequately controlled by octreotide or lanreotide.

OBJECTIVE

Determine the long-term efficacy and safety of pasireotide, including time to biochemical control and time to best response, and risk for diabetes mellitus.

METHODS

A retrospective multicenter study investigating the efficacy and safety of pasireotide LAR treatment in patients with active acromegaly treated for >12 months.

RESULTS

The study included 19 patients (10 men; mean age ± SD, 48.0 ± 12.9 years) treated with pasireotide for a mean of 50 ± 36 months. During the follow-up, 4 patients discontinued pasireotide treatment. Pasireotide LAR produced a tolerable and long-term significant biochemical response in 15 of 19 patients (79.0%). Mean time to IGF-1 normalization from pasireotide LAR initiation was 13.6 ± 16.9 months with early biochemical normalization (<12 months) evident in 11 (64.7%) patients and delayed IGF-1 normalization in 6 (35.2%) patients. Nadir IGF-1 values were recorded within the first 12 months in 6 patients (35.3%), while in 11 patients (64.7%) lowest values were reported after >12 months of treatment, including 4 of 11 patients with early IGF-1 normalization. New-onset diabetes was documented in 5 of 7 patients with pre-diabetes and in 1 of 5 patients with normal glucose homeostasis at baseline. Among patients with pre-diabetes or diabetes mellitus prior to initiating pasireotide, mean HbA1c increase was 0.56 ± 1.0%.

CONCLUSIONS

The results support the long-term efficacy and safety of pasireotide LAR for acromegaly and support the potential delayed effect of treatment on IGF-1 normalization.

Safety and Efficacy of Oral Human Parathyroid Hormone (1-34) in Hypoparathyroidism: An Open-Label Study

The standard treatment of primary hypoparathyroidism (hypoPT) with oral calcium supplementation and calcitriol (or an analog), intended to control hypocalcemia and hyperphosphatemia and avoid hypercalciuria, remains challenging for both patients and clinicians. In 2015, human parathyroid hormone (hPTH) (1-84) administered as a daily subcutaneous injection was approved as an adjunctive treatment in patients who cannot be well controlled on the standard treatments alone. This open-label study aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of an oral hPTH(1-34) formulation as an adjunct to standard treatment in adult subjects with hypoparathyroidism. Oral hPTH(1-34) tablets (0.75 mg human hPTH(1-34) acetate) were administered four times daily for 16 consecutive weeks, and changes in calcium supplementation and alfacalcidol use, albumin-adjusted serum calcium (ACa), serum phosphate, urinary calcium excretion, and quality of life throughout the study were monitored. Of the 19 enrolled subjects, 15 completed the trial per protocol. A median 42% reduction from baseline in exogenous calcium dose was recorded (p = .001), whereas median serum ACa levels remained above the lower target ACa levels for hypoPT patients (>7.5 mg/dL) throughout the study. Median serum phosphate levels rapidly decreased (23%, p = .0003) 2 hours after the first dose and were maintained within the normal range for the duration of the study. A notable, but not statistically significant, median decrease (21%, p = .07) in 24-hour urine calcium excretion was observed between the first and last treatment days. Only four possible drug-related, non-serious adverse events were reported over the 16-week study, all by the same patient. A small but statistically significant increase from baseline quality of life (5%, p = .03) was reported by the end of the treatment period. Oral hPTH(1-34) treatment was generally safe and well tolerated and allowed for a reduction in exogenous calcium supplementation, while maintaining normocalcemia in adult patients with hypoparathyroidism. © 2021 The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).

Hyperbaric oxygen and focused rehabilitation program: a feasibility study in improving upper limb motor function after stroke

Neuroplasticity and recovery after stroke can be enhanced by a rehabilitation program pertinent to upper limb motor function exercise and mental imagery (EMI) as well as hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). We assessed feasibility and safety of the combined approach utilizing both HBOT and EMI, and to derive preliminary estimates of its efficacy. In this randomized controlled trial, 27 patients with upper extremity hemiparesis at 3-48 months after stroke were randomized to receive either a complementary rehabilitation program of HBOT-EMI (intervention group), or EMI alone (control group). Feasibility and safety were assessed as total session attendance, duration of sessions, attrition rates, missing data, and intervention-related adverse events. Secondary clinical outcomes were assessed with both objective tools and self-reported measures at baseline, 8 weeks (end of treatment), and 12-weeks follow-up. Session attendance, duration, and attrition rate did not differ between the groups; there were no serious adverse events. Compared with baseline, there were significant sustained improvements of objective and subjective outcomes' measures in the intervention group, and a single improvement in an objective measure in the control group. Between-group outcome comparisons were not statistically significant. This study demonstrated that the combination HBOT-EMI was a safe and feasible approach in patients recovering from chronic stroke. There were also trends for improved motor function of the affected upper limb after the treatments. ClinicalTrials.gov registration no.: NCT02666469. Novelty HBOT combined with an upper limb exercise and mental imagery rehabilitation program is feasible and safe in chronic stroke patients. This combined approach showed trends for improved functional recovery.

Increased Risk of Antithyroid Drug Agranulocytosis Associated with Amiodarone-Induced Thyrotoxicosis: A Population-Based Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Agranulocytosis occurs in 0.2-0.5% of patients treated with the antithyroid drugs (ATDs) methimazole and propylthiouracil. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the risk of ATD-related agranulocytosis in patients with amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis (AIT), and to compare it with the agranulocytosis risk in patients with thyrotoxicosis due to other etiologies treated with ATDs.

METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study. Participants were 14,781 adult patients with thyrotoxicosis, newly treated with an ATD between January 1, 2002, and December 31, 2015. Among them were 593 patients treated by ATDs due to AIT. The main outcome measures were incidence rates and crude and adjusted hazard ratios using univariate and multivariable Cox regression models for ATD-related agranulocytosis within one year of treatment initiation, in association with AIT.

RESULTS

Agranulocytosis occurred in 28 (0.19%) of patients newly treated with methimazole or propylthiouracil during the first year of follow-up. Of these 28 patients, 8/593 (1.35%) were AIT patients and 20/14,188 (0.14%) were thyrotoxic patients that was not AIT related (p < 0.001). Incidence rates were 22 (9.47-43.36) cases/1000 person-years of follow-up in AIT, and 1.79 (1.09-2.76)/1000 person-years of follow-up in non-AIT thyrotoxicosis (p < 0.0001). In univariate Cox regression analysis, risk for ATD agranulocytosis associated with AIT was 9.71 (4.28-22.05) compared to the risk in non-AIT thyrotoxicosis. In a multivariable model, adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, smoking history, year of cohort entry, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, renal failure, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, anti-aggregants, and dose of ATDs, the risk associated with AIT was 5.70 (2.14-15.21). In a model adjusted for a propensity score to receive amiodarone, risk for ATD agranulocytosis associated with AIT was 6.32 (1.22-32.70).

CONCLUSIONS

ATD use is associated with a higher risk for agranulocytosis in patients with AIT.

Efficacy and safety of long-acting pasireotide in patients with somatostatin-resistant acromegaly: a multicenter study

INTRODUCTION

Pasireotide, a multi-somatostatin receptor (SSTR)-ligand with high affinity for SSTR₅ was recently approved for acromegaly treatment.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A retrospective multicenter study investigating the efficacy and safety of long-acting (LAR) pasireotide treatment in 35 patients (20 males) with active acromegaly (28 macroadenomas).

RESULTS

Mean baseline insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) at diagnosis was 3.1 ± 1.3 × ULN. All but five patients have undergone pituitary surgery and six received sellar radiotherapy. All remained with active acromegaly despite first-generation somatostatin analogue (SSA) treatment. Immediately before pasireotide-LAR initiation, eighteen patients were under SSA monotherapy and one with pegvisomant. The remaining patients received combination therapy with SSA and pegvisomant, n = 9 (two received cabergoline also); SSA and cabergoline, n = 4; pegvisomant and cabergoline, n = 1. Two were untreated. Mean IGF-1 was 1.76 ± 0.9 ULN before pasireotide. Pasireotide-LAR starting dose was 40 mg/4 weeks in most patients. IGF-1 normalized in 19 patients, IGF-1 between 1-1.2 × ULN was reached in five, and in additional two patients IGF-1 was significantly suppressed. No effect was seen in nine patients. Pasireotide dose was reduced by 20 mg in six patients with excellent response, with preserved IGF-1 control in five. Severe headaches in six patients disappeared or improved with pasireotide. Side effects consisted of symptomatic cholelithiasis in one patient and deterioration of glucose control in 22 patients, requiring initiation or intensification of antidiabetic treatment in seventeen. One patient developed diabetic ketoacidosis.

CONCLUSIONS

In the real-life scenario ~54% of patients with acromegaly resistant to first-generation SSA, may normalize IGF-1 with pasireotide; however, 63% experienced glucose control deterioration.

Total versus hemithyroidectomy for microscopic papillary thyroid cancer

BACKGROUND

No increased mortality has been reported in patients with thyroid papillary microcarcinoma (PMC); however, neck recurrences and distant metastases have been described. In this study, we compare patients' outcomes after total thyroidectomy vs hemithyroidectomy for treatment of thyroid PMC.

METHODS

Two hundred and ninety-three patients from two major medical centers in Israel were included. The mean follow-up period was 7.2±6.8 yr.

RESULTS

Total thyroidectomy was performed in 214 patients and hemithyroidectomy in 79 patients. Mean tumor size was 6.3±3 mm. Lymph-node (LN) metastases and extraglandular extension were more frequent in the total thyroidectomy group than in the hemithyroidectomy group, 24.8% vs 1.3% (p<0.001) and 11.7% vs 3.8% (p=0.042), respectively. The cumulative incidence of recurrence at the end of follow-up was 13.2% in the total thyroidectomy group and 14.3% in the hemithyroidectomy group (p=ns). The incidence of recurrence was higher in patients with LN involvement in both groups. Considering low risk patients only (monofocal tumors, no LN involvement, no extraglandular extension; no.=63 in the total thyroidectomy group vs no.=60 in the hemithyroidectomy group) neck recurrence was found in 10% of patients in the hemithyroidectomy group but none in the total thyroidectomy group. In the hemithyroidectomy group, all locoregional recurrences were diagnosed using ultrasonography, compared to 47.6% in the total thyroidectomy group.

CONCLUSION

For patients with monofocal disease within the thyroid gland and no LN involvement, hemithyroidectomy can be considered an option, bearing in mind a higher risk for recurrence. For all other patients with PMC, we propose total thyroidectomy as initial treatment.

"ECG variability contour" method reveals amplitude changes in both ischemic patients and normal subjects during Dipyridamole stress: a preliminary report

To detect and quantify consistent ECG amplitude changes, the "ECG variability contour" (EVC) method was proposed. Using this method we investigated amplitude changes in subjects undergoing myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) with Dipyridamole (Dp). Fifty-three patients having reversible perfusion defects and 19 normal subjects (NS) who were free of: perfusion defects on their MPI, standard ST-T changes during Dp stress, and a negative clinical follow up. Mean ∏¹(<∏¹>) was similar for the NS and patient group (6.2 ± 6.1 vs. 6.3 ± 6.2, P = 0.95). <∏¹> was 4.6 ± 3.0 in patients not having ST-T changes during Dp stress (n = 42), whereas in patients having ST-T changes (n = 11) it was 13.1 ± 10.2 (P < 0.001). For both groups <∏(QRS)> was smaller than <∏(ST)>, which in turn was smaller than <∏(T)>. The values of <∏(QRS)>, <∏(ST)>, and <∏(T)> for the NS, patients without and with ST-T changes were: 26.8 ± 28.6, 42.6 ± 41.8, 44.9 ± 36.5; 19.6 ± 20.8, 26.4 ± 31.4, 38.7 ± 27.3; 51.0 ± 30.0, 71.0 ± 36.8, 75.1 ± 20.9, respectively (P < 0.05 for all comparisons of patients with versus without ST-T changes). This study showed that Dp stress, with or without hypoperfusion, had a clear effect on myocyte electrophysiology, expressed by consistent ECG amplitude changes, detected by the EVC method. The EVC method did not distinguish between NS and patients in this clinical setting.

Efficacy of long-term lanreotide treatment in patients with acromegaly

We investigated the effectiveness of lanreotide for the treatment of active acromegaly in a retrospectively multicenter case series including 53 patients (24 male, 29 female; mean age at diagnosis, 49.5 +/- 13.9 years) with acromegaly treated with lanreotide in nine different centers. Mean tumor diameter was 20 +/- 13 mm; mean basal levels of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) were 21.3 +/- 26.3 and 579 +/- 177 mug/l, respectively. The primary mode of treatment was surgery in 70% of patients. Twenty-nine patients received only lanreotide (Prolonged Release, Autogel), whereas 24 subjects were also treated with octreotide at another treatment stage. Primary therapy with lanreotide was administered in five patients. Maximal monthly dose of lanreotide Autogel (n = 44) was 60 mg in 45%, 90 mg in 26%, 120 mg in 21% and 180 mg in 8%. During 36 months of lanreotide treatment, mean IGF-I levels decreased from 443 +/- 238 to 276 +/- 147 mug/l (P < 0.001), and mean GH levels, from 5.2 +/- 6.4 to 3.2 +/- 3.0 mug/l (P < 0.001). IGF-I levels normalized in 51% of patients and decreased by >50% towards normal in 32%; the normalization rate was higher in women (65%) than men (33%, P = 0.04). Safe random GH levels (</=2 mug/l) were achieved in 49% of patients. Both IGF-I normalization and safe GH levels were reached in 32% of the cohort. Lanreotide is an effective treatment for active acromegaly. Female sex was associated with higher rates of IGF-I normalization.