Androgens are the male sex hormones responsible for development of the male reproductive system. Testosterone is the main androgen, however, other circulating androgens also exist; these are dehydroepiandrosterone, androstenedione and androstenediol. In some tissues, testosterone can be converted to dihydrotestosterone by action of 5┙-reductase. Testosterone is also found in females, but at muc...

Homeostasis, growth and reproduction in crustaceans are under endocrine control as is established in other animals. The identification of crustacean hormones and elucidation of mechanisms of hormonal regulation have been pursued extensively. Mechanisms are found to be partly similar to, but also considerably different from those in insects, although both groups of animals are arthropods. Moltin...

The recent increase in hepatocellular neoplasms in women of child-bearing age taking oral contraceptives and in individuals of both sexes taking anabolic androgenic steroids is a phenomenon that requires urgent attention. Although most of the lesions are benign, reports of carcinomas in a few of these individuals and our own observation of an adenoma that shows borderline malignant transformati...

Although testosterone is associated with aggression in the popular imagination, previous research on the links between testosterone and human aggression has been inconsistent. This inconsistency might be because testosterone's effects on aggression depend on other moderators. In a large adolescent sample ( N = 984, of whom 460 provided hair samples), we examined associations between aggression ...

Classification of breast cancer as endocrine sensitive, hormone dependent, or estrogen receptor (ER) positive refers singularly to ER α . One of the oldest recognized tumor targets, disruption of ER α -mediated signaling, is believed to be the mechanistic mode of action for all hormonal interventions used in treating this disease. Whereas ER α is widely accepted as the single most important pre...

Genes regulated by androgenic hormones are of critical importance for the normal physiological function of the human prostate gland, and they contribute to the development and progression of prostate carcinoma. We used cDNA microarrays containing 1500 cDNAs to profile transcripts regulated by androgens in prostate cancer cells and identified the serine protease TMPRSS2 as a gene exhibiting incr...

Unorthodox (non-traditional or alternative) medicinal practices have been expanding very rapidly in western countries. Modern physicians, scientists, and non-traditional medicine practitioners now must join forces to promote evidence-based medicine to benefit patients. Green tea extracts are among the most widely used ancient medicinal agents, while androgens are probably the oldest drugs used ...

The androgenic gland in malacostracan crustacean species produces and secretes androgenic gland hormone, which is responsible for male sexual differentiation, such as the induction and development of male sexual traits, and in turn the suppression of female sexual traits. Marmorkrebs, Procambarus fallax forma virginalis, which was identified as the first parthenogenetic species in decapod crust...

Environmental androgens are a group of compounds that to date have received very little attention. In this study, a yeast-based androgen screen (YAS) was used to determine the level of in vitro androgenic activity in seven United Kingdom estuaries. Surface water, sediment pore water, and sediment particulate material solvent extracts collected from Southampton Water, the Thames, Mersey, Tees, T...