Volume 11 Issue 12, December 2015

In a new trial, provision of antenatal dietary and lifestyle advice to pregnant women who are obese is associated with modest improvements in maternal diet. This intervention is, however, inadequate to affect pregnancy and birth outcomes, and challenges the notion that limiting gestational weight gain can improve pregnancy outcomes.

In an analysis of data from NHANES spanning from 1999 to 2010, Tuot et al. address two linked questions. Which patients with diabetes mellitus and renal insufficiency are reasonable candidates for metformin therapy and how does this treatment depend on the approach used to measure renal function?

The mechanistic link between the FTO locus and risk of obesity has remained elusive. However, a new study presents compelling evidence suggesting that the browning of white adipocytes into beige adipocytes (together with regulation of thermogenesis), might be an important and potentially modifiable pathway for development of obesity therapeutics.

Lysosomal acid lipase deficiency can lead to liver failure and early death. A recently published placebo-controlled trial shows that enzyme-replacement therapy improves plasma levels of lipids and aminotransferases, and reduces liver fat content. However, the effect on clinical end points and an appropriate indication for treatment remain to be established.

In a new study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, metformin use is associated with significantly increased all-cause mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and stage 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD). The findings support current recommendations that metformin should not be used in patients with stage 5 CKD.

In this Review, Martin Heni and colleagues outline the effects of insulin in the brain in humans and the relevance of the effects for physiology. The metabolic consequences of brain insulin resistance are discussed and possible future approaches to overcome brain insulin resistance and thereby prevent or treat obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus are outlined.

Parathyroid hormone/parathyroid hormone-related peptide receptor (PTHR1) is a family B G-protein-coupled receptor and is involved in the regulation of skeletal development, bone turnover and mineral ion homeostasis. This Review discusses fundamental aspects of ligand-binding and signalling mechanisms at PTHR1, highlighting the relationship between ligand structural modification and variation in PTHR1 signalling responses. The action of these signalling mechanisms in disease states in which PTHR1 function has an important role are also discussed.

Genetic studies have identified dozens of mutations that are associated with reproductive disorders, including common variants associated with the timing of puberty and/or menopause. This Review discusses the contribution of such genetic findings to our understanding of the molecular regulation of reproductive timing and the biological basis of the epidemiological links between reproductive ageing and disease risk.

In this Review, Jeffrey Baron and colleagues explore the latest discoveries in the molecular and cell biology of childhood growth and in the clinical genetics of childhood growth disorders. These findings challenge the established theory that childhood growth is primarily controlled by growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1, leading the authors to suggest a broader framework for understanding linear growth disorders.