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J Oral Facial Pain Headache 2021 Spring;35(2):105-112

Aims: To determine the relationship between hormonal contraceptive (HC) use and painful symptoms, particularly those associated with headache and painful temporomandibular disorders (TMD).

Methods: Data from the Orofacial Pain: Prospective Evaluation and Risk Assessment (OPPERA) prospective cohort study were used. During the 2. Read More

Histochem Cell Biol 2021 Jun 15. Epub 2021 Jun 15.

Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, 602-8566, Japan.

Estrogen-related receptor (ERR), a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, consists of three subtypes (α, β, γ) and has strong homology with estrogen receptor. No endogenous ligands have been identified for ERRs, but they play key roles in metabolic, hormonal, and developmental processes as transcription factors without ligand binding. Although subnuclear dynamics are essential for nuclear events including nuclear receptor-mediated transcriptional regulation, the dynamics of ERRs are poorly understood. Read More

Recenti Prog Med 2021 Jun;112(6):458-464

Unit of Medical Oncology, Brest Unit located at the Mater Salutis Hospital in Legnago, Italy.

Introduction: The adherence to recognized guidelines and the constant monitoring of performance throughout quality indicators (QIs) are strategic tools to improve the quality of care. The study is aimed to assess the effect of the EUSOMA (European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists) certification process on the quality of breast cancer care of an EUSOMA certified Breast Unit (BU) of Northern Italy.

Materials And Methods: Seventeen mandatory and recommended EUSOMA QIs, based on 594, were analysed for the years 2015-2018. Read More

Endocr Relat Cancer 2021 Jun 1. Epub 2021 Jun 1.

S Kaochar, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.

Based on pioneering work by Huggins, Hodges and others, hormonal therapies have been established as an effective approach for advanced prostate cancer (PC) for the past 8 decades. However, it quickly became evident that androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) via surgical or medical castration accomplishes inadequate inhibition of the androgen receptor (AR) axis, with clinical resistance inevitably emerging due to adrenal and intratumoral sources of androgens and other mechanisms. Early efforts to augment ADT by adding adrenal-targeting agents (aminoglutethimide, ketoconazole) or AR antagonists (flutamide, bicalutamide, nilutamide, cyproterone) failed to achieve overall survival (OS) benefits, although they did exhibit some evidence of limited clinical activity. Read More

Curr Oncol Rep 2021 Jun 14;23(8):97. Epub 2021 Jun 14.

UCL Cancer Institute, University College CRUK and UCL Cancer Trials Centre, London, WC1E 6DD, UK.

Purpose Of Review: Advanced epithelial ovarian cancer remains the most lethal gynaecological cancer. Most patients with advanced disease will relapse within 3 years after primary treatment with surgery and chemotherapy. Recurrences become increasing difficult to treat due to the emergence of drug resistance and 5-year survival has changed little over the last decade. Read More

Ann Med 2021 Dec;53(1):908-915

Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences for Mother, Child and Adult, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Modena, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.

Introduction: To evaluate the actual perceptions of hormonal contraceptives (HC) in women of reproductive age in comparison with similar concerns of postmenopausal women in relation to hormone therapy (HT).

Materials And Methods: A questionnaire-based study was conducted in a population of 370 women, 198 (53.5%) premenopausal and 172 (46. Read More

Front Oncol 2021 28;11:559161. Epub 2021 May 28.

Department of Medical Oncology, HealthCare Global Enterprises Limited, Bangalore, India.

Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy has revolutionized the field of cancer immunotherapy. Even though it has shown a durable response in some solid tumors, several patients do not respond to these agents, irrespective of predictive biomarker (PD-L1, MSI, TMB) status. Multiple preclinical, as well as early-phase clinical studies are ongoing for combining immune checkpoint inhibitors with anti-cancer and/or non-anti-cancer drugs for beneficial therapeutic interactions. Read More

J Contemp Brachytherapy 2021 Jun 5;13(3):245-253. Epub 2021 May 5.

Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.

Purpose: Until now, most long-term results for brachytherapy only has been published for low-dose-rate (LDR) seeds. Due to radiobiology reasons, high-dose-rate (HDR) mono-brachytherapy is of growing interest. The aim of the study was to report long-term biochemical control rate and toxicities with HDR monotherapy. Read More

J Parkinsons Dis 2021 Jun 5. Epub 2021 Jun 5.

University Bordeaux, INRAE, Bordeaux INP, NutriNeuro, UMR 1286, Bordeaux, France.

Evidence shows that altered retinoic acid signaling may contribute to the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD). Retinoic acid is the bioactive derivative of the lipophilic vitamin A. Vitamin A is involved in several important homeostatic processes, such as cell differentiation, antioxidant activity, inflammation and neuronal plasticity. Read More

Mol Aspects Med 2021 Jun 10:100973. Epub 2021 Jun 10.

Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutics, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Blvd., Kansas City, KS, 66160, USA. Electronic address:

The liver is a highly dynamic metabolic organ that plays critical roles in plasma protein synthesis, gluconeogenesis and glycogen storage, cholesterol metabolism and bile acid synthesis as well as drug/xenobiotic metabolism and detoxification. Research from the past decades indicate that autophagy, the cellular catabolic process mediated by lysosomes, plays an important role in maintaining cellular and metabolic homeostasis in the liver. Hepatic autophagy fluctuates with hormonal cues and the availability of nutrients that respond to fed and fasting states as well as circadian activities. Read More

Radiother Oncol 2021 Jun 10. Epub 2021 Jun 10.

Department of Radiation Oncology, Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address:

Background And Purpose: To summarize the clinical outcomes of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for metastatic breast cancer (mBC) from a large institution.

Materials And Methods: Patients with mBC who received extra-cranial SBRT to metastatic lesions from 2011 to 2017 were identified. Treatment indications were: oligometastases, oligoprogression, and local control of dominant tumor (CDT). Read More

Front Neuroendocrinol 2021 Jun 10:100927. Epub 2021 Jun 10.

Healthy Ageing Program, Centre for Medical Research (Royal Melbourne Hospital), Faculty of Medicine Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.

There are strong indicators that sex hormones have a role in cognition. There has been more than 100 years of dementia research without yielding a disease-modifying therapy or cure and so it is important to explore knowledge gaps in our understanding of this increasingly prevalent fatal disease which currently limit our success. In this paper we discuss the role of sex hormones at the intersection between vascular disease and dementia, in light of the mounting literature covering the shared risk factors, pathological features alongside the timeline of hormonal change with the evolution of vascular and neurodegenerative disease. Read More

Seizure 2021 May 29;91:75-80. Epub 2021 May 29.

Pediatric Neurology Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.

Objective: To determine whether high-dose, oral pyridoxine in combination with standard adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) therapy has superior effectiveness than ACTH therapy alone in increasing cessation of epileptic spasms for children with West syndrome.

Methods: This study was an open-label, randomized controlled trial with masked endpoint assessments. Eligible children with West syndrome, age ranged 3-18 months, were randomized into the intervention (n = 43) and the standard arm (n = 37) of therapy. Read More

Contraception 2021 Jun 9. Epub 2021 Jun 9.

The Lundquist Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA.

Background: Racial disparities in unintended pregnancy and contraceptive use in the United States are not mediated by access to family planning services alone. Rather, a history of medical mistrust underlies Black Americans' adoption of new medical technologies, inclusive of contraception. Efforts to develop hormonal male contraceptives need to incorporate Black Americans' experiences and perspectives so that new contraceptives enable their reproductive goals and promote gender equity. Read More

Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2021 Jun 9. Epub 2021 Jun 9.

Earle A Chiles Research Institute, Providence Portland Medical Center, Portland, OR, USA.

Background: Oncogenic alterations in RET represent important therapeutic targets in thyroid cancer. We aimed to assess the safety and antitumour activity of pralsetinib, a highly potent, selective RET inhibitor, in patients with RET-altered thyroid cancers.

Methods: ARROW, a phase 1/2, open-label study done in 13 countries across 71 sites in community and hospital settings, enrolled patients 18 years or older with RET-altered locally advanced or metastatic solid tumours, including RET-mutant medullary thyroid and RET fusion-positive thyroid cancers, and an Eastern Co-operative Oncology Group performance status of 0-2 (later limited to 0-1 in a protocol amendment). Read More

J Endocrinol Invest 2021 Jun 12. Epub 2021 Jun 12.

Andrology, Women's Endocrinology and Gender Incongruence Unit, Department of Experimental, Clinical and Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Viale Gaetano Pieraccini 6, 50139, Florence, Italy.

Purpose: To explore the effects of 6-month systemic testosterone (T) administration on clitoral color Doppler ultrasound (CDU) parameters in women with female sexual dysfunction (FSD).

Methods: 81 women with FSD were retrospectively recruited. Data on CDU parameters at baseline and after 6 months with four different treatments were available and thus further longitudinally analyzed: local non-hormonal moisturizers (NH group), n = 37; transdermal 2% T gel 300 mcg/day (T group), n = 23; local estrogens (E group), n = 12; combined therapy (T + E group), n = 9. Read More

Clin Cancer Res 2021 Jun 9. Epub 2021 Jun 9.

Prostate and Urologic Cancers Program, Yale Cancer Center.

Purpose: Men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) have limited treatment options after progressing on hormonal therapy and chemotherapy. Here, we evaluate the safety and efficacy of atezolizumab (anti-PD-L1) + radium-223 dichloride in men with mCRPC.

Experimental Design: This phase Ib study evaluated atezolizumab + radium-223 in men with mCRPC and bone and lymph node and/or visceral metastases that progressed after androgen pathway inhibitor treatment. Read More

Ther Adv Endocrinol Metab 2021 22;12:20420188211010105. Epub 2021 Apr 22.

Department of Maternal-Infant and Urological Sciences, Prostate Cancer Unit, "Sapienza" Rome University, Policlinico Umberto I Hospital, Rome, Italy.

The pandemic acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) named COVID-19 is causing a severe health emergency, and an individual's hormonal milieu may play an important role in both susceptibility to infection and severity of clinical course. We analyzed the role of testosterone in the immune response, and we hypothesized possible mechanisms to explain the high incidence of COVID-19 infection and a worse clinical course in elderly male patients. Testosterone may impair the immune response, and this effect could explain the greater susceptibility of men to infection. Read More

Clin Epigenetics 2021 Jun 8;13(1):125. Epub 2021 Jun 8.

Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Vico L. De Crecchio 7, 80138, Naplei, Italy.

Radiotherapy (RT) is one of the mainstay treatments for prostate cancer (PCa), a highly prevalent neoplasm among males worldwide. About 30% of newly diagnosed PCa patients receive RT with a curative intent. However, biochemical relapse occurs in 20-40% of advanced PCa treated with RT either alone or in combination with adjuvant-hormonal therapy. Read More

Am J Pathol 2021 Jun 5. Epub 2021 Jun 5.

Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute, , McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, 237 Barton Street East Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, 237 Barton Street East Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address:

Insulin resistance results when peripheral tissues, including adipose, skeletal muscle and liver, do not respond appropriately to insulin causing the ineffective uptake of glucose. This represents a risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Along with abdominal obesity, hypertension, high levels of triglycerides, and low levels of high-density lipoproteins, insulin resistance is a component of a condition known as the metabolic syndrome, which significantly increases the risk of developing cardiometabolic disorders. Read More

Breast Cancer Res Treat 2021 Jun 8. Epub 2021 Jun 8.

Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Bldg 149, 13th Street, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA.

Purpose: Therapeutic efficacy of hormonal therapies to target estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer is limited by the acquisition of ligand-independent ESR1 mutations, which confer treatment resistance to aromatase inhibitors (AIs). Monitoring for the emergence of such mutations may enable individualized therapy. We thus assessed CTC- and ctDNA-based detection of ESR1 mutations with the aim of evaluating non-invasive approaches for the determination of endocrine resistance. Read More

Ann Acad Med Singap 2021 05;50(5):402-410

Department of Endocrinology, National University Health System, Singapore.

Introduction: Childhood radiation exposure is a known risk factor for thyroid malignancy and dysfunction. However, local data are limited and there is no consensus on the modality and frequency of screening in this high-risk group.

Methods: Retrospective analysis study evaluating patients with childhood radiation exposure in 2006-2016 and minimum of 1-year follow-up. Read More

J Physiol Pharmacol 2021 Feb 3;72(1). Epub 2021 Jun 3.

Department of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.

The safety and effectiveness of nutricetics suggest that they may offer an alternative to pharmaceutical and surgical therapy for hormone-dependent disorders, such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). We investigated the effects of Linum usitatissimum seed oil (LSO) on ovarian functionality, its molecular targets, and the oxidative response in hyperandrogenism-induced polycystic ovary. The composition of LSO has been analyzed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS). Read More

J Physiol Pharmacol 2021 Feb 3;72(1). Epub 2021 Jun 3.

Department of Endocrinology, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University in Cracow, Cracow, Poland.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder affecting women of reproductive age. It is characterized by hormonal, reproductive and metabolic disturbances, including hyperandrogenism, altered gonadotropin level, ovarian cysts and ovulatory dysfunction as well as insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia and dyslipidemia. It was shown that increased insulin concentration is a plausible factor in the pathogenesis of PCOS. Read More

Future Oncol 2021 Jun 8. Epub 2021 Jun 8.

Department of Cancer Medicine, Institut Gustave Roussy and University of Paris Saclay, Villejuif, 94800, France.

Despite recent advances, treatment options for men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) progressing after next-generation hormonal agents (NHAs) are limited and provide only modest survival benefit. Thus, an unmet need remains for mCRPC patients after treatment with targeted endocrine therapy or NHA therapy. Pembrolizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody for PD-1, has been found to have activity as monotherapy in patients with mCRPC and as combination therapy in a Phase Ib/II study with docetaxel and prednisone/prednisolone for patients previously treated with enzalutamide or abiraterone acetate. Read More

Mutagenesis 2021 Jun 7. Epub 2021 Jun 7.

Department of the Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequent malignancy in women accounting for approximately 2 million new cases worldwide annually. Several genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors are known to be involved in BC development and progression, including alterations in post-transcriptional gene regulation mediated by microRNAs (miRNAs). Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in miRNA binding sites (miRSNPs) in 3'-untranslated (UTR) regions of target genes may affect miRNA-binding affinity and consequently modulate gene expression. Read More

J Investig Med High Impact Case Rep 2021 Jan-Dec;9:23247096211022186

Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Marshall University, Huntington, WV, USA.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women in North America. Hormone receptor positive (HR+) and HER2 negative (HER2-) breast cancers account for at least 60% to 70% of all breast cancer cases. They usually metastasize to lymph nodes, bones, liver, lungs, and brain. Read More

AACE Clin Case Rep 2021 May-Jun;7(3):164-168. Epub 2021 Jan 7.

American Hospital of Paris, Thyroid Unit, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France.

Objective: Horner's syndrome (HS) is a rare complication of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) and radiofrequency ablation for thyroid nodules. We present such a case and discuss how to avoid this complication in the future.

Methods: This case occurred during HIFU treatment of a benign thyroid nodule (BTN). Read More

Mol Clin Oncol 2021 Jul 23;15(1):140. Epub 2021 May 23.

The Yale Larynx Laboratory, Department of Surgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.

Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of cancer in the kidney and is mostly asymptomatic. Previous studies have supported the important role of sex hormones in RCC pathophysiology and that targeted hormone receptor therapy, such as estrogen receptor targeting, is a promising treatment strategy. However, to the best of our knowledge, it remains unknown whether hormonal therapy, such as controlled ovarian stimulation for fertilization, serves a role in the development and progression of RCC. Read More

Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2021 19;12:682012. Epub 2021 May 19.

Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.

During aging and menopausal transition in women, a progressive muscle degeneration ( decrease in quality and muscle function) occurs. This muscle dysfunction, caused by decreased proliferation of muscle satellite cells, increased levels of inflammatory markers, and altered levels of sex hormones, exposes women to a raised incidence of sarcopenia. In this regard, hormonal balance and, in particular, estradiol, seems to be essential in skeletal muscle function. Read More