Patients aftlicted with thyroid eye disease or Graves' ophthamopathy (GO) may experience not only pain and visual loss, but also disfigurement. Full understanding of pathogenesis has been elusive, and treatment modalities are imperfect. As with other conditions, more effective intervention will follow only after a better understanding of pathogenesis is reached. The goal of this volume is to give an overview by leaders in the field of the present state of the art both in pathogenesis and clinical aspects of GO. Much attention has been directed towards determining which cells within the orbit...

The dramatic recent expansion in genomic information has motivated the development of new approaches to characterize gene expression and function. A critical issue for both basic and clinical endocrinologists is the physiological role of genes involved in regulating endocrine functions. Transgenic technologies allow the translation of genotypic information into specific phenotypes by using gene overexpression or loss of specific gene functions. Murine functional genomics is thus of central importance in modem biomedical endocrine research. Although mice are at present, the preferred mammalian...

Diabetes mellitus is rapidly increasing in prevalence throughout both developed and developing countries. The social and economic burden of this disease is estimated to cost 14 billion dollars worldwide. In the USA alone, 15 million individuals are diabetic, nearly half of them unaware of their condition. Complications of diabetes mellitus are the leading causes for blindness, limb amputation and chronic renal failure and kidney transplantation in industrialized countries. Further, diabetes mellitus per se and the metabolic derangement associated with diabetes are important risk factors for...

Genetics of Diabetes Mellitus is intended to be a resource for both researchers in the field as well as endocrinologists, diabetologists, and geneticists who seek to learn more about this rapidly changing and important field. The text contains chapters from experts in the area who review aspects of the genetics of both type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus as well as various syndromic forms of diabetes. The chapters are approachable for those who are not experts in the field of genetics but also comprehensive, so as to serve as an important resource for researchers interested in the...

Growth Hormone and the Heart endeavors to bring together knowledge that has been accumulated in the area of GH and the heart, from basic to clinical studies, by research groups working on this topic throughout the world. Lessons from different experimental models and from several human diseases (acromegaly, adult GH deficiency, heart failure) suggest to endocrinologists and cardiologists that GH may not only have a role in the physiology and pathophysiology of heart function, but that GH itself may have a place in the treatment of primary heart diseases (such as dilated...

It is an authentic privilege to have the opportunity to assemble and edit a new volume on "Prolactin," the first in several decades to be devoted to this fascinating hormone in all its aspects. The obvious clinical rationale for understanding prolactin (PRL) is the frequent occurrence of prolactinomas, the most common type of pituitary tumor. Fortunately, medical management of prolactinomas can be based on our under standing of the physiology of hypothalamic control of the lactotroph. Armed with this knowledge, therapies for proiactinomas are highly successful and well tolerated. Be cause of...

Physical activity exerts an important influence on the endocrine system, modulating synthesis and secretion of several hormones. Almost every organ and system in the body is affected by physical activity and exercise, mainly through the endocrine and neuroendocrine system. Mode, intensity, and duration of the exercise bout, age, gender and fitness level of the individual as well as environmental and psychological factors may affect the endocrine response to physical activity.

On the other hand, several hormones are able to influence physical performance and body composition. Thus, a...

The discovery of leptin by Friedman and his colleagues in 1994 was a seminal discovery in the study of metabolism, providing a new tool to study energy expenditure and appetite regulation. Early studies actively investigated many aspects of metabolism, obesity, and diabetes but it was soon evident that leptin was much more than a metabolic hormone. Today leptin, with almost 11,000 reports in the world's literature, is recognized to be important in many areas of physiology with strong suggestions for involvement in clinical conditions as well. Leptin, of course, remains of great interest in...

Overweight and the Metabolic Syndrome will provide an overview of topics related to obesity, including associated health risks, childhood obesity, genetics, evaluation, treatment, behavioral strategies, and successes and failures in preventing obesity.

The body composition that underlies obesity and the metabolic syndrome is key to understanding the problem. The mechanisms by which energy balance is maintained is key to how the problem goes wrong. The metabolic syndrome is in part a consequence of central fat storage, but includes more issues such as insulin resistance,...

RNA binding proteins are an exciting area of research in gene regulation. A multitude of RNA-protein interactions are used to regulate gene expression including pre-mRNA splicing, polyadenylation, editing, transport, cytoplasmic targeting, translation and mRNA turnover. In addition to these post-transcriptional processes, RNA-protein interactions play a key role in transcription as illustrated by the life cycle of retroviruses. Unlike DNA, the structure of RNA is highly variable and conformationally flexible, thus creating a number of unique binding sites and the potential for complex...