Endocrine Abstracts

More than 90% of malignant testicular tumors arise in the germ cells and are denoted testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs). TGCTs are one of the most common cancers among men between 15 to 40 years of age and arise from a common precursor cell, the germ cell neoplasia in situ (GCNIS), an arrested and transformed fetal gonocyte that become invasive after puberty. TGCTs are divided into seminomas and nonseminomas based on histology. Fortunately, TGTCs are highly sensitive to cispl...

Today there exist no treatment that can improve semen quality in more than 85% of infertile men. Interaction between germ and Sertoli cells is critical for sperm production, and Denosumab, an inhibitor of RANKL, has previously been shown to stimulate sperm production in a fraction of infertile men. Here, we show in a humanized RANKL mouse that Denosumab dose dependently increase germ cell proliferation and testicular weight. RANKL was modified so it can be blocked by Denosumab...

Context: Steroid hormone-producing tumors account for 0.1% of all primary ovarian tumors. According to the cellular origin they are classified into stromal luteomas, Leydig cell tumors and steroid tumors not otherwise specified. Symptoms and phenotype depend on the specific hormones and concentrations released from the tumor. In this report, we present a postmenopausal woman with virilization during two pregnancies and in menopause caused by an androgen producing ovarian tumor...

Background and Purpose: Infertility affects 15% of couples globally, and only few treatment options are available. Gonadotropins are classic and potent regulators of ovarian and female reproductive function, but novel endocrine crosstalk appears to exist between gonads and the skeleton that may influence female fertility. One of the new players include the RANKL signalling system, which consists of the receptor activator of nuclear factor κβ ligand (RANKL), the recep...

Currently, no treatment options exist to improve semen quality for the majority of infertile men. Proper interaction between germ and Sertoli cells in the testis is critical for sperm production, and a recent study suggested that Denosumab, an inhibitor of RANKL signaling, may stimulate sperm production in some infertile men. Here, we show in animal and human studies how expression of the RANKL signaling system is critical for both Sertoli cell function and the testicular resp...