Endocrine Abstracts

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...

Smoking has many effects on human health and reproduction. Women are generally recommended to quit smoking before conception. Cessation improves fertility and helps avoid many health risks for the mother and the child and plays an important role in the future development and health of the offspring. We have decided to perform a study following changes in the production of steroid hormones in pregnant smokers and ex-smokers compared to non-smokers. In physiological pregnancies,...

Introduction: A precisely measured corticoid level is important for decision-making in daily clinical practice. These levels can be influenced in the pre-analytical phase, when the effect of stress, timing, and diet can be important.The aim of this study was to elucidate optimal conditions for blood sampling as well as the choice of analytical methods, which they will be used in measuring of corticoids.Methods: By studying ten wome...

Background: Secretion of insulin by beta-cells of the islets of Langerhans is a very complex dynamic process that includes basal and stimulated insulin secretion. Two phases, one early and one late, can be distinguished in insulin secretion. The early phase is characterised by the secretion of preformed insulin granules, lasts about 15 min and is formed by cephalic and gastrointestinal components. The cephalic phase of insulin secretion starts by stimulating visual, olfactory ...

Introduction: The influence of steroid hormones on food intake is well described. However, there are only a few studies on the effect of food intake on steroid levels.Methods: The study involved eight non-smoker women (average age 29.48±2.99 years; average BMI 21.3±1.3 kg/m2); they did not use any kind of medication affecting steroidogenesis. We analysed the influence of four various stimuli on the levels of steroid hormones and mela...

A number of evidence indicate that mood (affective) disorders are influenced by various bioactive steroids such as corticoids, sex hormones and neuroactive steroids. However, to date, there are limited data concerning the discrimination between patients suffering from the disorders and controls, or regarding the classification of individual subtypes of mood disorders on the basis of steroid profiling. Therefore 47 steroids including their conjugates and further related substan...

Introduction: Postpartum depression affects 10–15% women after childbirth. There is no currently generally accepted theory about the causes and mechanisms of postpartum mental disorders. The principal hypothesis concerns the association with sudden changes in the production of hormones affecting the nervous system of the mother and, on the other hand, with the ability of receptor systems to adapt to these changes.Methods: We observed changes in ster...

Introduction: Tobacco dependence is considered to be a serious psycho-social problem. Chronic smoking can cause fertility disorders with both sexes. The literature brings up contradictory results in relation to the effects of the smoking on the steroid hormones levels. Only a few papers discuss the effect of the nicotine addiction treatment.Methods: We observed 26 smokers who decided to quit smoking and abstained from smoking for one year. With everyone ...

Introduction: The dependence on tobacco, diagnosis F 17, is an independent condition in the International classification of diseases and presents one of the most widespread addictions. Chronic smoking can cause impairment of fertility in both sexes. However, only a small number of studies were dedicated to the influence of smoking on levels of steroid hormones and their neuroactive metabolites. Neuroactive steroids modulate the effects of tobacco on central nervous system, and...

Objective: Skeletal disability pathogenesis is multifactorial. Many studies have proved a negative relation of smoking on calcium-phosphate metabolisms, bone density and quality; however in some other papers these results have not been confirmed. The aim of the study was to monitor the influence of the length of smoking, a number of cigarettes smoked and the age of the first use of cigarettes on the whole-body bone density.Methods: Whole-body densitometr...