News tagged with endocrinology
How belly fat differs from thigh fat—and why it matters
Men tend to store fat in the abdominal area, but don't usually have much in the way of hips or thighs. Women, on the other hand, are more often pear-shaped—storing more fat on their hips and thighs than in the belly. Why ...
Medical research
Jan 11, 2013 |
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What really makes us fat? Article questions our understanding of the cause of obesity
If we are to make any progress in tackling the obesity crisis, we have to look again at what really makes us fat, claims an article published in this week's BMJ.
Overweight and Obesity
Apr 16, 2013 |
4.4 / 5 (7) |
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A Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil may protect your bones
New research suggests that a key ingredient to keeping osteoporosis in check may be found in the traditional Mediterranean diet—olive oil. Osteoporosis is a disease where the density and quality of bone ...
Health
Aug 24, 2012 |
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Single gene cause of insulin sensitivity may offer insight for treating diabetes
(Medical Xpress)—The first single gene cause of increased sensitivity to the hormone insulin has been discovered by a team of Oxford University researchers.
Diabetes
Sep 12, 2012 |
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Researchers discover mushrooms can provide as much vitamin D as supplements
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have discovered that eating mushrooms containing Vitamin D2 can be as effective at increasing and maintaining vitamin D levels (25–hydroxyvitamin D) as taking ...
Health
Apr 22, 2013 |
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Newer technology to control blood sugar works better than conventional methods
Newer technologies designed to help people with type 1 diabetes monitor their blood sugar levels daily work better than traditional methods and require fewer painful needle sticks, new Johns Hopkins research suggests.
Medical research
Jul 09, 2012 |
5 / 5 (2) |
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Head-to-head trial of two diabetes drugs yields mixed results
A direct, head-to-head comparison of two of the newer treatments available for type 2 diabetes yielded mixed results.
Diabetes
Nov 06, 2012 |
5 / 5 (2) |
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High-carb intake in infancy has lifelong effects, study finds
Consumption of foods high in carbohydrates immediately after birth programs individuals for lifelong increased weight gain and obesity, a University at Buffalo animal study has found, even if caloric intake ...
Overweight and Obesity
Mar 19, 2013 |
5 / 5 (2) |
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Too much vitamin D can be as unhealthy as too little
Scientists know that Vitamin D deficiency is not healthy. However, new research from the University of Copenhagen now indicates that too high a level of the essential vitamin is not good either. The study is based on blood ...
Health
May 29, 2012 |
4.5 / 5 (2) |
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Fatty meals could trigger inflammation for diabetics
(HealthDay) -- High-fat meals might boost inflammation in people with type 2 diabetes, a new study says.
Diabetes
Mar 21, 2012 |
4 / 5 (2) |
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Study refutes testosterone as 'fountain of youth'
A new study of older Western Australian men has revealed that testosterone might not be the fountain of youth.
Medical research
Oct 21, 2011 |
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Study deflates notion that pear-shaped bodies more healthy than apples
People who are "apple-shaped"—with fat more concentrated around the abdomen—have long been considered more at risk for conditions such as heart disease and diabetes than those who are "pear-shaped" and ...
Health
Jan 10, 2013 |
3.5 / 5 (2) |
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Researchers eye newer, safer birth control method
Oregon Health & Science University researchers have uncovered a new contraceptive that is more focused, safer and, therefore, available for use among a larger population of women. The research took place at OHSU's Oregon ...
Other
Sep 07, 2011 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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Scientists develop urine test for cancer
Scientists at the University of Birmingham have developed a ground-breaking technique that uses a urine test to help to diagnose adrenal cancer.
Cancer
Sep 16, 2011 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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Cell-signaling pathway has key role in development of gestational diabetes
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have identified a cell-signaling pathway that plays a key role in increasing insulin secretion during pregnancy and, when blocked, leads to the development of ...
Diabetes
Mar 16, 2012 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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Endocrinology
Endocrinology (from Greek ἔνδον, endo, "within"; κρῑνω, krīnō, "to separate"; and -λογία, -logia) is a branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions called hormones, 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 synthesized and secreted by specialized cells.
Endocrinology is concerned with the study of the biosynthesis, storage, chemistry, and physiological function of hormones and with the cells of the endocrine glands and tissues that secrete them.
The endocrine system consists of several glands, all and in different parts of the body, that secrete hormones directly into the blood rather than into a duct system. Hormones have many different functions and modes of action; one hormone may have several effects on different target organs, and, conversely, one target organ may be affected by more than one hormone.
In the original 1902 definition by Bayliss and Starling (see below), they specified that, to be classified as a hormone, a chemical must be produced by an organ, be released (in small amounts) into the blood, and be transported by the blood to a distant organ to exert its specific function. This definition holds for most "classical" hormones, but there are also paracrine mechanisms (chemical communication between cells within a tissue or organ), autocrine signals (a chemical that acts on the same cell), and intracrine signals (a chemical that acts within the same cell). A neuroendocrine signal is a "classical" hormone that is released into the blood by a neurosecretory neuron (see article on neuroendocrinology).
Hormones act by binding to specific receptors in the target organ. As Baulieu notes, a receptor has at least two basic constituents:
Between these is a "transduction mechanism" in which hormone binding induces allosteric modification that, in turn, produces the appropriate response.
For more information about Endocrinology, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
