Table of contents
February 2006 Volume 2 No 2
Editorial
Viewpoint
The genetic basis of pheochromocytoma: who to screen and how?
60Hereditary disease should be suspected in pheochromocytoma, even when the etiology is apparently sporadic. Mutations have been described in RET, VHL and NF1, as well as in the succinate dehydrogenase genes. The authors discuss the need for genetic screening in possible cases of familial pheochromocytoma and recommend which patients to screen and when.
Research Highlights
Should muraglitazar be approved by the FDA for the treatment of type 2 diabetes?
62Glucocorticoids linked with loss of BMD in postmenopausal women with CAH
62Effects of estrogen therapy in young women with hypopituitarism
62Longer duration of lactation reduces maternal risk of type 2 diabetes
63Subtotal versus total thyroidectomy for patients with Graves' eye disease
63Long-term follow-up of women with postpartum thyroiditis
64Beneficial effects of cereal fiber on glucose metabolism
64Obesity-related insulin resistance is reversible after weight loss
64Meta-analysis demonstrates benefit of lifestyle education for prevention of type 2 diabetes
65New DNA methylation markers for the diagnosis of thyroid cancer
65doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0091 | Full Text | PDF (108K)
Pregnancy hormones increase maternal risk of breast cancer
66HRT can cause urinary incontinence in older postmenopausal women
66Functionally different antiepileptic drugs have differing effects on male sexual function
67Testosterone therapy improves sexual function in postmenopausal women
67doi:10.1038/ncpuro0369 | Full Text | PDF (108K)
Practice Points
Does radiotherapy dose correlate with incidence of thyroid cancer in survivors of childhood tumors?
68Screening tools fail to accurately select menopausal women who need absorptiometry to detect osteoporosis
70Does treatment of gestational diabetes mellitus affect pregnancy outcome?
72How reliable is newborn screening for congenital adrenal hyperplasia?
74Does individual response to androgen replacement therapy affect bone density?
76Reviews
Drug Insight: the functions of ghrelin and its potential as a multitherapeutic hormone
80Ghrelin is produced mostly in the stomach and hypothalamus and has important roles in the release of growth hormone and in control of appetite. This article outlines the many potential clinical applications for ghrelin, which reflect its physiological activities.
doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0080 | Full Text | PDF (268K)
Drug Insight: new immunomodulatory therapies in type 1 diabetes
89Strategies that preserve or perhaps increase the 
-cell mass in the pancreas could prevent diabetes. There are promising immunomodulatory approaches that include giving at-risk subjects insulin across mucosal barriers, and treating affected patients with monoclonal antibodies that alter immune regulation.
doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0082 | Full Text | PDF (219K)
Technology Insight: in vitro culture of spermatogonial stem cells and their potential therapeutic uses
99The conditions enabling spermatogonial stem cells to be grown in vitro and transplanted in vivo, where they can restore fertility, are now well-established in murine systems. This review describes the features of these cells and their potential use in human cancer treatment, diseases affecting fertility, and potentially in gene therapy.
doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0098 | Full Text | PDF (440K)
Drug Insight: primary medical therapy of acromegaly
109Currently, surgery is the first-choice therapy for patients with acromegaly; adjuvant therapies include drugs such as somatostatin analogues, dopamine agonists, and a growth-hormone-receptor antagonist. As discussed here, such drugs may sometimes be preferable as primary therapy but there is a pressing need for randomized, controlled trials to establish this.
doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0096 | Full Text | PDF (169K)
