Comparable amounts of sex steroids are made outside the gonads in men and women: Strong lesson for hormone therapy of prostate and breast cancer

The objective of this study was comparison of circulating androgens and their metabolites as well as estrogens measured for the first time by a validated mass spectrometry technology in 60–80-year-old men and women of comparable age.Castration in men (n = 34) reduces the total androgen pool by only about 60% as indicated by the decrease in the serum levels of the glucuronide metabolites of androgens compared to intact men (n = 1302). Such data are in agreement with the 50 to 75% decrease in intraprostatic dihydrotestosterone (DHT) concentration after castration. Most interestingly, the same amounts of androgens and estrogens are found in postmenopausal women (n = 369) and castrated men of comparable age.The most significant therapeutic implication of these findings is the absolute need to add a pure (nonsteroidal) antiandrogen to castration in men with prostate cancer in order to block the action of the 25 to 50% DHT left in the prostate after castration. Not adding an antiandrogen to castration in men treated for prostate cancer is equivalent to not prescribing a blocker of estrogens in women suffering from breast cancer because they are postmenopausal and have low circulating estradiol.     

Osteocalcin Levels on Oral Glucose Load in Women being Investigated for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

ObjectiveOsteocalcin (OC) might play a hormone-like role in energy metabolism and the regulatory circuit between the pancreas and osteoblasts. Effects of a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) on total OC, undercarboxylated (ucOC), and carboxylated osteocalcin (cOC) in insulin-resistant (IR) and noninsulin-resistant (nIR) premenopausal women was evaluated, and the relationships of changes in OC, ucOC, and cOC with area under the curve (AUC) insulin and the Matsuda index were examined.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, 105 premenopausal women underwent OGTT; 18 were IR (homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance [HOMA-IR] > 2.6; (2 with type 2 diabetes, 2 with impaired glucose tolerance), and 87 were nIR (3 with impaired glucose tolerance). Changes in total OC, ucOC, and cOC were evaluated 60 and 120 minutes after glucose loading.ResultsAt baseline, IR subjects had significantly lower levels of total OC, cOC, and ucOC. In nIR women, total OC decreased by 19% from 18.0 ng/mL (14.5-24.7) at baseline to 14.6 ng/mL (10.9-17.8) after 120 minutes, ucOC decreased by 22% from 3.2 ng/mL (2.1-4.5) to 2.5 ng/mL (1.7-3.5), and cOC decreased by 26% from 14.9 ng/mL (12.1-20.4) to 11.1 ng/mL (9.0-14.5) (P < .001, respectively). No significant decreases were noted in IR subjects. The declines in OC and cOC predicted AUCinsulin (ΔOC: β = 0.301, P = .001; ΔcOC: β = 0.315, P < .001) and the Matsuda index (ΔOC: β = − 0.235, P = .003; ΔcOC: β = − 0.245, P = .002).ConclusionsGlucose intake lowers levels of OC, ucOC, and cOC in nIR women, the extent of which predicts IR and insulin sensitivity in premenopausal women. OC parameters seem suppressed in IR women. There might be a differential osteoblast response to oral glucose in IR and nIR women, with OC reflecting this finding. (Endocr Pract. 2014;20:5-14)     

Vitamin D-Binding Protein in Healthy Pre- and Postmenopausal Women: Relationship with Estradiol Concentrations

Objective: To examine the relationship between endogenous serum estradiol and vitamin D–binding protein (DBP) and total, free, and bioavailable 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) concentrations in pre- and postmenopausal women.Methods: In 165 healthy women (ages, 26 to 75 years) not taking any form of exogenous estrogen, the serum concentrations of estradiol, 25OHD, DBP, parathyroid hormone, and albumin were measured. Free and bioavailable 25OHD (free + albumin-bound) levels were calculated from total 25OHD, DBP, and serum albumin levels.Results: Premenopausal women had higher serum 25OHD (31.5 ± 7.9 ng/mL), DBP (45.3 ± 6.2 mg/dL), and estradiol (52.8 ± 35.0 pg/mL) levels than postmenopausal women (26.5 ± 4.9 ng/mL, 41.7 ± 5.7 mg/dL, and 12.9 ± 4.9 pg/mL), respectively. In addition, the calculated free and bioavailable 25OHD levels were higher in prethan postmenopausal women (P<.05). Serum estradiol correlated with DBP (r = 0.22; P<.01) and total 25OHD (r = 0.27; P<.01). In multivariate regression models (with or without serum 25OHD), estradiol was independently associated with DBP (P<.05).Conclusion: Lower estradiol level is one of the factors that contribute to lower DBP levels in older women. Our data indicate that besides well-known factors such as age, gender, and race, serum estradiol concentrations are also a physiologic predictor of DBP concentration.Abbreviations: 25OHD = 25-hydroxyvitamin D BMI = body mass index CV = coefficient of variation DBP = vitamin D–binding protein PTH = parathyroid hormone SHBG = sex hormone–binding globulin     

BMI,hypertension and low bone mineral density in adult men and women

The aim of this work was to estimate the body mass index (BMI) at which risk of hypertension is lowest in men and women, while concurrently considering the protective role of adipose tissue in osteoporosis. Healthy, occupationally active inhabitants of the city of Wroc?aw, Poland, 1218 women and 434 men were studied. BMI, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, bone mineral density (BMD) of the trabecular compartment and distal radius of the non-dominant hand were recorded. Overweight in young women (≤45 years) was associated with increased risk of hypertension, whereas the risk of low bone mineral was decreased for the same BMI. In older women (>45 years), a BMI > 27 was the threshold for increased risk of hypertension. In this age group, extremely slim women (BMI < 21) had the highest risk of low bone mineral density. In younger males (≤45 years), risk of hypertension was lowest among the thinnest subjects (BMI < 21). Increase in BMI over 21 kg/m² increased the risk of hypertension. The probability of low bone mineral density was the same in all BMI categories of men. In older men (>45 years), the thinnest (BMI < 21) had higher risk of hypertension. To begin from BMI = 25 kg/m², there was a monotonous increase in risk of hypertension in men. Higher risk for low bone mineral density was observed in older men with the BMI < 23.Among younger adults, risk of hypertension and low bone mineral density increase at BMI ≥ 21 kg/m² in men and BMI ≥ 23 kg/m² in women. Among older men and women, the BMI threshold was 27 kg/m².     

Growth and root distribution of Vallisneria natans in heterogeneous sediment environments

Plant growth, biomass allocation and root distribution were investigated in the submerged macrophyte Vallisneria natans growing in heterogeneous sediments. Experimentally heterogeneous sediment environments were constructed by randomly placing 4 cm of clay or sandy loam into the top (0–4 cm) or bottom (4–8 cm) layer within an experimental tray, providing two homogeneous and two heterogeneous treatments. Biomass accumulation was significantly affected by the experimental treatments: higher in the homogeneous sediment of clay (32 mg per plant) and the two heterogeneous treatments (about 27 mg per plant), but lower in the homogeneous sediment of sandy loam (15 mg per plant). Root: shoot ratio was also different among the four treatments. Compared with the treatments of clay in the top layer, plants allocated more biomass to roots at the treatments of sandy loam in the top layer. Heterogeneous sediments significantly affected root distribution pattern. Compared with the treatments of sandy loam in the bottom layer, root number (7–8 versus 13–14) and total root length (3.6–4.0 cm versus 29.5–40.0 cm) in the bottom layer were significantly higher in the treatments with clay in the bottom layer. These results indicate that both sediment structure and nutrient availability influence growth and root system distribution of V. natans.     

Obesity,physical activity and cancer risks: Results from the Cancer,Lifestyle and Evaluation of Risk Study (CLEAR)

IntroductionPhysical activity (PA) has been associated with lower risk of cardiovascular diseases, but the evidence linking PA with lower cancer risk is inconclusive. We examined the independent and interactive effects of PA and obesity using body mass index (BMI) as a proxy for obesity, on the risk of developing prostate (PC), postmenopausal breast (BC), colorectal (CRC), ovarian (OC) and uterine (UC) cancers.MethodsWe estimated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), adjusting for cancer specific confounders, in 6831 self-reported cancer cases and 1992 self-reported cancer-free controls from the Cancer Lifestyle and Evaluation of Risk Study, using unconditional logistic regression.ResultsFor women, BMI was positively associated with UC risk; specifically, obese women (BMI ≥30 kg/m²) had nearly twice the risk of developing UC compared to women with healthy-BMI-range (<25 kg/m²) (OR = 1.99;CI:1.31–3.03). For men, BMI was also positively associated with the risk of developing any cancer type, CRC and PC. In particular, obese men had 37% (OR = 1.37;CI:1.11–1.70), 113% (OR = 2.13;CI:1.55–2.91) and 51% (OR = 1.51;CI:1.17-1.94) higher risks of developing any cancer, CRC and PC respectively, when compared to men with healthy-BMI-range (BMI<25 kg/m²).Among women, PA was inversely associated with the risks of CRC, UC and BC. In particular, the highest level of PA (versus nil activity) was associated with reduced risks of CRC (OR = 0.60;CI:0.44–0.84) and UC (OR = 0.47;CI:0.27–0.80). Reduced risks of BC were associated with low (OR = 0.66;CI:0.51–0.86) and moderate (OR = 0.72;CI:0.57–0.91) levels of PA. There was no association between PA levels and cancer risks for men.We found no evidence of an interaction between BMI and PA in the CLEAR study.ConclusionThese findings suggest that PA and obesity are independent cancer risk factors.     

Estradiol treatment and its interaction with the cholinergic system: Effects on cognitive function in healthy young women

The steroid hormone estradiol has been shown to modulate cognitive function in both animals and humans, and although the exact mechanisms associated with these effects are unknown, interactions with the cholinergic system have been proposed. We examined the neurocognitive effects of short-term estradiol treatment and its interaction with the cholinergic system using the muscarinic receptor antagonist scopolamine in healthy young women. Thirty-four participants (Mean age ± SD = 22.4 ± 4.4) completed baseline cognitive assessment and then received either 100 μg/day transdermal estradiol or transdermal placebo for 31 days. On days 28 and 31 of treatment, further cognitive assessment was performed pre- and 90 min post-scopolamine (0.4 mg) or placebo (saline) injection, under a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled design. Short-term estradiol treatment significantly enhanced spatial working memory with a trend for improvement in long-term verbal learning and memory. Overall, estradiol treatment did not protect against or attenuate the scopolamine-induced impairments in the cognitive domains assessed. Findings suggest that estrogen has minimal effects on cholinergic-mediated cognitive processes following short-term treatment. Effects of estradiol treatment may be dependent on age, dose of estradiol, integrity of cholinergic innervation and baseline endogenous estrogen levels, which may in part explain the inconsistent findings in the literature.     

Mechanical properties of the patellar tendon in adults and children

It is not currently known how the mechanical properties of human tendons change with maturation in the two sexes. To address this, the stiffness and Young's modulus of the patellar tendon were measured in men, women, boys and girls (each group, n=10). Patellar tendon force (F_pt) was calculated from the measured joint moment during a ramped voluntary isometric knee extension contraction, the antagonist knee extensor muscle co-activation quantified from its electromyographical activity, and the patellar tendon moment arm measured from magnetic resonance images. Tendon elongation was imaged using the sagittal-plane ultrasound scans throughout the contraction. Tendon cross-sectional area was measured at rest from ultrasound scans in the transverse plane. Maximal F_pt and tendon elongation were (mean±SE) 5453±307 N and 5±0.5 mm for men, 3877±307 N and 4.9±0.6 mm for women, 2017±170 N and 6.2±0.5 mm for boys and 2169±182 N and 5.9±0.7 mm for girls. In all groups, tendon stiffness and Young's modulus were examined at the level that corresponded to the maximal 30% of the weakest participant's F_pt and stress, respectively; these were 925–1321 N and 11.5–16.5 MPa, respectively. Stiffness was 94% greater in men than boys and 84% greater in women than girls (p<0.01), with no differences between men and women, or boys and girls (men 1076±87 N/mm; women 1030±139 N/mm; boys 555±71 N/mm and girls 561.5±57.4 N/mm). Young's modulus was 99% greater in men than boys (p<0.01), and 66% greater in women than girls (p<0.05). There were no differences in modulus between men and women, or boys and girls (men 597±49 MPa; women 549±70 MPa; boys 255±42 MPa and girls 302±33 MPa). These findings indicate that the mechanical stiffness of tendon increases with maturation due to an increased Young's modulus and, in females due to a greater increase in tendon cross-sectional area than tendon length.     

Effect of resistance exercise on muscle steroid receptor protein content in strength-trained men and women

The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effect of resistance exercise (RE) on muscle androgen receptor (AR) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) protein content. Fifteen resistance-trained men (n = 8; 21 ± 1 years, 175.3 ± 6.7 cm, 90.8 ± 11.6 kg) and women (n = 7; 24 ± 5 years, 164.6 ± 6.7 cm, 76.4 ± 15.6 kg) completed 6 sets of 10 repetitions of heavy squats. Blood samples were obtained before RE, after 3 and 6 sets of squats, and 5, 15, 30 and 70 min after RE. Muscle biopsies from the vastus lateralis were obtained before RE, and 10 min and 70 min after RE. Blood samples were analyzed for total and free testosterone concentrations and muscle samples were analyzed for AR and GR protein content. Circulating total testosterone increased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) in men and free testosterone increased in men and women with exercise. AR was significantly reduced at 70 min post-exercise in men and at 10 min post-exercise in women compared to pre-exercise. There were no changes in GR following RE, but GR was significantly higher in women compared to men. These findings support a current paradigm for stabilization followed by a reduction and then a rebound in the acute AR response to RE but demonstrate that gender differences exist in the timeline of the AR response.     

Cancer incidence in the AGRICAN cohort study (2005–2011)

BackgroundNumerous studies have been conducted among farmers, but very few of them have involved large prospective cohorts, and few have included a significant proportion of women and farm workers. Our aim was to compare cancer incidence in the cohort (overall, by sex, and by work on farm, occupational status and pesticide use) within the general population.MethodsMore than 180,000 participants in the AGRICAN cohort were matched to cancer registries to identify cancer cases diagnosed from enrolment (2005–2007) to 31st December 2011. We calculated standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs).ResultsOver the period, 11,067 incident cancer cases were identified (7304 men and 3763 women). Overall cancer incidence did not differ between the cohort and the general population. Moreover, SIRs were significantly higher for prostate cancer (SIR = 1.07, 95%CI 1.03–1.11) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (SIR = 1.09, 95%CI 1.01–1.18) among men, skin melanoma among women (SIR = 1.23, 95%CI 1.05–1.43) and multiple myeloma (men: SIR = 1.38, 95%CI 1.18–1.62; women: SIR = 1.26, 95%CI 1.02–1.54). In contrast, SIRs were lower for upper aerodigestive tract and respiratory cancers. Increase in risk was greater in male farm workers for prostate and lip cancer, in female farm workers for skin melanoma, and in male farm owners for multiple myeloma. Moreover, incidence of multiple myeloma and skin melanoma was higher among male and female pesticide users respectively.ConclusionWe found a decreased incidence for tobacco-related cancers and an increased incidence of prostate cancers, skin melanoma and multiple myeloma. Specific subgroups had a higher cancer incidence related to occupational status and pesticide use.     

Statistical analysis of surface electromyographic signal for the assessment of rectus femoris modalities of activation during gait

Aim of the present study was to identify the different modalities of activation of rectus femoris (RF) during gait at self-selected speed, by a statistical analysis of surface electromyographic signal from a large number (hundreds) of strides per subject. The analysis of ten healthy adults showed that RF is characterized by different activation modalities within different strides of the same walk. RF most recurrent modality (observed in 53 ± 6% of total strides) consists of three activations, at the beginning of gait cycle, around foot-off and in the terminal swing. Further two modalities of RF activation differ from the most recurrent one because of the lack of activity around foot-off (26 ± 6%) or the splitting into two (or three) small activations around stance-to-swing transition (17 ± 2%). Despite the large variability, our statistical analysis allowed to identify two patterns of activation that characterize completely the behavior of rectus femoris during gait. The first pattern, around stance-to-swing transition, can be monophasic, biphasic or triphasic and is necessary to control knee extension and hip flexion from pre-swing to initial swing. The second pattern, from terminal swing to following mid-stance, is likely due to the contribution of low-level RF activity and cross-talk from surrounding vastii.     

Benefits of clonal integration between interconnected ramets of Vallisneria spiralis in heterogeneous light environments

Interconnected ramets of the submersed macrophyte Vallisneria spiralis were subjected to two homogeneous treatments (shading or not shading whole plants) and two heterogeneous treatments (only shading basal or apical ramets of plants). The benefits and costs of clonal integration between connected ramets grown in heterogeneous treatments were examined. Results showed that shading apical ramets induced significant benefits to the performance of whole plant in terms of dry weight per plant (P < 0.01) and number of ramets per plant (P < 0.05). Especially for the unshaded basal ramets, their dry weight, number of ramets, number of branches and total stolon length were 89%, 30%, 29% and 58% higher than the corresponding ramets in homogeneous treatment, respectively. Compared to their controls in homogeneous treatments, unshaded basal ramets produced more leaf mass (0.15 g versus 0.11 g) whereas shaded apical ramets produced more root mass (0.012 g versus 0.008 g). However, there was a different pattern of integration when basal ramets were shaded. Shading basal ramets led to a significant decrease in stolon growth, but the individual performance of shaded ramets improved. Cost-benefit analyses revealed that dry weight per ramet of basal shaded ramets was 31% greater than that of basal shaded ramets in the homogeneous treatment. We can conclude that V. spiralis can benefit from clonal integration in heterogeneous light environments, but that the scale of these benefits is related to the quality of light environments where the clone become established.     

Levels of l-ascorbic acid and cadmium in the saphenous vein of patients with coronary artery disease are negatively correlated

BackgroundThe aim of this study was the simultaneous determination of levels of cadmium and l-ascorbic Acid (AA) in human saphenous vein (SV) used in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and check whether there is a relationship between these levels.MethodsHuman SV were collected from 40 patients (20 men and 20 women; age, 40–75 years) at the time of routine coronary artery surgical revascularization. The concentration of cadmium in the tissue was determined according to the GF AAS—atomic absorption method. The concentration of AA was assayed in supernatant by FIA method with spectrophotometric detection.ResultsAA concentration (mean ± SD); men: 98,7 ± 13,18 μg/g tissue, women: 96,06 ± 11,98 μg/g tissue. Cadmium concentration(mean ± SD); men: 309 ± 103,71 ng/g tissue, women: 348,5 ± 255,71 ng/g tissue. Correlations among concentrations of AA and cadmium were insignificant negative in the group of men (Pearson r = −0,1504, p = 0,5269) and in the group women (Pearson r = −0339, p = 0144).ConclusionsNegative correlations among concentrations of AA and cadmium in human SV obtained in our study may indicate a protective effect of this vitamin in relation to toxic cadmium.     

Distribución de la circunferencia de la cintura y de la relación circunferencia de la cintura con respecto a la talla según la categoría del índice de masa corporal en los pacientes atendidos en consultas de endocrinología y nutrición

IntroductionWaist circumference (WC) and the waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) are anthropometric measures widely used in clinical practice to evaluate visceral fat and the consequent cardiovascular risk. However, risk thresholds should be standardized according to body mass index (BMI).ObjectiveTo determine the distribution of WC and WHtR according to the BMI cut-points currently used to describe overweight and obesity.Materials and methodsWC, WHtR and BMI were measured in 3521 adult patients (>18 years) attended in Endocrinology and Nutrition units.ResultsA total of 20.8% (734 patients) were diabetic. Obesity was found in 82.1% of diabetic patients and in 75% of non-diabetic patients. The WC thresholds proposed by the National Institute of Health (102 cm in men, 88 cm in women), Bray (100 cm in men, 90 cm in women) and the International Diabetes Federation (94 cm in men, 80 cm in women) were exceeded by 92.9%, 94.8% and 98.4% of obese men, 96.8%, 95.5% and 99.7% of obese women, 79.1%, 83.1% and 90% of diabetic men and 95.5%, 81.5% and 97.4% of diabetic women, respectively. Thresholds adapted to the degree of obesity (90, 100, 110 and 125 cm in men and 80, 90, 105 and 115 cm in women for normal BMI, overweight, obesity I and obesity greater than I) were exceeded by 58.4% of obese men, 54.2% of obese women, 57.5% of diabetic men and 60.7% of diabetic women. WC was higher in men, and BMI and the WHtR were higher in women. The WC of diabetic women equalled that of men, and WC, WHtR and BMI were higher in diabetic than in non-diabetic women (p<0.001). WC (p<0.005), WHtR (p<0.001) and BMI (p<0.5) were also higher in diabetic than in non-diabetic men.ConclusionWC and WHtR thresholds by BMI discriminated diabetic and obese patients better than single thresholds, and can be represented graphically by the distribution of percentile ranks of WC and WHtR by BMI.ik     

Tobacco use,body mass and cancer mortality in Mumbai Cohort Study

Background: Tobacco use and body mass are major risk factors for many cancers. Despite this, very little is known about their combined effect on cancer mortality. These relationships are virtually unexplored in populations having patterns of both tobacco use and body habitus atypical of those typically enrolled in epidemiologic studies. Methods: A prospective cohort study of 148,173 men and women aged ≥35 years was conducted in Mumbai, India. Subjects were recruited during 1991–1997, measured for a variety of risk factors, including tobacco use and anthropometry, and then followed for approximately 5–6 years. Results: During 774,129 person-years of follow up, a total of 796 cancer deaths were observed. Tobacco use, especially smoking in men, was associated with particularly high risk of death in extreme categories of body mass. At highest risk were underweight smoking males [hazard ratio (HR) = 9.45, 5.87, and 5.75 for those smokers who were extremely thin (<16.0 kg/m²), very thin (16.0 to <17.0 kg/m²), or thin (17.0 to <18.5), respectively]. Significant effects of underweight among never and smokeless tobacco users disappeared with exclusion of individuals with ≤2 years of follow up. Extremely thin (<16.0 kg/m²) women smokeless tobacco users had an elevation in risk, HR = 2.95, that actually appeared to increase (to 3.21) with exclusion of individuals who were diagnosed within 2 years of follow up. Conclusion: Tobacco use and undernutrition are known to be serious problems in developing countries. The current study underlines the strikingly elevated risk of cancer when they occur together.     

Improving the “chain and tape” method: A combined topography index for marine fish ecology studies

The “chain and tape” method is used to quantify topographic complexity in reef ecology studies, consisting of the ratio of the linear distance between the start and end points of a chain moulded to the surface of the substrate to its stretched length, a measure known as the substrate rugosity (SR) index. This measure has several advantages in the field when compared to other methods, but some weaknesses have been pointed out. However, it is still one of the most frequently used topography measures in reef fish ecology. The present study proposes a combined topography index (CTI) that uses the “chain and tape” method in the field, with results that can match more complex methods, outperforming the traditional SR index. The CTI is structured as a weighted sum of 3 topographic features: SR index, number of corrugations (NC) and maximum vertical relief (MVR), where NC and MVR are given weight coefficients ranging from 0 to 1. In order to establish weight coefficients, fish assemblages were sampled at 6 training sites, representing a topographic complexity gradient. A series of candidate weight combinations were then selected so that CTI was optimally correlated with each one of several fish assemblage parameters. The list of possible solutions was then applied to nine previously published schematic profiles and compared with other methods. The final index was established as: CTI = (1 − SR) + NC/25 + MVR/25. Ultimately, the predictive performance of CTI and SR was tested by applying them to 11 new sites as predictors of species abundances in distance-based linear models. The CTI outperformed SR when added to 3 previously fitted variables (depth, percent cover of sand, percent cover of cobble), explaining 5.6% additional variation when using all species and 8.1% when using only cryptobenthic species, whereas SR showed no significant additional effects.     

Plasma levels of kisspeptins in postmenopausal Chinese women do not show substantial elevation

The menopause, defined as the permanent cessation of menstruation resulting from ovarian failure, is characterized by elevated levels of serum gonadotropins. Recent studies have demonstrated that the gonadotropin hypersecretion in postmenopausal women is secondary to increase of KiSS-1 mRNA from the hypothalamus neurons, which encoded kisspeptin peptides. The present study was designed to determine whether plasma kisspeptins levels are altered in postmenopausal women. Blood samples were taken from 145 postmenopausal women, 35 young women and 30 pregnant women control in the first trimester. The plasma concentration of kisspeptins, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and estradiol (E₂) was measured using immunoassay kits. Results indicated that plasma kisspeptins levels in postmenopausal women had higher than those in young women (5.25 ± 0.36; 4.48 ± 0.34 pmol/L), but no significant difference was found between the two groups (p = 0.179). Plasma FSH and LH levels were significantly higher in postmenopausal women (124.67 ± 12.78, 57.14 ± 3.57 mIu/mL) than those in young women (9.23 ± 2.78, 7.56 ± 2.71 mIu/mL, p < 0.001). However, Plasma kisspeptins levels were not significantly correlated to FSH and LH in postmenopausal women (r = ?0.23, 0.324; p = 0.927, 0.176, respectively), and also there was no any correlation between plasma kisspeptins and E₂ in postmenopausal women (r = ?0.065; p = 0.792). Collectively, there was no significant difference in plasma kisspeptins levels between postmenopausal and young women. Our result suggested that kisspeptins’ role during menopause might mainly act in central rather than peripheral system and it could not be currently used as a clinical marker for menopause.     

Lack of support for relation between woman's masculinity preference,estradiol level and mating context

It has been proposed that women's preferences for male facial sexual dimorphism are positively correlated with conception probability and differ between short- and long-term mating contexts. In this study, we tested this assumption by analyzing relationships between estradiol levels to the women's preferences of male faces that were manipulated to vary in masculinity. Estradiol was measured in daily saliva samples throughout the entire menstrual cycle collected by Polish women with regular menstrual cycles. In our analyses, we included the three most commonly used definitions of the fertile window in the literature. After computing the overall masculinity preference of each participant and measuring hormone levels, we found that i) the timing of ovulation varied greatly among women (between − 11 and − 17 days from the onset of the next menses, counting backwards), ii) there was no relationship between daily, measured during the day of the test (N = 83) or average for the cycle (N = 115) estradiol levels and masculinity preferences, iii) there were no differences in masculinity preferences between women in low- and high-conception probability phases of the cycle, and iv) there were no differences in masculinity preferences between short- and long-term mating contexts. Our results do not support the idea that women's preferences for a potential sexual partner's facial masculinity fluctuate throughout the cycle.     

Diagnostic performance of salivary cortisol and serum osteocalcin measurements in patients with overt and subclinical Cushing's syndrome

ObjectiveThe cut-off value for salivary cortisol measurement for the diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome (CS) may depend both on the severity of the disease and the composition of control group. Therefore, we examined the utility of midnight salivary cortisol measurements in patients who were evaluated for signs and symptoms of CS or because they had adrenal incidentalomas. Because serum osteocalcin (OC) is considered as a sensitive marker of hypercortisolism, we also investigated whether OC could have a role in the diagnosis of CS.Patients and methodsEach of the 151 patients was included into one of the following groups: (A) overt CS (n = 23), (B) subclinical CS (n = 18), (C) inactive adrenal adenomas (n = 40), (D) patients without HPA disturbances (n = 70). Patients (C + D) were used as controls. Serum, salivary and urinary cortisol, and OC were measured by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay.ResultsGroup A had suppressed OC as compared to both group B and group (C + D). Serum and salivary cortisol concentrations showed strong negative correlations with OC in patients with overt CS. The areas under the curves of salivary and serum cortisol at 24:00 h (0.9790 and 0.9940, respectively) serum cortisol after low dose dexamethasone test (0.9930) and OC (0.9220) obtained from ROC aanalysis for the diagnosis of overt CS were not statistically different.ConclusionThis study confirms the usefulness of midnight salivary cortisol measurements in the diagnosis of overt CS in the everyday endocrinological praxis. Our results suggest that OC may have a role in the diagnosis of overt CS.     

Discriminating the endogenous and exogenous urinary estrogens in human by isotopic ratio mass spectrometry and its potential clinical value

Estrogens were prohibited in the food producing animals by European Union (96/22/EC directive) and added to the Report on Carcinogens in United States since 2002. Due to very low concentration in serum or urine (～pg/mL), the method of control its abuse had not been fully developed.The endogenous estrogens were separated from urines of 18 adult men and women. The exogenous estrogens were chemical reference standards and over the counter preparations. Two patients of dysfunctional uterine bleeding (DUB) administered exogenous estradiol and the urines were collected for 72 h. The urinary estrogens were separated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and confirmed. The exogenous and exogenous estrogens were analyzed by gas chromatography combustion isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC–C–IRMS) to determine the ¹³C/¹²C ratio (δ¹³C‰).The δ¹³C‰ values of reference standard of E1, E2, and E3 were ?29.36 ± 0.72, ?27.98 ± 0.35, ?27.62 ± 0.51, respectively. The δ¹³C‰ values of the endogenous E1, E2, and E3 were ?21.62 ± 1.07, ?22.14 ± 0.98, and ?21.88 ± 1.16, with P < 0.01 (t-test). Two DUB patients’ urinary estradiol δ¹³C‰ values was depleted to ?28.02 ± 0.33 after the administration. The progesterone, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, pregnanediol, as well as desogestrel and ethinylestradiol from contraceptives were also determined.Stable carbon isotope analysis can distinguish the endogenous and exogenous urinary estrogen in human.