Year in Review in 2016

In 2016, four studies were published that provided crucial new information on the endocrine actions of the hormone fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21). These studies provide a framework for the nutritional stimuli that regulate FGF21 expression and demonstrate a major role for FGF21 in primates and humans in regulating food intake, macronutrient preference and central reward pathways.

The pancreatic islets of Langerhans have been intensively investigated for many years, largely because of their central role in the pathogenesis of type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Notable advances in 2015 related to glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in β cells, β-cell death and the role of epigenetics in β-cell heterogeneity.

Successful management of obesity requires integration of pharmaceutical agents and bariatric surgeries with traditional lifestyle modifications. Notable developments for managing obesity in 2015 included the demonstration of weight-beneficial outcomes for liraglutide and empagliflozin, and the first 5-year follow-up of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity randomly assigned to receive bariatric surgery or conventional medical therapy.

In 2015, large-scale genetic and functional studies brought us closer to understanding the underlying aetiology of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), implicating genes involved in modulation of gonadotropin and neuroendocrine action, ovarian androgen biosynthesis and possibly insulin action, providing clues to the evolutionary path and potential evolutionary advantages of PCOS.