Contemporary Endocrinology – serie

Key workers in vascular medicine and biology apply state-of-the-art techniques in cell and molecular biology to study the endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells. The distinguished scientists and clinicians open a new area of endocrinology, which sees the vasculature and kidney as endocrine organs and sheds new light on the hormonal regulation of the cardiovascular system. They also add significantly to our current understanding of the autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine regulation of vascular function in health and in those vascular disease states that accompany diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. Endocrinology of the Vasculature is the first book to comprehensively and systematically explore the vasculature as an endocrine organ.

Nineteen cutting-edge review articles by leading authorities provide a comprehensive overview of the normal function of the pituitary and of the diagnosis and treatment of pituitary disorders. Topics range from normal hypothalamic-pituitary interactions and the processes that disrupt them to new advances in pituitary imaging and appropriate surgical intervention in various pituitary disorders. Among the diseases discussed are congenital hypopituitarism, deficiency states, strategies for evaluating patients with hyperprolactinemia, Cushing's syndrome, acromegaly, and glycoprotein pituitary tumors.

Stuart Handwerger, MD and a distinguished panel of clinicians and experts review the most significant recent developments in molecular and cellular biology, powerful advances that have produced new diagnostic methods and improved treatments for many pediatric endocrine diseases. Topics range from the growth hormone/prolactin/placental lactogen gene family and their regulation of growth, to steroid hormones, sexual development, and mineral corticoid action. Additional chapters examine the pathophysiology of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, the molecular genetics of thyroid cancer, the molecular basis of hypophosphatemic rickets, and inherited diabetes insipidus. Molecular and Cellular Pediatric Endocrinology offers today's clinicians and researchers not only the latest findings on endocrine diseases in their pediatric manifestations, but also highly practical insights into today's cutting-edge diagnostics, treatment strategies, and powerful new therapeutics.

In Adrenal Disorders, a panel of distinguished physicians and researchers select the most relevant new findings and integrate them into the existing body of clinical knowledge on adrenal pathologies. The book includes important reviews of disturbances in cortisol homeostasis, and new concepts regarding adrenal tumors and hereditary adrenal diseases. Also discussed are mineralocorticoids and the syndromes of mineralocortoid excess and aldosterone synthase deficiency. Authoritative and insightful, Adrenal Disorders provides physicians and scientists with a comprehensive, state-of-the-art practical guide to the devastating diseases of the adrenals that are so often difficult to diagnose and treat.

Expert clinicians comprehensively review the endocrine and metabolic responses to critical illness, explore the mechanisms and outcomes (positive and negative) of those responses to severe stress, and consider possible endocrine interactions that are not yet fully defined. The contributors explain in detail the endocrine response to a multitude of critical illnesses, including cancer, liver failure, renal failure, trauma, burns, AIDS and other infections, starvation, cardiac disease, pulmonary disease, and organ transplants. The book offers significant basic knowledge of high clinical relevance by collating and defining the numerous interactions of the endocrine system and critical disease states, by discussing the basic pathophysiological processes involved, and by reviewing the clinical relevance of such responses.

"Theoretically, one should obtain essentially the same clinical picture from failure of an end-organ to respond to a hormone as from a decreased production or absence of said hormone. " With these words, Fuller Albright began his now classic paper describing a novel disease, pseudo hypoparathyroidism (PHP), and a novel concept, hormone resis- tance as a cause of disease. Soon, other hormone resistance disorders such as nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) were recognized, and the concept was extended to resistance to other substances such as calcium ions in familial hypocalciuric hypercalcemia (FHH). Later, diseases characterized by excess rather than deficient hormone action such as McCune-Albright syndrome (MAS) and familial male precocious puberty (FMPP) were recognized to be caused by autonomous endocrine hyperfunction. Although many i!!vestigators provided careful and detailed descriptions of the clinical features of these and other related endocrine disorders, an understanding of pathogenesis proved elusive for many years. In just the past few years, we have gone from clinical description to a molecular understanding of these interesting disorders.This remarkable progress reflects a synthe- sis of three distinct, but now overlapping, areas of biomedical research: the aforemen- tioned recognition and careful clinical description of specific diseases, the elucidation of the basic mechanisms of signal transduction, and the application of the powerful tools of molecular biology and genetics. Fundamental studies on the mechanisms of hormone action by Rodbell and colleagues at NIH culminated in the discovery of a major signal transduction pathway involving heterotrimeric G proteins.

A comprehensive, state-of-the-art review of the biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology, pharmacology, physiology, and pathology of natriuretic peptides. Written by the foremost researchers in the field, the reviews range from describing the actions of these peptides on the kidney, adrenal gland, vasculature, and brain, to their effects on immune regulation, reproduction, and cell growth. Special attention is given to the potential involvement of these hormones in clinical pathology and to their possible therapeutic use. Especially enlightening is the first-time review of molecular understanding of key cellular signaling pathways and of the importance of the vascular smooth muscle-endothelial interface.

A comprehensive, cutting-edge review of the complex interactions between maternal and fetal-placental tissues that control the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy, the proper development of the fetus, the birth process, and the behavioral aspects of bonding between mother and newborn. Expert researchers review the endocrine and physiological events that culminate in the delivery of offspring, and provide a solid base of comparative information on the menstrual cycle of primates, including humans. They also discuss the sources and functions of both steroid and protein hormones from the placenta and the details of their effects on uterine function, placental development, fetal growth and well-being, and maternal responses to pregnancy. This book will become the standard reference source not only for reproductive scientists, but also for those clinicians who want better to understand the complex factors that affect pregnancy - and their pregnant patients.

In a state-of-the-art synthesis of basic science and clinical practice, Roy Smith and a distinguished panel of researchers and clinicians review GH regulation and its action at the molecular level, and describe the basis for GH deficiency and the use of GH as therapy in a variety of clinical situations. The clinical presentation moves beyond the treatment of GH-deficient children to include the genetics of GH-deficiency, GH-deficiency in adults, osteoporosis, Syndrome X, sleep quality, GH in AIDS patients, GHRH in clinical studies. Timely and innovative, Human Growth Hormone: Research and Clinical Practice will benefit both basic and clinical researchers, as well as those clinical endocrinologists who want to use growth hormone not only in treating children, but also in treating adult disorders, including those associated with metabolic disease.

Leading clinical and basic science researchers present the latest molecular and cellular findings on key gut peptides, illuminating their physiology and pathophysiology, as well as highlighting the regulatory mechanisms underlying their action in the intestinal tract. The book focuses on gut peptide physiology and receptor pharmacology, gut processing and receptor biology, and on regulatory mechanisms in the gut, including pancreatic feedback mechanisms. Also included are chapters on the trophic effects of gut peptides on GI and pancreatic cancer; the regulation of gut peptide gene expression; and gastric secretion, especially in diseased states.

Leading medical specialists critically review for the general practitioner the latest techniques for the clinical management of diabetic neuropathy. These authoritative contributors focus on the practical aspects of diabetic neuropathy and describe in detail the treatments that are currently available or expected to become available in the near future. They also include concise discussions of the causes of diabetic neuropathy and highlight the relatively unknown features of neuropathy that can significantly impact a patient's life. Comprehensive, up-to-date bibliographies at the end of each chapter provide an opportunity for the interested physician to gain a more detailed picture of a particular topic. This book offers family physicians, internists, endocrinologists, podiatrists, cardiologists, neurologists, and gastroenterologists an authoritative practical guide and a vital day-to-day reference source for the management of their neuropathic diabetic patients.

Etienne-Emile Baulieu, the discoverer of neurosteroids, and a panel of distinguished scientists and clinical researchers exhaustively and critically review all facets of neurosteroids involved in behavior, stress, memory, depression, anxiety, aging of the brain, and neurodegenerative diseases. These contributors illuminate the role of neurosteroids in brain development and plasticity and detail their neuromodulatory influence on GABAA, ionotropic glutamate receptors, acetylcholine receptors, sigma receptors, and calcium channels. Clearly pointing the way toward novel pharmaceutical agents that may be of significant therapeutic value, particularly with regard to aging mental functions, Neurosteroids: A New Regulatory Function in the Nervous System offers neurobiologists, psychiatrists, neurosurgeons, pharmacologists, and geriatricians the first comprehensive, state-of-the-art review of these important bioactive molecules.

Gerald Reaven, the discoverer of Syndrome X, and a panel of world-class investigators thoughtfully summarize our current understanding of how insulin resistance and its compensating hyperinsulinemia play a major role in the pathogenesis and clinical course of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease - the so-called diseases of Western civilization. These distinguished authorities detail, for the first time, the pathophysiological consequences and the clinical syndromes, excluding Type 2 diabetes, related to insulin resistance. They also examine the genetic and lifestyle factors that contribute to the wide differences in insulin action that exist in the population at large. Timely and authoritative, Insulin Resistance: The Metabolic Syndrome X illuminates the full importance of insulin resistance as a major cause of hypertension, heart disease, and polycystic ovary syndrome.

A cutting-edge review of how derangements in the hormonal and growth factor mechanisms controlling normal mammary development lead to breast cancer. Drawing on the multidisciplinary expertise of leading authorities, the book highlights the roles of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, spelling out the importance of autocrine/paracrine loops (e.g., stromal epithelial interactions) in supporting breast cancer cell proliferation and the progression to hormone independence. The book's many prominent contributors also illuminate significant recent advances in the biochemistry and physiology of hormone receptors and review the state-of the-art in the endocrine therapy of breast cancer. Endocrinology of Breast Cancer provides a unique integrated overview of the most significant basic and clinical developments concerning the hormonal aspects of breast cancer.

A. Wayne Meikle and a distinguished panel of expert clinicians bring to bear their extensive knowledge and experience in managing adults and children undergoing hormone replacement therapy for the pituitary, parathyroid, thyroid, pancreas, adrenal glands, and gonads. Emphasizing proper patient management, the book provides to specialists and general practitioners alike time-tested, cutting-edge guidelines on the use, monitoring, and dosage of hormone therapeutics in the treatment of disorders of endocrine function, while giving an exhaustive analysis of each therapy. Comprehensive and eminently practical, Hormone Replacement Therapy captures the most recent advances in hormone replacement therapeutics and is certain to serve endocrinologists, gynecologists, pediatricians, urologists, internists, and family practitioners as today's standard reference for managing and monitoring their patients.

Stephen P. Ethier and a panel of leading investigators comprehensively analyze the cellular, molecular, and endocrine factors in the development of cancers of the breast, prostate, endometrium, and ovary. Concentrating on defining the most important unresolved issues in the field, the authors review how steroid hormones function to regulate normal mammary gland homeostasis in humans, with particular emphasis on the roles of estrogen, progesterone, and growth factors. Comprehensive and up-to-date, Endocrine Oncology offers both basic and clinical researchers not only the latest molecular and cellular findings on endocrine cancers, but also a powerful critical analysis that will prove invaluable to all endocrinologists and oncologists working in the area today.

Leading clinicians review in depth the clinical and molecular aspects of the hormone resistance syndromes caused by receptor mutations. These mutations are involved in a large number of disorders, including dwarfism, Laron syndrome, pseudohypoparathyroidism, insulin resistance, resistance to thyroid hormone, glucocorticoid resistance, hereditary resistance to vitamin D, and estrogen resistance. Throughout, the book's distinguished contributors not only summarize the clinical features of these and related disorders, but also illuminate their molecular bases. Hormone Resistance Syndromes provides an authoritative summary and standard reference for all those clinicians and researchers actively studying these mutations today and affords a unique opportunity to understand hormone action in normal physiology.

Don P. Wolf and Mary Zelinski-Wooten provide a comprehensive review of the procedures and techniques used in assisted reproduction, as well as in nuclear transfer for both the treatment of human infertility and the propagation of animals. Combining the details of clinical application with the physiological facts of reproduction, the authors treat subjects such as the in vitro maturation of oocytes, embryo culture, intracytoplasmic sperm injection, and the process of nuclear transfer. Cutting-edge and wide-ranging, Assisted Fertilization and Nuclear Transfer in Mammals offers clinical ARTs practitioners, research scientists, those responsible for animal care, and students not only an informative historical perspective on the development of ARTs, but also updates on several of the more dynamic clinical areas, and a highly practical understanding of their applications.

Carole Mendelson has assembled a panel of leading investigators to critically review the various classes of endocrine, paracrine, and neuroendocrine factors that play a role in the regulation of lung development and surfactant production. Special attention is accorded the actions of glucocorticoids in lung development and the synthesis of surfactant glycerophospholipids and proteins. Also extensively treated are the roles of cell-cell interactions and the elaboration of various growth factors and bioactive peptides in pulmonary cell differentiation, gene expression, and pathophysiology. State-of-the-art and comprehensive, Endocrinology of the Lung constitutes a powerful new standard guide that illuminates the complex endocrinology of the lung for all those actively investigating hormone action in pulmonary biology and medicine today.

Leading researchers and experienced clinicians join forces not only to illuminate today's understanding of the endocrinology of menopause, but also to provide a sound basis for its successful management. These seasoned experts review in detail the cardiovascular, bone, brain, and genitourinary changes that accompany menopause and spell out the risks, benefits, and alternatives of conventional hormone replacement therapy. Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), androgen replacement, calcium supplementation, and the role of phytoestrogens are also fully reviewed. Menopause: Endocrinology and Management offers practicing physicians a comprehensive understanding of the menopause process, as well as an evidence-based approach to optimizing treatment strategies for the challenging medical problems accompanying this important period in women's lives.

Dr. Robert Volpe and his distinguished contributors comprehensively review the latest thinking about the theoretical, experimental, and clinical aspects of autoimmune endocrine disorders. These world-renowned experts examine the pathogenesis and immunogenetics of these diseases, discuss the role of sex hormones in autoimmunity, and elucidate the nature of autoantigens. They also provide clinical detail on a wide variety of autoimmune endocrinopathies, including autoimmune thyroid disease, Graves' ophthalmopathy and dermopathy, human insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, and autoimmune adrenocortical failure. Postpartum autoimmune endocrine syndromes, autoimmune hypophysitis, and the polyglandular autoimmune syndromes are also discussed in detail. Comprehensive and authoritative, Autoimmune Endocrinopathies provides today's most up-to-date understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of autoimmune endocrine diseases.

Influential researchers comprehensively survey the basic and clinical aspects of the insulin-like growth factor system. Their state-of-the-art synthesis of a broad range of IGF research illuminates the interplay among ligands, receptors, and binding proteins, each exerting both the local and systemic effects that constitute this complex system. The book examines in detail not only the molecular biology, the biological actions, and the physiology of the various IGF systems, but also the clinical aspects of the IGF system, ultimately producing a useful paradigm for the investigation of related hormone, growth factor, and cytokine signaling systems. The IGF System: Molecular Biology, Physiology, and Clinical Applications is the first extended treatment of the IGF system in many years and is designed to serve as the new standard reference-of-choice for all basic and clinical investigators, as well as practicing physicians treating a range of human diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and neurodegenerative disorders.

Margaret Shupnik and a team of leading investigators review the most recent breakthroughs in molecular endocrinology, emphasizing how studies of natural mutations and gene knockouts have illuminated endocrine processes. Using both animal and human model data, these authoritative researchers examine in depth the molecular basis of development, growth, and reproductive processes, the specific mutations that explain certain genetic syndromes, the hormonal regulation of gene expression (which affects the treatment of infertility and steroid-dependent cancers), and current research directions. Comprehensive and up-to-date, Gene Engineering in Endocrinology offers today's experimental and clinical endocrinologists, as well as reproductive biologists, a richly informative survey of what has already been accomplished with the genetic engineering of hormone processes and hormone-related genetic syndromes - research that promises powerful new experimental and therapeutic opportunities as this field continues its rapid development.

Leonard Share and a panel of distinguished clinicians and investigators critically review what is known about the effects of endogenous hormones and other chemical agents that act upon and/or are secreted by the heart. Among the humoral factors reviewed in depth are ANP, adrenomedullin, urocortin, vasopressin, and insulin, as well as the autocoids, endothelin, nitric oxide, estrogen, and the eicosanoids. Also illuminated are the roles played by the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, by the autonomic nervous system, and by the kallikrein-kinin system in the functioning of the heart. Offers physiologists, pharmacologists, and academic cardiologists powerful insights into the hormonal factors that modulate cardiac performance in health and disease. Contributing substantially to our understanding of the physiology and pathophysiology of the heart, this important book is certain to serve as the new standard reference for all those involved in basic and clinical cardiovascular studies as well as in developing today's novel cardiotherapeutics.

Distinguished physicians critically review the clinical consequences of the endocrinological changes that occur with aging - in both men and women - and examine the use of hormonal therapy to reduce them. Topics range from bone disease and water balance in all older people, to androgen deficiency in aging males, gynecomastia, and menopause. The authors also discuss Type II diabetes in persons over 65, emphasizing the cognitive benefits of good glycemia control, and the interaction of nutrition and metabolism, focusing on hypocholesterolemia, obesity, the anorexia of aging, trace elements, and vitamins. The aging of the sympathetic nervous system and its impact on hypertension in the elderly is also covered. Timely and authoritative, Endocrinology of Aging offers endocrinologists, geriatricians, and primary care physicians critical insight into the endocrine problems of our rapidly growing elderly population.

Experienced physicians concisely explain the pathophysiology and clinical manifestations of endocrine disorders and survey all the latest laboratory diagnostics. Topics range widely from an overview of the diagnosis of diabetes and the long-term monitoring of its complications to the evaluation of menstrual dysfunction. Coverage is also given to the diagnosis of pituitary tumors, Cushing's syndrome, thyroid disease, and hypoglycemia; the evaluation of endocrine-induced hypertension; the assessment of dyslipidemia and obesity; and approaches to diagnosing hyper- and hypocalcemia. There are also discussions of osteoporosis, hypogonadism and erectile dysfunction, and hyperandrogenism in women. The authors each review the complex physiological basis of the relevant endocrine processes and provide richly instructive recommendations for followup and long-term management of patients.

A panel of expert clinical and basic investigators summarize the state-of-the-art in the use of transgenic technology in a broad range of endocrinological applications. Up-to-date and comprehensive, Transgenics in Endocrinology reviews the most recent developments in the analysis of endocrine physiology and its pathologies through mouse models, and provides a host of creative approaches to understand better the complex processes that are characteristic of hormonal systems.

Leading researchers comprehensively translate all the latest scientific information regarding endocrine physiology and development into an understanding of the clinical pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of endocrine disease. Organized by endocrine system, each section of the book concisely describes the chronological development of the human organism, from the fetal/prenatal period through childhood, adolescence, and in some cases, into adulthood. The prenatal sections review recent discoveries concerning transcription factors, homeobox genes, and human molecular mutations-the basic processes governing prenatal development of the individual endocrine organs-and detail the pathophysiology, clinical characteristics, and treatment of pediatric endocrine disorders.

Experimental and clinical researchers from a wide range of disciplines present a wealth of fresh scientific information on the biochemistry, molecular biology, pharmacology, and clinical activity of SERMs. The basic science chapters of the book focus - with an eye to the development of the ideal SERM - on the complex mechanisms of estrogen action, including ligand-dependent conformational changes in alpha and beta, and the recruitment of co-activators and co-repressors which modulate the estrogen receptor transcriptional activity and contribute to its crosstalk with growth factor signaling. The clinical presentation reviews the data accumulated on currently available SERMs, primarily tamoxifen and raloxifene, in cancer treatment and prevention, as well as their effects on the reproductive, vascular, skeletal, and central nervous systems. A tentative approach to menopause-related health issues is also provided for women with and without a previous diagnosis of localized breast cancer.