This issue of Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics provides a comprehensive review of osteoporosis written by the world's leading experts. Topics include new mechanistic insights into pathophysiology; bisphosphonates; combination therapy; atypical fractures; non-BP anti resorbers; anabolic therapies; calcium; the impact of Vitamin D on bones; extraskeletal effects of Vitamin D; glucocorticoid osteoporosis; relation to anorexia nervosa, coeliac disease, and diabetes; and male osteoporosis.

This issue features internationally renowned experts who have provided their expertise on a variety of topics related to the importance of vitamin D. It was not until feedback loops were identified between vitamin D production and parathyroid hormone, phosphate that it earned its place as a true endocrine hormone. Current social and economic conditions have brought it back into the limelight with outbreaks of rickets and osteomalacia even in developed countries. However its complex regulation, together with the identification and characterization of the vitamin D receptor and its role in influencing multiple genetic pathways and function has heralded a new era highlighting its importance in health and disease. This includes its role in autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes mellitus, cancer especially breast and prostate, skin, neurological and cognitive disorders, and infectious diseases such as tuberculosis. We now know that adequate levels of vitamin D it is important in preventing falls and fracture. The need for supplementation and the amount recommended has also changed considerably from what we previously considered sufficient. The ongoing development of selective active analogs of vitamin D targeted to specific organs and function leads to the exciting possibility of improving outcomes of diseases associated with vitamin D regulation.

The discipline of Endocrinology encompasses diabetes and obesity, two of the most common and pressing health care concerns today. The Oxford American Handbook of Endocrinology & Diabetes concisely reviews the entire discipline, providing a wealth of daily help for students and residents managing patients with diabetes and obesity as well as reproductive and neuroendocrine disorders, pediatric endocrinology, and problems of the thyroid, pituitary, and adrenal glands. Key topics such as genetics, therapeutic agents, and results of major clinical trials are included, all in a compact and easily-navigable package.