Endocrine Abstracts

Context: In men, a decline of mean circulating testosterone level is seen with increasing age. This decline is associated with an increase in the mean levels of LH and FSH, albeit insufficient to maintain testosterone at its original level. It has been speculated that a higher sensitivity of the hypothalamus and/or pituitary for the feedback effect of circulating testosterone in older men is responsible.Objective: To compare the effect of experimentally ...

Objective: To evaluate the results of the early postoperative low-dose (1 μg) ACTH (adrenocorticotropin) stimulation test in patients with Cushing’s disease (CD) in order to predict long-term outcome of transsphenoidal surgery.Methods: We reviewed the serum cortisol response to 1 μg synthetic ACTH (1–24) in the second week after pituitary surgery in 40 patients with Cushing’s disease. Median follow-up was 48.5 months (range 6&#15...

Background: Testosterone (T) in a hydroalcoholic gel is commonly prescribed as androgen replacement therapy and may not be accompanied by peaks and troughs of serum T levels as seen in T-injectables. We assessed in 17 subjects the differences in serum testosterone (sT) and free T (fT) levels during four different application periods.Methods: Patients where on daily 50 mg Androgel®, for 7 consecutive days in each cycle, on day 8 serum was ...

Introduction: The steroidogenesis inhibitors ketoconazole and metyrapone are frequently used for treatment of Cushing’s syndrome, but can cause side effects. LCI699 is a known 11β-hydroxylase inhibitor, but effects on other steroidogenic enzymes are unknown. We aimed to compare effects of LCI699, ketoconazole, and metyrapone in vitro.Methods: HAC-15 cells, with or without 10 nM ACTH, and three primary human adrenocortical adenoma cultu...

Introduction: Ketoconazole is an antifungal agent that, in a high dose, suppresses adrenocortical steroidogenesis by inhibition of cytochrome P-450 dependent enzymes. Currently, ketoconazole is used to decrease cortisol production in patients with Cushing’s syndrome. However, ketoconazole often causes gastrointestinal side effects and hepatotoxicity. Fluconazole may also inhibit steroidogenesis and has the advantage over ketoconazole that it has less side effects. Therefo...

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is characterized by anovulation, hyperandrogenemia, and polycystic ovaries. Although the etiology of PCOS is poorly understood, the common denominator is a disturbance in the selection of the dominant follicle. TGFβ family members, such as anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), suppress FSH sensitivity. Therefore their signaling pathway may contribute to the aberrant follicle development in PCOS women. We...

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is characterized by anovulation, elevated levels of circulating androgens and polycystic ovaries. Although the etiology of PCOS is poorly understood, the common denominator is a disturbance in the selection of the dominant follicle. In PCOS women serum Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) levels are elevated. Since AMH reduces FSH sensitivity of growing follicles, the elevated AMH levels in PCOS patients may contribute to the disturbed follicle se...