Endocrine Journal
Online ISSN : 1348-4540
Print ISSN : 0918-8959
ISSN-L : 0918-8959
Current issue
Displaying 1-10 of 10 articles from this issue
TOWARD JES 100TH ANNIVERSARY
STATE-OF-THE-ART REVIEW IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
  • Sota Oguro, Hiromitsu Tannai, Hideki Ota, Kazumasa Seiji, Hiroki Kamad ...
    Article type: State-of-the-Art Review in Endocrinology
    2025 Volume 72 Issue 2 Pages 131-148
    Published: 2025
    Released on J-STAGE: February 03, 2025
    Advance online publication: October 10, 2024
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS FULL-TEXT HTML

    This study aimed to focus on the role of radiologists in the diagnosis and management of adrenal lesions, particularly primary aldosteronism (PA) and secondary hypertension. As hypertension affects more than one-third of the population in Japan, identifying secondary causes such as PA and adrenal lesions is crucial. Establishing a radiological differential diagnosis of adrenal lesions using advanced imaging techniques, such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, is crucial. Knowledge of the imaging findings of various benign and malignant adrenal lesions, such as adrenocortical adenomas, cortisol-producing lesions, pheochromocytomas, adrenocortical carcinoma, malignant lymphoma, and metastatic tumors, is necessary. Adrenal venous sampling (AVS) plays a crucial role in accurately localizing aldosterone hypersecretion in PA, especially when imaging fails to provide a clear diagnosis. This paper details the technical aspects of AVS, emphasizing catheterization techniques, anatomical considerations, and the importance of preprocedural imaging for successful sampling. Furthermore, we explore segmental adrenal venous sampling (SAVS), a more refined technique that samples specific adrenal tributary veins, offering enhanced diagnostic accuracy, particularly for microadenomas or challenging cases that may be missed with conventional AVS. The methodology for performing SAVS, along with the interpretation criteria for successful sampling and lateralization, is also outlined. Furthermore, radiologists have initiated treatments for unilateral PA, such as radiofrequency ablation, and play an integral role in the management of adrenal lesions. Collaborative approaches across clinical departments are required to enhance patient management in medical care involving the adrenal gland.

    Editor's pick

    Recommendation from the Editor in Chief
    Radiographic diagnosis and therapeutic approach are requisite for clinics of endocrinology, especially for a series of adrenal diseases. From the unique standpoint of proficient radiologist, Dr. Oguro and colleague contribute a comprehensive and extensive review article focusing on this issue with a particular emphasis on segmental adrenal venous sampling (SAVS) and radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of unilateral primary aldosteronism (PA), shedding light on the importance of collaborative approach toward intractable endocrine diseases.

REVIEW
  • Naoto Kubota, Tetsuya Kubota, Takashi Kadowaki
    Article type: Review
    2025 Volume 72 Issue 2 Pages 149-159
    Published: 2025
    Released on J-STAGE: February 03, 2025
    Advance online publication: September 03, 2024
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS FULL-TEXT HTML

    The liver plays an important role in the control of glucose homeostasis. When insulin levels are low, such as in the fasting state, gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis are stimulated to maintain the blood glucose levels. Conversely, in the presence of increased insulin levels, such as after a meal, synthesis of glycogen and lipid occurs to maintain the blood glucose levels within normal range. Insulin receptor signaling regulates glycogenesis, gluconeogenesis and lipogenesis through downstream pathways such as the insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-phosphoinositide 3 (PI3) kinase-Akt pathway. IRS-1 and IRS-2 are abundantly expressed in the liver and are thought to be responsible for transmitting the insulin signal from the insulin receptor to the intracellular effectors involved in the regulation of glucose and lipid homeostasis. Impaired insulin receptor signaling can cause hepatic insulin resistance and lead to type 2 diabetes. In the present study, we focus on a concept called “selective insulin resistance,” which has received increasing attention recently: the frequent coexistence of hyperglycemia and hepatic steatosis in people with type 2 diabetes and obesity suggests that it is possible for the insulin signaling regulating gluconeogenesis to be impaired even while that regulating lipogenesis is preserved, suggestive of selective insulin resistance. In this review, we review the progress in research on the insulin actions and insulin signaling in the liver.

ORIGINAL
  • Yasuhiro Ito, Makoto Kawakami, Mitsuyoshi Hirokawa, Masashi Yamamoto, ...
    Article type: Original
    2025 Volume 72 Issue 2 Pages 161-170
    Published: 2025
    Released on J-STAGE: February 03, 2025
    Advance online publication: October 29, 2024
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS FULL-TEXT HTML

    Managing thyroid nodules diagnosed cytologically as follicular neoplasms (FN) is challenging for patients and clinicians. Gene panel testing was recently introduced to determine the management strategy for FN; however, it is unavailable in Japan. In this study, we assessed FN management. This study included 2,144 FNs from 2,067 patients diagnosed between 2012 and 2018. Of these, 952 (44.5%) tumors underwent active surveillance, and 1,188 (55.6%) underwent immediate surgery (IS). Tumors of young patients (<55 years), male patients, and patients with serum thyroglobulin (Tg) ≥500 ng/mL, ultrasound diagnoses as FN or malignancy, large tumors (>4 cm), non-oxyphilic cytology, and cytological findings favoring malignancy and multiplicity underwent IS more frequently. Of the 1,412 tumors that underwent surgery, 279 (19.8%) and 1,133 (80.2%) were pathologically diagnosed as malignant and benign tumors or low-risk neoplasms, respectively. High Tg levels, non-benign ultrasound findings, cytological findings favoring malignancy, non-oncocytic cytology, and large tumor size were related to malignant pathology; however, tumor enlargement was not. The former three were independent predictors of malignancy in the multivariate logistic analysis. After assigning scores of 2 and 1 for cytological findings favoring malignancy and others, respectively, a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated a score of 3 as the optimal cutoff for predicting malignant diagnosis; however, the area under the curve remained low, at 0.642. Accurately predicting the malignant pathology of FNs is challenging, and inducing gene panel testing will be helpful for managing FN tumors. Our scoring system would also be useful in estimating the risk of malignancy.

  • Tomoyuki Hara, Yuya Fujishima, Hitoshi Nishizawa, Yusuke Kawachi, Taka ...
    Article type: Original
    2025 Volume 72 Issue 2 Pages 171-181
    Published: 2025
    Released on J-STAGE: February 03, 2025
    Advance online publication: November 13, 2024
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS FULL-TEXT HTML

    Blood levels of hypoxanthine (HX) have been suggested as potential biomarkers associated with intramuscular metabolic dynamics in response to exercise. This pilot randomized crossover trial (UMIN000036520) aimed to investigate the changes in plasma HX after whole-body vibration exercise (WBVE) and their relationships with body composition and muscle-related parameters, enrolling eighteen healthy male volunteers. In the WBVE-alone intervention, the study subjects performed 20-min of WBVE. In the OGTT → WBVE intervention, a 75-g oral glucose load (OGL) was administered 30 min prior to the start of the WBVE intervention. Blood samples were collected before the start and 10 min after the end of WBVE in both interventions. WBVE resulted in a significant increase in plasma HX levels, which was accompanied by increased blood ammonia, pyruvic acid, and lactic acid levels. The HX increase following WBVE was suppressed by prior OGL. In the WBVE-alone intervention, there were no significant correlations between the post-WBVE changes in plasma HX (ΔHX) levels and any of the clinical parameters. On the other hand, in the OGTT → WBVE intervention, ΔHX showed significant negative correlations with muscle mass (ρ = –0.62, p = 0.01), strength (ρ = –0.71, p = 0.005), and muscle quality (ρ = –0.81, p = 0.0007) in the legs. In conclusion, these findings suggest possible associations between post-WBVE increases in plasma HX levels and muscle status, particularly under the glucose-supplemented condition. The measurement of plasma HX concentrations following WBVE may have clinical applications in the identification of high-risk populations for sarcopenia.

  • Jianming Zhou, Xiaoning Gao, Dandan Zhang, Chuanwu Jiang, Wenbing Yu
    Article type: Original
    2025 Volume 72 Issue 2 Pages 183-192
    Published: 2025
    Released on J-STAGE: February 03, 2025
    Advance online publication: November 14, 2024
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS FULL-TEXT HTML
    Supplementary material

    Obesity resulting from long-term sedentary a significant threat to human health. This study explores the effects of exercise snack intervention on body composition and plasma metabolomics in sedentary obese adults. Participants in the snack group were subjected to 4 days of sprint exercises by stair-climbing per week for 12 weeks. Systemic and regional fat mass, epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), abdominal visceral (AVFA) and subcutaneous (ASFA) fat area and plasma metabolomics data were measured before and after intervention. A higher improvement of EAT, AVFA and ASFA in the snack group compared to that in the control group, with a significant interaction effect (p < 0.05). The key differential metabolites between the two groups include isoleucine, glycine and serine. The proposed exercise snack effectively reduced the amount of AVFA and EAT. The change in body composition may be associated with the altered pathways of isoleucine, glycine, and serine metabolism.

  • Xurong Mai, Mitsuhiro Kometani, Toshiaki Kato, Ko Aiga, Shigehiro Kara ...
    Article type: Original
    2025 Volume 72 Issue 2 Pages 193-203
    Published: 2025
    Released on J-STAGE: February 03, 2025
    Advance online publication: November 26, 2024
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS FULL-TEXT HTML
    Supplementary material

    Pheochromocytoma is a rare form of adrenal hypertension. This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics and associated genetic mutations in patients with pheochromocytoma and primary aldosteronism. We retrospectively analyzed data from 23 patients with pheochromocytoma diagnosed and treated between 2011 and 2022. Three cases were complicated by primary aldosteronism. Compared to 15 other patients without primary aldosteronism complications, these three patients had a greater suppression of plasma renin activity (0.2 vs. 2.3 ng/mL/h, p < 0.01) and a higher aldosterone-to-renin ratio (p < 0.01). No significant differences were found in blood pressure, serum potassium levels, or plasma aldosterone concentrations between the two groups. In genetic analysis, among the three patients with pheochromocytoma and primary aldosteronism, two had a KCNJ5 (G151R) mutation in the pheochromocytoma tumor tissues. However, no CYP11B2- or CYP11B1-positive cells were detected via immunostaining in the pheochromocytoma tissues of these three patients. To our knowledge, this is the first study to reveal the presence of the KCNJ5 mutation, commonly considered specific to primary aldosteronism, in pheochromocytoma cases clinically complicated by primary aldosteronism. The findings suggest that patients with pheochromocytoma and suppressed plasma renin activity should be assessed for primary aldosteronism.

  • Liwen Zheng, Changjie Zhang, Lele Liao, Zhijie Hai, Xin Luo, Haoliang ...
    Article type: Original
    2025 Volume 72 Issue 2 Pages 205-219
    Published: 2025
    Released on J-STAGE: February 03, 2025
    Advance online publication: December 14, 2024
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS FULL-TEXT HTML

    The ferroptosis of osteoblasts has been demonstrated to play a significant role in the development of steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (SONFH). Additionally, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been identified as regulators of SONFH progression. However, the precise role of miRNAs in the regulation of osteoblast ferroptosis remains unclear. This study explored the role of exosomal miR-150-3p, derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), in osteoblast ferroptosis in SONFH. Dexamethasone (DEX) was used to treat osteoblasts to induce ferroptosis. BMSCs exosomes with different levels of miR-150-3p were introduced into a co-culture with the cells. To verify the targeting relationship between growth factor independence 1 (Gfi1) and the miR-150-3p promoter, as well as between miR-150-3p and beta-transducin repeat containing E3 ubiquitin protein ligase (BTRC), respectively, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), and dual luciferase assays were employed. It was found that BMSCs-Exos-miR-150-3p mitigated DEX-triggered ferroptosis in osteoblasts. MiR-150-3p directly targeted BTRC, leading to its downregulation in osteoblasts. The BTRC/Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway was involved in the inhibition of DEX-induced osteoblast ferroptosis by BMSCs-Exos-miR-150-3p. Overexpression of BTRC reversed the inhibitory effect of BMSCs-Exos-miR-150-3p. In a SONFH rat model, BMSCs-Exos-miR-150-3p alleviated ferroptosis in osteoblasts through BTRC/Nrf2. In addition, Gfi1 bonded to the miR-150-3p promoter and inhibited its transcription. Gfi1 silencing elevated miR-150-3p levels and improves cell viability of BMSCs. In conclusion, our results suggest that BMSCs-Exos-miR-150-3p alleviates SONFH by suppressing ferroptosis through the regulation of BTRC/Nrf2 and miR-150-3p may be a potential target for SONFH treatment.

  • Van Phu Thang Nguyen, Hirokazu Kurohama, Yuko Akazawa, Thi Ngoc Anh Ng ...
    Article type: Original
    2025 Volume 72 Issue 2 Pages 221-227
    Published: 2025
    Released on J-STAGE: February 03, 2025
    Advance online publication: December 03, 2024
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS FULL-TEXT HTML

    Adolescent and young adult (AYA, 15–39 years old) patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) experience significant psychological distress and place great importance on obtaining information regarding the disease; however, their demands remain unmet. We aimed to investigate clinicopathological and molecular features of PTC in AYA patients and compare them to those of PTC in older patients (≥40 years). This retrospective study enrolled 1,677 patients diagnosed with PTC from January 2018 to December 2022, with 400 AYA patients and 1,277 older adults. At the time of diagnosis, AYA patients with PTC had higher rates of presentation in females, larger tumor size (>2.0 cm), lymphatic vessel invasion, chronic thyroiditis, clinical lymph node metastasis, and pathologic lymph node metastasis, but lower rates of multifocality and extrathyroidal extension compared with PTC in older adults. The two groups had no significant differences regarding surgical method and distant metastasis. The prevalences of BRAF p.V600E and TERT promoter mutations of PTC were significantly lower in AYA patients (69.1% vs. 82.6% and 1.3% vs. 18.8%, respectively; both p < 0.001). In conclusion, PTC in AYA patients differed from PTC in older patients. Particularly, BRAF p.V600E and TERT promoter mutations in AYA with PTC were less frequently observed than in older adults.

  • Tengfei Sun, Kexin Fan, Zhuoxiao Han, Hua Qiao
    Article type: Original
    2025 Volume 72 Issue 2 Pages 229-237
    Published: 2025
    Released on J-STAGE: February 03, 2025
    Advance online publication: November 12, 2024
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS FULL-TEXT HTML

    The correlation of obesity and metabolic abnormalities with asthma and non-alcoholic hepatic steatosis has been extensively studied. However, the association between asthma and non-alcoholic hepatic steatosis has been largely overlooked. This study aims to investigate the potential association between asthma risk and the fatty liver index (FLI), a validated indicator of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We screened 16,223 adults from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data between 2001 and 2018. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the association between FLI and asthma risk. We assessed their dose-response relationship using a restricted cubic spline (RCS) model. The threshold effect was analyzed to identify the FLI threshold point. Among the subjects screened, there were 2,192 cases suffered from asthma. After adjusting for all the confounders, using the Q3 group (FLI, 54–83) as the reference, the odds ratios (ORs) were 1.35 for the Q1 group (95% CI, 1.01–1.81), 1.21 for Q2 (95% CI, 0.98–1.49), and 1.48 for Q4 (95% CI, 1.27–1.73). Moreover, the RCS showed a nonlinear relationship between FLI and asthma risk (p < 0.05). Although the nonlinear relationship remained significant after gender-based stratification (p < 0.05), low FLI did not confer an increased risk of asthma in females. The optimal FLI threshold was 65 for the study sample; it was 68 and 63 for males and females, respectively (p < 0.05). This study demonstrated a nonlinear relationship between FLI and asthma risk. Furthermore, maintaining respective index values of 68 and 63 for males and females is likely associated with the lowest asthma risk.

feedback
Top