Endocrine system articles from across Nature Portfolio

Mild autonomous cortisol secretion from benign adrenocortical adenomas (usually diagnosed incidentally) is associated with cardiometabolic risk and other comorbidities, but without the signs of overt Cushing syndrome. This Review outlines the mechanisms, complications and comorbidities, diagnosis and management of mild autonomous cortisol secretion.

The pancreatic islets of Langerhans play a pivotal role in regulating blood glucose homeostasis through the regulated secretion of the hormones insulin and glucagon. Here, the authors use deep tissue 3D imaging to re-construct the entire human pancreas at microscopic resolution and display previously unrecognized heterogeneities in the islet’s cellularity with pre-clinical and clinical implications.

In 1923, Kimball and Murlin published work that identified a substance in pancreatic extracts that caused hyperglycaemia, which they named glucagon. A century later, we now know the importance of this hormone in human physiology and disease, and drugs targeting the glucagon receptor family have been developed to treat metabolic diseases.