Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
Raised levels of aldosterone, but also concentrations within the normal range are associated with elevated blood pressure. The authors of this Review assess evidence for the role of aldosterone in the development and maintenance of hypertension, including experimental and clinical studies, and discuss the genetic and environmental mechanisms that underlie its effects.
The results of two independent, observational studies suggest that antidiabetic medications might have differential effects on cancer risk in patients with diabetes mellitus. Should these findings influence our approach to diabetes treatment?
Women with gestational diabetes mellitus have a substantial risk for progression to a permanent diabetic state, according to researchers in the UK. Could early identification of women at high risk for disease progression lead to improved intervention and preventative measures?
Although low-grade inflammation of adipose tissue is thought to be central to the development of insulin resistance in individuals with obesity, the underlying cause of this inflammatory state remains elusive. A new study by Kos and colleagues suggests that the glycoprotein SPARC limits adipose-tissue expansion and promotes inflammation and insulin resistance.
The incidence of type 2 amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis (AIT) is increasing. A new study provides evidence that glucocorticoid therapy is safe, effective and associated with prompt restoration of euthyroidism in previously untreated type 2 AIT. The outcome of initial combined glucocorticoid and thionamide therapy can also help differentiate between type 1 and type 2 AIT.
Graves ophthalmopathy is a disfiguring and often incapacitating disease that is difficult to treat. A meta-analysis has compared the efficacy and tolerability of available treatment modalities and shows, among other findings, that intravenous pulse corticosteroid therapy is the most efficacious treatment when immunosuppression is indicated.
The use of bariatric surgery for the treatment of morbid obesity has increased dramatically over the past decade, which has raised concerns about safety, efficacy and cost-effectiveness. A new study by the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery consortium has assessed the safety of these increasingly frequent procedures.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a complex disease with a heterogeneous genetic and environmental background. Three relatively infrequent polymorphisms in genes of the insulin signaling pathway modulate the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases related to insulin resistance in specific subgroups of individuals. This article discusses the role of these variants and demonstrates how difficult it is to ascertain the contribution of relatively infrequent genetic variants on disease susceptibility.
Amiodarone is widely used for treating cardiac arrhythmias, but is associated with various adverse effects. This Review discusses how the treatment can affect thyroid function, leading to amiodarone-induced hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism. It compares outcomes with dronedarone, a structurally similar anti-arrhythmic drug that does not contain iodine and may have fewer and less serious adverse effects.
Depression, anxiety and diabetes-specific distress are common and serious comorbid health problems in type 2 diabetes mellitus that often remain unrecognized and thus untreated. Widely used guidelines have therefore recommended assessments of emotional well-being in type 2 diabetes mellitus. The present Review discusses whether there is evidence to support this recommendation.
