Dear Readers,
In the last decade, many of our most admired athletes have been ig- nominiously brought down for using performance-enhancing drugs and subsequently stripped of their medals and awards. As the summer Olympics gets under way in London this month, officials will be working diligently to expose participants who use drugs to gain an edge on their competitors. Detecting who’s doping, however, is not easy, experts told Endocrine News associate editor Jacqueline Ruttimann, who wrote this issue’s cover story. Stay- ing a step ahead of rogue chemists who concoct new ways to conceal banned substances presents a relentless chal- lenge for Olympic officials (page 22).
Although women are very susceptible to osteoporosis, it is not a disease for women only. It strikes men as well and
is frequently overlooked in this popu- lation. The older a man is, the more likely he is to suffer bone loss. Con- tributor Eric Seaborg examines the new Endocrine Society clinical guidelines and explains who’s at risk and the best procedures for detecting, preventing, and treating the condition (page 30).
We launch a new feature this month called Back Story, which takes a behind- the-scenes look at surprising scientific and medical phenomena. Our first is about the ubiquitous HeLa cells used for decades by thousands of researchers. I hope you’ll find the story of their origin as fascinating as I did (page 47).
Sincerely,
Marian Smith Holmes
Managing Editor
Endocrine News
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