Sex-specific difference in the interconversion of cortisol and cortisone in men and women

Objective: Our objective was to demonstrate that the smaller oxoreductase activity of 11β‐HSD1 in women would shift the interconversion of cortisol and cortisone toward cortisone, resulting in a larger amount of generated labeled cortisone in healthy women than in healthy men. Research Methods and Procedures: Using mass spectrometry, the amount of cortisone generated from a continuous infusion (8 am to 6 pm ) of stable‐labeled cortisol (1α,2α‐d‐cortisol) was determined in non‐obese and in obese (BMI >35 kg/m²) men and women during steady‐state conditions (from 2 pm to 6 pm ). In this setting, the amount of generated labeled cortisone (expressed as % of the achieved steady‐state concentrations of labeled cortisol) reflects the sum of the bi‐directional conversion of cortisol into cortisone (and vice versa) by 11β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. Results: The amount of generated labeled cortisone was higher in men than in women (p < 0.0001). This sex difference was higher in obese than in non‐obese patients (p = 0.0062). Conclusions: The interconversion of cortisol and cortisone during steady‐state conditions is shifted toward cortisol in men as compared with women. This suggests a higher overall oxoreductase activity of 11β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 in men than in women. This sex‐specific difference is maintained in obesity.     

Temporal dynamics of nutrition, parasitism, and stress in colobus monkeys: implications for population regulation and conservation

The need to develop conservation plans calls for the ability to identify ecological factors that influence population density. Because stress is known to affect fecundity and mortality, increasing stress may provide a warning of potential population declines. We examined the effects of temporal variation in nutrition and parasitism on stress in endangered red colobus monkeys in Kibale National Park, Uganda. First, we tested the hypothesis that parasitism and nutrition would individually affect stress levels. We found that periods of poor-quality diet corresponded with an increase in cortisol. Similarly, increases in parasite infections were associated with increased cortisol. Next, we predicted that a poor-quality diet would facilitate increased parasite infections, and that together, they would lead to amplified stress. However, we found no support for such amplification, likely because the quality of the diet had little effect on parasite infections. Third, we tested whether individuals in a larger group were subject to food stress due to greater within-group competition, which would intensify nutritional stress and parasitism, and lead to reduced reproduction. Although we found no evidence to support a group size effect on parasites, cortisol levels in the large group tended to be higher than those in the small group, and the large group had fewer infants per female. The results suggest that parasitism and poor nutrition lead to increased stress which, because they are known to be associated with reduced fecundity and increased mortality, may lead to population declines.     

The age of hair matters – the incorporation of cortisol by external contamination is enhanced in distal hair segments of pigs and cattle

Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) is used as an indicator of long-term stress or pathologies in humans and increasingly in animals. Although the main mechanism for the incorporation of cortisol into the hair shaft is by diffusion from blood, cortisol may also be incorporated from external sources by contamination of the hair surface. In farm animals under conventional husbandry conditions and trapped animals, contamination of hair with cortisol-containing body fluids, especially with urine, was shown to be a considerable confounding factor when studying HCCs. We recently found that cattle and pigs exhibit elevated HCCs in distal hair segments and assume that the incorporation of external cortisol is facilitated in these older hair segments. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of urine contamination on HCC in different hair segments of pigs and cattle, and to determine whether different cleaning protocols can prevent contamination effects. In an in vivo experiment in pigs (n = 18) and an in vitro experiment in cattle (n = 12), hairs were repeatedly contaminated with urine of the respective species and then shaved or cut in segments. Cortisol concentrations in hair segments were analysed by enzyme immunoassay after washing with isopropanol and extraction with methanol. Results were compared with HCCs in untreated hairs or hairs treated with water. Moreover, additional bovine hair samples contaminated with urine were subjected to two further cleaning procedures. Contamination with urine generally increased HCCs, and it was demonstrated for the first time that this effect is more pronounced in distal compared to proximal hair segments in both species. The immersion of bovine hair in vitro in water caused a washout of cortisol, which was also more pronounced in distal hair segments. In general, the different cleaning protocols for cattle hair did not prevent contamination effects, so we assume that external cortisol not only adheres but is incorporated into the hair shaft. Structural damage of older, distal hair segments may facilitate permeability of the hair matrix and diffusion of cortisol from and into aqueous solutions. Thus, the validity of HCC as a marker of stress is compromised in animals where soiling of hair with body fluids is a risk factor. Therefore, hair samples should be collected from clean body regions and, if possible, using proximal hair segments.     

成人原发肾病综合征病理类型与血脂代谢紊乱的关系

目的：研究成人原发肾病综合征(PNS)肾脏病理改变与血脂代谢紊乱的关系。方法：选取成人PNS患者109 例为研究对象, 分析不同病理类型PNS 患者血脂及血清脂蛋白代谢异常的发生率、代谢水平及胆固醇代谢异常的相关因素。结果：成人PNS 患 者血清总胆固醇(TC)升高、低密度脂蛋白胆固醇(LDL-C)升高、高密度脂蛋白胆固醇(HDL-C)降低、甘油三酯(TG)升高的发生率分 别为89.90%、69.72%、9.17%、41.28%,高胆固醇血症占51.37%,混合型高脂血症占39.45%;微小病变型肾病(MCD)、膜性肾病 (MN)、系膜增生性肾小球肾炎(MsPGN)、局灶阶段性肾小球硬化(FSGS)组间TC、TG、LDL-C、HDL-C 代谢异常发生率及代谢水平 比较均无明显差别(P>0.05);病理类型为MCD 及n-MCD 的PNS 患者,胆固醇水平均与24 小时尿蛋白定量呈正相关(r=0.440, P=0.036;r=0.361,P=0.001),与血白蛋白水平无明显相关性(P>0.05)。结论：成人PNS患者血脂代谢异常以TC 及LDL-C 升高为 主,临床分型中以高胆固醇血症及混合型高脂血症为主;病理类型为MCD及n-MCD 的PNS 患者,胆固醇水平均与24 小时尿蛋 白呈正相关,与血白蛋白水平无明显相关性。     

经闭孔无张力尿道中段悬吊术治疗女性压力性尿失禁3 年随访分析

目的:探讨经闭孔无张力尿道中段悬吊术(TVT-O术)治疗女性压力性尿失禁的中期疗效。方法:选择2007年5月-2011年5月于我院行TVT-O术治疗压力性尿失禁女性患者172例,应用压力性实验评估术前及术后短期疗效,持续3年的随访,分析中期疗效、尿流动力学参数、术后生活质量等重要数据。结果:术后1年,患者主观治愈率为93.0%,客观治愈率为94.8%,术后3年主观治愈率为91.3%,客观治愈率为93.0%,术后1年与术后3年比较均无统计学意义(均P>0.05);术后1、3年自我感觉模糊数字评分、I-QOL评分、最大流速及残余尿量较术前均有改善,差异均有统计学意义(均P<0.05);而术后1年与术后3年比较差异均无统计学意义(均P>0.05);随访期间主要并发症为腹股沟疼痛及排尿困难,均可控,未严重影响预后。结论:TVT-O治疗女性压力性尿失禁的中期疗效良好,并发症低,安全可靠,具备推广价值。     

Distribution characteristics of salivary cortisol measurements in a healthy young male population

Background

Salivary cortisol has been used in various fields of science as a non-invasive biomarker of stress levels. This study offers the normative reference values of cortisol measurement for healthy young males.

Findings

Salivary cortisol levels were measured in 267 healthy young males (age: 21.7 ± 1.5 years) in the early morning on two consecutive days and were analyzed by radioimmunoassay. Frequency distribution analysis was conducted with mean values of the measurements taken on the 2 days. The mean salivary cortisol level was 20.39 ± 7.74 nmol/l (median: 19.31 nmol/l). The skewness and kurtosis of the distribution of the raw data were 0.72 and 0.68, respectively. They were both improved by a square root transformation but not by a logarithmic transformation.

Conclusions

The skewness of the distribution for salivary cortisol measured in the early morning is considerably smaller than that previously reported from afternoon measurements. A “floor effect” may be an explanation for the difference in the distribution characteristics of salivary cortisol.     

Impairment of ATP hydrolysis decreases adenosine A1 receptor tonus favoring cholinergic nerve hyperactivity in the obstructed human urinary bladder

This study was designed to investigate whether reduced adenosine formation linked to deficits in extracellular ATP hydrolysis by NTPDases contributes to detrusor neuromodulatory changes associated with bladder outlet obstruction in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The kinetics of ATP catabolism and adenosine formation as well as the role of P1 receptor agonists on muscle tension and nerve-evoked [³H]ACh release were evaluated in mucosal-denuded detrusor strips from BPH patients (n = 31) and control organ donors (n = 23). The neurogenic release of ATP and [³H]ACh was higher (P < 0.05) in detrusor strips from BPH patients. The extracellular hydrolysis of ATP and, subsequent, adenosine formation was slower (t_1/2 73 vs. 36 min, P < 0.05) in BPH detrusor strips. The A₁ receptor-mediated inhibition of evoked [³H]ACh release by adenosine (100 μM), NECA (1 μM), and R-PIA (0.3 μM) was enhanced in BPH bladders. Relaxation of detrusor contractions induced by acetylcholine required 30-fold higher concentrations of adenosine. Despite VAChT-positive cholinergic nerves exhibiting higher A₁ immunoreactivity in BPH bladders, the endogenous adenosine tonus revealed by adenosine deaminase is missing. Restoration of A₁ inhibition was achieved by favoring (1) ATP hydrolysis with apyrase (2 U mL⁻¹) or (2) extracellular adenosine accumulation with dipyridamole or EHNA, as these drugs inhibit adenosine uptake and deamination, respectively. In conclusion, reduced ATP hydrolysis leads to deficient adenosine formation and A₁ receptor-mediated inhibition of cholinergic nerve activity in the obstructed human bladder. Thus, we propose that pharmacological manipulation of endogenous adenosine levels and/or A₁ receptor activation might be useful to control bladder overactivity in BPH patients.     

Differences in inhibitory avoidance,cortisol and brain gene expression in TL and AB zebrafish

Recently, we established an inhibitory avoidance paradigm in Tupfel Long‐Fin (TL) zebrafish. Here, we compared task performance of TL fish and fish from the AB strain; another widely used strain and shown to differ genetically and behaviourally from TL fish. Whole‐body cortisol and telencephalic gene expression related to stress, anxiety and fear were measured before and 2 h post‐task. Inhibitory avoidance was assessed in a 3‐day paradigm: fish learn to avoid swimming from a white to a black compartment where a 3V‐shock is given: day 1 (first shock), day 2 (second shock) and day 3 (no shock, sampling). Tupfel Long‐Fin fish rapidly learned to avoid the black compartment and showed an increase in avoidance‐related spatial behaviour in the white compartment across days. In contrast, AB fish showed no inhibitory avoidance learning. AB fish had higher basal cortisol levels and expression levels of stress‐axis related genes than TL fish. Tupfel Long‐Fin fish showed post‐task learning‐related changes in cortisol and gene expression levels, but these responses were not seen in AB fish. We conclude that AB fish show higher cortisol levels and no inhibitory avoidance than TL fish. The differential learning responses of these Danio strains may unmask genetically defined risks for stress‐related disorders.     

Egg Cortisol Exposure Enhances Fearfulness in Larvae and Juvenile Rainbow Trout

We investigated the effects of an early boost of cortisol exposure in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) eggs during fertilisation on subsequent behavioural responses when exposed to a sudden stimulus in larvae and juveniles. At 55 d post‐fertilisation (dpf), treatment had no effect on high accelerations occurring after a sudden event. At 146 dpf, these high accelerations were more frequent in cortisol‐treated fish than in controls. At 146 dpf also, swimming activity was increased in cortisol‐treated fish both before and after the sudden stimulus. This study underlines the important behavioural modifications in both larvae and juveniles, linked to a change in the surrounding environment of the embryo. Indeed, fish exposed to cortisol as eggs showed a higher level of fearfulness later in life. Our findings are of major interest for stress management in an aquaculture context and also allow for a better understanding of the long‐lasting effects of a permanent and/or acute stress – mediated by cortisol – that could be encountered by females, affecting population's life history trajectory.