Table of contents
May 2007 Volume 3 No 5
Viewpoint
The participation of children in nontherapeutic diabetes research in the US
378Enrollment of children in clinical trials raises many ethical and regulatory issues, particularly when there is no prospect of direct benefit to the participant. The author of this Viewpoint discusses the US federal regulatory guidelines and asks whether they offer appropriate access and protection for all participants in pediatric diabetes research.
Research Highlights
Folic acid supplementation for 3 years slows age-related cognitive decline
380Kickboxers should be screened for pituitary dysfunction
380Rituximab might be better than intravenous glucocorticoids in Graves' ophthalmopathy
380Bariatric surgery rapidly improves cardiovascular risk factors
381Minor fractures increase the risk of major subsequent osteoporotic fracture
381Restricting benzodiazepines might not reduce fracture rates in the elderly
382Maternal cells might contribute to islet 
-cells in offspring with type 1 diabetes
382Mortality in patients with diabetes is inversely related to estimated GFR
383Elevated plasma BNP levels predict cardiovascular events in patients with CHF and diabetes
383Frequent nut consumption reduces the risk of weight gain
384Low-carbohydrate, ketogenic, 'Atkins diet' improves psychological symptoms
384Severely obese children could have congenital leptin-receptor deficiency
384Practice Points
Intensive insulin therapy for the critically ill hospitalized patient—do the benefits outweigh the risks?
386Is rimonabant a safe and effective treatment for obesity?
388Does a structured patient education program improve glycemic control in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus?
390Serum calcitonin measurements in the preoperative diagnosis of medullary thyroid carcinoma
392Reviews
Management of Graves' ophthalmopathy
396This Review describes in detail the assessment and management of Graves' ophthalmopathy, a common manifestation of Graves' disease. It describes the role of smoking cessation, 131I therapy, immunosuppression and rehabilitative surgery. After severity and activity are assessed, optimal management is multidisciplinary and should be tailored to the individual patient.
doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0497 | Full Text | PDF (271K)
Prenatal diagnosis and treatment of congenital adrenal hyperplasia owing to 21-hydroxylase deficiency
405Disorders of cortisol biosynthesis can lead to congenital adrenal hyperplasia, the most common form of which is 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD). This Review details the clinical features and prenatal diagnosis of 21-OHD, and describes how prenatal dexamethasone treatment can prevent genital ambiguity in affected females.
doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0481 | Full Text | PDF (288K)
Recognizing rare disorders: aromatase deficiency
414This article reviews the known cases of aromatase deficiency, which causes virilization of affected female fetuses and their mothers. In girls the deficiency causes pseudohermaphroditism at birth, and a lack of transition through puberty. Males are generally diagnosed later in life. This condition shows important roles for estrogen in metabolism of many systems other than reproduction.
doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0477 | Full Text | PDF (232K)
Mechanisms of Disease: molecular genetics of childhood thyroid cancers
422Oncogenic mutations associated with childhood thyroid cancers are predominantly gene rearrangements; point mutations are exceedingly rare. As discussed in this article, although no 'signature' pattern of gene mutations has emerged from studies of radiation-induced thyroid cancers, the distribution of certain gene abnormalities displays important correlations with particular clinicopathological features of disease.
doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0499 | Full Text | PDF (224K)
Case Study
A treatment strategy for Graves' orbitopathy
430Graves' orbitopathy is an inflammatory syndrome that affects orbital tissues in about half of patients with Graves' disease. Therapy should be planned on the basis of disease severity and activity. This case illustrates the therapeutic approach to a patient with severe, active Graves' orbitopathy complicated by optic neuropathy, and discusses treatment alternatives.
doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0500 | Full Text | PDF (290K)
Article Responses
Is pramlintide a safe and effective adjunct therapy for patients with type 1 diabetes?
E1doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0506 | Full Text
Author's response to "Is pramlintide a safe and effective adjunct therapy for patients with type 1 diabetes?"
E2doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0507 | Full Text
