Reviews & Analysis

This Review discusses notable discoveries in pituitary stem cell function and highlights important areas for current and future research, including the use of pituitary organoids for the advancement of pituitary stem cell biology and pituitary organogenesis as well as potential therapeutic approaches.

The metabolic dysfunction that characterizes obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus affects not only the heart and kidneys, but also the liver. Although lifestyle modification remains the cornerstone in the management of metabolic liver diseases, the field has progressed this year, with a new definition, validation of non-invasive biomarkers and numerous clinical trials.

The management of patients with pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma associated with pathogenic variants in SDHB can be challenging. This Consensus statement aims to provide a guide for the clinical decision-making process in these patients.

The year 2023 brought reports of highly effective glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1) mono-agonists or combinations with amylin receptor agonists. Results for monomolecular co-agonists that added glucagon receptor and/or glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptor agonism to GLP1 receptor activation were also published in 2023. Interestingly, antagonistic GIP receptor antibodies conjugated with a GLP1 agonist were also shown to be effective.

The pathophysiology of endometriosis is underpinned by a complex interplay of inflammatory processes that are responsible for the local and systemic effects of the condition. Recent studies delve further into this inflammatory interplay; using animal models, they identify potential therapeutic tools and remind us to look beyond the endometriotic lesions.

One hundred years after the Nobel prize was bestowed on Banting and McLeod for the ‘discovery’ of insulin, we are again seeing major evolutions in the management of type 1 diabetes mellitus, with the prospect of achieving disease control beyond mere management now becoming real. Here, we discuss the latest, most notable developments.

Over the past decade, technological advances have enabled cost-efficient, high-throughput analysis of different types of omics data in large human cohorts. Here, we explore insights into the pathophysiology of metabolic disorders revealed through multi-omics studies, discuss novel computational analysis techniques and look at the field’s future directions.

Key papers on the role of nutrition and metabolic cues in puberty timing were published in 1963, and there have been many advances in this field in the subsequent 60 years. This Review discusses the latest advances in basic and translational sciences underlying the nutritional and metabolic control of pubertal development.

Genomic data from patients with thyroid cancer, combined with information on mutation-specific mechanisms from experimental models, is transforming the thyroid cancer research field. This Review summarizes the genetic alterations involved in follicular cell-derived thyroid cancer initiation and progression and their biological and clinical implications.

Thyroid hormones have key functions throughout the body. However, thyroid function declines with age and thyroid diseases increase in prevalence. This Review outlines our current knowledge about how thyroid function changes with age and the implications for patient care.

Health equity is when every person can achieve their full potential for health and wellbeing. In this Viewpoint, global experts discuss the root causes and contributing factors to health inequity in endocrinology. Potential action points and research directions to help reduce health disparities are also discussed.

Over the past decade, the focus on modelling the human endometrium and its cyclical transformations has intensified, driven in part by the lack of notable progress in treating endometrial diseases. Gnecco and collaborators now unveil a cutting-edge endometrial organoid culture using synthetic hydrogels with endometrial niche peptides and epithelial and stromal cells.

This Review discusses the current understanding of adipose tissue macrophages and T cells. Discussion of these cells is used as an example of how metabolic tissue niches can dictate immune cell function in unique ways that diverge from the classic understanding of leukocyte biology.

Inter-organ crosstalk is increasingly understood as an important mechanism contributing to insulin resistance and β-cell failure, the key features of type 2 diabetes mellitus. This Review discusses mediators of inter-organ crosstalk in type 2 diabetes mellitus, its pathogenesis and its related complications.

A recent study by Zhou and colleagues proposed that low metabolic elasticity and gene elasticity are involved in the metabolic alterations observed in ageing and obesity. Here, we discuss some of their findings to provide a viewpoint on these potential new traits associated with metabolic health.

Evidence indicates an elevated risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus after breast cancer treatment, particularly for endocrine therapy. This Review outlines the evidence for adverse metabolic effects of endocrine therapies in humans. Potential mechanisms, informed by preclinical research, for the increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus are discussed.

This Review emphasizes new insights into adipose tissue endothelial cell biology and alterations linked to obesity. In particular, studies highlighting the identification of adipose tissue endothelial cell heterogeneity, epigenetic factors, and plasticity of adipocytes and endothelial cells are presented.

This Review discusses newly discovered functions of pituitary hormones on bone, adipose tissue and the brain. Mechanisms of pituitary hormone actions on somatic organs and neural function are outlined. The role of dysregulated pituitary hormone function in multiple diseases and the potential for targeting ligands and receptors therapeutically are discussed.

Acute inflammation triggers activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, but whether it could also impede the adrenocortical response to adrenocorticotropic hormone remains controversial. A new study using preclinical models of acute inflammation demonstrates dysregulation of energy metabolism in adrenocortical cells, resulting in oxidative stress that induces disruption of steroidogenesis.

In a new study, an ambulatory microdialysis system combined with ultrasensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry enabled the building of a 24-h high-resolution profile of adrenal steroids in the tissue by sampling interstitial fluid in 214 healthy volunteers. Daily and ultradian variations of eight free steroids, including cortisol and aldosterone, have been demonstrated, which opens new diagnostic perspectives for endocrine diseases.