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Volume 9 Issue 12, December 2003

Insulin resistance, a central feature of type 2 diabetes, is treated clinically by thiazolidinediones (TZDs), which are agonists of PPAR-gamma, a transcription factor expressed in insulin target tissues. On page 1491 of this issue, Hevener et al. show that loss of PPAR-gamma specifically in skeletal muscle results in insulin resistance and insensitivity to TZDs. This work offers insight into TZD action as well as mechanisms of fuel partitioning. The cover image depicts a partial structure of the insulin ß-chain. Courtesy of A. Pasieka/Photo Researchers Inc.

Volume 9 Issue 12

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Editorial

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News

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News in Brief

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News

  • Like the mythological heroine Cassandra, Robert Webster seemed destined to remain a prophet who was never to be believed. His vision has since been validated but, fortunately for the world, his predictions of disaster—an influenza pandemic—have not yet reached the proportions of Greek tragedy.

    • Apoorva Mandavilli
    News
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Correspondence

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Commentary

  • Scaling up access to antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) for HIV-infected adults and children in developing countries can no longer be refused for medical or economic reasons, or on the grounds of inequality, lack of infrastructure, risk of viral resistance or alternative priorities. Access to ARVs is an appropriate, rational and cost-effective investment choice in developing countries.

    • J P Moatti
    • I N'Doye
    • M Kazatchkine
    Commentary
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Book Review

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News & Views

  • The most common form of inherited peripheral neuropathy results from overexpression of a single gene. Simple application of an antiprogesterone drug can reduce gene expression and alleviate symptoms in a rat model (pages 1533–1537).

    • Peter De Jonghe
    • Vincent Timmerman
    News & Views

  • A new immunosuppressive agent makes its debut in primate models of kidney transplantation. The drug has the potential to join the ranks of immunosuppressants currently used in transplantation.

    • Megan Sykes
    News & Views

  • Nitric oxide has achieved fame as a regulator of numerous physiological processes, far outshining its humbler cousins, nitrate and nitrite. Now, nitrite steps into the spotlight. It appears that this ion may provide a source of NO during the regulation of blood flow under stressful conditions (pages 1498–1505).

    • David A Wink
    News & Views

  • Infection of tissues outside the nervous system occurs in a number of prion diseases, but sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans has not been considered one of them. A clinical study of Swiss patients with sporadic disease reconsiders this assumption, and a second study examines the spread of infection between follicular dendritic cells and nerves.

    • Neil A Mabbott
    • Moira E Bruce
    News & Views

  • A new study strengthens the view that heat-shock proteins serve as alarm bells for the immune system. Hsp70 appears to influence the immune response to endogenous stimuli, and may serve as a trigger for autoimmunity (pages 1469–1476).

    • Andrew E Gelman
    • Laurence A Turka
    News & Views
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Article

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Letter

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