Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: The presence of glandular breast tissue in males around puberty, pubertal gynaecomastia, is a very common (40–60%) condition although the aetiology behind is poorly understood. It is generally accepted that pubertal gynaecomastia is caused by an excess of estrogens and/or a deficit of androgens. However, other hormones such as prolactin, GH and IGF1 may also affect ductal growth of the breast.Design: A cross-sectional study of 518 heal...

Context: Potency of the FSH-pathway varies according to polymorphisms in the promoter of the gene encoding the FSH beta subunit (FSHB −211 G>T, rs10835638) and in the gene encoding the FSH receptor (FSHR 2039 A>G, rs6166). A recent study suggested that carriers of the combination of FSHB GG and FSHR AA had the most reproductive ‘fit’ phenotype (higher serum FSH and a more sensitive FSH receptor). In pre-pubertal girls...