Search

Ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) syndrome is usually caused by pulmonary and bronchial tumors and rarely by pheochromocytoma. To date, the majority of ACTH‑secreting pheochromocytomas have been unilateral, with the exception of two cases. A 54‑year‑old male presented with hypertension and bilateral adrenal tumors. The patient did not report having classic cushingoid features or experience of paroxysmal headaches or sweating, but presented with a slight abdominal obesity. The patient was clinically and pathologically diagnosed with bilateral ectopic ACTH‑secreting pheochromocytomas. Whole‑exome sequencing demonstrated that the 19 pheochromocytoma‑related genes were unmutated. The pheochromocytomas on the two sides exhibited negative ACTH staining, but the ACTH concentration was markedly higher in the tumor tissue homogenates than in those tumors of another 3 patients with non‑ACTH secretion pheochromocytoma. Electron microscopy identified two types of neuroendocrine cells in the tumor tissues. Primary culture of the pheochromocytoma cells revealed that ACTH secretion was inhibited by a mechanistic target of rapamycin inhibitor, AZD8055. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insulin and liraglutide have been demonstrated to control blood glucose and exert neuroprotective effects. However, the impact of liraglutide or insulin alone or in combination on brain pathology in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and their underlying mechanisms are unclear. In the present study, diabetes mellitus (DM) was induced via intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin in mice and subsequently mice were treated with insulin, liraglutide, a combination of the two drugs or saline. Changes in body weight and blood glucose were assessed weekly. The pathological changes in the brain tissue and the apoptosis of neurons were assessed using H&E staining and TUNEL staining. The mRNA and protein expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins were detected using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and western blotting, respectively. Moreover, Ki67 protein expression was analyzed using immunohistochemistry and the mRNA and protein expression levels of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway-related proteins were examined using RT-qPCR and western blotting, respectively. The results of the present study suggested that DM mice developed hyperglycemia and weight loss and also exhibited significantly increased neural cell apoptosis and significantly reduced numbers of Ki67-positive cells. Liraglutide significantly decreased blood glucose levels in DM mice, whereas both insulin and the combination of the two drugs failed to control blood glucose well. Insulin, liraglutide and their combination also failed to control body weight well, but significantly attenuated brain pathological changes and activation of the pro-apoptotic proteins Caspase-3 and Bax, which may have resulted in the significant increase in the expression levels of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway-associated molecules such as Wnt3a and S9-pGSK-3β. Liraglutide also promoted the protein expression of the neurogenesis marker of Ki67 and the antiapoptotic factor Bcl-2. These results suggested that insulin and liraglutide may improve brain damage via upregulation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and could be of therapeutic relevance for improvement of cognitive impairment in patients with DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]