While many women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are overweight, obese or centrally obese, the effect of excess weight on the outcomes of PCOS is inconsistent. The review aimed to assess the effects of overweight, obesity and central obesity on the reproductive, metabolic and psychological features of PCOS. MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) ...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Low free testosterone levels are associated with sexual dysfunction and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in male hemodialysis patients. Carnitine deficiency is frequently observed in hemodialysis patients as well. However, the relationship between carnitine and testosterone levels remains unknown. In this study, we examined whether carnitine deficiency was indepen...

The accurate measurement of testosterone remains a challenge. The determination of the blood testosterone concentrations in serum by conventional immunoassays is inaccurate in men and even more so in females and children. A new luminescence enzyme immunoassay (LIA) has been developed and validated. The high analytical (8.7 pmol/L) and functional (17.3 pmol/L) sensitivity allows the quantificati...

INTRODUCTION Data from animal, clinical and prevention studies support the role of androgens in prostate cancer growth, proliferation and progression. Results of serum based epidemiologic studies in humans, however, have been inconclusive. The present study aims to define whether serum testosterone can be used as a predictor of a posi¬tive second biopsy in males considered for re-biopsy. MATE...

BACKGROUND In 2005, statins were among the most commonly used prescription medications in the United States. Some data suggest statins may affect cancer risk and/or disease severity. Because cholesterol is a required intermediate in sex steroid synthesis, it is possible that statins influence prostate cancer risk through effects on steroid hormone metabolism. We investigated whether levels of c...

From a young age, males are at higher cardiovascular risk than females. Dyslipidemia, including a higher burden related to small low-density lipoproteins (LDL), plays an important role in precipitating atherosclerosis in both males and females. We investigated sex differences in atherogenic lipoprotein burden and the independent predictors of LDL particle size in children and adolescents. We me...

BACKGROUND To determine the prevalence of elevated glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and to examine its relationship with other carbohydrate metabolic parameter among Brazilian women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). METHODS A cross-sectional study including 288 PCOS patients was conducted. Anthropometrical, clinical, biochemical and endocrine parameters were evaluated. RESULTS The mean age ...