Proof of concept for a superior therapeutic index of corticosterone compared with hydrocortisone in patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

Objective: Outcomes are poor for patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), in part due to the supraphysiological glucocorticoid doses required to control adrenal androgen excess. Hydrocortisone (ie, cortisol) is the recommended glucocorticoid for treatment of CAH. However, the other endogenous glucocorticoid in humans, corticosterone, is actively transported out of metabolic tissues such as adipose tissue and muscle, so we hypothesized that corticosterone could control adrenal androgens while causing fewer metabolic adverse effects than hydrocortisone.

UCP1 expression in human brown adipose tissue is inversely associated with cardiometabolic risk factors.

Objective: Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a therapeutic target for obesity. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG PET) is commonly used to quantify human BAT mass and activity. Detectable 18F-FDG uptake by BAT is associated with reduced prevalence of cardiometabolic disease.

Addressing sleep deserts: A proposed call for action.

Sleep deserts are a major cause of health inequity. They occur primarily in disadvantaged neighborhoods because of structural racism, social and environmental factors, and dearth of medical services. We describe several strategies that can serve as a feasible action plan to target structural racism, environmental pollution, and impact of climate change.

The serotonin transporter sustains human brown adipose tissue thermogenesis.

Activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) in humans is a strategy to treat obesity and metabolic disease. Here we show that the serotonin transporter (SERT), encoded by SLC6A4, prevents serotonin-mediated suppression of human BAT function. RNA sequencing of human primary brown and white adipocytes shows that SLC6A4 is highly expressed in human, but not murine, brown adipocytes and BAT.

Leveraging a public-public partnership in Los Angeles County to address COVID-19 for children, youth, and families in underresourced communities.

There is growing concern about the mental health and social impact of COVID-19 on underresourced children, youth, and families given widespread social disruption, school closures, economic impact, and loss of lives. In this commentary we describe how an existing public-public partnership between a large county mental health department and a state university responded to COVID-19. This partnership, originally designed to address workforce needs, rapidly pivoted to support providers through a trauma- and resilience-informed approach to mitigating adverse mental health effects among youth and families in Los Angeles County.