BACKGROUND There is evidence for activation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal system in depressed patients to be associated with increased secretion of adrenal androgens. However, there is only limited information about the effect of different classes of antidepressants on the course of adrenal androgens. METHODS Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) serum concentrations were measured i...

The general aging sequence in tissues of healthy human beings is proposed to be: capillary endothelial cell damage --> arteriosclerosis --> decreased blood flow --> metabolic dysregulation --> secondary tissue damage. Molecular O2 is an obligatory substrate for the successive syntheses of 17alpha-OH pregnenolone and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) by cytochrome P450c17 in the zona reticularis of ...

OBJECTIVE Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in patients with type 2 diabetes. Both elevated urinary albumin excretion and low serum concentrations of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) are associated with increased CVD mortality. This raises the possibility of DHEA as a causal intermediate linking urinary albumin excretion to CVD. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METH...

OBJECTIVE To investigate body fat distribution in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). METHODS Body weight, body mass index (BMI), and six indices of body fat measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry were compared in 40 women with PCOS and 97 age-matched controls. The possible correlations between the body fat characteristics and serum androgen levels were evaluated in the 40 PCOS...

Immediate post-training intracerebroventricular administration to male mice of pregnenolone (P), pregnenolone sulfate (PS), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), androstenedione, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, or aldosterone caused improvement of retention for footshock active avoidance training, while estrone, estradiol, progesterone, or 16 beta-bromoepiand...

Rationale: The aim was to prospectively examine adrenal function including cosyntropin stimulation and its prognostic value in patients with moderate CAP. Methods: 59 consecutive adult patients hospitalised at normal ward because of CAP were enrolled. A cosyntropin stimulation test was performed and serum concentrations of CRP, PCT, IL-6, TNFα, ACTH, cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and ...

BACKGROUND Adrenal androgens play an important role in the development of castration-resistant prostate cancer therapeutics. The effect of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonists on adrenal androgens has not been studied sufficiently. We measured testicular and adrenal androgen levels in patients treated with a GnRH antagonist. METHODS This study included 47 patients with histologic...

The aim of our study was to prospectively examine adrenal function, including cosyntropin stimulation, and its prognostic value in patients with moderate community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). 59 consecutive adult patients hospitalised on normal wards because of CAP were enrolled. A cosyntropin stimulation test was performed and serum concentrations of C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, interleuki...

Previous studies have shown a significant effect of insulin administration on serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) concentration and its metabolic rate, with evidence for the effect in men, but not in women. This could lead to differences in the sources of variation in serum DHEA-S between men and women and in its covariation with insulin concentration. This study aimed to test whether...

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its active metabolite, DHEA sulfate (DHEAS), are endogenous hormones synthesized and excreted primarily by the zona reticularis of the adrenal cortex in response to adrenocorticotropic hormone. The exact mechanism of action and clinical role, if any, of DHEA and DHEAS remain unclear. Epidemiological data indicate an inverse relationship between serum DHEA and D...