Endocrinology is a branch of medicine dealing with disorders of the endocrine system and its specific secretions called hormones. Hormones are molecules that act as signals from one type of cells to another. Most hormones reach their targets via the blood. Although every organ system secretes and responds to hormones (including the brain, lungs, heart, intestine, skin, and the kidney), the clinical specialty of endocrinology focuses primarily on the endocrine organs, meaning the organs whose primary function is hormone secretion. These organs include the pituitary, thyroid, adrenals, ovaries and testes, and pancreas.

An endocrinologist is a doctor who specializes in treating disorders of the endocrine system, such as diabetes, hyperthyroidism, and many others (see list of diseases below). A disease due to a disorder of the endocrine system is often called a "hormone imbalance," but is technically known as an endocrinopathy or endocrinosis.

Background

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All multicellular organisms need “Coordinating systems to regulate and integrate the function of differentiating cells.” Two mechanisms perform this function in higher animals: the nervous system and the endocrine system. The endocrine system acts through the release (generally into the blood) of chemical agents and is vital to the proper development and function of organisms. As Hadley (2000) notes, the integration of developmental events such as proliferation, growth, and differentiation (including histogenesis and organogenesis) and the coordination of metabolism, respiration, excretion, movement, reproduction, and sensory perception depend on “chemical cues, substances synthesised and secreted by the specialised cells within the animal.”

More on [ Endocrinology ]

pubmed: 0013-7227

Glucagon in Stress and Energy Homeostasis.
Jones BJ, Tan T, Bloom SR Glucagon in Stress and Energy Homeostasis. Endocrinology. 2012 Jan 31; Authors: Jones BJ, Tan T, Bloom SR Abstract Glucagon is traditionally thought of as an antihypoglycemic hormone, for example in response to starvation. However, it actually increases energy expenditure and has other actions not in line with protection from hypoglycemia. Furthermore, it is often found to be elevated when glucose is also raised, for example in circumstances of psychological and metabolic stress. These findings seem more in keeping with glucagon having some role as a hormone enhancing the response to stress. PMID: 22294753 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Dynamic Regulation of Wnt7a Expression in the Primate Endometrium: Implications for Postmenstrual Regeneration and Secretory Transformation.
Fan X, Krieg S, Hwang JY, Dhal S, Kuo CJ, Lasley BL, Brenner RM, Nayak NR Dynamic Regulation of Wnt7a Expression in the Primate Endometrium: Implications for Postmenstrual Regeneration and Secretory Transformation. Endocrinology. 2012 Jan 31; Authors: Fan X, Krieg S, Hwang JY, Dhal S, Kuo CJ, Lasley BL, Brenner RM, Nayak NR Abstract Despite the vital physiological role of endometrial regeneration during the menstrual cycle and the various pathological implications of abnormal growth of endometrial epithelial cells, the local factors and regulatory mechanisms involved in endometrial regeneration and growth have not been well characterized. Here, we examine the pattern, hormone dependence, and potential functions of Wnt7a (wingless-type MMTV integration site family member 7a), , which is known to play a critical role in the formation of the mouse endometrial epithelium during embryonic development, in both human and artificially cycling rhesus macaque endometrium, and using a potent Wnt-antagonist in a mouse model of endometrial regeneration. Wnt7a transcript levels were examined using quantitative real-time PCR and in situ hybridization, and immunohistochemistry was performed to detect Ki-67 and 3,5-bromodeoxyuridine. Stringent, fully conditional Wnt inhibition was achieved by adenoviral expression of Dickkopf-1 during artificial endometrial regeneration in mice. In macaques, Wnt7a expression was confined to the newly formed luminal epithelium (LE) and upper glands during the postmenstrual repair phase. The signal increased in the LE during the proliferative phase but decreased in the upper glands and was undetectable in the glands by the late proliferative phase. Interestingly, Wnt7a was completely suppressed in the LE and remained undetectable in other cell types after 7 d of progesterone treatment. The pattern of Wnt7a expression in the human endometrium was similar to that in macaques. Blockade of Wnt signaling during endometrial regeneration in mice resulted in a dramatic delay in reepithelialization and degeneration of glands and LE. These results strongly suggest, for the first time, a role for Wnt7a in postmenstrual regeneration and proliferation of endometrial glands and LE in primates, and its dramatic suppression by progesterone is likely essential for secretory transformation of the epithelium. PMID: 22294752 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Live Imaging Reveals the Link Between Decreased Glucose Uptake in Ovarian Cumulus Cells and Impaired Oocyte Quality in Female Diabetic Mice.
Wang Q, Chi MM, Moley KH Live Imaging Reveals the Link Between Decreased Glucose Uptake in Ovarian Cumulus Cells and Impaired Oocyte Quality in Female Diabetic Mice. Endocrinology. 2012 Jan 31; Authors: Wang Q, Chi MM, Moley KH Abstract Maternal diabetes has been demonstrated to adversely affect preimplantation embryo development and pregnancy outcomes. Emerging data suggest that these effects are associated with compromised oocyte quality. However, direct evidence of a pathway by which maternal diabetes exerts its effects on the oocyte is still lacking. Cumulus cells are metabolically coupled to oocytes, and bidirectional communication between them is essential for the development and functions of both compartments. The primary focus of this work was to evaluate the connection between glucose uptake in cumulus cells and oocyte quality in diabetic mice. This experiment has been difficult, because cumulus cells need to be separated from oocytes and labeled with isotope in the process of measuring glucose uptake. H Subscribe to Endocrinology RSS feed