This e-book is based on a critical evaluation of existing literature on salivary cortisol, aiming to evaluate the utility of salivary cortisol as a biomarker in various settings. It focuses on how different ways of evaluating levels of salivary cortisol may have an impact on the interpretation of cortisol measurements in various contexts. This e-book focuses on salivary cortisol in relation to the following topics: psychosocial work environment (effort reward imbalance and job demand vs control model), psychosocial resources (mastery, perceived control, sense of coherence), psychosocial risk factors (perceived stress, depression, vital exhaustion, burn-out), sleep quality, biological markers (bodily factors, cardiovascular risk factors, inflammation and metabolism) and somatic outcome. This ebook should serve as a reference for studies planned to adopt cortisol as an assessment tool.

Hypercalcemia is a relatively common disorder, which requires specific treatment in order to control symptoms and prevent the development of organ damage. Primary hyperparathyroidism and malignancy are responsible for most cases of hypercalcemia, and treatment has therefore been focused towards these two areas. The aim of this book is to present updated knowledge on hypercalcemia, its association with renal disorders, and benign and malignant diseases, diagnostic methodologies, as well as surgical and medical treatment. Insights into the etiology, pathogenesis and pathophysiology of hypercalcemia are included along with details on biochemical findings and ways to monitor complications and therapy. Suggestions on current imaging techniques and surgical treatment of hypercalcemia, are also presented. The book presents an overview on the pharmacology of anti-hypercalcemic drugs, also providing information on new drugs and future perspectives. The book will serve as a comprehensive reference source for oncologists, nephrologists, endocrinologists, clinicians, biochemists and pharmacologists, as well those involved in hypercalcemia management and research.

Glucose homeostasis and insulin resistance presents a broad overview of the molecular, biochemical and clinical aspects of glucose metabolism and glucose resistance. The book serves to acquaint the reader with recent information on topics ranging from the glucose metabolism and glucose transporters, the hormonal regulation of glucose homeostasis, to insulin resistance and the characterization of novel pharmacological approaches on emerging targets for the treatment of diabetes. Also included in the book is a discussion on the role of mutations in insulin resistance. The book is particularly useful for clinical researchers, endocrinologists and diabetes specialists.

Insulin resistance is the main factor involved in the occurrence of the metabolic syndrome and later development of type2 diabetes. Despite decades of research on hormone's target tissues and the identification of most diverse candidates, the factors responsible for insulin resistance are still largely undefined. There is also a large discrepancy between in vitro and in vivo insulin sensitivity. Finally it is increasingly demonstrated that insulin resistance is found very early in life, long before metabolic syndrome is established. In search for commonalities, this book deals therefore with a new hypothesis considering microcirculation as one prime, possibly causal effector of insulin resistance. To present this novel hypothesis, the specificities of microvascular physiological mechanisms and the limits of interpretations of data according to the measurement techniques used are first thoroughly described. Several chapters deal with experimental and clinical investigations showing the involvement of microcirculation in insulin resistance. This book provides sound support for microcirculation being linked to insulin resistance at least in a bidirectional way. Supportive evidence suggests that microvascular dysfunction may lie upstream of insulin resistance in many of them. While this is still a hypothesis, the authors believe that there is enough data supporting it and hope that this book will stimulate researchers to provide the necessary final proofs.

This e-book on diabetes epidemiology starts with the evolution in the diagnostic criteria for diabetes, particularly the changes in the last 15 years and their impact on the prevalence of the disease. The increasing trend in prevalence of diabetes worldwide, and its impact on people’s health and economic development are described by regions and countries. The rationale for a diabetes screening program, recent development in screening strategies and screening tools are thoroughly reviewed and presented. Because obesity is one of the major risk factors for diabetes and has been included in several risk assessment questionnaires, the obesity-diabetes association is particularly addressed in this e-book. The diagnostic cut-off value for surrogate measurement of body fat mass such as body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference is also discussed. The measurement errors and the strength of the association of diabetes with BMI and waist circumference are formally compared. Other diabetes related metabolic disorders such as dyslipidemia and hyperuricemia are also discussed with regard to their association with different degree of glucose intolerance including pre-diabetes and undiagnosed diabetes. The risk of dyslipidemia with cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in people with different glucose levels is estimated within different ethnic groups and the ethnic differences are compared. Recent interest on diabetes-cancer association is on the rise. Academic literature on this issue presented in this volume. The relationship of diabetes with cardiovascular disease is also recognised. In this book the focus is set on the impact of various levels of fasting and 2-hout post-load glucose on the occurrence of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity.

Frontiers in Clinical Drug Research – Diabetes and Obesity is an eBook series that brings updated reviews to readers interested in advances in the development of pharmaceutical agents for the treatment of two metabolic diseases – diabetes and obesity. The scope of the eBook series covers a range of topics including the medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, molecular biology and biochemistry of natural and synthetic drugs affecting endocrine and metabolic processes linked with diabetes and obesity. Reviews in this series also include research on specific receptor targets and pre-clinical / clinical findings on novel pharmaceutical agents. Frontiers in Clinical Drug Research – Diabetes and Obesity is a valuable resource for pharmaceutical scientists and postgraduate students seeking updated and critically important information for developing clinical trials and devising research plans in the field of diabetes and obesity research. The first volume of this series features 6 chapters that cover a variety of topics including: -Angiotensin blockers -Agents targeting advanced glycation end products -Drugs and the peroxisome proliferator activated receptors -Topical Drugs for diabetic complications -Research on Liraglutide -Research on MicroRNAs as agents for diabetes treatment

An imbalance between high energy intake – due to inadequate diet – and reduced energy expenditure – caused by sedentary habits – is believed to create an inherent risk of obesity among individuals. Lifestyle changes among preschool children coupled with health problems (cardiovascular, metabolic, orthopedic, psychological etc.) correlate to an observed increase in body mass index and may even predispose growing children towards obesity in their adult life. Adequate physical activity in the form of regular exercise (in terms of intensity, frequency and duration) has been shown to reduce BMI and have a positive impact on health and physical fitness levels among children. Thus physical activity programs have been applied for obesity prevention and treatment with some degree of success. Physical Activity, Fitness, Nutrition and Obesity During Growth focuses on research findings and recommendations to mitigate obesity risk in children during early growth stages. The reviews presented in this volume give readers an interdisciplinary insight into the realm of obesity as a global epidemic in early childhood. The review also discusses interventions based on physical activity, which can help combat obesity among children while avoiding undesirable strategies (such as strict diets). The book is intended for public health officials, social workers, as well as general medical practitioners and counsellors.

Globalization and economic progress has been accompanied with an increase in the incidence of obesity, cardiovascular disease and other non-communicable illnesses worldwide among populations in some countries. Obesity and Disease examines how these rising epidemics of obesity and other lifestyle problems are changing health guidelines globally - from directing health care professionals on how to care for individuals to encouraging them to embrace the interconnected systems involved in chronic disease risk management, prevention and treatment. With a focus on systems, this reference serves as an excellent resource on how to develop a more comprehensive approach to population health. Starting with a systematic approach to health risk assessment in section one, followed by a targeted approach to risk reduction and prevention in section two, the eBook moves along seamlessly into section three calling for a shared responsibility toward strengthening health systems globally that can help determine and improve upon the health of individuals, and societies across the world. Obesity and Disease gives applicable concepts to readers in a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach to alter health systems and implement changes that promote health and wellness in the communities they serve and live in. The information and resources in this eBook also serve as a guideline for collaborations across professional associations with a goal of developing strategic plans to combat obesity and diabetes.

Thyroid hormones are involved in numerous physiological processes as regulators of metabolism, bone remodeling, cardiac function and mental status. Moreover, thyroid hormones are of special importance in fetal development, more particularly, in the development of the brain. Thus, maintenance of normal thyroid functioning is essential for psychological, biochemical, immunological, endocrinal and physiological well being of the body as well as normal growth and development. Understanding how the thyroid gland is affected by adverse factors can help clinicians to handle emergency situations or apply preventive care measures to patients. Thyroid Toxicity is a comprehensive monograph on thyroid toxicology. It gathers all information about the toxic effects of different kinds of factors (hormonal, radiation and chemical) that affect the thyroid system. The ebook gives a brief introduction to the thyroid system and answers several important questions about the topic such as the biochemical mechanisms through which various compounds (for example, pesticides, food additives, etc.) induce toxicity on the thyroid gland, how endocrine disruption alters the physiology of the human body and brain as well as how radiation harms the thyroid gland. Thyroid Toxicity is the definitive reference for any medical officer, endocrinologist, or toxicologist seeking knowledge on thyroid gland toxicology.

Frontiers in Clinical Drug Research – Diabetes and Obesity is an eBook series that brings updated reviews to readers interested in advances in the development of pharmaceutical agents for the treatment of two metabolic diseases – diabetes and obesity. The scope of the eBook series covers a range of topics including the medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, molecular biology and biochemistry of natural and synthetic drugs affecting endocrine and metabolic processes linked with diabetes and obesity. Reviews in this series also include research on specific receptor targets and pre-clinical / clinical findings on novel pharmaceutical agents. Frontiers in Clinical Drug Research – Diabetes and Obesity is a valuable resource for pharmaceutical scientists and postgraduate students seeking updated and critically important information for developing clinical trials and devising research plans in the field of diabetes and obesity research. The second volume of this series features 7 reviews presenting updates on hormones and several classes of drugs: -Osteocalcin action in glucose metabolism -Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors -Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) mimetics -Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors -New drugs in clinical trial and commercial phases