Clinical Research Directory

Sleep Disorders in Hypothalamic and Pituitary Damage

Hypothalamus has a key role in multiple vital functions, including regulation of sleep-wake cycles. Oxytocin (OT), a neurohormone synthetized in the hypothalamus, has a wide range of physiological functions, including a putative role in improving sleep quality. Hypothalamic and pituitary damage (HPD) is associated with a clinically relevant OT deficient state and multiple and severe comorbidities including poor sleep quality, that have a well-known negative impact on general health and quality of life (QoL). Several factors may coexist in the pathophysiology of sleep disorders (SD) in HPD and SD might be a keystone in the persistence of some of the comorbidities observed in HPD. Therefore, appropriate identification and understanding of the mechanisms contributing to SD in HPD is mandatory to choose adequate preventive strategies and treatment. This project is aimed to (1) identify the prevalence of SD in HPD, (2) to determine OT role in sleep quality and (3) to identify potential mechanisms and mediators of sleep quality and their associations with clinical outcomes in patients with HPD with the ultimate goal of identifying preventive and therapeutic targets. We will use a controlled cross-sectional design of patients with HPD and sex-, BMI-, age- matched controls and an innovative cross-disciplinary approach bridging neuroendocrinology, psychology, neurophysiology, neuroimaging, nuclear medicine and neuroophthalmology disciplines to learn about the prevalence of SD in HPD and to disentangle the underpinning mechanisms behind SDs in HPD. The results of this project will be an extremely important step towards optimizing therapy for patients with HPD who have higher mortality and poor QoL despite appropriate hormone replacement therapy.

Pituitary Function After Recovery From Septic Shock Among ICU Survivors

Prolonged circulatory shock is associated with marked disturbances in vascular supply to the brain, and endothelial dysfunction which can lead to disseminated intravascular coagulation and microvascular thrombosis. Pituitary dysfunction is documented following post-partum hemorrhage, traumatic brain injury and subarachnoid hemorrhage, which also affect blood flow to the pituitary. However, there are no studies assessing pituitary function in the aftermath of recovery from shock. This will be a prospective observational study of patients admitted in Critical Care Medicine (CCM) ICU who have recovered from prolonged septic shock (Lasting for a period of \> 24 hours). Blood samples of the participants will be estimated at the time of discharge from the ICU and at 6 months post discharge. Investigators will estimate fasting serum cortisol, TSH, Free T4, Testosterone (in males), Oestrogen (in females), LH, FSH, Prolactin, IGF-1 and plasma ACTH in all participants at both time points (at the time of ICU discharge and at 6-months follow-up). Participants who have borderline serum cortisol values (138-400 nmol/l) will be subjected to 250ug ACTH stimulation test. Expected outcome of the proposed study is to know proportion of patients having pituitary hormone axis dysfunction. Investigators will also look for pituitary dysfunction persist or revert, or there are new onset dysfunction at 6 month follow up. This would have major implications in the follow up and management of ICU survivors.

Neuroendocrine Mechanisms in Adiposity: An Integrated Approach to the Characterization of Potential Pharmacological Novel Targets Based on Experimental and Clinical Models

The goal of this observational study is to evaluate, retrospectively and prospectively, the effect of different hormonal and neuropeptide dysfunctions on the body composition of patients suffering from hypothalamic-pituitary pathologies, and to evaluate the potential beneficial effect of surgical and medical treatments with agonists and antagonists of hypothalamic neuropeptides, currently available, on the development and treatment of adiposity and negative cross-talk between adiposity and muscle/bone tissue

Growth Hormone Replacement Therapy for Retried Professional Football Players

This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial with an open-label extension to evaluate the efficacy of growth hormone (GH) on cognitive functions of retired professional football players with growth hormone deficiency (GHD).