Endocrine Abstracts

Four androgens are routinely measured in women: dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), androstenedione, and testosterone. The diagnosis of hyperandrogenemia in women is accompanied by many difficulties. One of them is the method used to measure androgens in the laboratory. In most laboratories, androgens are determined using various immuno-analytical methods. Recently, gas or liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry have begun to be...

Androgenetic alopecia, not only caused psychological distress, but also is the risk factor of cardiovascular diseases, glucose metabolism disorders, benign prostate hyperplasia and prostate carcinoma and suspected to present the sign of male equivalent of polycystic ovary syndrome. Finasteride, used for treatment of androgenetic alopecia in dose of 1 mg/day, is the first 5α-reductase type II inhibitor. The 5α-reductase is enzyme responsible for the reduction of testo...

Introduction: DHEA is a well-known neurosteroid. Its plasmatic level is reduced with ageing in most individuals. A non-negligible portion of DHEA is hydroxylated at C7 and C16 to 7α-, 7β- and 16α- and 16β-hydroxyderivatives. A part of the antiglucocorticoid function of DHEA has been described to its 7-oxygenated metabolites, namely to 7α-hydroxy-DHEA. Due its anti-glucocoticoid action it is also considered a factor in fat deposition processes. Thus, we...

Introduction: Whereas the daily profiles of the main steroid hormones are well known, minor differences in the course of their levels related to defined and standardised food intake were studied rarely.Methods: Eight women (mean age 29.48±2.99 years, mean BMI 21.3±1.3 kg/m2) in follicular phase of menstrual cycle were examined. The levels of C-peptide, glucose, LH, FSH, SHBG, cortisol, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, progesterone,...

This work aimed to evaluate pituitary–adrenal axis and tissue metabolism of cortisol in patients with long standing type one diabetes.Fifty patients with diabetes type 1 were investigated; age 38±10 years (mean±S.D.), age at diagnosis 25.5±10 years, disease duration 15±8 years, BMI 24.5±2.7 kg/cm2, HbA1c 7.2±1.2%. Control group consisted of 40 healthy volunteers.The study...

Introduction: Obese men and women still show their sex-specific fat accumulation. Not only does fat distribution differ between the sexes after puberty, but the dynamics of fat cell size and fat metabolism differ as well. While there is reliable evidence that pubertal sex steroids induce a sex-specific fat distribution with preferential abdominal/visceral fat accumulation in males and preferential gluteofemoral fat accumulation in females, later in life a number of paradoxes o...

The 5α-reductase is one of the enzyme of steroid synthesis and founded in two isoformes. Two distinct 5α-reductase isoenzymes, type I and type II, are found across mammalian species. Each of these isoenzymes is differentially expressed in tissues and during distinct developmental stages and also in different species. The 5α-reductase is enzyme responsible for the reduction of testosterone to dihydrostestosterone, progesterone to dihydroprogesterone and deoxycort...

Introduction: Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is the most common cause of balding in men. AGA is the risk factor of cardiovascular diseases, glucose metabolism disorders and also the risk of benign prostate hyperplasia and prostate carcinoma.Methods: A group of 26 men (mean age: 31 years, mean BMI 25.58), in which premature hair loss begun before 30 years of age was involved in the present study. In all individuals, their hormonal profile involving total tes...

In recent years, there has been increasing evidence for the hypothesis of bones as endocrine organs. Osteocalcin, long considered just a marker of new bone formation, is now seen as the first hormone produced by bones, and seems to be associated with regulating glucose metabolism and reproduction. The aim of this work was to monitor changes of osteocalcin in reaction to hypoglycaemia, and determine if there are differences in such reactions between the sexes. The study include...

The production and activities of steroid hormones during pregnancy have many interesting aspects. Their synthesis and metabolism are the result of complex metabolic pathways encompassing activities in the fetus, placenta, and mother. Progesterone, estrogens, androgens and glucocorticoids all play important roles during pregnancy, from implantation to delivery. Focusing on selected steroid hormones in the peripartum period, we defined reference ranges measured using LS-MS/MS, a...