PNA Highlights January 2023

PNA Spotlight: Dr. Brian Williams

This month the PNA Spotlight focuses on Dr. Brian Williams, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Louisville, where he leads the Division of Neurosurgical Oncology, Skull Base Surgery and Pituitary Surgery. Dr. Williams earned his medical degree from the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He did a residency in neurological surgery at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, followed by a fellowship in Neurosurgical Oncology at MD Anderson Hospital in Houston. He also pursued specialty training in cerebrovascular and skull base surgery at the Auckland City Hospital in New Zealand. He was kind enough to answer some questions from the PNA. His answers are below

News Articles October 2024

New acromegaly drug on the horizon

A new drug for treatment and long-term maintenance therapy for acromegaly is now on the horizon. Crinetics Pharmaceuticals recently submitted its first new drug application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for paltusotine, which is a once-daily oral selectively-targeted somatostatin receptor type 2 nonpeptide agonist.

Crinetics says researchers used data from from 18 clinical trials in the application, including two Phase 3 trials that evaluated paltusotine for acromegaly in medically untreated and treated patients. Patients tolerated the treatment well, the medication achieved biochemical control by maintaining IGF-1 levels and improved patients’ symptoms compared to placebo. The company says it expects to hear back from the FDA by December.

Paltusotine, is the first drug of its type to complete Phase 3 clinical development for acromegaly and is now in Phase 2 clinical development for carcinoid syndrome associated with neuroendocrine tumors. Read the company’s press release here.

Can machine learning to predict hormone deficiency after pituitary surgery?

A study featured on Nature.com used machine learning algorithms to predict whether patients would develop arginine vasopressin deficiency after transsphenoidal surgery to remove a pituitary adenoma. Read more here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-72486-w

Pituitary apoplexy strikes groom on wedding day

An article in People.com tells the story of a groom in England who had to leave his wedding reception early due to a severe headache – one that turned out to be a hemorrhaging pituitary tumor. Read more here: https://people.com/groom-migraine-wedding-day-tumor-popped-8718083

Researchers try to make synthetic oxytocin for pain relief

An article in the Focus.news looks at efforts to replicate the hormone oxytocin in the lab – in an effort to develop a painkiller that would be safer than opioids. Read more here: https://www.thefocus.news/lifestyle/scientists-are-hoping-to-replicate-the-cuddle-hormone-for-healthy-long-term-pain-relief/

October 2024 Research Articles

Pituitary Tumors

Investigating the relationship between cognitive impairment and brain white matter tracts using diffusion tensor imaging in patients with prolactinoma.

Duru M, Demir AN, Oz A, Kargin OA, Altunc AT, Demirel O, Arslan S, Kizilkilic O, Poyraz BC, Kadioglu P.J Endocrinol Invest. 2024 Oct 3. doi: 10.1007/s40618-024-02442-y. Online ahead of print.

Androgen Receptor Mediates Dopamine Agonist Resistance by Regulating Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in Prolactin-secreting Pituitary Adenoma.

Xu L, Lei Z, Wang Q, Jiang Q, Xing B, Li X, Guo X, Wang Z, Li S, Huang Y, Lei T.Antioxid Redox Signal. 2024 Oct 3. doi: 10.1089/ars.2024.0611. Online ahead of print.

Beyond Epistaxis: A Rare Case of Ectopic Sinonasal Adamantinomatous Craniopharyngioma.

Selva Kumaran K, Shamsudin NS, Dalip Singh HS, Devesahayam PR.Cureus. 2024 Sep 1;16(9):e68357. doi: 10.7759/cureus.68357. eCollection 2024 Sep.

Posterior pituitary tumors and other rare entities involving the pituitary gland.

Roncaroli F, Giannini C.Brain Pathol. 2024 Sep 30:e13307. doi: 10.1111/bpa.13307. Online ahead of print.PMID: 39350562 Review.

Pituitary Apoplexy in Pregnancy: Neonatal Implications.

Megan Y, Melissa S.Neoreviews. 2024 Oct 1;25(10):e660-e663. doi: 10.1542/neo.25-10-e660.

Giant pituitary macroadenoma with apoplexy presenting with isolated bilateral hypoglossal nerve palsy: illustrative case.

Zaher M, Kolmetzky DW, Al-Atrache Z, Vimawala S, Kolia NR, Godil SS.J Neurosurg Case Lessons. 2024 Sep 30;8(14):CASE24326. doi: 10.3171/CASE24326. Print 2024 Sep 30.

Typical Morphological Characteristics of the Immunohistochemistrical Subtypes of Pituitary Microadenomas: A dual center study.

Zhang L, Yan S, Xie SK, Wei YT, Liu HP, Li Y, Wu HB, Wang HL, Xu PF.Endocr Connect. 2024 Sep 1:EC-24-0378. doi: 10.1530/EC-24-0378. Online ahead of print.

Acromegaly

Efficacy and safety of pasireotide treatment in acromegaly: A systematic review and single arm meta-analysis.

Aliyeva T, Muniz J, Soares GM, Firdausa S, Mirza L.Pituitary. 2024 Oct 1. doi: 10.1007/s11102-024-01461-5. Online ahead of print.

Cushing’s

Frequency of clinical signs in patients with Cushing’s syndrome and mild autonomous cortisol secretion (MACS): Overlap is common.

Braun LT, Vogel F, Nowak E, Rubinstein G, Zopp S, Ritzel K, Beuschlein F, Reincke M.Eur J Endocrinol. 2024 Oct 1:lvae127. doi: 10.1093/ejendo/lvae127. Online ahead of print.

Pituitary Surgery

Stereotactic radiosurgery for recurrent/residual nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma: a single-arm systematic review and meta-analysis.

De Nigris Vasconcellos F, Vilela MAD, Torrico FG, Scalise MA, Vargas VPS, Mendieta CD, Pichardo-Rojas P, Rosi MEA, Fleury LT, de Brito Rebelo ND, Benjamin C, Sheehan JP.Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2024 Oct 2;166(1):392. doi: 10.1007/s00701-024-06296-4.PMID: 39356336 Review.

Editor’s note: Dr. Sheehan is a member of the PNA.

Hormonal Health

Prolactin deficiency in the context of other pituitary hormone abnormalities : Special issue: hypoprolactinemia: a neglected endocrine disorder.

Shimon I.Rev Endocr Metab Disord. 2024 Oct 2. doi: 10.1007/s11154-024-09902-z. Online ahead of print.PMID: 39356415 Review.

The Ser434Phe Androgen Receptor Gene Mutation Does Not Affect Fertility but is Associated with Increased Prolactin.

Saadeh NA, Obeidat M, Shboul M.Appl Clin Genet. 2024 Sep 26;17:143-149. doi: 10.2147/TACG.S466919. eCollection 2024.