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Endocrine Aspects (endocrine + aspect)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Life Sciences50%

Selected Abstracts

Endocrine Aspects of Sexual Dysfunction in Men

THE JOURNAL OF SEXUAL MEDICINE, Issue 1 2004
Alvaro Morales MD
ABSTRACT Introduction., Endocrine disorders of sex steroid hormones may adversely affect men's sexual function. Aim., To provide expert opinions/recommendations concerning state-of-the-art knowledge for the pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of endocrinologic sexual medicine disorders. Methods., An International Consultation in collaboration with the major urology and sexual medicine associations assembled over 200 multidisciplinary experts from 60 countries into 17 committees. Committee members established specific objectives and scopes for various male and female sexual medicine topics. The recommendations concerning state-of-the-art knowledge in the respective sexual medicine topic represent the opinion of experts from five continents developed in a scientific and debate process. Concerning the Endocrine committee, there were eight experts from seven countries. Main Outcome Measure., Expert opinions/recommendations are based on grading of evidence-based medical literature, extensive internal committee discussion over 2 years, public presentation and deliberation. Results., Hypogonadism is a clinical and biochemical syndrome characterized by a deficiency in serum androgen levels which may decrease sexual interest, quality of erections and quality of life. Biochemical investigations include testosterone and either bioavailable or calculated free testosterone; prolactin should be considered when hypogonadism has been documented. If clinically indicated, androgen therapy should maintain testosterone within the physiological range avoiding supraphysiologic values. Digital rectal examination and determination of serum prostate specific antigen values are mandatory prior to therapy and regularly thereafter. Androgen therapy is usually long-term requiring regular follow-up, frequent monitoring of blood levels and beneficial and adverse therapeutic responses. Conclusions., Safe and effective treatments for endocrinologic sexual medicine disorders examined by prospective, placebo-controlled, multi-institutional clinical trials are needed. [source]

Endocrine Aspects of Female Sexual Dysfunction

THE JOURNAL OF SEXUAL MEDICINE, Issue 1 2004
Susan R. Davis MD
ABSTRACT Introduction., Various endogenous hormones, including estrogen, testosterone, progesterone and prolactin, may influence female sexual function. Aim., To provide recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of women with endocrinologic sexual difficulties. Methods., The Endocrine Aspects of Female Sexual Dysfunction Committee was part of a multidisciplinary International Consultation. It included four experts from two countries and several peer reviewers. Main Outcome Measure., Expert opinion was based on committee discussion, a comprehensive literature review and evidence-based grading of available publications. Results., The impact of hormones on female sexual function and their etiological roles in dysfunction is complex. Research data are limited as studies have been hampered by lack of precise hormonal assays and validated measures of sexual function in women. Sex steroid insufficiency is associated with urogenital atrophy and may also adversely affect central sexual thought processes. Systemic estrogen/estrogen progestin therapy alleviates climacteric symptoms but there is no evidence that this therapy specifically improves hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) in premenopausal or postmenopausal women. Exogenous testosterone has been shown in small randomized controlled trials (RCT) to improve sexual desire, arousal and sexual satisfaction in both premenopausal and postmenopausal women. However, as there is no biochemical measure that clearly identifies who to treat, use of exogenous testosterone should be considered only after other causes of HSDD have been excluded, such as depression, relationship problems and ill health. The clinical assessment of HSDD should include detailed medical, gynecologic, sexual and psychosocial history and physical examination including the external/internal genitalia. Hormonal therapy should be individualized and risks/benefits fully discussed, and all treated women should be carefully followed up and monitored for therapeutic side effects. Conclusions., There is a need for prospective, multi-institutional clinical trials to define safe and effective endocrine treatments for female sexual dysfunction. [source]

Hypothalamic,endocrine aspects in Huntington's disease

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 4 2006
Åsa Petersén
Abstract Huntington's disease (HD) is a hereditary and fatal disorder caused by an expanded CAG triplet repeat in the HD gene, resulting in a mutant form of the protein huntingtin. Wild-type and mutant huntingtin are expressed in most tissues of the body but the normal function of huntingtin is not fully known. In HD, the neuropathology is characterized by intranuclear and cytoplasmic inclusions of huntingtin aggregates, and cell death primarily in striatum and cerebral cortex. However, hypothalamic atrophy occurs at early stages of HD with loss of orexin- and somatostatin-containing cell populations. Several symptoms of HD such as sleep disturbances, alterations in circadian rhythm, and weight loss may be due to hypothalamic dysfunction. Endocrine changes including increased cortisol levels, reduced testosterone levels and increased prevalence of diabetes are found in HD patients. In HD mice, alterations in the hypothalamic,pituitary,adrenal axis occurs as well as pancreatic ,-cell and adipocyte dysfunction. Increasing evidence points towards important pathology of the hypothalamus and the endocrine system in HD. As many neuroendocrine factors are secreted into the cerebrospinal fluid, blood and urine, it is possible that their levels may reflect the disease state in the central nervous system. Investigating neuroendocrine changes in HD opens up the possibility of finding biomarkers to evaluate future therapies for HD, as well as of identifying novel targets for therapeutic interventions. [source]

A pilot study to determine the short-term effects of a low glycemic load diet on hormonal markers of acne: A nonrandomized, parallel, controlled feeding trial

MOLECULAR NUTRITION & FOOD RESEARCH (FORMERLY NAHRUNG/FOOD), Issue 6 2008
Robyn Smith
Abstract Observational evidence suggests that dietary glycemic load may be one environmental factor contributing to the variation in acne prevalence worldwide. To investigate the effect of a low glycemic load (LGL) diet on endocrine aspects of acne vulgaris, 12 male acne sufferers (17.0 ± 0.4 years) completed a parallel, controlled feeding trial involving a 7-day admission to a housing facility. Subjects consumed either an LGL diet (n = 7; 25% energy from protein and 45% from carbohydrates) or a high glycemic load (HGL) diet (n = 5; 15% energy from protein, 55% energy from carbohydrate). Study outcomes included changes in the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), free androgen index (FAI), insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), and its binding proteins (IGFBP-I and IGFBP-3). Changes in HOMA-IR were significantly different between groups at day 7 (,0.57 for LGL vs. 0.14 for HGL, p = 0.03). SHBG levels decreased significantly from baseline in the HGL group (p = 0.03), while IGFBP-I and IGFBP-3 significantly increased (p = 0.03 and 0.03, respectively) in the LGL group. These results suggest that increases in dietary glycemic load may augment the biological activity of sex hormones and IGF-I, suggesting that these diets may aggravate potential factors involved in acne development. [source]