Endocrine Abstracts

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome, obesity and type 2 diabetes has dramatically increased worldwide during the last few decades and exceeds World Health Organisation’s predictions. It is not possible anymore to explain this real pandemic only by genetic predisposition and/or by classical lifestyle changes such as sedentary lifestyle or energy-dense diet. There is increasing experimental and epidemiological evidence suggesting that exposure to environmental factors such...

Differentiation of male reproductive system is guided by testicular hormones and growth factors secreted during fetal development under gonadotropin control. Disruption of testicular hormone production or action leads to gonadal dysgenesis and maldevelopment of external genitalia. Cryptorchidism and hypospadias are the most common birth defects in boys, and both conditions can arise as a consequence of anti-androgenic disturbance during development. Both of them are also assoc...

Despite the fact that iodine deficiency (ID) can easily be prevented by iodine fortification of table salt, industrial salt and cattle food, Europe belongs to the worst regions in terms of access to iodized salt and is seriously iodine deficient, resulting in the perpetuation of the single most important, preventable cause of brain damage. Up to an estimated 360 million European citizens are exposed to ID, which is not only due to variable iodine provision, it is also rooted i...