According to recent epidemiological evidence, early protein intakes that exceeds metabolic requirements (>15% of energy) may increase weight gain during infancy and the risk of developing obesity in childhood: the so-called “early protein hypothesis” [1]. A high protein intake, indeed, especially milk’s protein [2,3], may enhance the secretion of insulin and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGFI),...

Autocrine growth factors produced by epithelial cells mediate the development and proliferation of neoplastic human prostate tissue. Various approaches have been used to down-regulate neoplastic growth of prostate cancer using natural flavonoids, soluble receptors, pseudo-ligands, monoclonal antibodies and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (tyrphostins). Selected growth factor/growth factor receptor l...

Visit our website at: http://pituitary.mgh.harvard.edu Patients with acromegaly are known to have reduced life expectancy. Prior to effective treatment for acromegaly, more than 80% of acromegalic patients died of cardiovascular disease before age 60 (1,2). Even in the modern era with available therapy, mortality in active acromegaly is still increased about twoto three-fold and the major cause...

Caveolae are cholesterol-enriched invaginations of the plasma membrane suggested to be important for many aspects of cellular signalling. Caveolin, a marker protein for caveolae, binds to and modulates the function of various signalling molecules including the tyrosine kinase receptor for insulin (Yamamoto et al, 1998). Components of the closely related insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system a...

Military training and operational stress can compromise health and performance of Soldiers. The availability of a sensitive biomarker of nutritional and physiological strain would have tremendous utility for monitoring soldier readiness as well as assessing the effectiveness of intervention and recovery strategies. Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) is sensitive to underfeeding and malnutriti...

Although calorie restriction and alternate-day fasting have potential for slowing the aging process while decreasing risk for vascular disease, diabetes, cancer and dementia, a “carbohydrate-concentrated” diet strategy, entailing long daily periods of carbohydrate abstinence, may prove to be a much more practical strategy for achieving these aims. The life extension and healthy aging benefits o...

Acromegaly is an acquired disorder related to excessive production of growth hormone (GH) and characterized by progressive somatic disfigurement (mainly involving the face and extremities) and systemic manifestations. The prevalence is estimated at 1:140,000–250,000. It is most often diagnosed in middle-aged adults (average age 40 years, men and women equally affected). Due to insidious onset a...

Pycnodysostosis is a rare autosomal recessive bone disorder that results from loss-of-function mutations in the CTSK gene. This gene is located at chromosome band 1q21 and codes for a lysosomal cysteine protease that functions in bone resorption and remodeling [Gelb et al., 1996]. In the last 40 years, an atypical mode of inheritance (uniparental disomy—UPD) has been recognized as a mechanism r...