Diabetes and residual risk of coronary heart disease

Richard W Nesto and Premranjan P Singh

doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0398 | Full Text | PDF (59K)

Measure for measure—sugar or fats? Reconciling cardiovascular and diabetes risk with niacin therapy

Robert S Rosenson

Although niacin reduces cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus or the metabolic syndrome, it is considered a reserve therapeutic agent because of adverse effects on glycemic control. The author of this Viewpoint argues, however, that the lipoprotein-altering effects of niacin might outweigh the potential hazards of niacin-mediated hyperglycemia.

doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0392 | Full Text | PDF (85K)

Low-dose HRT reduces cardiovascular risk in women with diabetes

doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0373 | Full Text | PDF (66K)

Rimonabant therapy for obesity results in modest weight loss

doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0374 | Full Text | PDF (66K)

Growth hormone plus testosterone reduces body fat in elderly men

doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0375 | Full Text | PDF (83K)

Calcitriol does not prevent the BMD loss caused by inhaled glucocorticoids

doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0376 | Full Text | PDF (88K)

No effect of mild thyroid abnormalities on cognition and mood?

doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0377 | Full Text | PDF (83K)

Increasing HbA_1c levels predict the onset of type 1 diabetes in high-risk children

doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0378 | Full Text | PDF (64K)

Skin characteristics are affected by growth hormone in Sheehan's syndrome

doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0379 | Full Text | PDF (64K)

Bromocriptine improves the metabolic profile of obese women

doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0380 | Full Text | PDF (83K)

Insulin improves protein balance in adequately fed babies on extracorporeal life support

doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0381 | Full Text | PDF (66K)

Testosterone replacement does not compensate for the effects of GHD on BMD in men

doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0383 | Full Text | PDF (82K)

Contraceptive pill decreases bone mass in young women

doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0384 | Full Text | PDF (64K)

Intensive insulin therapy reduces cortisol levels in critically ill patients

doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0385 | Full Text | PDF (82K)

Intensive insulin therapy improves survival of patients in critical care

doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0386 | Full Text | PDF (65K)

Testosterone gel and progestin show promise as a male hormonal contraceptive

doi:10.1038/ncpuro0701 | Full Text | PDF (65K)

What factors determine patient adherence to osteoporosis treatment regimens?

René Rizzoli

doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0371 | Full Text | PDF (87K)

How effective is sibutramine for the treatment of overweight adolescents?

Jack A Yanovski

doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0390 | Full Text | PDF (90K)

Is epalrestat an effective treatment for diabetic peripheral neuropathy?

Solomon Tesfaye

doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0395 | Full Text | PDF (88K)

Is long-term glucocorticoid therapy associated with a high prevalence of asymptomatic vertebral fractures?

Robert S Weinstein

doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0372 | Full Text | PDF (90K)

Treatment of Prader–Willi syndrome with growth hormone: merits and limits of postmarketing surveillance studies

David B Allen

doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0393 | Full Text | PDF (90K)

Weekly alendronate versus risedronate for postmenopausal osteoporosis—is there a difference?

Carolyn B Becker

doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0389 | Full Text | PDF (89K)

The genetics of the polycystic ovary syndrome

Margrit Urbanek

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disease with a strong genetic component. Genetic dissection of PCOS is being intensively investigated and over 70 genes have been evaluated for their role in its etiology. This Review details results obtained from analyzing four of the best-characterized candidate genes and gene regions.

doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0400 | Full Text | PDF (235K)

The role of PET in follow-up of patients treated for differentiated epithelial thyroid cancers

Sophie Leboulleux, Pamela R Schroeder, Martin Schlumberger and Paul W Ladenson

This review describes the use of 2-[¹⁸F]-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG)-PET to localize recurrence of differentiated thyroid carcinoma. It focuses on patients with persistent disease and normal results from conventional imaging, on changes in therapeutic management because of FDG-PET results and on the role of TSH stimulated FDG-PET scanning, Finally, it focuses on the prognostic significance of FDG uptake in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma.

doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0402 | Full Text | PDF (352K)

Clinical lessons from the calcium-sensing receptor

Edward M Brown

In the parathyroid gland, in thyroid C-cells and in many other tissues, the calcium-sensing receptor (CaR) plays a crucial role in calcium homeostasis. The molecular basis of several diseases resulting from abnormalities in the CaR has been characterized; this has provided the framework for the development of pharmacologic CaR activators for clinical use.

doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0388 | Full Text | PDF (578K)

Drug Insight: vitamin D analogs in the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism in patients with chronic kidney disease

Alex J Brown and Eduardo Slatopolsky

Chronic kidney disease can lead to secondary hyperparathyroidism, affecting vitamin D metabolism, the calcium and phosphate balance, and causing coronary artery disease. Vitamin D analogs are used to treat secondary hyperparathyroidism in these patients; early treatment can prevent or slow the progression of secondary hyperparathyroidism and increase patient survival.

doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0394 | Full Text | PDF (315K)

Drug Insight: mechanisms of action and therapeutic applications for agonists of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors

Philippe Gervois, Jean-Charles Fruchart and Bart Staels

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are important regulators of energy homeostasis and inflammation. They modulate cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome. This Review describes these mechanisms, and the drugs that modulate PPARs and are in current clinical use, as well as potential new drug-development strategies targeting PPARs.

doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0397 | Full Text | PDF (415K)

Drug Insight: clinical use of agonists and antagonists of luteinizing-hormone-releasing hormone

Jörg B Engel and Andrew V Schally

Both agonists and antagonists of luteinizing-hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) are in clinical use for a wide range of cancers, benign prostatic hypertrophy, fibroids and reproductive disorders. This article describes the existing applications, those under investigation, and potential applications for this type of drug to target diseases such as Alzheimer's.

doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0399 | Full Text | PDF (360K)

Therapy Insight: is there an imbalanced response of mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors in depression?

E Ronald de Kloet, Roel H DeRijk and Onno C Meijer

The actions of cortisol in the brain are mediated by mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors, which operate in a complementary way in reacting to and recovering from stress. Certain genetic backgrounds and early-life events might, however, cause inappropriate cortisol responses and/or imbalances between the receptors, predisposing to depression later in life.

doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0403 | Full Text | PDF (369K)

Technology Insight: modern methods to monitor protein–protein interactions reveal functional TSH receptor oligomerization

Luca Persani, Davide Calebiro and Marco Bonomi

G-protein-coupled receptors play a crucial role in the signaling of many hormones, and the techniques of fluorescence or bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (FRET or BRET) have given insights into the role of multimer formation in receptor function. This Review outlines the principles behind these techniques and potential biological consequences.

doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0401 | Full Text | PDF (459K)