Endocrinology, and diabetes care in particular, is a dynamic field where clinicians must translate new evidence into clinical practice at a rapid pace. Designed in an engaging, case-based format, Endocrinology and Diabetes: A Problem Oriented Approach offers a wide range of thought-provoking case studies that reflect contemporary, challenging, hands-on clinical care. Further, by providing a list of specific clinical problems, this format offers the reader a more convenient and pointed way to solve precise clinical problems in a timely manner. Developed by a renowned, international group of experts, this comprehensive title covers the most common clinical problems in endocrinology and diabetes and should be of great interest to endocrinologists, diabetologists, internal medicine physicians, family physicians, fellows, and residents.

Recent Advances in Prolactin Research summarizes the current knowledge of prolactin (PRL), PRL receptor, PRL-dependent signaling pathways, the role of PRL in oncogenesis and PRL crosstalk with other oncogenic factors. The chapters are written by experts in these fields and focus on identifying and reviewing timely experimental findings that provide new insights into the expanding role of PRL in the pathophysiology associated with a variety of human conditions. Prolactin is a peptide hormone that is best known for its role in lactation. Prolactin also has an influence on hematopoiesis and angiogenesis, and is involved in the regulation of blood clotting through several pathways. Although PRL was discovered more than 80 years ago, the understanding of PRL signaling and its relationship to various pathologies is still very incomplete. PRL is not only a pituitary hormone with an important role in reproduction, but PRL also acts as a cytokine, modulating a wide variety of physiological processes. For example, data gathered during the last decade have demonstrated that locally produced PRL acts as the autocrine/paracrine factor and plays a contributory role during breast oncogenesis. In fact, the scientific and clinical communities have suggested that the manipulation of the PRL axis may lead to the successful treatment of breast cancer. However, recent work has demonstrated that the role of the PRL axis is much more complex than first envisaged.

Defining and understanding cellular and molecular mechanisms that are relevant to women's health has become a critical area of scientific pursuit. Until recently, very little effort has been place on defining or understanding critical differences between women and men that may be critical to the overall health of the woman. In 1990, the National Institutes of Health recognized this gap in knowledge resulting in the creation of the Office of Research on Women's Health. One of the purposes of this office was to advance the understanding of health issues from the women's perspective from both a basic and clinical scientific perspective. From a scientific evolution of understanding, the existence of this office is new and thus there has not been enough time for new information to integrate itself in our current scientific thought process. This book will seek to capture and disseminate our current understanding of scientific advancements relevant to women's health and provide the information to a broad audience. The purpose of this work is to discuss recent advancements in basic science across three areas of concern for women's health. In addition, the book will provide "translational" chapters that attempt to place the basic science work in context within our current understanding of the human. Although it is well acknowledge that gender differences exist across organ function which translates into differences in whole body function, until recently little effort has been made to define basic mechanisms within various tissues within the woman. This work will focus on recent scientific findings that are relevant to women's health and to provide novel and relevant information to interested scientists and clinicians.

Understanding the influence and interaction between physical activity and the endocrine system are of paramount importance in dealing with a multitude of health problems. In Endocrinology of Physical Activity and Sport, renowned physicians and researchers provide a comprehensive and expanded update on the scientific, clinical and practical components of endocrinology as related to sport and exercise. The authors thoroughly review what is known about how such activity effects the endocrine system and how in turn these hormonal responses affect many other organs and systems of the body. In addition, aspects of endocrinology in non-glandular tissue which have endocrine actions are addressed; for example, adipocytes and the release of leptin and related adipocytokines. Further, a wide range of clinically related topics such as athletic amenorrhea, osteopenia, sarcopenia, and hypogonadism are included. This new edition critically integrates what is known about the complex interaction of the endocrine system in the sports context and will again prove immensely valuable to all physicians and clinical investigators treating those active in sports today.

This volume presents key topics of current interest with regard to several pathophysiological conditions including (a) the basic and clinical aspects of bradykinin receptor antagonists, (b) the kallikrein-kinin pathways in hypertension and diabetes, (c) tissue kallikrein-kinin therapy for hypertension and organ damage, (d) the renal (tissue) kallikrein-kinin system in the kidney and novel potential drugs for salt-sensitive hypertension, (e) the kallikrein-kinin system in diabetes retinopathy, and (f) genetic manipulation and genetic variation of the kallikrein-kinin system and their impacts on cardiovascular and renal disease. Written by internationally reputed scientists, the book provides an essential overview of the latest developments in the field of kinin research, making it a valuable asset for endocrinologists, nephrologists, cardiologists, pharmacologists, physiologists, ophthalmologists and rheumatologists. Furthermore, it is also intended for postgraduate students in the fields of medicine, pharmacy, physiology and pharmacology, and those working at research organizations.

This book serves as a comprehensive resource on toxicants that can be released from food packaging materials and household plastics. Chapters include sources and levels of chemical exposure, known and suspected health effects and the identification of data gaps with recommendations for further research. In addition, regulatory approaches and risk assessment challenges in the United States and Europe are discussed. Chapters cover both the more widely known chemicals that can migrate from food packaging (bisphenol A, perfluorinated chemicals), and household plastics (lead, phthalates, brominated flame retardants), as well as chemicals that are just entering use in food packaging (nanomaterials in polymer food packaging) and chemicals recently identified as migrating from food packaging to food stuffs (phthalates, benzophenones, antimony, methylnaphthalene and the alkylphenols nonylphenol and octylphenol). Chapters on phthalates and brominated flame retardants discuss challenges that arise with the use of replacement chemicals. The health effect sections of chapters have drawn on a wide variety of toxicological endpoints and recommend approaches to better assess toxicological risks in vulnerable human populations. Reflecting the global nature of our food supply and household consumer goods, contributions have been drawn from international experts. A wide range of scientists will find this book to be useful, including toxicologists, environmental health scientists, food scientists, and regulators.

This is a timely and informative updated edition for all health care providers challenged with helping patients manage weight. Similar to the well-reviewed first edition, this updated title is directed toward individuals who wish to read further about targeted topics, rather than find an introduction to the field. This second edition again provides insights into recent scientific advances in obesity research and provides the most up-to-date instruction about current treatment issues and strategies for both adults and children. While several of the chapters are no longer relevant from the first edition, other topics have emerged as interesting and current. This edition will keep the two-section format of Physiology and Pathophysiology and Clinical Management, but it increases the first section to 10 chapters and reduces the second section to 12 chapters. The plan is to keep this edition in the range of about 350 to 400, maximum, printed pages. The volume is again divided into two parts. Part 1 covers new discoveries in the physiological control of body weight, as well as the pathophysiology of obesity. Expert authors discuss pathways that control food intake, energy expenditure and peripheral nutrient metabolism, including a look at the emerging evidence of the role of adipose tissue as an endocrine organ. Part 2 covers all the key issues central to clinical management, including recent developments in the epidemiology of obesity, assessment of the obese patient, behavioral strategies in weight management, dietary modification as a weight management strategy, physical activity as a weight management strategy, weight loss drugs, surgical approaches to obesity and other important clinical topics. An essential, practical text that sorts, synthesizes and interprets the latest information on obesity-related topics, this second edition will be an essential resource for clinical endocrinologists and other health care providers across a broad spectrum of specialties.

This book's aim is to increase the awareness of a great variety of posttranslational modifications in the male and female reproductive system. Some of the most intriguing reproductive strategies, mechanisms, and pathways involving PTM are discussed, with an added angle of evolutionary conservation and diversity. The book also chapters on sperm-egg binding, as well as on histone modification in both the embryo and sperm. Chapters are also devoted to protein ubiquitination, the regulation of sperm function during fertilization in mammals and tubulin modifications in gametes and embryos. There are no other current books on posttranslational protein modifications as they relate to reproduction, making this contribution unique in the field. It is useful for both researchers and graduate students alike.

Bone Drugs in Pediatrics brings together in one place the evidence for the use of certain drugs in the treatment and prevention of bone loss in children, as well as the reservations still present in the pediatric community regarding their use. Beginning with a discussion of developmental pharmacokinetics and drug development for pediatric diseases where bone loss occurs, such as osteogenesis imperfecta, the physiology of pediatric bone and how best to monitor the safety and efficacy of these drugs is presented. The pros and cons of utilizing the drugs themselves - such as bisphosphonates, antiresorptives and anabolic agents - within the pediatric population are carefully considered, with an eye toward safe and effective integration. The potential use of drugs in future treatment is also highlighted. On the whole, Bone Drugs in Pediatrics is a cogent presentation of the ongoing debate surrounding the potential for pharmacological interventions in pediatric bone loss.

This volume represents an up-to-date overview on the major areas of gynecological endocrinology, providing the reader with a complete explanation of female endocrine regulation and metabolism and relevant disorders and treatment. It is published within the International Society of Gynecological Endocrinology (ISGE) Series and is based on the 2013 International School of Gynecological and Reproductive Endocrinology Summer Course. The book covers a very wide range of topics – from primary amenorrhea to menopause, from the impact of ovarian surgery on fertility to fertility cryopreservation, from metabolic syndrome and polycystic ovary to premature ovarian failure and from the clinical impact of selective progesterone receptor modulators to the use of progesterone in prevention of premature labor. It will be an important tool for obstetricians and gynecologists, endocrinologists and experts in women’s health as well as interested GPs.

During vertebrate hematopoiesis many specialized cell types are formed with vastly different functions such as B cells, T cells, granulocytes, macrophages, erythrocytes and megakaryocytes. To tightly control the enormous proliferative potential of developing blood cells, an intricately balanced signaling and transcription network has evolved that ensures that the different cell types are formed at the right time and in the right numbers. Intricate regulatory mechanisms ensure that blood cells function properly and have a determined life span. Moreover, in the adaptive immune system, long-lived memory cells have evolved that ensure that when pathogens have been seen once they will never cause a problem again. In this book we will therefore make a journey from asking how more primitive organisms use the epigenetic regulatory machinery to balance growth with differentiation control towards digging deep into what controls the function of specialized cells of the human immune system. We will first discover that flies make blood but exist without blood vessels, why fish make blood cells in the kidney and which precise genetic circuitries are required for these developmental pathways. We will then learn the regulatory principles that drive the differentiation of mature blood cells from stem cells and what controls their function in mammals. In the process, we will find out what unites hematopoietic stem cells and endothelial cells. Finally, we will shed light on the molecular mechanisms that either alter hematopoietic cell differentiation or lead to the development of cells with impaired function.

Clinical Care Pathways in Andrology provides a valuable resource for understanding clinical decision-making in the context of the predominant male reproductive and sexual disorders for which patients commonly seek evaluation and treatment. Conditions that are less well-known but can be severely bothersome to patients, such as penile sensory loss, are also presented. Based on clinical evidence and expert consensus, practical clinical care pathways are featured for each condition. Each clinical care pathway consists of an algorithm that delineates the overall structure of decision-making for each condition, describes initial clinical presentations, and guides the reader through diagnostic testing and treatment. Furthermore, the volume features annotations that develop key andrological concepts and provide explanations for each step in diagnosis and management. Designed for clarity and ease of use, Clinical Care Pathways in Andrology is a practical and valuable reference for urologists, primary care physicians, and residents who are not specialty trained in andrology.

This revised edition of Charles Brook's "Handbook of Clinical Pediatric Endocrinology" provides endocrinologists and pediatricians in training with a fully up-to-date clinical guide presenting evidence-based practice in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of pediatric endocrine disorders. New chapters include "Endocrine complications of chronic disease" and "Endocrine neoplasia." In addition, the chapter structure has been revamped for easier access and now includes: a key points overview, multiple-choice questions for self-assessment, common errors/pitffalls (in treatment, diagnosis, etc.) boxes, a key weblinks box, a table comparing different society guidelines, diagnostic decision trees, therapeutics decision trees, and a summary.

This highly illustrated book, complete with comprehensive clinical references and annotated images, will serve as a leading text to educate head and neck surgeons, endocrinologists, and radiologists on the basics and nuances of thyroid and parathyroid ultrasound. It emphasizes the use of ultrasound as an office-based modality by clinicians and radiologists who actively care for this special set of patients. This text uniquely combines the collaboration between a clinician/surgeon and radiologist who share their extensive experience in head and neck ultrasound.

Although transgender persons have been present in various societies throughout human history, it is only during the last several years that they have become widely acknowledged in our society and their right to quality medical care has been established. In the United States, endocrinologists have been providing hormonal therapy for transgender individuals for decades; however, until recently, there has been only limited literature on this subject, and non-endocrine aspects of medical care for transgender individual have not been well addressed in the endocrine literature. The goal of this volume is not only to address the latest in hormonal therapy for transgender individuals (including pediatric and geriatric age groups), but also to familiarize the reader with other aspects of transgender care, including primary and surgical care, fertility preservation, and the management of HIV infection. In addition to medical issues, psychological, social, ethical and legal issues pertinent to transgender individuals add to the complexities of successful treatment of these patients. A final chapter includes extensive additional resources for both transgender patients and providers. Thus, an endocrinologist providing care to a transgender person will be able to use this single resource to address most of the patient's needs. While Transgender Medicine is intended primarily for endocrinologists, this book will be also useful to primary care physicians, surgeons providing gender-confirming procedures, mental health professionals participating in the care of transgender persons, and medical residents and students.

This book discusses the maximal power and capacity of the three major biochemical pathways ­- aerobic (oxygen consumption), anaerobic lactic (muscle lactate accumulation in absence of oxygen consumption), and anaerobic alactic (phosphocreatine hydrolysis) metabolism - as well as the factors that limit them. It also discusses the metabolic and cardio-pulmonary mechanisms of the dynamic response to exercise. The way and extent to which the power and capacity of the three major energy metabolisms are affected under a number of different conditions, such as training, hypoxia and microgravity, are also described.

Non-vesicular intracellular cholesterol transport is an important mechanism for maintaining membrane cholesterol homeostasis. Recent reports of studies directed at soluble cholesterol transport proteins indicate that aberrant expression of the START proteins may contribute to disease states associated with disorders in cholesterol homeostasis. This is an exciting new direction in the field and the purpose of this book will be to highlight the current research directed at potential roles for the START family in diabetes, cancer and atherogenesis. This book also provides a personal and historical perspective of the discovery-to-publication journey that the authors had for their particular START domain family member. The goal will be to provide perspectives to graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and endocrinology fellows on the research discovery process.

The book aims to cover basic physiologic functions of melatonin, and its therapeutic applications in humans for a variety of clinically relevant disorders. This book contains chapters on the recent aspects of melatonin physiology, its receptors and their role in mitochondrial function, its immunomodulatory role and importance in seasonal dependent diseases, role in human reproduction, role in sleep, circadian rhythm and sleep disorders, role in neurologic disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease. Additionally, melatonin's therapeutic use in neurobehavioral disorders in children, migraine and tension headache is also covered in this book. Melatonin's antioxidant role in Duchenne's muscular dystrophy and in glaucoma have also been discussed in short chapters. Two major melatonin agonists, ramelteon and agomelatine are discussed extensively on their current clinical application and ongoing research. Two chapters on agomelatonin and its role in mood disorders, particularly depressive disorders, are an important feature of this book. The chapters are written by experts from the global academia recognized for their original research and published work in the field of melatonin science.

This book pursues a multidisciplinary approach, presenting chapters with updated information on various aspects of treatment for patients with neuroendocrine tumors. Authors have been selected from expert centers in Europe and the United States. The goal of this book is to comprehensively summarize recent data and provide inspiring ideas to optimize the care of patients with neuroendocrine tumors. Neuroendocrine tumors are fascinating multifaceted diseases that can primarily localize in many organs with various presentations. These tumors are rare but their increasing incidence renders likely that physicians caring for cancers may have either already faced or may be certainly exposed to diagnose and/or treat a patient with neuroendocrine tumors. Over the last years, novel therapeutic options have emerged for neuroendocrine tumors, profoundly challenging practices that had previously been the standards for decades. These include - but are not limited to - somatostatin analogues, targeted therapies such as tyrosine kinase and mTOR inhibitors, antiangiogenic compounds, but also peptide-receptor targeted therapy or radioembolization. This changing field has generated novel treatment algorithms to guide medical decisions. To better understand and handle the multidisciplinary approaches that are required for optimizing the care of neuroendocrine tumor patients, physicians are now looking for references from experts and comprehensive reviews summarizing current knowledge on treatments for patients with neuroendocrine tumors.

Comprised exclusively of clinical cases covering abnormal female puberty and its clinical management, this concise, practical casebook will provide clinicians in reproductive endocrinology, gynecology and pediatrics with the best real-world strategies to properly diagnose and treat the various forms of the condition they may encounter. Each chapter is a case that opens with a unique clinical presentation, followed by a description of the diagnosis, assessment and management techniques used to treat it, as well as the case outcome and clinical pearls and pitfalls. Cases included illustrate different causes of abnormal puberty as well as management strategies, including congenital anomalies, endocrine disorders, issues of constitutional delay, obesity, eating disorders, ovarian cancer and the effect of pharmacology, among others. Pragmatic and reader-friendly, Abnormal Female Puberty: A Clinical Casebook will be an excellent resource for reproductive endocrinologists, gynecologists and pediatricians alike.

There are several types of damage that can be found in the male gamete. Genetic damage in spermatozoa can originate during spermatogenesis, or it can originate during transit in both male and female genital tracts. Damage can also be due to ageing, environmental or iatrogenic conditions, as well as to the protocols to cryopreserve and to select spermatozoa in assisted reproduction techniques. The purpose of this book is to provide a comprehensive resource for all possible DNA damages in sperm, the relation to fertility and infertility, and possible transgenerational heritable effects.

This book covers clinical management including diagnosis, localization and physiology, for a number of clinical diseases treated by endocrinologists and surgeons. Following each chapter there is a 3-4 page biographical sketch of the person behind the clinical endocrinopathy, whose name is closely associated with the disease. The field of endocrine surgery is rich in history and this is the first text to bring together in one place the person behind the disease and the pioneers of the field. The text covers both the current management of endocrine surgical diseases, and also provides a historical background by highlighting the person in whom these discoveries were named after. Surgical Endocrinopathies is of great value to endocrine surgeons, ENT surgeons, endocrinologists, internal medicine and medical historians.

Twenty years after its discovery, recombinant human leptin has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of patients with lipodystrophy. Beginning with a synthesis of the vast body of work on its discovery, dissection of mechanisms, and effects in experimental models , the focus of this book shifts to a consideration of the regulation and role of leptin in humans. The emphasis on human-level data is a unique feature of this book. The results of numerous studies indicate that leptin is indeed a regulated human hormone. Leptin provides a detailed account of the myriad physiological, hormonal, metabolic, immunological, mitogenic and inflammatory modulators and targets of leptin in a single volume. Next follows a comprehensive presentation of the therapeutic trials of recombinant leptin in patients with congenital leptin deficiency, lipodystrophy, hypothalamic amenorrhea, and other emerging areas, including leptin supplementation in leptin-replete subjects, leptin substitution for insulin in diabetic models, and novel combination regimens of leptin and other biogenic peptides. Unanswered questions and future directions in leptin research are highlighted in the Foreword by Dr. Jeffrey Friedman and throughout the volume. Identifying such questions helps direct research that could deepen understanding of the complex regulation of leptin under physiological and pathological conditions, a critical prerequisite to its rational deployment in the treatment of human disorders.

This book offers a complete overview on non colorectal non neuroendocrine (NCRNNE) liver metastases and describes in detail the currently available therapies. Each chapter focuses on the treatment of metastases from a particular primary malignancy and also provides valuable information on incidence, natural history and diagnosis. NCRNNE liver metastases are rare entities compared with colorectal and neuroendocrine metastases, for which the treatments are well codified. While more publications have appeared on the topic in recent years, an in-depth study has to date been lacking. Furthermore, most published series are insufficiently comparable as they comprise patients with NCRNNE hepatic metastases from a variety of primary malignancies and consequently overlook differences in tumor behavior, frequency of isolated hepatic metastases, response to neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy and interval between diagnosis of the primary tumor and the liver metastases. This book, with its more specific approach, will serve not only as an up-to-date guide to diagnosis and treatment but also as a reference on which to base future studies.