Subcutaneous fat in normal and diseased states: 1. Introduction.
In recent years, our understanding of adipose tissue physiology and function has undergone an enormous transformation. Once considered a passive storage receptacle with a fixed number of cells and limited purpose, adipose tissue is now recognized as a complicated organ with important endocrine and metabolic functions. It is now known that both increased and decreased adipose tissue mass, as seen in obesity, anorexia, and lipodystrophy, have profound effects on multiple body systems, including immune, reproductive, and hematopoietic. The study of adipose tissue, therefore, is important not only for those who treat obesity, lipoatrophy, and their associated metabolic and endocrine derangements, but also for those dermatologists who specialize in the medical and surgical treatment of disorders within the body's largest adipose tissue subdivision, the subcutaneous fat. This introductory article is the first in a series about adipose tissue in normal and diseased states.
Avram
Mathew M
MM
Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Avram
Alison Sharpe
AS
James
William D
WD
D017667:Adipocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D048429:Cell Size; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology; D050151:Subcutaneous Fat / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000502:physiology; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000502:physiology; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000502:physiology
D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha