Sex differences in the size of key limbic nuclei have been found in many species. In some of these species, steroid hormones have been implicated in both the development and the maintenance of the sex difference. However, the possible role of sex-specific genes has not been examined, in part due to lack of an appropriate model system. In this study we measured the size of the ventromedial hypot...

Although varying degrees of genital masculinization are a reasonably common phenomenon in the world of female mammals, the majority of such variation has not been investigated. In this chapter we have described research on the "masculinized" genitalia of moles and hyenas. Such research raises intriguing possibilities regarding the coordinated role that androgens, estrogens and peptide hormones ...

Mechanisms regulating masculinization of the zebra finch song system are unclear; both estradiol and sex-specific genes may be important. This study was designed to investigate relationships between estrogen and ribosomal proteins (RPL17 and RPL37; sex-linked genes) that exhibit greater expression in song control nuclei in juvenile males than females. Four studies on zebra finches were conducte...

BACKGROUND Hyperandrogenic states in pregnancy are rare but arise most commonly due to new-onset ovarian pathology in pregnancy. We describe the case of a young woman who presented in the latter half of her pregnancy with features of hyperandrogenism. We review the biochemical and imaging findings and discuss the differential diagnosis. CASE PRESENTATION A 26-year-old woman presented in the l...

Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE), an autoimmune model of multiple sclerosis, is a complex disease influenced by genetic, intrinsic, and environmental factors. In this study, we questioned whether parent-of-origin effects influence EAE, using reciprocal F2 intercross progeny generated between EAE-susceptible SJL/J (S) and EAE-resistant B10.S/SgMcdJ (B) mice. EAE susceptibility and s...

There is a growing body of evidence that indicates common environmental pollutants are capable of disrupting reproductive and developmental processes by interfering with the actions of endogenous hormones. Many reports of endocrine disruption describe changes in the normal development of organs and tissues that are consistent with genetic damage, and recent studies confirm that many chemicals c...

formed as part of a diagnosis of exclusion.7 Adnexectomy of just the affected ovary is an option in premenopausal women. The ovary to be removed is identified during surgery by measuring testosterone levels in the ovarian veins.8 Hyperandrogenism, particularly with signs of virilization, is very uncommon in postmenopausal women and tends to be due to tumors (mainly of ovarian or adrenal origin)...

Massive ovarian oedema is an uncommon cause of adnexal mass, first described by Kalstone in 1969 [1–7]. Massive solid enlargement of the ovary can be associated with interstitial oedema without neoplastic changes and is considered to be the result of torsion of the ovary. This can be easily mistaken for neoplasm, in which case the appropriate treatment will be removal of the whole ovary. Howeve...

Many of the characteristics associated with mammalian sleep are also observed in Drosophila melanogaster Meigen, making the fruit fly a powerful model organism for studying the genetics of this important process. Included among the similarities is the presence of sexual dimorphic sleep patterns, which, in flies, are manifested as increased mid-day sleep ('siesta') in males compared with females...