Endocrine News Podcast

Our bodies typically do a remarkable job of recovering from certain injuries, and thyroid hormone signaling has an essential role to play there. But what is that process like for someone with hypothyroidism, and is there a unique role in that process for muscle stem cells? Host Aaron Lohr talks with Paola Aguiari, PhD, a senior research specialist at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. She presented an abstract at ENDO 2024 titled, “Hypothyroidism Impairs Skeletal Muscle Regeneration After Injury.” Show notes are available at https://www.endocrine.org/podcast/enp91-hypothyroidism-and-muscle-regeneration — for helpful links or to hear more podcast episodes, visit https://www.endocrine.org/podcast

We all know that stress leads to a number of negative outcomes. In this episode, we talk about how early life stress may influence youth substance use initiation and some endocrine factors that may be helping to drive that influence. Host Aaron Lohr talks with Alexandra M. Donovan, PhD, of the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science. Dr. Donovan recently presented an abstract at ENDO 2024 titled, “Early Life Stress and Pubertal Predictors of Youth Substance Use Initiation: Does Sex Moderate the Relationship Between Early Life Stress, Puberty, and Substance Use Initiation?” Show notes are available at https://www.endocrine.org/podcast/enp90-early-life-stress-and-substance-use — for helpful links or to hear more podcast episodes, visit https://www.endocrine.org/podcast

In this episode, we talk about brown fat and some new discoveries in how it regulates metabolic function. Joining host Aaron Lohr is Marsel Lino, PhD, a research fellow at Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. Dr. Lino presented an abstract at ENDO 2024 titled, “A New Layer of Endocrine Regulation: Brown Fat Secretes Exosomal MicroRNAs, Which Regulate Metabolic Functions and Distal Organs.” Show notes are available at https://www.endocrine.org/podcast/enp89-brown-fat-and-metabolic-function — for helpful links or to hear more podcast episodes, visit https://www.endocrine.org/podcast

Many people take over-the-counter supplements for a variety of reasons, but it isn’t always clear what’s in those supplements. And while they may be intended to help, some may cause harm. In this episode, host Aaron Lohr talks with Kevin Wei, MD, from the University of Southern California/Los Angeles General Medical Center Internal Medicine Residency Program about the presence of glucocorticoids in some over-the counter supplements and why that may be a concern. Dr. Wei and colleagues presented an abstract at ENDO 2024 titled, “Characterizing the Physiological Side Effects of Over-the-Counter Arthritis Supplements.” Show notes are available at https://www.endocrine.org/podcast/enp88-glucocorticoids-in-supplements — for helpful links or to hear more podcast episodes, visit https://www.endocrine.org/podcast

For those of us who try to lose weight at some point in time, we know the frustration of losing weight and feeling good about that, only to see that weight return. Why does that happen? Is the process the same for adults and adolescents? Is there any way to mitigate that weight regain? Joining host Aaron Lohr is Eric Bomberg, MD, assistant professor at the Center for Pediatric Obesity Medicine at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Bomberg recently presented an abstract at ENDO 2024 titled, “Hormonal and Physiological Changes Following Short-Term Weight Loss in Adolescents With Obesity and the Role of Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonist to Counteract Adaptations.” Show notes are available at https://www.endocrine.org/podcast/enp87-short-term-weight-loss-in-adolescents-with-obesity — for helpful links or to hear more podcast episodes, visit https://www.endocrine.org/podcast

This episode focuses on machine learning and how it may help diagnose metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Host Aaron Lohr talks with Christos S. Mantzoros, MD, PhD, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and the editor-in-chief of the journal . Dr. Mantzoros and his team presented their work at ENDO 2024 in Boston, and their abstract was title, “Accurate machine-learning-based diagnosis of at-risk MASH and MASLD subtypes using categorical, radiant boosting, and select clinical, biochemical, and metabolomic measurements: Building highly robust models with few variables through a multi-national, multi-center, biopsy-proven cohort.” Show notes are available at https://www.endocrine.org/podcast/enp86-machine-learning-and-steatotic-liver-disease — for helpful links or to hear more podcast episodes, visit https://www.endocrine.org/podcast

In this episode, we focus on the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act legislation and the obesity epidemic. Host Aaron Lohr talks with U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz, MD, a physician and currently the U.S. Representative for California’s 25th congressional district. Rep. Ruiz received his medical degree from Harvard University and completed his residency in emergency medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and a fellowship in international emergency medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Massachusetts. He worked as an emergency room doctor at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., until he was elected to Congress in 2012. Rep. Ruiz talks about his background, his experience in treating obesity and its comorbidities, and the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2023. Support for this podcast was provided by Eli Lilly & Company. Show notes are available at https://www.endocrine.org/podcast/enp85-treat-and-reduce-obesity-act — for helpful links or to hear more podcast episodes, visit https://www.endocrine.org/podcast

In a special episode, we discuss a complex, rare disease, fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, or FOP. Host Aaron Lohr talks with three guests: Eileen M. Shore, PhD, Cali and Weldon Research Professor in FOP and co-director of the Center for Research in FOP and Related Disorders at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; Elisabeth Marelise W. Eekhoff, MD, PhD, endocrinologist, principal investigator, and medical specialist at Amsterdam University Medical Center in the Netherlands; and Michelle Davis, executive director of the International Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva Association. This episode is certified for 0.5 American Medical Association Physician’s Recognition Award (AMA PRA) Category 1™ credits and 0.5 American Board of Internal Medicine Maintenance of Certification (ABIM MOC) points. If you want those credits and points, you will have to browse to the Endocrine Society’s Center for Learning, take a pre-test, listen to this episode there, then take a post-test. This episode is supported by an educational grant from Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals Inc. Show notes, including link to the Center for Learning, are available at https://www.endocrine.org/podcast/enp84-fibrodysplasia-ossificans-progressiva — for helpful links or to hear more podcast episodes, visit https://www.endocrine.org/podcast

We all know that a sedentary lifestyle is not healthy for anyone, but just how strongly is physical activity connected to lipid levels in childhood? Host Aaron Lohr talks with Andrew Agbaje, MD, PhD, a physician and pediatric clinical epidemiologist at the University of Eastern Finland. He has authored a study recently published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism titled, “Associations of Sedentary Time and Physical Activity From Childhood With Lipids: A 13-Year Mediation and Temporal Study.” Show notes are available at https://www.endocrine.org/podcast/enp83-sedentary-time-and-physical-activity-effects-on-childhood-lipid-levels — for helpful links or to hear more podcast episodes, visit https://www.endocrine.org/podcast

In this episode, we learn about endocrine-disrupting chemicals known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which break down so slowly that they have been called “forever chemicals.” Where can PFAS be found? What exactly is their effect on human health? What are manufacturers doing to limit exposure, and is it enough? Host Aaron Lohr talks with Benson T. Akingbemi, PhD, professor of anatomy and developmental biology at Auburn University. Dr. Akingbemi and colleagues recently published an article on PFAS in the journal Endocrinology titled, “Legacy and Emerging Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Regulate Steroidogenesis in the Male Gonad.” Show notes are available at https://www.endocrine.org/podcast/enp82-pfas — for helpful links or to hear more podcast episodes, visit https://www.endocrine.org/podcast