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Safety is an important issue for all drugs, but even more so for treatments of non-life-threatening conditions, such as growth hormone (GH) therapy to increase adult stature. Given the almost ubiquitous expression of receptors for GH and its effector, insulin-like growth factor I, GH treatment has the potential to influence several parameters of organism biology.
The prevalence of gestational hypothyroidism in the USA is higher than previously estimated, according to findings of a new study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. This surprising result raises the question: should all pregnant women be routinely tested for thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy?
Adipokines are emerging as key molecules linking obesity to breast cancer and are found in the tumor microenvironment. This Review discusses the role of peritumoral stroma, adipose tissue and secreted adipokines in breast cancer biology, focusing on leptin and the crosstalk between leptin and estrogen signaling. Research fromin vitroand animal studies on how leptin is involved in the pathogenesis and progression of breast cancer is discussed, along with the potential future use of leptin and its receptor as therapeutic targets in patients with breast cancer.
Skeletal secretion of fibroblast growth factor 23 regulates systemic phosphate homeostasis and vitamin D metabolism. This Review focuses on the rapidly growing knowledge of this regulation, which is challenging how several diseases are conceptualized, including the definition of vitamin D deficiency, the pathogenesis of secondary hyperparathyroidism in chronic kidney disease and the relationship between disordered mineral metabolism and cardiovascular mortality.
Sirtuins have emerged as important regulators of various metabolic pathways, linking nutrient signals with cellular responses to energy demands and driving metabolic cycles in reaction to fasting or calorie restriction. This Review describes the latest advances in the understanding of the function of sirtuins in regulating mammalian metabolism with a focus on their role as mediators of nutrient availability.
Diabetes mellitus adversely affects the skeleton and is associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis and fragility fractures. This Review provides an overview of the effects of diabetes mellitus on osteoporosis and fractures, discussing molecular and cellular data, preclinical models and human studies in the context of the epidemiology, pathogenesis and clinical implications of impaired bone health.
Autoimmune Addison disease (AAD) is an inherited endocrine disorder, but its rarity has made it difficult to determine the genetic basis of the disease. This Review explores the pathogenesis of AAD and the genetic architecture underlying the disease, based on evidence from studies in humans and in certain dog breeds that are susceptible to a form of AAD with similarities to the condition that develops in man.
