Description

Welcome to issue 3 of the CME Bulletin in Endocrinology and Diabetes. We are attempting to cover topics in a systematic fashion both in individual and subsequent editions of the Bulletin. To this end, the subject of osteoporosis continues to be discussed. Dr Adriana Machado and Professor Richard Eastell consider the clinical application of biochemical markers of bone turnover in osteoporosis. This is a very topical subject which is moving from the realms of research into clinical practice, particularly when it comes to monitoring the response of patients to treatment. There is also an article on radionuclide imaging in metabolic bone disease by Dr Gary Cook and Professor Ignac Fogelman.

Thyroid eye disease is a condition which fortunately most of us are seeing less frequently in its severe form in our clinics nowadays. Nonetheless, when it presents it can be an extremely difficult management problem. There is still a great deal of controversy surrounding the management of thyroid eye disease and the subject is discussed by Dr Mary Armitage and Dr David Flanagan.

Continuing the series of articles on how and why, Dr John Monson discusses the investigation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis. Dr Monson provides a very balanced overview of this contentious subject. Dr Andrews Zambanini and Michael Feher consider the relevance of the Hypertension Optimal Treatment study to diabetics.

Finally, a basic flavour is continued in the Bulletin by Professor Pierluigi Navarra and Professor Ashley Grossman who discuss the possible roles of Nitric Oxide and Carbon Monoxide in Neuroendocrine function.

We are keen to start an active correspondence column in the Bulletin. Please feel free to write with your comments on any of the articles published in the Bulletin. Certainly the articles in this edition provide plenty of fertile ground for discussion. Any other comments on the Bulletin in general will be gratefully received. We would like to widen the correspondence column to include debate on other areas of current interest such as clinical service provision and training. Read on …