When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.
-Henry Ford
PNA Spotlight: Dr. Edward Laws
This month the PNA Spotlight focuses on Dr. Edward R Laws, MD, FACS, a Professor of Neurosurgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (MGB) in Boston/Harvard Medical School. He also serves as Director of the Pituitary/Neuroendocrine Center in the Department of Neurosurgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Laws was kind enough to send us a letter about his career in the field of pituitary neurosurgery, which we reprint here in its entirety. Dr. Laws has been an integral part of the PNA since the beginning 30 years ago. We are grateful for his friendship and service.
My medical career began in 1959 as a first-year student at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Among all of the new information and coursework, I quickly developed an interest in the anatomy, pathology, and physiology of the brain, and that interest never went away! In 1960, I was fortunate to have a great mentor for research on the nervous system, giving me a launching point for expanding my research interests to pituitary surgery and endocrinology, which has fully lasted as my favorite topic and source of effort.
Medical Corner: Can Prolactin Protect You?
This month the PNA Medical Corner features an article co-authored by a longtime member of the PNA, Dr. Maria Fleseriu, a Professor of Endocrinology and Neurological Surgery and Director of the Pituitary Center at Oregon Health & Science University. The study looks the the use of the drug osilodrostat for treatment of Cushing’s Syndrome and makes recommendations on best practices.
Treatment of Cushing’s syndrome with osilodrostat: practical applications of recent studies with case examples
Maria Fleseriu , Beverly M K Biller
Affiliations expand
• PMID: 36002784 PMCID: PMC9401199 DOI: 10.1007/s11102-022-01268-2
Abstract
Magnolia
PATHFNDR
Investigational Studies to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Paltusotine in Patients with Acromegaly
The PATHFNDR studies are recruiting patients to participate in clinical research for once-daily paltusotine for the treatment of acromegaly. If the studies are successful, paltusotine could be approved as a ONCE-DAILY, ORAL treatment option that gives patients an alternative to injections or twice-daily oral medications.
As a study participant, you could play an important role in advancing the options available for acromegaly treatment for yourself and many others living with this rare disease.
ABOUT THE STUDIES
The purpose of the PATHFNDR studies is to see if Crinetics Pharmaceutical's investigational medication, paltusotine, is safe and effective in patients with acromegaly.
PATHFNDR-1 is a randomized, placebo-controlled study designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of paltusotine in
subjects with acromegaly treated with somatostatin receptor ligand (SRL) based treatment regimens. Clinicaltrials.gov
PATHFNDR-2 is a randomized, placebo-controlled study designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of paltusotine in
subjects with non-pharmacologically treated acromegaly. Clinicaltrials.gov
1(855) 848-8486
Featured News and Updates
News Articles September 2022
Mother Fights to Get School Staff Trained on Pituitary Injections
A mother in the U-K is working to get training for staff at her daughter’s school, so they can give her an emergency injection. The girl suffers from panhypopituitarism and may require a hydrocortisone injection in an emergency situation. But the school will not authorize it staff to administer an intramuscular injection without proper training. Liability issues are at the heart of the matter. Now the mother is petitioning the government to step in. Read more:
Signs of a Hormonal Imbalance
An article in Health Digest gives an exhaustive rundown of all the possible signs of a hormonal imbalance, including unusual body odor. Read more:
Cushing’s and Job Stress: A Personal Story
Paris Dancy’s latest column in Cushing’s Disease News follows his career struggles as he battled Cushing’s. Read more:
A Mother Uses Positive Affirmation Chants to Help Daughter with Pituitary Issues
A story on the Upworthy website tells the story of a mother who chants positive affirmation to her young daughter, who is blind and has an underdeveloped pituitary. Read more:
Patient story: Teen Excels in School Despite Pituitary Tumor
A story in the Derbyshire Times follows the case of a teen girl there named Deeti Wren, who underwent surgery for a pituitary brain tumor, and carried on with her studies anyway, managing to take her GSCE’s despite the health troubles. Read more:
FSH, Obesity, and Breast Cancer
Researchers at the University at Buffalo and the University of Arizona are studying the role of Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) in obesity. Obesity is a risk factor for breast cancer, so they are looking for a through-line from obesity to excess FSH to breast cancer. Read more:
Research Articles
September 2022 Research Articles
Pituitary Surgery
Endoscopic pituitary surgery: A national database review.
Pituitary Tumors
Predicting hypogonadotropic hypogonadism persistence in male macroprolactinoma.
A Case Report of a Thyrotropin-Secreting Pituitary Macroadenoma.
Analysis of neuroendoscopy for the treatment of macroadenomas and giant pituitary adenomas.
Whole exome sequencing reveals novel risk genes of pituitary neuroendocrine tumors.
Aggressive pituitary tumours and carcinomas, characteristics and management of 171 patients.
Quality reporting of radiomics analysis in pituitary adenomas: Promoting clinical translation.
Foster Kennedy syndrome secondary to a giant prolactinoma with a remarkable response to cabergoline.
Multi-Modal Brain Tumor Detection Using Deep Neural Network and Multiclass SVM.
Cushing’s
Cushing’s disease: adrenal steroidogenesis inhibitors.
Pituicytoma Associated with Suspected Cushing’s Disease: Two Case Reports and a Literature Review.
Endocrinology
McCune-Albright Syndrome in Infant with Growth Hormone Excess.
Testosterone Deficiency as One of the Major Endocrine Disorders in Chronic Kidney Disease.
Hypothyroidism and Depression: A Narrative Review.
Pituitary Apoplexy
Pituitary apoplexy presenting as isolated third cranial nerve palsy: case series.
Copyright © 2024 Pituitary Network Association All rights reserved.
Disclaimer: PNA does not engage in the practice of medicine. It is not a medical authority, nor does it claim to have medical expertise. In all cases, PNA recommends that you consult your own physician regarding any course of treatment or medication.
Our mailing address is:
Pituitary Network Association
P.O. Box 1958
Thousand Oaks, CA 91358
(805) 499-9973 Phone - (805) 480-0633 Fax
Email info@pituitary.org
You are receiving this Newsletter because you have shown interest in receiving information about our activities.
If you do not want to receive any more emails from PNA, Unsubscribe.
