Sex hormones, androgens in particular, are hypothesized to play a key role in the sexual differentiation of the human brain. However, possible direct effects of the sex chromosomes, that is, XX or XY, have not been well studied in humans. Individuals with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS), who have a 46,XY karyotype but a female phenotype due to a complete androgen resistance, ena...

OBJECTIVE To examine the association between low serum vitamin D concentration and estimates of male reproductive function. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING University hospital. PATIENT(S) From a Danish pregnancy cohort established in 1984-1987, 347 sons were selected for a study conducted in 2005-2006. INTERVENTION(S) Semen parameters and reproductive hormones were related to vita...

The sex hormones dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS), oestradiol, and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) were measured in 185 postmenopausal women (aged 45-65 years) with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and related to assessments of bone mineral density at the spine and proximal femur. Compared with 518 postmenopausal control women (aged 45-65 years), DHEAS levels were below normal in the 120 pa...

An individual's position in a social hierarchy profoundly affects behavior and physiology through interactions with community members, yet little is known about how the brain contributes to status differences between and within the social states or sexes. We aimed to determine sex-specific attributes of social status by comparing circulating sex steroid hormones and neural gene expression of se...

Prostate cancer is the most common nonskin cancer in American men, and androgen-deprivation therapy is the cornerstone of treatment for advanced prostate cancer. Unfortunately, the median duration of response to initial androgen deprivation is limited to 18–24 months. After failing primary therapy, many individuals respond to multiple secondary hormonal interventions, such as ketoconazole. A po...

Prostate cancer progression is controlled by the androgen receptor and new blood vessel formation, or angiogenesis, which promotes metastatic prostate cancer growth. Angiogenesis is induced by elevated expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). VEGF is regulated by many factors in the tumor microenvironment including lowered oxygen levels and elevated androgens. Here we review evi...

Given the fundamental role of sex hormones in the regulation of body composition and homeostasis, in humans, more emphasis should be placed on the potential role of androgen dysregulation in the pathophysiology of different obesity phenotypes and the metabolic syndrome (MetS). Physicians must be mindful to evaluate MetS in all men diagnosed with hypogonadism and hypogonadism in all men diagnose...

Excessive androgen production may cause changes in female skin, such as hirsutism and acne. The administration of antiadrogenic hormone such as cyproteron acetate, may eliminate the hyperandrogenic effect on the skin. Hairloss may also caused either by hyperandrogenemia or by low estrogen level. The administration of either antiandrogen or estrogen may reduce hairloss. Virilization, which inclu...

The hydroxylating activities of liver microsomes for proges terone and testosterone were markedly decreased in male and female rats bearing Walker carcinosarcoma 256. The decreases in the hydroxylating activities were greater in the male rats than in the female rats. The content of cytochrome P-450 in liver microsomes was decreased in the tumor-bearing male and female rats. Moreover, the bindin...

Ovarian cyclicity is a prerequisite for premenstrual dysphoria (PMD), as illustrated by the fact that this condition is effectively eliminated by ovariectomy or by treatment with a GnRH agonist. Despite the possibility of differences in ovarian function between women with and without PMD, no study comparing ovarian morphology in these two groups has ever been published. Fifty-two women were rec...