An extraordinary progress has been made over the last two decades on understanding the components and mechanisms governing plant innate immunity. After detection of a pathogen, effective plant resistance depends on the activation of a complex signaling network integrated by small signaling molecules and hormonal pathways, and the balance of these hormone systems determines resistance to particu...

The mineral ion homeostatic system maintains Ca, Mg, and P (because P does not exist as free P in biological systems, it will be referred to as phosphate and abbreviated PO4) distribution and levels in the extracellular fluid and intracellular compartments while simultaneously providing sufficient absorption and retention to meet skeletal mineral requirements. Homeostasis is achieved by the coo...

Hormonal regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism is pivotal for metabolic homeostasis and energy balance. Two studies in this issue of Cell (Mihaylova et al., 2011 and Wang et al., 2011) introduce a new conserved signaling mechanism controlling catabolic gene expression: class IIa histone deacetylases (HDACs) regulate Foxo activity in Drosophila and mice.

Physical activity is an important contributor to regulation of energy balance and body composition. In this article, we separate the impact of exercise from the confounding influence of energy imbalance and highlight sex differences in hormonal and appetite responses to physical activity. The evolving story may influence our thinking regarding the use of physical activity to manage body composi...

Obesity can impact on reproductive functions by causing hormonal imbalance and ovulatory dysfunction. Furthermore, obesity is associated with a range of adverse health consequences. There is a tight coupling between the reproductive system and energy balance. Obesity results from chronic imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure, and therefore changes in energy expenditure impact o...

Hormonal and metabolic factors signal the status of energy balance to hypothalamic nuclei. Obesity is characterized by neuronal, metabolic and hormonal alterations. We therefore hypothesized that hypothalamic responses to challenges of energy balance may differ between lean and obese animals. To test this, we compared c-Fos expression in the hypothalamic arcuate (ARC) and paraventricular nuclei...

The understanding of the importance of nutrition, particularly in the critically ill patient, is based on the known physiologic consequences of malnutrition. It includes respiratory muscle function, cardiac function, the coagulation cascade balance, electrolyte and hormonal balance, and renal function. Nutrition affects emotional and behavioral responses, functional recovery, and the overall co...