Volume 2 Issue 7, July 2006

Cortistatin is a member of the somatostatin family of peptide hormones. Although cortistatin and somatostatin display many structural and functional similarities, there are also notable differences including tissue distribution and receptor selectivity. This Viewpoint describes how these differences might reflect novel actions of cortistatin in the brain and immune system.

Although LDL-cholesterol is commonly targeted in treatment regimens aiming to reduce coronary heart disease, the value of elevating HDL-cholesterol levels is still debated. The authors suggest that raising levels of HDL-cholesterol with drugs such the experimental agent torcetrapib might prove beneficial, particularly when used in combination with statins.

This Review summarizes the data showing that adipocytes express the specific receptors for nearly all known pituitary hormones and hypothalamic releasing factors. The existence of a hypothalamic–pituitary–adipose axis is therefore most likely. The name “adipotropins” is suggested to characterize pituitary hormones and hypothalamic releasing factors that act directly on adipocytes.

Partly because of increased use of sonography, thyroid nodules are now detected more frequently but are usually asymptomatic. Very few thyroid nodules are malignant, and so management is particularly important but remains controversial. This Review details the various options available, and assesses the indications for each one.

This Review describes the many clinical, endocrine and genetic abnormalities that cause growth hormone (GH) insensitivity disorders, listing all the known GH-receptor mutations and describing the current therapy with insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) and a novel therapy using complexes of IGF1 and IGF-binding protein 3.