Obesity: New database charts the course of childhood weight gain in Europe | PDF (188 KB)
p639 | doi:10.1038/nrendo.2009.189
Current Issue
December 2009 Vol 5 No 12
Research Highlights
Immunotherapy and obesity | PDF (49 KB)
p640 | doi:10.1038/nrendo.2009.203
Diabetes: Early blockade of the renin–angiotensin system in type 1 diabetes mellitus | PDF (98 KB)
p640 | doi:10.1038/nrendo.2009.204
Bone: Thiazolidinediones increase fracture risk | PDF (94 KB)
p641 | doi:10.1038/nrendo.2009.205
In brief
Reproductive endocrinology | Bone | Cancer | PDF (47 KB)
p641 | doi:10.1038/nrendo.2009.217
Diabetes: Maternal weight and type 1 diabetes mellitus in children | PDF (96 KB)
p642 | doi:10.1038/nrendo.2009.187
Bone: Bisphosphonates in Paget disease of bone | PDF (96 KB)
p642 | doi:10.1038/nrendo.2009.188
FTO genotype primes obesity risk | PDF (51 KB)
p643 | doi:10.1038/nrendo.2009.207
Reproductive endocrinology: Adiponectin levels distinguish various phenotypes of polycystic ovary syndrome | PDF (51 KB)
p644 | doi:10.1038/nrendo.2009.208
Bone: Osteoprotegerin and bone loss | PDF (125 KB)
p644 | doi:10.1038/nrendo.2009.209
News and Views
Surgery: How safe is bariatric surgery?
Jacob A. Greenberg & Malcolm K. Robinson
p645 | doi:10.1038/nrendo.2009.221
The use of bariatric surgery for the treatment of morbid obesity has increased dramatically over the past decade, which has raised concerns about safety, efficacy and cost-effectiveness. A new study by the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery consortium has assessed the safety of these increasingly frequent procedures.
Diabetes: Diabetes risk after gestational diabetes mellitus
David Simmons
p646 | doi:10.1038/nrendo.2009.199
Women with gestational diabetes mellitus have a substantial risk for progression to a permanent diabetic state, according to researchers in the UK. Could early identification of women at high risk for disease progression lead to improved intervention and preventative measures?
Inflammation: Where is the SPARC in adipose-tissue inflammation?
Mourad Naïmi & Emmanuel Van Obberghen
p648 | doi:10.1038/nrendo.2009.220
Although low-grade inflammation of adipose tissue is thought to be central to the development of insulin resistance in individuals with obesity, the underlying cause of this inflammatory state remains elusive. A new study by Kos and colleagues suggests that the glycoprotein SPARC limits adipose-tissue expansion and promotes inflammation and insulin resistance.
Thyroid gland: Use of glucocorticoids in amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis
Mark P. J. Vanderpump
p650 | doi:10.1038/nrendo.2009.218
The incidence of type 2 amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis (AIT) is increasing. A new study provides evidence that glucocorticoid therapy is safe, effective and associated with prompt restoration of euthyroidism in previously untreated type 2 AIT. The outcome of initial combined glucocorticoid and thionamide therapy can also help differentiate between type 1 and type 2 AIT.
Diabetes: Diabetes therapy and cancer risk
Riccardo Vigneri
p651 | doi:10.1038/nrendo.2009.219
The results of two independent, observational studies suggest that antidiabetic medications might have differential effects on cancer risk in patients with diabetes mellitus. Should these findings influence our approach to diabetes treatment?
Therapy: Evidence-based treatment of Graves ophthalmopathy
Wilmar M. Wiersinga
p653 | doi:10.1038/nrendo.2009.222
Graves ophthalmopathy is a disfiguring and often incapacitating disease that is difficult to treat. A meta-analysis has compared the efficacy and tolerability of available treatment modalities and shows, among other findings, that intravenous pulse corticosteroid therapy is the most efficacious treatment when immunosuppression is indicated.
Reviews
Type 1 diabetes mellitus and multiple sclerosis: common etiological features
Adam E. Handel, Lahiru Handunnetthi, George C. Ebers & Sreeram V. Ramagopalan
p655 | doi:10.1038/nrendo.2009.216
Multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes mellitus are seemingly very different autoimmune diseases. However, this Review discusses recent studies in genetics, epidemiology and immunology that have uncovered many features common to both disorders. Overlaps between T1DM and MS might lead to similar strategies in preventing and treating these debilitating conditions.
Should we screen for emotional distress in type 2 diabetes mellitus?
François Pouwer
p665 | doi:10.1038/nrendo.2009.214
Depression, anxiety and diabetes-specific distress are common and serious comorbid health problems in type 2 diabetes mellitus that often remain unrecognized and thus untreated. Widely used guidelines have therefore recommended assessments of emotional well-being in type 2 diabetes mellitus. The present Review discusses whether there is evidence to support this recommendation.
Testosterone deficiency, insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome
Michael Zitzmann
p673 | doi:10.1038/nrendo.2009.212
The metabolic syndrome is a complex disorder that consists of an accumulation of visceral fat tissue, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and hypertension, and can lead to type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. This article reviews the mechanisms that underlie the metabolic syndrome, focusing on the role of testosterone. The potential of testosterone substitution therapy to treat patients with the metabolic syndrome is also discussed.
Insulin signaling regulating genes: effect on T2DM and cardiovascular risk
Sabrina Prudente, Eleonora Morini & Vincenzo Trischitta
p682 | doi:10.1038/nrendo.2009.215
Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a complex disease with a heterogeneous genetic and environmental background. Three relatively infrequent polymorphisms in genes of the insulin signaling pathway modulate the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases related to insulin resistance in specific subgroups of individuals. This article discusses the role of these variants and demonstrates how difficult it is to ascertain the contribution of relatively infrequent genetic variants on disease susceptibility.
