Sex steroids have important physiological actions, which are not limited to reproductive organs, in both females and males. They exert important physiological roles, including the regulation of somatotropic-liver axis, intermediate metabolism, or gender dimorphism. This is in part because the liver is a sex steroid-responsive organ where sex steroid- and growth hormone (GH)-dependent signaling pathways connect to regulate complex gene expression networks. Sex steroids can impact liver gene expression by a direct, through hepatic estrogen receptor (ER)α and androgen receptor (AR), or indirect mechanisms, by modulation of pituitary GH secretion and/or interaction with the GHR-STAT5b signaling pathway. Therefore, deficiency of sex steroid- and GH-dependent signaling pathways might cause a dramatic impact on mammalian liver physiology. In this chapter, we will focus our attention on main concepts and paradigms involved in the role and interplay between sex steroid- and GH-dependent signaling to regulate gene expression networks in the mammalian liver. A better understanding of how sex steroids and interactions with GH-STAT5b signaling pathway influence physiological and pathological states in the liver will contribute to improve clinical management of patients with disorders in body growth, development, and metabolism.

This revised new edition reviews the substantial advances in our understanding of the vital role of growth hormone (GH) in maintaining adult health, and the resulting disorders from GH deficiency. The first edition, published in 1996, provided a pioneering overview of the subject; this new edition provides an even more comprehensive account, fully updated with the latest research, clinical applications, and references. The therapeutic benefits of GH treatment in GH deficiency are thoroughly evaluated, including effects on metabolism, cardiac function, exercise performance, psychosocial aspects, and aging and gender-specific effects. This compilation by the world's leading experts covers clinical investigation, diagnosis and treatment issues, and encompasses new knowledge of the control and action of GH secretion. This volume is the most authoritative, comprehensive, and detailed account available and will be an essential source of reference for all endocrinologists.

The steroid scaffold continues to be the structural basis of new drugs for a variety of targets and diseases. Indeed, steroids interact with enzymes and receptors in a strikingly specific manner. Chemistry and Biological Activity of Steroids aims to provide an updated overview of recent advances in the medicinal chemistry of steroids. Novel synthetic methods in the steroids field, including steroid biotransformations, new steroids able to tackle steroid receptors, and steroid enzymes with clinical relevance, are critically reviewed in this book. Furthermore, the diverse physiopathological roles of oxysterols and their therapeutic value are also discussed.

This lively book examines recent trends in animal product consumption and diet; reviews industry efforts, policies, and programs aimed at improving the nutritional attributes of animal products; and offers suggestions for further research. In addition, the volume reviews dietary and health recommendations from major health organizations and notes specific target levels for nutrients.

Microbial endocrinology represents a newly emerging interdisciplinary field that is formed by the intersection of the fields of neurobiology and microbiology. This book will introduce a new perspective to the current understanding not only of the factors that mediate the ability of microbes to cause disease, but also to the mechanisms that maintain normal homeostasis. The discovery that microbes can directly respond to neuroendocrine hormones, as evidenced by increased growth and production of virulence-associated factors, provides for a new framework with which to investigate how microorganisms interface not only with vertebrates, but also with invertebrates and even plants. The reader will learn that the neuroendocrine hormones that one most commonly associates with mammals are actually found throughout the plant, insect and microbial communities to an extent that will undoubtedly surprise many, and most importantly, how interactions between microbes and neuroendocrine hormones can influence the pathophysiology of infectious disease.

A concise and innovative account of clinical neuroendocrine disorders and the key principles underlying their diagnosis and management.