Volume 2 Issue 2, February 2006

Hereditary disease should be suspected in pheochromocytoma, even when the etiology is apparently sporadic. Mutations have been described inRET, 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.

Ghrelin 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.

Strategies that preserve or perhaps increase the β-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.

The conditions enabling spermatogonial stem cells to be grownin 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.

Currently, 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.