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Overgrowth syndromes are a heterogeneous group of rare disorders characterized by generalized or segmental excessive growth. This Review discusses the clinical and molecular diagnosis, tumour risk and recommendations for tumour screening for the most prevalent generalized and segmental overgrowth syndromes.
Exercise has many beneficial effects on brain health, but how exercise is sensed by the brain has not been well understood. This Review describes evidence that supports the existence of a muscle–brain endocrine loop, in which muscle-induced peripheral factors enable direct crosstalk between muscle and brain.
The prevalence of obesity has increased worldwide in the past ~50 years, reaching pandemic levels. Remarkable regional differences exist in obesity prevalence and trends, which might help to identify societal causes of obesity and provide guidance for the most promising intervention strategies.
This Review discusses how signals arising from activity are perceived by cell populations and how the cells respond to them, with particular emphasis on the musculoskeletal and adipose systems. The potential of exercise as a non-invasive and non-pharmacological method of regulating osteoporosis and obesity is also outlined.
The gut secretes approximately 20 active hormones with overlapping targets and actions. This Review focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying the modulation of gut hormone release by food ingestion, obesity and the gut microbiota.
This Review examines the signalling between cells resident in adipose tissue and local sensory and sympathetic nerve fibres. The potential of targeting these processes in new therapeutics for metabolic diseases is also discussed.
Interest in motilin is growing, as several studies have shown its relevance in the control of hunger and regulation of food intake in both health and disease. The current state of knowledge and implications for therapy are summarized in this Review.
In this Review, the authors explore the role of gut microbial metabolites derived from carbohydrate fermentation and protein fermentation in body weight control, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Exercise is used to prevent and treat metabolic diseases. Finding the optimum time for exercise is important as skeletal muscle has many clock-controlled genes. This Review summarizes the current literature regarding the consequence of exercise at different times of the day.
In obesity management, the prevention of weight regain after weight loss is a major challenge. In this Review, the authors discuss mechanisms associated with adipose tissue that are connected to weight regain, including cellular stress, extracellular matrix remodelling and inflammation.
Post-transplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM) is a common complication of solid organ transplantation that can result in increased mortality. This Review outlines the pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of PTDM.
Insulin resistance is a main determinant in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Here, the authors review the physiological links between circadian clocks and insulin sensitivity and present current evidence for a relationship between circadian disruption and insulin resistance.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity are major public health challenges; emerging evidence suggests that melatonin is involved in the development of these disorders, opening new avenues for research. This Review discusses the effect of melatonin and its receptors on glucose homeostasis, obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Loss or dysfunction of β-cells is a characteristic of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Regeneration of β-cells might stop or reverse the progression of the disease. This Review discusses the different modelling systems and technologies currently used to study β-cell biology in health and disease.
Cachexia is a multi-organ syndrome associated with cancer. In this Review, Josep M. Argilés and colleagues discuss the role of different tissues and organs in cancer cachexia and examine studies that investigate the development of novel therapeutics for the condition.
The association between obesity and increased risk of developing cancer is partly driven by disruption of metabolism and inflammation in the adipose tissue. This Review discusses changes in the adipose tissue microenvironment during body-weight gain and how these changes affect tumour initiation and growth.
Therapeutic treatments that target multiple signalling pathways in obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) could be more effective at reversing the progression of these diseases than current therapies. In this Review, the authors discuss advances in combination pharmacotherapies that target multiple pathways for the treatment of obesity and T2DM.
This Review focuses on the evolutionary origins, structure and signalling pathways of the Ca2+-sensing receptor (CaSR), as well as the roles of the CaSR in calcitropic and noncalcitropic diseases.
Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors prevent cardiovascular events by lowering levels of LDL cholesterol derived from the liver. However, PCSK9 is expressed in many other tissues, including the pancreas and central nervous system. This Review explores the functions of PCSK9 beyond the control of cholesterol levels.
Pituitary gigantism is a rare growth disorder caused by excessive release of growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1. This Review discusses the diagnosis, genetic causes and clinical management of pituitary gigantism.
