Review Articles

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  • Evidence suggests that psychological stress has a role in the aetiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Here, Hackett and Steptoe review the evidence and give an overview of intervention studies that have attempted to modify psychological or social factors to improve outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

    • Ruth A. Hackett
    • Andrew Steptoe
    Review Article
  • Fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) has recently emerged as a potentially safe candidate to restore euglycaemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Here, Evans and colleagues discuss mechanisms by which central injection of FGF1 can improve central glucose sensing and peripheral glucose uptake, the neuronal circuits involved and therapeutic considerations for translating these findings to the clinic.

    • Emanuel Gasser
    • Christopher P. Moutos
    • Ronald M. Evans
    Review Article
  • Vincent Prevot and colleagues discuss the role of neuronal nitric oxide (NO) in the regulation of key physiological processes controlled by the preoptic region of the hypothalamus, including reproduction. How deregulation of NO production might be involved in the pathophysiology of brain diseases, for which hormonal imbalances during postnatal development could be a risk factor, is also discussed.

    • Konstantina Chachlaki
    • John Garthwaite
    • Vincent Prevot
    Review Article
  • In this Review, the authors describe the factors that influence the development of hepatic steatosis and discuss the evidence base that links steatosis to insulin resistance. They explore how steatosis alters the secretion of hepatokines from the liver, and how these secretome alterations regulate glucose metabolism and insulin action in non-hepatic tissues.

    • Ruth C. R. Meex
    • Matthew J. Watt
    Review Article
  • Central hypothyroidism is characterized by a defect in thyroid hormone secretion caused by insufficient stimulation of the thyroid gland by TSH. Here, Beck-Peccoz and colleagues discuss the causes of central hypothyroidism and highlight areas where improvement is needed regarding diagnosis and treatment.

    • Paolo Beck-Peccoz
    • Giulia Rodari
    • Andrea Lania
    Review Article
  • In this Review, Foulds et al. posit that endocrine-disrupting chemicals are an unappreciated driver of the development and progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Experimental animal studies supporting this association are discussed, together with the challenges of establishing a causal link in humans.

    • Charles E. Foulds
    • Lindsey S. Treviño
    • Cheryl L. Walker
    Review Article
  • Metabolism-disrupting chemicals (MDCs) are a subclass of endocrine-disrupting chemicals that affect energy homeostasis. Here, Angel Nadal and colleagues review the main mechanisms used by MDCs to alter energy balance, information that should help to identify new MDCs, as well as novel targets of their action.

    • Angel Nadal
    • Ivan Quesada
    • Paloma Alonso-Magdalena
    Review Article
  • This Review provides a framework for understanding how ambient temperature affects metabolic, immune and cardiovascular phenotypes in mice, as well as the importance of ambient temperature on modelling of human diseases in these small rodents. Ganeshan and Chawla suggest that warming the mouse might enable more predictive modelling of human diseases and therapies.

    • Kirthana Ganeshan
    • Ajay Chawla
    Review Article
  • Evidence suggests that early-life exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals might contribute to the development of reproductive disorders. Here, Julie Boberg and colleagues summarize the current knowledge of how environmental chemicals and pharmaceuticals potentially contribute to the development of ovarian dysgenesis syndrome.

    • Hanna Katarina Lilith Johansson
    • Terje Svingen
    • Julie Boberg
    Review Article
  • Insulin treatment has advanced considerably since the discovery of insulin. In this Review, Chantal Mathieu and colleagues discuss the established and novel insulin analogues for the treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus and consider future developments.

    • Chantal Mathieu
    • Pieter Gillard
    • Katrien Benhalima
    Review Article
  • Governments and scientific societies regularly update recommendations for intake of vitamin D, especially for those individuals who have limited exposure to sunlight — the main source of vitamin D. Here, Roger Bouillon presents an overview of these guidelines, highlighting common ground and areas of discord.

    • Roger Bouillon
    Review Article
  • Fine-needle aspiration cytology is used to diagnose thyroid cancer and determine the risk of malignancy, but some nodules have indeterminate cytology and thus invasive surgery might be required for a definitive diagnosis. This Review discusses the advantages and disadvantages of molecular approaches to diagnosis, which can either rule in or rule out malignancy to optimize surgical planning.

    • Markus Eszlinger
    • Lorraine Lau
    • Ralf Paschke
    Review Article
  • Osteosarcoma typically occurs during the adolescent growth spurt and is the most common primary cancer of bone. Here, Sharon A. Savage and colleagues discuss how advances in germline and somatic genetics, tumour biology and animal models have enhanced our understanding of osteosarcoma aetiology and could lead to new therapeutic approaches to treat the disease.

    • D. Matthew Gianferante
    • Lisa Mirabello
    • Sharon A. Savage
    Review Article
  • For decades, HbA1c has been regarded as the 'gold-standard' measure of glycaemic control. In this Review, Boris P. Kovatchev takes the unconventional view that HbA1cand glucose variability are expressions of the same underlying physiological process, evident on different timescales.

    • Boris P. Kovatchev
    Review Article
  • This Review discusses what is known about how gonadal steroids mediate the risk of cardiometabolic diseases, highlighting the role of oestrogens, their receptors and androgens, as well as the effect of the relative ratios of these hormones.

    • Eugenia Morselli
    • Roberta S. Santos
    • Deborah J. Clegg
    Review Article
  • In obesity, individuals develop resistance to leptin and ghrelin, which have important functions in the neuroendocrine control of energy homeostasis. Here, Cui and colleagues discuss the mechanisms that lead to leptin and ghrelin resistance, and how they might be exploited as targets for the management and treatment of obesity.

    • Huxing Cui
    • Miguel López
    • Kamal Rahmouni
    Review Article
  • Despite great interest in the role of irisin in glucose homeostasis, controversy still exists regarding the function, and even the existence, of this myokine. Here, Perakakis and colleagues provide an extensive evaluation of the evidence for the physiology and function of irisin from both animal and human studies.

    • Nikolaos Perakakis
    • Georgios A. Triantafyllou
    • Christos S. Mantzoros
    Review Article
  • Childhood-onset craniopharyngioma is a rare embryonic tumour of low-grade malignancy that has traditionally been treated by radical resection. Here, Müller and colleagues review recent advances in the molecular pathogenesis of the disease and treatment strategies that could lead to novel targeted therapies and more-limited surgeries.

    • Hermann L. Müller
    • Thomas E. Merchant
    • Juan-Pedro Martinez-Barbera
    Review Article
  • Lifestyle modification is recommended in all patients with dyslipidaemia to improve their lipid profile and reduce cardiovascular risk. Here, Hunter and Hegele discuss the mechanisms of action, safety and efficacy of a range of functional foods and dietary supplements with lipid-lowering properties.

    • Paola M. Hunter
    • Robert A. Hegele
    Review Article
  • Targeting the immune system in tumour cells has become a central therapy for cancer treatment, but such drugs can lead to adverse effects. In this Review, the authors describe the immune-related endocrinopathies, such as hypophysitis, thyroid dysfunction and the development of diabetes mellitus that can result from cancer immunotherapy.

    • David J. Byun
    • Jedd D. Wolchok
    • Monica Girotra
    Review Article