Objective: To investigate the value of serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) in the differential diagnosis of primary bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasia (PBMAH) from nonfunctional adenoma tumors (NFA), adrenocortical adenoma (ADA) and Cushing\'s disease (CD). Methods: A cross-sectional study. The clinical data of 302 patients with PBMAH, NFA, ADA and CD diagnosed and treated in the First Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from January 2010 to June 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 97 were males and 205 were females, aged (45.7±7.2) years. The area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the DHEAS ratio (serum DHEAS value divided by the lower limit of normal reference range for the corresponding age and sex) and the 8∶00 adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) level in the differential diagnosis of PBMAH from NFA, ADA and CD. The maximum value of Youden index was cut-off value. Results: Among the 302 patients, 33 were in PBMAH group, 125 were in NFA group, 67 were in ADA group, and 77 were in CD group. The DHEAS ratio in CD group, NFA group, PBMAH group and ADA group decreased successively, with values of 6.34(4.44, 9.93), 3.37(2.24, 4.79), 1.14(1.04, 2.40) and 0.58(0.27, 1.05), respectively. There was statistical significance among all groups (all P<0.01). The area under the ROC curve for distinguishing PBMAH from NFA, ADA and CD were 0.803, 0.741 and 0.930, and the cut-off value were 2.59, 0.99 and 2.92, respectively. The sensitivity was 66.1%, 64.2% and 87.9%, respectively. The specificity was 81.8%, 81.2% and 85.7%. According to the level of 8∶00 ACTH, PBMAH was divided into ACTH-inhibited group (ACTH<2.2 pmol/L,n=18) and ACTH-non-inhibited group (ACTH≥2.2 pmol/L, n=15).The DHEAS ratio in ACTH-non-inhibited PBMAH group was higher than that in ACTH-inhibited PBMAH group(P<0.01).The area under ROC curve of DHEAS ratio for identifying ACTH-non-inhibited PBMAH and CD was 0.877, the cut-off value was 4.55, the sensitivity was 93.3%, and the specificity was 75.3%. If the DHEAS ratio combined with 8∶00 ACTH was used as a differential diagnostic indicator, the area under the ROC curve for distinguishing ACTH-non-inhibitory PBMAH from CD can reach 0.967, with the sensitivity of 100.0% and the specificity of 81.8%. Conclusions: DHEAS ratios is different in PBMAH, NFA, ADA and CD patients, which can assist in the differential diagnosis of PBMAH from NFA、ADA and CD patients, especially in the differential diagnosis of ACTH-non-inhibited PBMAH patients and CD patients.
目的： 探讨血清硫酸脱氢表雄酮（DHEAS）在原发性双侧肾上腺大结节样增生（PBMAH）与肾上腺无功能腺瘤（NFA）、肾上腺皮质腺瘤（ADA）、库欣病（CD）鉴别诊断中的价值。 方法： 横断面研究。回顾性分析解放军总医院第一医学中心2010年1月至2021年6月诊治的302例PBMAH、NFA、ADA、CD患者的临床资料，其中男97例，女205例，年龄（45.7±7.2）岁。采用受试者工作特征（ROC）曲线下面积评估DHEAS比值（血清DHEAS除以其相应年龄及性别正常参考值范围下限）及8点促肾上腺皮质激素（ACTH）水平鉴别诊断PBMAH与NFA、ADA、CD的效能，取约登指数最大值为cut-off值。 结果： 302例患者中PBMAH组33例，NFA组125例、ADA组67例和CD组77例。DHEAS比值在CD组、NFA组、PBMAH组及ADA组依次降低，分别为6.34（4.44，9.93）、3.37（2.24，4.79）、1.14（1.04，2.40）和0.58（0.27，1.05），各组间差异均有统计学意义（均P<0.01）。DHEAS比值将PBMAH与NFA、ADA、CD相鉴别的ROC曲线下面积分别为0.803、0.741、0.930，cut-off值分别为2.59、0.99、2.92，灵敏度分别为66.1%、64.2%、87.9%，特异度分别为81.8%、81.2%、85.7%。根据8点ACTH水平，将PBMAH分为ACTH抑制组（ACTH<2.2 pmol/L，n=18）和ACTH非抑制组（ACTH≥2.2 pmol/L，n=15），ACTH非抑制组DHEAS比值高于ACTH抑制组（P<0.01）。DHEAS比值鉴别ACTH非抑制PBMAH与CD的ROC曲线下面积为0.877，cut-off值为4.55，灵敏度93.3%，特异度75.3%。若DHEAS比值联合8点ACTH水平作为鉴别诊断指标，鉴别ACTH非抑制PBMAH与CD的ROC曲线下面积可达0.967，灵敏度100.0%，特异度81.8%。 结论： DHEAS比值在PBMAH、NFA、ADA、CD患者中存在差异，可协助PBMAH与NFA、ADA及CD的鉴别诊断，特别是在ACTH非抑制PBMAH与CD的鉴别诊断中更具有优势。.

UNASSIGNED: This research aims to investigate the levels of lymphocytes, immunoglobulins, and cytokines in children with infantile spasms (IS) before and after adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) therapy and to explore the application of these markers in evaluating the therapeutic effects of ACTH on infantile spasms.
UNASSIGNED: From May to November 2022, 35 children initially diagnosed with IS and treated at our hospital were regarded as the observation group, and 35 healthy children who underwent physical examination at our hospital during the same period were regarded as the control group. Children in the observation group received intramuscular injections of ACTH for 2 weeks. Fasting venous blood was collected from the control group and the observation group before and after ACTH therapy. Serum levels of immunoglobulins IgG, IgA, and IgM in serum were detected by immunoturbidimetry. T-cell subsets (CD3+, CD3+CD4+, and CD3+CD8+) and B-cell subsets [CD3-CD19+ and CD3-CD16+CD56+ natural killer (NK) cells] were detected by flow cytometry, and the ratio of CD3+CD4+/CD3+CD8+ was calculated. Serum levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-2R (IL-2R), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) cytokines were detected by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and changes in serum cytokine and immunoglobulin levels in the two groups were compared before therapy, whereas in observation group one, these comparisons were made both before and after ACTH therapy.
UNASSIGNED: Compared to the control group, the observation group showed significantly increased serum levels of immunoglobulins IgG and IgM before therapy, while the level of IgA was significantly decreased (p < 0.05). Also, the percentage of CD3-CD19+ B cells was significantly increased, while the percentages of CD3+ T cells and CD3+CD4+ T cells were significantly decreased (p < 0.05). The percentages of CD3+CD8+ T cells, CD3-CD16+CD56+ NK cells, and CD3+CD4+/CD3+CD8+ cells did not change significantly (p > 0.05); the levels of cytokines IL-1 β, IL-2R, and IL-6 were significantly increased (p < 0.05). Compared to levels before treatment, the serum level of immunoglobulin IgG in the observation group after ACTH therapy was significantly reduced (p < 0.05), while the IgA and IgM levels did not change significantly (p > 0.05). The percentages of CD3+ T cells and CD3+CD4+ T cells were significantly increased, while the percentages of CD3-CD16+CD56+ NK cells and CD3-CD19+ B cells were significantly decreased (p < 0.05); however, the percentages of CD3+CD8+ T cells and the CD3+CD4+/CD3+CD8+ ratio did not change significantly (p > 0.05). Furthermore, the levels of cytokines IL-1 β, IL-2R, and IL-6 were significantly reduced (p < 0.05).
UNASSIGNED: Children with IS exhibit immune dysfunction, and the changes in serological immune indices after ACTH treatment indicate that ACTH may control seizures in IS children by regulating and improving immune dysfunction. Therefore, the therapeutic effects of ACTH on IS can be evaluated by detecting the levels of cytokines and immunoglobulins.

BACKGROUND: Adverse events of secondary adrenal insufficiency caused by anti-PD-1 immune agents are relatively rare in clinical practice, so in this article, we retrospectively analyzed three patients who suffered secondary adrenal cortex dysfunction caused by tislelizumab immunotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)and reviewed the literature. This rare immune-related adverse event was investigated by summarizing the clinical features of the patients.
METHODS: We reported three NSCLC patients who suffered secondary adrenal cortex dysfunction induced by tislelizumab immunotherapy at our hospital from July 2021 to October 2023. We analyzed and summarized the clinical characteristic, laboratory examination, pathological staging, etc. We also reviewed related literature of pituitary inflammation and adrenal cortex dysfunction caused by immunotherapy.
RESULTS: The median age of the three patients was 56 years. All the patients had a history of smoking. After receiving tislelizumab treatment (median cycle: 7), laboratory examination showed a decrease in morning cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), both were diagnosed with secondary adrenal insufficiency. Only one patient had symptoms of fatigue, vomiting, and weight loss. One of these patients also had simultaneous subclinical hypothyroidism. All three patients discontinued immunotherapy and received replacement therapy with glucocorticoids. At the last follow-up, none of the three patients restarted immunotherapy, because cortisol did not return to normal. This is similar to that of previous reports.
CONCLUSIONS: Based on previous reports and our three cases, when laboratory tests of NSCLC patients receiving immunotherapy showed a decrease in morning cortisol and ACTH levels, especially when clinical symptoms were obvious, the possibility of immunotherapy-related pituitary inflammation causing secondary adrenal cortex dysfunction should be considered. Prompt monitoring and hormone replacement therapy should be provided to prevent adrenal crises.

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological features of Crooke cell tumor of adrenocorticotropic hormone differentiation specific transcription factor (TPIT, also known as transcription factor 19, TBX19) lineage neuroendocrine tumors. Methods: Six cases of Crooke cell tumor diagnosed at the First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China from October 2019 to October 2023 were collected. The clinical and pathological features of these cases were analyzed. Results: Among the six cases, one was male and five were female, with ages ranging from 26 to 75 years, and an average age of 44 years. All tumors occurred within the sella turcica. Clinical presentations included visual impairment in two cases, menstrual disorders in one case, Cushing\'s syndrome in one case, headache in one case, and one asymptomatic case discovered during a physical examination. Preoperative serum analyses revealed elevated levels of cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormones in two cases, elevated cortisol in two cases, elevated adrenocorticotropic hormone in one case, and one case with a mild increase in prolactin due to the pituitary stalk effect. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed uneven enhancement of masses with maximum diameters ranging from 1.7 to 3.2 cm, all identified as macroadenomas. Microscopically, tumor cells exhibited irregular polygonal shapes, solid sheets, or pseudo-papillary arrangements around blood vessels. The cell nuclei were eccentric or centrally located, varying in size, with abundant cytoplasm. Some tumor cells showed perinuclear halo. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated diffuse strong positivity for TPIT in five cases, focal weak positivity for TPIT in one case, diffuse strong positivity for adrenocorticotropic hormone in all cases, and faint staining around the nuclei in a few cells. CK8/18 showed a strong positive ring pattern in more than 50% of tumor cells, focal weak positive expression of p53, and the Ki-67 positive index ranged 1%-5%. Periodic acid-Schiff staining revealed positive cytoplasm and negative perinuclear areas. Conclusions: Crooke cell tumor is a rare type of pituitary neuroendocrine tumors. Its pathological characteristics include a distinctive perinuclear clear zone and immunohistochemical markers, such as CK8/18 exhibiting a ring or halo pattern. This entity represents a high-risk subtype among pituitary neuroendocrine tumors, displaying a high risk of invasion and a propensity for recurrence. Accurate diagnosis is crucial for the postoperative follow-up and multimodal treatment planning.
目的： 探讨垂体Crooke型促肾上腺皮质激素分化特异性转录因子（TPIT，又称transcription factor 19，TBX19）谱系神经内分泌肿瘤的临床及病理学特点。 方法： 收集中国科学技术大学附属第一医院2019年10月至2023年10月诊断的垂体Crooke型TPIT谱系神经内分泌肿瘤6例，分析其临床及病理学特点。 结果： 6例中男性1例，女性5例，年龄26~75岁，平均年龄44岁，均发生于鞍内。临床表现为视觉障碍2例，月经紊乱1例，库欣综合征1例，头痛1例，无症状体检发现1例。术前血清学检查2例皮质醇、促肾上腺皮质激素（ACTH）同时升高，2例皮质醇升高，1例ACTH升高，1例仅出现垂体柄效应引起的泌乳素轻度升高。磁共振成像均显示增强扫描不均匀强化占位，直径1.7~3.2 cm，均为大腺瘤。镜下观察：肿瘤细胞呈不规则多边形，实性片状或围绕血管呈假乳头状排列，细胞核偏位或居中，大小不一，细胞质丰富，部分肿瘤细胞可见核周环状透明样变区域。免疫组织化学显示TPIT 5例弥漫强阳性，1例局灶弱阳性，ACTH细胞膜或细胞质弥漫强阳性，少数细胞核周可见淡染区，细胞角蛋白（CK）8/18可见>50%肿瘤细胞呈环状、戒圈状强阳性，p53局灶性弱阳性表达，Ki-67阳性指数1%~5%。过碘酸雪夫染色显示细胞质近胞膜处阳性，核周阴性。 结论： 垂体Crooke型TPIT谱系神经内分泌肿瘤是一种罕见的垂体神经内分泌肿瘤，病理学特点主要表现为特征性核周环状透明样变及免疫标记CK8/18环状、戒圈状强阳性。该肿瘤属垂体神经内分泌肿瘤的高危亚型之一，侵袭性强，易复发，明确诊断对患者术后随访及多模式治疗具有重要意义。.

库欣综合征的主要病因包括促肾上腺皮质激素（ACTH）依赖性和ACTH非依赖性。当ACTH非依赖性库欣综合征合并双侧肾上腺肿瘤时，术前的病因鉴别至关重要。本文通过对1例68Ga-Pentixafor PET/CT辅助定位的库欣综合征伴双侧肾上腺肿瘤患者的诊治过程及临床特点进行总结，并对其诊治关键点进行讨论，为库欣综合征伴双侧肾上腺肿瘤患者的临床诊治提供借鉴。.

OBJECTIVE: Depression is associated with metabolic disorders, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, the mechanisms underlying the interaction between them are still poorly known.
METHODS: In this study, mice on a choline deficiency, L-amino acid-defined, high-fat diet (CDAHFD) developing steatosis were challenged with chronic restraint stress (CRS), a protocol widely used to induce depression. The development of depression and steatosis was evaluated using histopathology analysis, ELISA, q-PCR and Western Blot.
RESULTS: The contribution of the activated HPA axis to hepatic steatosis progress was fully established, which was validated using a hepatocyte model. Histopathological and biochemical analysis indicated that steatosis was exacerbated by CRS challenge, and behavioral tests indicated that the mice developed depression. Among the screened endocrinal pathways, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis was significantly activated and the synergistic effect of CDAHFD and CRS in activating the HPA axis was observed. In the hypothalamus, expression of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) was increased by 86% and the protein levels of hypothalamic CRH were upregulated by 25% to 33% by CRS treatment. Plasma CRH levels were elevated by 45-56% and plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels were elevated by 29-58% by CRS treatment. In the liver, target genes of the HPA axis were activated, accompanied by disruption of the lipid metabolism and progression of steatohepatitis. The lipid metabolism in the Hepa1-6 cell line treated with endogenous corticosterone (CORT) was in accordance with the aforementioned in vivo responses.
CONCLUSIONS: Depression aggravated hepatic steatosis in CDAHFD-fed mice by activating the HPA axis. The risk of NAFLD development should be fully considered in depressive patients and improvement of psychotic disorders could be an etiological treatment strategy for them.

Objective: To explore the value of the midnight 1 mg dexamethasone suppression test combined with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation test in the diagnosis of primary aldosteronism (PA) subtypes. Methods: A cross-sectional study. Clinical data of patients diagnosed with PA at the First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2020 to September 2022, who completed the midnight 1 mg dexamethasone suppression test combined with ACTH stimulation test, were analysed retrospectively. The clinical characteristics and trial results of patients with aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA) and idiopathic hyper aldosteronism (IHA)were compared. The efficacy of the midnight 1 mg dexamethasone suppression test combined with ACTH stimulation test in distinguishing APA and IHA was evaluated by drawing receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and the cut-off value of the diagnostic indicator was determined with the maximum Youden index. Results: A total of 82 patients with PA were included, including 43 males and 39 females, aged (50.8±11.4) years old. They were divided into APA group (n=49) and IHA group (n=33) based on PA subtype. There was no statistically significant difference in body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressure between the two groups (all P>0.05). The blood potassium and orthostatic renin levels in the APA group were lower than those in the IHA group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.001). The orthostatic plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC), orthostatic aldosterone to renin ratio (ARR), PAC before and after captopril challenge test(CCT), ARR after CCT, PAC before and after saline infusion test (SIT), and the proportion of unilateral lesions in the APA group were all higher than those in the IHA group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.001). After the midnight 1 mg dexamethasone suppression test combined with ACTH stimulation test (30, 60, 90, 120 min), the PAC and PAC/cortisol levels in the APA group were significantly higher than those in the IHA group (all P<0.05). The PAC at 90 min showed the highest diagnostic capability according to the area under the ROC(AUC) (0.930,95%CI:0.874-0.986), and the Youden index was the highest at a PAC cut-off value of 39.05 ng/dl(0.766). The sensitivity and specificity for distinguishing APA from IHA were 91.8% and 84.8%, respectively. Conclusions: The midnight 1 mg dexamethasone suppression test with ACTH stimulation test could be useful for differentiating the subtypes of PA. Among them, the PAC and PAC/cortisol at 90 min showed best diagnostic efficacy.
目的： 探讨午夜1 mg地塞米松抑制试验联合促肾上腺皮质激素（ACTH）兴奋试验在原发性醛固酮增多症（PA）分型诊断中的价值。 方法： 横断面研究。回顾性分析2020年1月至2022年9月解放军总医院第一医学中心确诊为PA并完成午夜1 mg地塞米松抑制试验联合ACTH兴奋试验患者的临床资料，分析比较醛固酮瘤（APA）和特发性醛固酮增多症（IHA）患者的临床特征及试验结果。通过绘制受试者工作特征（ROC）曲线评估午夜1 mg地塞米松抑制试验联合ACTH兴奋试验对鉴别APA和IHA的效能，以约登指数最大确定诊断指标的cut-off值。 结果： 共纳入82例PA患者，男43例，女39例，年龄（50.8±11.4）岁。根据PA类型分为APA组（n=49）和IHA组（n=33）。两组的体质指数、收缩压及舒张压差异均无统计学意义（均P>0.05）。APA组血钾、立位肾素均低于IHA组，差异均有统计学意义（均P<0.001）；APA组立位血浆醛固酮浓度（PAC）、立位醛固酮与肾素比值（ARR）、卡托普利试验（CCT）前和后PAC、CCT后ARR、盐水输注试验（SIT）前和后PAC、单侧病变比例均大于IHA组，差异均有统计学意义（均P<0.001）。午夜1 mg地塞米松抑制试验联合ACTH兴奋试验后30、60、90、120 min APA组PAC及PAC/皮质醇均高于IHA组，差异均有统计学意义（均P<0.05）。试验后90 min PAC的ROC曲线下面积（AUC）最大，0.930（95%CI：0.874~0.986），PAC的cut-off值为39.05 ng/dl时约登指数最大（0.766），鉴别APA与IHA的灵敏度和特异度分别为91.8%和84.8%。 结论： 午夜1 mg地塞米松抑制试验联合ACTH兴奋试验在PA分型中具有一定临床价值，能够较好鉴别APA和IHA，其中90 min PAC及PAC/皮质醇的诊断效能最佳。.

This experiment aimed to explore the influence mechanism of external fixator on open fracture. A total of 128 patients with open tibiofibular fractures were included in this study. The patients were randomly divided into external fixator group (n=64) and control group (n=64) according to the order of admission. Double-blind controlled observation was used. The levels of osteocalcin (BGP), β-CTX, P1 NP, BALP, including haptoglobin (Hp), ceruloplasmin (CER), serum adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), cortisol (COR), C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell (WBC) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were recorded in different groups. The postoperative VAS score and quality of life were recorded. Log-rank was used to analyze the difference in postoperative adverse reaction rates among different groups. External fixation stent treatment increased BGP, PINP, and BALP expression and decreased β-CTX, Hp, CER, ACTH, COR, CRP, WBC, and IL-6 levels. Patients in the external fixation stent group had significantly lower VAS score quality of life scores and incidence of adverse events than the control group. External fixation stents protect open fracture patients by promoting bone metabolism.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to elucidate the clinical features of pituitary immune-related adverse events (irAEs) induced by PD-1 inhibitors in a Chinese cohort and the previous literatures.
UNASSIGNED: We retrospectively analysed the clinical manifestations, laboratory examination findings, imaging features and treatments of 14 patients with pituitary irAEs caused by PD-1 inhibitors in our cohort. In addition, we searched PubMed for all English articles on pituitary irAEs induced by PD-1 inhibitors published from 1950 to 2023. A total of 47 articles were included, and the clinical characteristics of 94 patients with pituitary irAEs induced by PD-1 inhibitors in these literatures were compared to the characteristics of our cohort.
RESULTS: Among the 14 patients in our cohort with pituitary irAEs induced by PD-1 inhibitors, 12 patients (85.71%, 12/14) exhibited isolated ACTH deficiency (IAD), 100.0% (14/14) of the central adrenocortical insufficiency, and 2 patients showed more than one hypothalamic-pituitary axis injury (14.29%, 2/14). Pituitary magnetic resonance imaging in all the 14 patients showed no pituitary enlargement. In previous studies we reviewed, 82.98% of the total (78/94) presented with pituitary irAEs as IAD, 100.0% (94/94) of the central adrenocortical insufficiency, and 78.33% of the patients showed no abnormality of the pituitary gland (47/60). The pituitary irAEs caused by PD-1 inhibitors did not involve typical manifestations of hypophysitis, such as pituitary enlargement, headache, visual field defects, and multiple pituitary function impairments in our cohort and the previous literatures.
CONCLUSIONS: In our study, pituitary immune-related adverse reactions induced by PD-1 inhibitors mainly manifested isolated ACTH deficiency rather than hypophysitis.

During our previous bilateral adrenal vein sampling (AVS) procedure, the authors observed that accessing the left adrenal vein through the antecubital vein was more feasible than the conventional femoral vein. Meanwhile, the femoral vein pathway facilitated access to the right adrenal vein than the antecubital vein pathway. Therefore, the authors hypothesized that simultaneous bilateral AVS via the antecubital combined with the femoral vein pathway could improve the success rate. A total of 94 cases of AVS via the antecubital combined with the femoral vein pathway were performed, while the remaining 20 cases employed the antecubital vein pathway at our center between August 2020 and April 2023. Furthermore, a meta-analysis was conducted in this study using 15 selected articles to determine the success rate of AVS in each center and pathway. The success rate of ACTH-stimulated simultaneous bilateral AVS via the antecubital vein combined with the femoral vein pathway was 92.85% (P = .503) on the right and 95.00% (P < .001) on the left. In the antecubital vein pathway, the success rates were only 25.00% (P < .001) on the right side and 80.00% (P = .289) on the left side. The results of meta-analysis demonstrated a success rate of 78.16% on the right and 94.98% on the left for ACTH-stimulated AVS via the femoral vein pathway. Based on our center\'s experience, simultaneous bilateral adrenal vein sampling via the combined pathway could improve the success rate of AVS in the short term and shorten the learning curve.