Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Obesity

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) confers a greater risk of skeletal fragility and fracture. Whether prediabetes is detrimental to bone health is uncertain. RECENT FINDINGS: We summarize the current data on the associations of prediabetes with bone turnover, bone mineral density, bone quality, bone material properties and fracture risk. SUMMARY: In cross-sectional studies, prediabetes was associated with lower bone turnover and worse trabecular bone quality...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Very low carbohydrate ketogenic diet (KD) therapy has been associated with skeletal demineralization in children with drug-resistant epilepsy, but the cause of this association is unclear. Recently, interest in the KD has grown owing to its potential benefits for other illnesses including cancer, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and polycystic kidney disease. Summaries of the best available evidence regarding effects of a KD on skeletal health are lacking. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent rodent studies found that a KD can harm the growing skeleton, which corroborates most but not all studies in pediatric patients...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Adrenal insufficiency (AI) is the clinical manifestation of deficient production of glucocorticoids with occasionally deficiency also in mineralocorticoids and adrenal androgens and constitutes a fatal disorder if left untreated. The aim of this review is to summarize the new trends in diagnostic methods used for determining the presence of AI. RECENT FINDINGS: Novel aetiologies of AI have emerged; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection was linked to increased frequency of primary AI (PAI)...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (GEP-NEN) represent a heterogenous group of rare tumors emanating from neuroendocrine cells that are clinically silent for prolonged periods of time without detection. Traditional biomarkers lack sufficiently high enough specificity and sensitivity for these tumors and their secreted products. New molecules are sought to improve accuracy of detection and monitoring of GEP-NENs. The purpose of this review is to highlight recent advances in the discovery of novel biomarkers and their potential characteristics and utility as markers of GEP-NENs...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Glucocorticoid withdrawal syndrome (GWS) can develop after withdrawing exposure to supraphysiological levels of endogenous or exogenous glucocorticoids due to an established physical dependence. It is characterised by symptoms similar to adrenal insufficiency but needs to be regarded as a separate entity. GWS is often under-recognised in clinical practice and affected patients can experience significant impairment in their quality of life. RECENT FINDINGS: A cornerstone in GWS management is adequate patient education and reassurance that symptoms are expected and typically temporary...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The adrenal glands produce some of the most essential for life hormones, including cortisol and other steroids, and catecholamines. The former is produced from the adrenal cortex, whereas the latter is from the medulla. The two parts are anatomically and functionally distinct and it would be impossible in the context of one short article to cover all molecular updates on both the cortex and the medulla. Thus, in this review, we focus on the molecular tools available for diagnosing adrenocortical diseases, such as adrenal insufficiency, Cushing and Conn syndromes, and their potential for advancing medical care and clinical outcome...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Review the literature on the surgical management of adrenal diseases, highlighting the various surgical approaches and their respective pros and cons. RECENT FINDINGS: Minimally invasive adrenalectomy is commonly used for small and benign adrenal tumors, whereas open adrenalectomy is preferred for larger tumors and primary adrenal malignancy. Although minimally invasive adrenalectomy results in shorter recovery and fewer complications compared with open, the latter offers better oncologic outcomes in the setting of primary adrenal malignancy...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Fatty liver disease is increasingly common worldwide and is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). RECENT FINDINGS: This review describes the cardiovascular outcomes, clinical assessment and management as well as the impact of emerging drug treatment on CVD risk. SUMMARY: Patients with fatty liver require CVD risk assessment including consideration of statin therapy. Emerging therapeutic drugs for fatty liver may have both adverse and beneficial effects on CVD risk...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: In this review, we will summarize some of the landmark clinical trials of triglyceride-lowering therapies and review updates in clinical guidelines with regards to treatment of elevated triglyceride levels. RECENT FINDINGS: Accumulating evidence from epidemiologic and Mendelian randomization studies has shown that triglyceride and are causally linked to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and contribute to atherosclerosis. However, most clinical trials evaluating use of triglyceride-lowering therapies, including fibrates, niacin and fish oils [combined eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)] have not been able to demonstrate significant cardiovascular risk reduction...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Examine Setmelanotide use in patients with rare genetic variants that disrupt the melanocortin pathway. RECENT FINDINGS: Between February 2017 and September 2018, 10 participants with pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC)/ proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 1 (PCSK1) deficiency and 11 participants with leptin receptor (LEPR) deficiency were enrolled in open-label, phase 3 trials at 10 centers in the United States and internationally to assess the efficacy and safety of the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) agonist Setmelanotide...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To summarize recent studies analyzing reclassification of estimated risk of myocardial infarction (MI) and ischemic heart disease (IHD) by inclusion of remnant cholesterol (= cholesterol content in triglyceride-rich lipoproteins) in primary and secondary prevention settings. RECENT FINDINGS: For individuals in a primary prevention setting with remnant cholesterol levels at least 95th percentile (≥1.6 mmol/l, 61 mg/dl), 23% of MI and 21% of IHD events developed later were reclassified correctly from below to above 5% for 10-year occurrence when remnant cholesterol levels were added to models based on conventional risk factors, whereas no events were reclassified incorrectly...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Interest in the use of calorie restriction with low-carbohydrate diets for patients with type 1 diabetes appears to be increasing despite physicians' discomfort about its longer term outcomes. A divergence in opinion regarding the balance of benefits and safety may lead to patient disengagement from conventional medical supervision. This review describes the current evidence regarding the benefits and risks of these diets and suggests a way forward to addressing this potential misalignment between the aims of patients and their physicians...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The aim of this study was to assess the potential value of the measurement of plasma xenosterols (or phytosterols) concentrations in clinical practice. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent genetic studies suggest that individuals with elevated plasma phytosterol concentrations due to monogenic and polygenic variants are at an increased risk of coronary artery disease. This supports early observations that elevated plasma phytosterol concentrations are per se atherogenic...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Populations with greater fatty fish intake have lower risk of coronary heart disease. However, trials testing omega-3 fatty acids (FA) on cardiovascular outcomes have yielded inconsistent results. In this review, we summarize the major cardiovascular trials examining omega-3 FA supplementation, and compare differences with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) alone vs. docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) combined with EPA. RECENT FINDINGS: The JELIS and REDUCE-IT trials both demonstrated significant reduction in cardiovascular events with high dose EPA in the form of icosapent ethyl (IPE), with a similar trend seen in the RESPECT-EPA trial...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is a leading cause of mortality in adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Although dyslipidaemia is a modifiable and prevalent risk factor in individuals with T1D, determining when to initiate lipid-lowering therapy for primary prevention of ASCVD can be challenging. In this article, recommendations for lipid-lowering therapy from updated clinical guidelines over the last 5 years, additional risk-stratification methods, hypertriglyceridaemia management and potential barriers to optimal care in adults with T1D are discussed...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Elevated Lp(a) level is an important causal risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), principally coronary artery disease. Selective testing for Lp(a) is highly recommended in patients at intermediate and high risk for ASCVD. Lp(a) levels are predominantly genetically determined, and this has implications for cascade testing. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent studies show that cascade testing is effective in identifying elevated Lp(a) in close relatives of probands with high Lp(a)...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Atherosclerosis and associated cardiovascular risk factors originate in childhood; hence, early management of dyslipidaemia is vital. However, hypercholesterolemia remains untreated or undertreated in many youths. We review current therapies, drugs under investigation and consider potential future directions for the management of paediatric dyslipidaemia to highlight the recent evidence and new therapeutic options for future use. RECENT FINDINGS: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in childhood, including dyslipidaemia, are associated with CVD risk and clinical CVD events in adulthood...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Glucose-lowering medications have become strong choices for purposes beyond glucose control in both patients with and without type 2 diabetes. Recent studies have explored the use of specific glucose-lowering therapies in areas such as cardiovascular disease, renal disease, obesity, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and Alzheimer's disease, among others. This begs the question if glycemic parameters should be the sole criteria utilized for initiation of diabetes therapeutic agents...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Bardet Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a rare disease characterized by obesity and hyperphagia. Despite the very high prevalence of paediatric and adult obesity in this population, the prevalence of diabetes mellitus is not well described. RECENT FINDINGS: Studies in small and moderately large cohorts suggest a high prevalence of traditional risk factors for diabetes mellitus in people with BBS. People with BBS appear to have a high prevalence of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome...