Vitamin D Deficiency as an Independent Predictor for Plaque Vulnerability and All-Cause Mortality in Patients with High-Grade Carotid Disease.

The mechanisms linking vitamin D deficiency to carotid artery stenosis (CAS) remain unclear. Data on cardiovascular outcomes in CAS patients with vitamin D deficiency are limited. We investigated the association of vitamin D deficiency with carotid plaque morphology and patient outcomes in high-grade CAS.

Mental Health as Assessed by the Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) Scores in Women with and Without Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with an elevated risk of impaired mental health and psychiatric disorders, such as depression and anxiety. Physical factors like weight and hirsutism, as well as psychological factors, such as self-esteem and coping strategies, are all known to have an influence on mental health status. To assess psychological symptoms in women with and without PCOS, by use of the well-established, validated self-report questionnaire: Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90); to determine the reliability of the SCL-90 for assessment of PCOS patients.

Transdermal versus oral hormone therapy in premature ovarian insufficiency.

Objectives: Hormone therapy is recommended in women with premature ovarian insufficiency to mitigate long-term risks associated with estrogen deficiency, such as loss of bone mineral density. However, data on the optimal route of administration are scarce. This study aimed to compare the effect of transdermal and oral hormone therapies on the T-scores of the femur and the hip in women with premature ovarian insufficiency.

The Vasopressin Biomarker Copeptin is Linked to Systemic Inflammation and Refines Prognostication in Decompensated Cirrhosis.

Background & Aims: Copeptin, an arginine-vasopressin biomarker, may confer prognostic information in patients with advanced chronic liver disease (ACLD).

Methods: Patients with ACLD included in the Vienna Cirrhosis Study (NCT03267615) between January 2017 and April 2023 and available copeptin levels were prospectively recruited and classified into 6 predefined clinical ACLD stages from S0 (subclinical portal hypertension) to S5 (further decompensation). A prognostic score (MELD-copeptin score) in patients with decompensated ACLD (dACLD) was developed in a derivation cohort (n = 150) and validated in an internal (n = 148) and an external validation cohort (n = 771).

Locally advanced pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma exhibit high metastatic recurrence and disease specific mortality rates: long-term follow-up of 283 patients.

Importance: Data on locally advanced (LAP) pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma (PPGL), based on capsular, vascular or periadrenal fat invasion, tumor emboli and extra-adrenal extension, are scarce.

Objective: To compare outcomes of patients with LAP and without (nLAP).

Design: Retrospective cohort study, 1981-2024, prospectively supplemented 2020-2024.

Bariatric surgery promotes recruitment of brown fat linked to alterations in the gut microbiota.

Objective: The mechanisms of bariatric surgery-induced weight loss and metabolic improvements are still incompletely understood and reach beyond malabsorption or calorie restriction. We sought to investigate the effect of bariatric surgery on brown adipose tissue (BAT) activity and a potential connection with changes in energy metabolism, the gut microbiota, and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) composition.

Methods: We included 32 subjects (25 females) with morbid obesity and analyzed their metabolic profile, gut microbiota composition, circulating SCFAs, energy expenditure, and cold-induced BAT activity using [18F]Fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography-computed tomography before and up to 1 year after bariatric surgery.

Leptin acutely increases hepatic triglyceride secretion in patients with lipodystrophy.

Background And Aims: Metreleptin ameliorates hepatic steatosis partially independent of its anorexic action. We previously showed that metreleptin increases hepatic very low-density lipoprotein triglycerides (VLDL1-TG) export in rodents and healthy humans requiring intact hepatic autonomic innervation. The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether metreleptin has anti-steatotic properties in patients with lipodystrophy by increasing VLDL1-TG export.

Bilirubin Metabolism Does Not Influence Serum Bile Acid Profiles According to LC-MS: A Human Case-Control Study.

In addition to their role in lipid absorption, bile acids (BAs) are also known for several relevant (endocrine) activities including contributing to the regulation of energy homeostasis and some non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Furthermore, moderately elevated unconjugated bilirubin levels, as observed in Gilbert's syndrome (GS), may protect against NCDs. We therefore hypothesized that the BA profile in GS subjects differs from that of normo-bilirubinemic individuals.

Autoantibody development is associated with clinical severity of COVID-19: A cohort study.

Viral infections, including respiratory diseases such as Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), are hypothesized to contribute to the onset of autoimmune disorders. Although elevated levels of autoantibodies have been observed following COVID-19, the role of specific autoantibodies linked to autoimmune diseases and their correlation with disease severity remains poorly defined. In this study, we used a comprehensive autoantibody panel to assess the autoantibody production across different cohorts of COVID-19 patients, categorized by disease severity.

A Retrospective Study in Trans Individuals Undergoing Gender Affirming Testosterone Treatment: Can Changes in Prolactin Counteract the Negative Effects on the Lipid Profile?

Gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) is known to influence the lipid profiles of trans men and transmasculine individuals. Recent data show that moderate prolactin (PRL) elevations might exert beneficial metabolic effects ("HomeoFIT-PRL model"). The aim of this study is to investigate changes in PRL levels and possible associations between PRL and lipid profiles in this population after a year of GAHT.

Changes in Prolactin and Insulin Resistance in PCOS Patients Undergoing Metformin Treatment: A Retrospective Study.

Prolactin levels have been shown to influence metabolic outcomes, including insulin resistance. Metformin is known to be beneficial in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients. PCOS women might react differently to metformin treatment depending on their baseline prolactin levels.

Insulin-like growth factor-1 in cirrhosis is linked to hepatic dysfunction and fibrogenesis and predicts liver-related mortality.

Background And Aims: We aimed to characterise insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) signalling in patients with advanced chronic liver disease (ACLD).

Methods: Consecutive patients undergoing hepatic venous pressure gradient [HVPG] measurement were prospectively included. Clinical stages were defined as follows: probable ACLD (pACLD): liver stiffness ≥10 kPa and HVPG ≤5 mmHg, S0: mild PH (HVPG 6-9 mmHg), S1: clinically significant PH (CSPH), S2: CSPH with varices, S3: past variceal bleeding, S4: past/current non-bleeding hepatic decompensation and S5: further decompensation.

Implications of hypocobalaminemia as a negative prognostic marker in juvenile dogs with parvovirus enteritis.

Introduction: Canine Parvovirus 2 (CPV-2) infection poses a significant global health risk to susceptible dogs. Hypocobalaminemia, defined as reduced serum cobalamin (CBL) concentrations, is a recognized complication in chronic enteropathies in adult dogs but remains poorly understood in the context of acute enteropathies, especially in young dogs. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency and severity of hypocobalaminemia in young dogs with parvovirus enteritis and evaluation of CBL as a predictor of outcome.

The LH:FSH Ratio in Functional Hypothalamic Amenorrhea: An Observational Study.

Background: In functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (FHA), luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone levels show high interindividual variability, which significantly limits their diagnostic value in differentiating FHA from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Our aim was to profile the LH:FSH ratio in a large sample of patients with well-defined FHA.

Methods: This observational study included all consecutive patients with FHA presenting to the Department of Gynecologic Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, between January 2017 and August 2023.

FXR-FGF19 signaling in the gut-liver axis is dysregulated in patients with cirrhosis and correlates with impaired intestinal defence.

Background And Aims: Experimental studies linked dysfunctional Farnesoid X receptor (FXR)-fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19) signaling to liver disease. This study investigated key intersections of the FXR-FGF19 pathway along the gut-liver axis and their link to disease severity in patients with cirrhosis.

Methods: Patients with cirrhosis undergoing hepatic venous pressure gradient measurement (cohort-I n = 107, including n = 53 with concomitant liver biopsy; n = 5 healthy controls) or colonoscopy with ileum biopsy (cohort-II n = 37; n = 6 controls) were included.

Lower free triiodothyronine (fT3) levels in cirrhosis are linked to systemic inflammation, higher risk of acute-on-chronic liver failure, and mortality.

Background & Aims: Advanced chronic liver disease (ACLD) may affect thyroid hormone homeostasis. We aimed to analyze the pituitary-thyroid axis in ACLD and the prognostic value of free triiodothyronine (fT3).

Methods: Patients with ACLD (liver stiffness measurement [LSM] ≥10 kPa) undergoing hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) measurement between June 2009 and September 2022 and available fT3 levels were included.

Prolactin levels in functional hypothalamic amenorrhea: a retrospective case-control study.

Purpose: Functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (FHA) is due to hypothalamic dysregulation. Literature lacks data about prolactin in FHA women, although both prolactin levels and FHA are associated with stress. Moreover, polycystic ovarian morphology is common in FHA and there is an association between FHA and polycystic ovary syndrome.

Effect of etelcalcetide versus alfacalcidol on left ventricular function and feature-tracking cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in hemodialysis-a post-hoc analysis of a randomized, controlled trial.

Background: Calcimimetic therapy with etelcalcetide (ETEL) has been shown to attenuate the advancement of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy in hemodialysis patients measured by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). The aim of the study was to evaluate whether this effect is accompanied by alterations in LV function and myocardial composition.

Methods: This was a post-hoc analysis of a randomized-controlled trial of ETEL versus Alfacalcidol (ALFA) in 62 hemodialysis patients.

Etelcalcetide Inhibits the Progression of Left Atrial Volume Index Compared to Alfacalcidol in Hemodialysis Patients.

Introduction: Increased left atrial (LA) size is a risk factor for cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality. It is closely related to left ventricular hypertrophy and chronic volume overload, both of which are common in hemodialysis. Calcimimetic treatment with etelcalcetide (ETL) previously showed an inhibitory effect on left ventricular mass index (LVMI) progression in this population.

Von Willebrand factor processing in patients with advanced chronic liver disease and its relation to portal hypertension and clinical outcome.

Background And Aims: Endothelial dysfunction and portal hypertension (PH) are reflected by increased von Willebrand factor antigen (VWF-Ag) levels in advanced chronic liver disease (ACLD). This study investigated VWF release and cleavage and their association with PH and clinical outcomes.

Methods: Levels of VWF-Ag, VWF-N (VWF-propeptide), and VWF-A (VWF processed by the main VWF-cleaving protease ADAMTS13) were assessed in 229 patients with clinically stable ACLD (hepatic venous pressure gradient [HVPG] ≥ 6 mmHg; absence of bacterial infections or acute decompensation) undergoing HVPG-measurement.

An impaired pituitary-adrenal signalling axis in stable cirrhosis is linked to worse prognosis.

Background & Aims: Inadequate adrenal function has been described in patients with cirrhosis. We investigated (i) the pituitary-adrenal axis at different clinical stages and (ii) the clinical impact of decreased serum cortisol levels in stable patients with advanced chronic liver disease (ACLD).

Methods: We included 137 outpatients with ACLD undergoing hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) measurement in the prospective VICIS study (NCT03267615).

A case-control study about markers of stress in normal-/overweight women with polycystic ovary syndrome and in controls.

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is linked to an elevated risk of psychological disorders, decreased quality of life and emotional distress. Serum cortisol as a potential stress marker has been found to be increased in women with PCOS. The aim of this study was to evaluate both saliva stress markers and subjective psychological distress in women with PCOS.

Stress and polycystic ovarian morphology in functional hypothalamic amenorrhea: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Women with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (FHA) reveal polycystic ovarian morphology (PCOM) in up to 50%. If stress sensitivity in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the reason why PCOS women are prone to develop FHA, patients with FHA caused by stress should reveal PCOM more often.

Methods: In a retrospective cohort study, 38 stress-associated and 38 excessive exercise-induced FHA women were included.