Volume 15 Issue 11, November 2019

Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been suggested to be a therapeutic strategy for inflammatory diseases and it is known that regular physical activity can alter the composition of the gut microbiota. Now, a study proposes that FMT might increase exercise performance in athletes, raising the possibility of ‘faecal doping’.

A large registry-based study found that maternal overweight and obesity are associated with incident type 2 diabetes mellitus in offspring. The results align with those of prospective cohort studies and emphasize a need for interventions that target maternal weight during very early gestation, to optimize maternal and offspring health.

A study in Danish adults over the period 1997–2016 reports a 50% reduction in thyrotoxicosis caused by multinodular toxic goiter, solitary toxic adenoma or Graves disease after the introduction of mandatory salt iodization. During the same period, there was no significant increase in overt hypothyroidism.

Although β-cell targeted autoimmune processes and β-cell dysfunction are known to occur in type 1 diabetes mellitus, the precise aetiology and pathological mechanisms are still largely unclear. This Review explores the current knowledge on the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes mellitus and describes expected developments in the near future.

Osteoblasts synthesize bone matrix and work in harmony with bone-resorbing osteoclasts in a continuous bone remodelling cycle. This Review discusses three known osteoblast-secreted endocrine factors (osteocalcin, lipocalin and sclerostin) and highlights how these hormones integrate the metabolic requirements of bone formation with respect to whole-body metabolism.

This Review summarizes the mechanisms of endometriosis and highlights how health-care professionals could rethink endometriosis diagnosis and management. A patient-centred, individualized, multi-modal and interdisciplinary integrated approach should be taken to maximize the quality of the patient’s ‘endometriosis life’.