an Endocrine Society Thematic Issue
Read our special collection of journal articles focused on diabetes! These were published in 2018-19, with curation guided by Altmetric Attention Score and Feature Article designation.
Insulin sensitivity and lipids are key in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D), with genetics strongly involved. One study (Srinivasan et al.) analyzes a polygenic lipodystrophy score that correlates with poor improvement in insulin sensitivity. A review in Endocrine Reviews (Udler et al.) provides a broader view of sequence variants linked to diabetes.
Other articles look at diabetes pathology. Another review (Di Pino and DeFronzo) discusses the flip side of insulin sensitivity, insulin resistance, which is associated with cardiovascular risk. A long-term study of body-weight variability in JCEM (Oh et al.) finds that it is associated with diabetes incidence, but in a complex way.
A mini-review in Journal of the Endocrine Society (Ye et al.) discusses secondary effects of lipotoxicity on beta cells, while a review in Endocrine Reviews (Albrechtsen et al.) explores complex links between T2D and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Another mini-review (Thomas et al.) gives an overview of factors associated with hyperinsulinemia, with a focus on racial and ethnic differences. Ruiz et al. discuss in Endocrinology advanced glycation end products as contributors to insulin resistance. Agarwal et al. provide evidence bearing on the question of how gestational diabetes affects islets in offspring in rats.
Diabetes affects bone, but a UK study (Vavanikunnel et al.) finds that the risk of low-trauma fracture is increased by poor glycemic control in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) yet not those with T2D. A case-control study (Chen et al.) documents abnormalities in bone formation in children with T1D and detects benefits of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion, aka insulin pumps.
T1D patients increasingly have access to pumps in many places, but their use is a challenge. An Endocrine Reviews article (Lal et al.) describes emerging closed-loop control systems that would simplify the lives of patients and reduce complications. Progress on a different approach, pancreatic islet transplantation, is explored in the article by Rickels and Robertson: despite the promise, alternative sources of islets will be essential. Prebiotics, nondigestible carbohydrates, might become an inexpensive adjunct treatment for children with T1D, suggests one study in JCEM (Ho et al.).
HbA1c measurements are a staple of diabetes management, but Nayak et al. point to clinical drawbacks and suggest alternatives. Murakami et al. detail a promising way to monitor beta cell mass non-invasively in a mouse model, which could speed drug development.
Although the articles here chiefly concern diabetes mellitus, a pilot study in JCEM focuses on diabetes insipidus (whose main sign is excessive urination; the root of “diabetes” is the Greek for “siphon”). Aulinas et al. find suggestive evidence that patients who also have pituitary deficiencies suffer depression and anxiety as a result of low plasma levels of oxytocin—a potential new research frontier.
Published: November2019
It can be difficult to keep up to date in the rapidly evolving and expanding world of endocrine science. We curate topical collections of research from across our journals, Endocrine Reviews, Endocrinology, Journal of the Endocrine Society, and The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, so that you can easily find and read recent, influential articles on the topics that interest you.
Selection in each Thematic Issue is guided by online metrics, including Altmetric Attention Scores, Featured Article designations, and identification of leading authors and key topics. Each month, we publish a new Thematic Issue online and work to highlight and promote endocrine science in the press, through email, on social media and across other distribution channels.
Join our endocrine community and become a member! Only members receive access to a variety of member benefits that will enhance your career. If your membership has lapsed, rejoin today so that you can continue to receive your membership benefits.
We provide our journal authors with a variety of resources for increasing the discoverability and citation of their published work. Use these tools and tips to broaden the impact of your article.