Endocrine Abstracts

The pathogenesis of premature ovarian failure (POF) is largely unknown. However, the evidence of a frequent familiarity for the anticipation of menopause among POF women supports the concept of a strong genetic component at the origin of POF. This is further supported by the findings of several candidate genes and by data coming from natural and experimental animal models. On these bases, several groups are involved in the search for markers able to predict the risk of POF. Th...

Binge-eating disorder (BED) is characterized by recurrent (≥1 per week for 3 months), brief (≤2 h), psychologically distressing binge-eating episodes during which patients sense a lack of control and consume larger amounts of food than most people would under similar circumstances. The prevalence of BED is estimated to be between 2% and 3.5% and majority of individuals with BED are either overweight or obese. Most of the genetic research about eating disorders (ED)...