This is the eleventh volume of the HypoCCS symposia series on clinical and basic aspects of pituitary diseases. The theme of this year’s conference was the interrelationships between obesity and pituitary disease. This is a continuation of the series that started in 1996 and maintains the very high standard set by previous books that have summarized this symposium series.

Chapters address how a diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency is influenced by obesity, and using data from the HypoCCS database itself how regional variations in obesity and metabolic syndrome affect the response to growth hormone replacement. The molecular mechanisms behind appetite regulation and how these are influenced by hypothalamic pituitary hormones are investigated. Several chapters discuss specific hypothalamic pituitary diseases and how these alter the hormones that regulate appetite. In addition, the effects of growth hormone replacement therapy on fuel economy, and how obesity and fat cell mass influence peripheral sensitivity to both growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-I are covered.

These proceedings present an invaluable and comprehensive insight into the complex interplay of factors surrounding obesity and hypothalamic-pituitary disease, drawn on unparalleled observational data.

This book contains the proceedings of a meeting held from 2–5 April 2008 in Vancouver, Canada.

Chapters:

• Unraveling polygenic obesity
  J Hebebrand and A Hinney
  
  
• Periphery–hypothalamus interactions in metabolic control
  R Nogueiras, N Chaudhary and MH Tschöp
  
  
• Understanding the interrelationship between metabolism and the growth hormone (GH)-axis
  RM Luque, Q Lin and RD Kineman
  
  
• Endocrine function and tissue fat partitioning in obese adolescents
  S Caprio
  
  
• Developmental origins of obesity and the metabolic syndrome: epidemiologic evidence and potential role for leptin and adiponectin
  JL Fargnoli and CS Mantzoros
  
  
• The role of GH and IGF-I in the genesis of marrow fat and bone remodeling
  CJ Rosen, M Kawai, S Bornstein and M Horowitz
  
  
• Morbid obesity in childhood craniopharyngioma—update on current concepts of pathogenic mechanisms and therapeutic options
  HL Müller
  
  
• Testing GH in obesity: overweight and obesity as confounding factors in the diagnosis of adult GH deficiency
  V Gasco, L Pagano, F Prodam, P Marzullo, E Ghigo and G Aimaretti
  
  
• IGF-I response to GH in obese subjects
  R Coutant
  
  
• Role of obesity in altering cellular responsiveness to GH and IGF-I
  DR Clemmons
  
  
• Changes in body composition and insulin sensitivity with GH replacement
  JOL Jørgensen, L Møller, B Christensen, T Hafstrøm, M Madsen and JS Christiansen
  
  
• Combination of GH and IGF-I makes the difference!
  JAMJL Janssen
  
  
• Hypothalamic-Pituitary Disease and Obesity: impact on diagnosis of growth hormone defi ciency and growth hormone treatment effects from the HypoCCS database
  CJ Child, AG Zimmermann, WW Woodmansee, CJ Strasburger

Subject areas:  Endocrinology, Pituitary, Obesity
Key words:  Pituitary, obesity, growth hormone replacement, hormone interventions
Market:  Clinicians, clinical researchers, lecturers and registrars in rheumatology or general medicine.