Browsing by Author "Guarda, Francisco J."

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Clinical MEN-1 Among a Large Cohort of Patients With Acromegaly
    (2020) Nachtigall, Lisa B.; Guarda, Francisco J.; Lines, Kate E.; Ghajar, Alireza; Dichtel, Laura; Mumbach, Giselle; Zhao, Wenxiu; Zhang, Xun; Tritos, Nicholas A.; Swearingen, Brooke; Miller, Karen K.; Thakker, Rajesh, V
    Context: Clinical multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN-1) is diagnosed by the presence of at least 2 MEN-1-associated tumors. Many patients with acromegaly and clinical MEN-1 yield negative testing for MEN1 mutations. While cases of acromegaly and primary hyperparathyroidism (PHP) with negative genetic testing have been reported, its prevalence among patients with acromegaly is undetermined, and the clinical presentation has not been well characterized.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Lower Oxytocin Levels Are Associated with Lower Bone Mineral Density and Less Favorable Hip Geometry in Hypopituitary Men
    (2020) Aulinas, Anna; Guarda, Francisco J.; Yu, Elaine W.; Haines, Melanie S.; Asanza, Elisa; Silva, Lisseth; Tritos, Nicholas A.; Verbalis, Joseph; Miller, Karen K.; Lawson, Elizabeth A.
    Introduction: Hypopituitary patients are at risk for bone loss. Hypothalamic-posterior pituitary hormones oxytocin and vasopressin are anabolic and catabolic, respectively, to the skeleton. Patients with hypopituitarism may be at risk for oxytocin deficiency. Whether oxytocin and/or vasopressin contribute to impaired bone homeostasis in hypopituitarism is unknown. Objectives: To determine the relationship between plasma oxytocin and vasopressin levels and bone characteristics (bone mineral density [BMD] and hip structural analysis [HSA]) in patients who have anterior pituitary deficiencies only (APD group) or with central diabetes insipidus (CDI group). Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. Subjects included 37 men (17 CDI and 20 APD), aged 20-60 years. Main outcome measures were fasting plasma oxytocin and vasopressin levels, and BMD and HSA using dual X-ray absorptiometry. Results: Mean BMD and HSA variables did not differ between the CDI and APD groups. Mean BMD Z-scores at most sites were lower in those participants who had fasting oxytocin levels below, rather than above, the median. There were positive associations between fasting oxytocin levels and (1) BMD Z-scores at the spine, femoral neck, total hip, and subtotal body and (2) favorable hip geometry and strength variables at the intertrochanteric region in CDI, but not APD, participants. No associations between vasopressin levels and bone variables were observed in the CDI or ADP groups. Conclusions: This study provides evidence for a relationship between oxytocin levels and BMD and estimated hip geometry and strength in hypopituitarism with CDI. Future studies will be important to determine whether oxytocin could be used therapeutically to optimize bone health in patients with hypopituitarism.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Mifepristone Increases Thyroid Hormone Requirements in Patients With Central Hypothyroidism: A Multicenter Study
    (2019) Guarda, Francisco J.; Findling, James; Yuen, Kevin C. J.; Fleseriu, Maria; Nachtigall, Lisa B.
    Purpose: Mifepristone is a glucocorticoid and progesterone receptor blocker that can be used for patients with hyperglycemia and Cushing syndrome in whom surgery failed to achieve remission or who were ineligible for surgery. We report a case series of patients with Cushing disease (CD) and central hypothyroidism that presented with increased levothyroxine requirements during mifepristone therapy.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Nephrotic Syndrome and Acute Tubular Necrosis Due to Meloxicam Use
    (TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2012) Vega, Jorge; Goecke, Helmuth; Mendez, Gonzalo P.; Guarda, Francisco J.
    Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely used by patients all over the world. Five to eighteen percent of the patients who receive NSAIDs can suffer from kidney-related side effects. Among them, the most relevant are sodium and water retention, hyponatremia, worsening of hypertension or preexisting cardiac failure, hyperkalemia, acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, papillary necrosis, nephrotic syndrome (NS), and acute interstitial nephritis. We report the case of a 65-year-old woman who developed acute tubular necrosis and NS a few days after receiving 15 mg of meloxicam (MLX) for 3 days for tendinitis. Steroid therapy was begun with normalization of kidney function after 7 weeks of treatment. NS (minimal change disease) was characterized by frequent remissions and relapses as prednisone was lowered under 30 mg/day. Azathioprine (100 mg/day) was added on the fifth month of diagnosis and a complete remission was finally obtained 4 years after hospital admittance. In her last medical checkup, 8 years after her debut and receiving azathioprine (50 mg) and prednisone (5 mg/day), renal function was normal (creatinine 1.0 mg/dL and creatinine clearance 80 mL/min/1.73 m(2)), proteinuria was 150 mg/day and there was no hematuria or hypertension.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Preconception use of pegvisomant alone or as combination therapy for acromegaly: a case series and review of the literature
    (2020) Guarda, Francisco J.; Gong, W.; Ghajar, A.; Guitelman, M.; Nachtigall, L. B.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The Spectrum from Overt Primary Aldosteronism to Mild Dysregulated Aldosterone Production in Incidentally Discovered Adrenocortical Adenomas
    (2024) Uslar Nawrath, Thomas Hermann; Olmos, Roberto; Burnier, Alberth; Sanfuentes, Benjamín; Böhm, Pauline; Orellana, Maria Paz; Guarda, Francisco J.; Huete, Alvaro; Mertens, Nicolás; Besa, Cecilia; Andia, Marcelo E.; Majerson, Alejandro; Cartes, Jaime; Fardella, Carlos; Allende, Fidel; Solari, Sandra; Vaidya, Anand; Baudrand Biggs, René
    Background Incidental adrenocortical adenomas (IA) are common. Current guidelines suggest screening for primary aldosteronism (PA) only in cases of hypertension or hypokalemia. This study aimed to evaluate the spectrum from overt PA to mild dysregulated aldosterone production with a sensitive protocol irrespective of blood pressure (BP) and potassium in patients with IA.Methods 254 consecutive patients (excluding hypercortisolism) were evaluated. The spectrum of PA was defined as a suppressed renin plus the following criteria: 1)Overt PA: aldosterone-to-renin-ratio (ARR) >30 ng/dL-to-ng/mL/hr, plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) >15ng/dL, and/or 24h urinary aldosterone >10 ug/24h; 2)Moderate PA: ARR 20-30 ng/dL-to-ng/mL/hr, PAC 10-15 ng/dL; 3)Mild dysregulated aldosterone production: ARR <20 ng/dL-to-ng/mL/hr and PAC >5-10 ng/dL.Results 35% (n=89/254) met criteria for PA spectrum, 20% (34/89) were initially normotensive and 94% (84/89) normokalemic. Overt, moderate, and mild groups were 10%, 12%, and 13%. There were trends across groups of clinical severity: systolic BP (153±19, 140±14, 137±14 mmHg, p-trend<0.05), resistant hypertension (50%, 23%, 7% p-trend=<0.001), daily defined dose of antihypertensives (DDD) (3.2±1.6, 1.2±1.5, 0.4±0.6 p-trend=0.001), and lower eGFR (75.5±30.8, 97.8±38.5, 101±25.5, p-trend<0.01). At follow-up (mean 28±15 months), 87% had treatment with MR antagonists or surgery with decreased systolic BP relative to clinical severity, −31.3 ±23, −12.7 ±19, and −11.4 ±19 mmHg, (p-trend<0.001). Similar trends were observed for DDD, with significant increase in renin.Conclusions There is a prevalent spectrum of clinically-relevant PA and dysregulated aldosterone production in IA, irrespective of BP or potassium, usually undetected. Aldosterone-directed treatment improved BP and normalized renin even in milder cases.