绝经后女性血清总睾酮水平与冠心病的相关性研究

目的 探讨绝经后女性血清总睾酮水平与冠心病及冠状动脉狭窄程度的相关性. 方法 采用病例对照研究,选择2006年1月至2011年6月在新疆医科大学第一附属医院心脏中心住院的绝经后女性患者394例,冠心病组183例,为连续冠状动脉造影检查确诊为冠心病的绝经后女性,平均年龄(62.7±8.0)岁,将其分为单支,双支及多支病变组;对照组211例,为连续行冠状动脉造影检查结果正常的绝经后女性,平均年龄(60.0±8.8)岁.对所有纳入对象测定空腹血清总睾酮、三酰甘油、总胆固醇、高密度脂蛋白胆固醇、低密度脂蛋白胆固醇、血糖水平,并结合冠状动脉造影情况,探讨血清总睾酮水平与冠心病及冠状动脉狭窄程度的关系.检测总睾酮水平的参考范围为3.5～26.0 nmol/L,用四分位间距法把入选者分为4组,Q1组＜3.5 nmol/L;3.5 nmol/L≤Q2组＜10.4nmol/L; 10.4 nmol/L≤Q3组＜26.0 nmol/L;Q4组≥26.0 nmol/L.对总睾酮水平与冠心病进行分析. 结果 冠心病组血清总睾酮水平(10.4±24.3)nmol/L,对照组为(6.9±17.4)nmol/L,两组比较差异无统计学意义(Z=0.79,P=0.555);用四分位间距法比较,Q1～Q4组例数分别为190例、64例、120例、20例,其中冠心病例数分别为89例(46.8％)、26例(40.6％)、53例(44.2％)、15例(75.0％),Q4组的冠心病发生率大于Q1组、Q2组、Q3组(x2 =7.69 P=0.048),Q1组、Q2组、Q3组间比较,差异无统计学意义.Logistic回归分析中以Q3组为参照,Q4组患冠心病的风险是Q3组的3.73倍(OR=3.73,95％CI:1.18～11.83,P＜0.05),校正其他危险因素后,Q4组患冠心病的风险是Q3的3.47倍(OR=3.47,95％CI:1.06～11.32,P＜0.05),且随着血清总睾酮水平升高,冠状动脉病变累及支数增加(F=12.94,P＜0.05). 结论 血清总睾酮水平较高人群冠心病发生风险高,绝经后女性中高睾酮水平可能是冠心病发生的一个独立危险因素,且和冠状动脉病变程度相关.     

血清性激素水平与老年男性认知功能相关性研究

目的探讨老年男性血清性激素水平与认知功能的关系。方法选取2008年12月至2009年12月间在第六人民医院老科就诊的老年患者62例采用简易智能量表（MMSE）评估认知功能,男性患者按照MMSE测定分数分为认知功能正常组（30例）与认知功能障碍组（32例）。采用化学发光法测定所有患者血清总睾酮（TT）和性激素结合球蛋白（SHBG）及雌二醇（E2）水平,并根据Vermeulen公式计算游离睾酮（FT）,比较两组患者TT、E2和FT水平的差异,并分析TT、E2、FT与老年认知功能的相关性。结果老年男性中认知功能障碍组的雌二醇[（20．88±5．10）pmol／L vs（27．00±9．61）pmol／LP〈0．05]、总睾酮[（4．52±1．88）mmol／L vs（6．42±1．84）mmol／L P〈0．05]、游离睾酮[（0．043±0．022）nmol／L vs（0．092±0．034）nmol／L P〈0．05]水平较认知功能正常组低（P〈0．05）。结论老年男性认知功能障碍可能与性激素水平下降相关。     

老年男性高血压心肌肥厚患者血清总睾酮水平与交感神经兴奋性的关系

目的 探讨老年男性高血压心肌肥厚患者血清总睾酮水平与交感神经兴奋性的关系.方法 入选老年男性高血压患者共80例,年龄60～90岁.采用24 h动态心电图和心率变异性分析系统行心率变异性时域与频域分析.结果 反映交感和迷走神经总的张力大小的时域指标24 h内正常窦性心率R-R间期值的标准差(SDNN),在高血压心肌肥厚患...     

首发精神分裂症病人言语性幻听与血清睾酮水平的相关性研究

目的 探讨首发精神分裂症(FES)病人言语性幻听(AVHs)与血清睾酮水平的相关性。方法 筛选符合纳入与排除标准的首发未治疗精神分裂症病人153例作为研究对象,采用精神症状评定量表-幻听分量表(PSYRATS-AH)对所有研究对象进行评估,然后根据有无AVHs将病人分为有AVHs组(n=104)和无AVHs组(n=49),收集两组病人一般人口学资料,采集两组病人空腹静脉血,检测血清睾酮水平。比较两组一般人口学资料和血清睾酮水平,分析有AVHs组病人AVHs各维度分值与血清睾酮水平的相关性,进一步按年龄(青少年组13～<18岁,成年组18～45岁)分层,再结合性别因素,分为青少年男性组、成年男性组、青少年女性组、成年女性组,观察AVHs各维度分值与血清睾酮水平,并分析其差异性和相关性。结果 有AVHs组FES病人血清睾酮水平较无AVHs组FES病人高(P<0.05)。有AVHs的男性FES病人血清睾酮水平高于有AVHs的女性FES病人(P<0.05)。有AVHs的青少年女性FES病人PSYRATS-AH幻听总分和AVHs的情绪特征、认知解释两个维度分值高于成年女性FES...     

老年男性高血压心肌肥厚患者血清总睾酮水平与心脏交感神经分布变化的关系

目的 探讨老年男性高血压心肌肥厚患者血清总睾酮水平与心脏交感神经的分布变化,以及二者间的变化关系.方法 入选老年男性高血压患者共10例,年龄60～90岁,依据心脏超声分为心肌肥厚组和非心肌肥厚组.免疫组化的方法半定量分析酪氨酸羟化酶表达.化学发光免疫分析法检测血清总睾酮和雌二醇水平.采用高压液相法检测心室肌去甲肾上腺素...     

不同绝经状态下血清睾酮水平与血脂的相关性分析

<正>绝经后女性心血管疾病发生率较绝经前显著上升,绝经与心血管疾病的高发存在密切的关系。女性特有的因围绝经期及绝经后卵巢功能减退而引起的雌激素水平波动性下降及其产生的内分泌变化与血脂的代谢相关[1]。以往的研究主要集中在雌激素变化对绝经女性物质代谢及心血管疾病的影响,而对雄激素水平变化与血脂水平的关系报道则较少[2]。本研究通过检测不同绝经状态下女性的血清睾酮水平及相关指标,探讨血清睾酮水平与血脂间的关系。     

年龄依赖性胰岛素抵抗与睾酮水平的相关性

目的探讨健康男性年龄对胰岛素抵抗的影响和胰岛素抵抗与睾酮的关系。方法在北京、上海、西安和重庆四城市调查20～78岁健康男性1080例,同时测定空腹血糖、胰岛素、总睾酮、雌二醇、黄体生成激素(LH)、卵泡刺激激素(FSH)和性激素结合球蛋白(SHBG),计算稳态模型胰岛素抵抗指数(HOMA-IR)、游离睾酮(cFT)、睾酮分泌指数(TSI)和游离睾酮指数(FTI),将空腹血糖、胰岛素和HOMA-IR与其他检验结果进行相关分析。结果空腹血糖、胰岛素和HOMA-IR与年龄(r=0.1644、0.1536和0.1587;均为P<0.01)、LH(r=0.1909、0.1310和0.1920;均为P<0.01)和FSH(r=0.1 704、0.1543和0.1907;均为P<0.01)呈显著正相关,与总睾酮(r=-0.0825、-0.2187和-0.1619;P>0.05、P<0.01和P<0.01)、cFT(r=0.1238、-0.1 567和-0.1346;P<0.01、P<0.01和P<0.05)和TSI(r=-0.2143、-0.2098和-0.2488;均为P<0.01)呈显著负相关。结论健康男性随年龄增长伴有空腹血糖、胰岛素和HOMA-IR的逐渐升高,年龄依赖性雄激素水平降低对这种胰岛素抵抗的变化可能起着重要作用。     

中老年男性睾酮水平与代谢综合征的相关性

目的探讨50～70岁中老年男性睾酮水平与代谢综合征（MS）的相关性。方法收集我院2005年9月至2006年9月门诊及住院50—70岁男性200例。按2005年国际糖尿病联盟关于MS的临床判断标准分成2组，MS组80例和无MS组（NMS组）120例。比较2组间睾酮水平的差异，分析2组睾酮与腰围、BMI、三酰甘油（TG）、高密度脂蛋白胆固醇（HDL—C）的相关性。结果2组间年龄无统计学差异（P〉0．05）。MS各成分中，除腰围及BMI2组间有明显差异，MS组明显高于NMS组，糖尿病比例、高血压比例、TG、HDL—C2组间均无明显差异。2组间睾酮水平比较，MS组睾酮水平（4.11±1．22）μg／L明显低于NMS组（5．964±1．73）μg／L（P〈0．01）。相关性分析显示，在MS组及NMS组睾酮水平均与年龄、腰围呈负相关，在NMS组睾酮水平尚与HDL—C呈正相关。结论50～70岁中老年男性更低的睾酮水平可能进一步增加MS的患病风险。     

老年男性高血压患者睾酮水平与颈动脉内膜-中层厚度的相关性研究

目的探讨老年男性高血压患者的血浆睾酮（T）水平与颈动脉内膜-中层厚度（IMT）的相关性。方法选取90例老年男性原发性高血压患者,根据有无颈动脉粥样硬化斑块,分为有斑块组（n=56）和无斑块组（n=34）;另选取80例健康老年男性作为对照组。检测所有受试对象的血浆T水平、颈动脉IMT,分析指标间的相关性。结果有斑块组收缩压（SBP）、舒张压（DBP）、IMT水平均高于无斑块组和对照组（P〈0.05或P〈0.01）,而血浆T水平均低于这2组（P〈0.05或P〈0.01）;老年男性高血压患者血压、血浆T水平与颈动脉IMT之间均具有相关性,血浆T水平与SBP、DBP、IMT均呈负相关（P〈0.01）。结论老年男性高血压患者的T水平与动脉粥样硬化程度呈负性相关,其血浆T水平可为疾病评估、激素替代治疗等提供理论参考依据。     

外周血睾酮水平与中老年男性代谢综合征的相关性

目的分析外周血性激素水平与中老年男性代谢综合征(MS)的相关性,为探讨中老年男性MS可能的发生机制提供一定的参考。方法选取宁夏银川市及吴忠市5个城市社区所有符合纳入、排除标准的中老年男性人群,通过现场流调收集基本信息(包括身高、体重、腰围、臀围、血压),采用放射免疫法检测性激素水平,参照2004年中华医学会糖尿病学分会提出的MS诊断标准将所有研究对象分为MS组和非MS组(对照组)进行比较,然后采用条件Logistic回归模型分析MS的危险因素。结果 MS组的卵泡刺激素(FPG)、总胆固醇(TC)、三酰甘油(TG)、低密度脂蛋白胆固醇(LDL-C)、载脂蛋白(apo)B、血尿酸、空腹胰岛素(FINS)水平显著高于对照组,高密度脂蛋白胆固醇(HDL-C)、apoA1、总睾酮(TT)、黄体生成素(LH)显著低于对照组(P0.01)。两组雌二醇(E2)、空腹血糖(FSH)、性激素结合球蛋白(SHBG)差异无统计学意义。Logistic回归提示TT水平与中老年男性MS患病风险呈显著负相关(OR=0.98,95%CI:0.97～0.99)。结论社区中老年男性外周血TT水平与MS患病风险呈显著负相关,提示中老年男性MS的发病可能与睾酮水平下降有关。     

男性急性冠状动脉综合征血清睾酮与sICAM-1水平相关

目的 观察不同类型男性冠心病患者血清睾酮、游离睾酮与可溶性细胞间黏附分子-1(soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1,sICAM-1)水平改变及互相间相关关系,进一步探讨睾酮与sICAM-1在男性急性冠状动脉综合征(acute coronary syndrome,ACS)发病中的作用.方法 冠心病患者分为急性心肌梗死(acute myocardial infarction,AMI)组、不稳定型心绞痛(unstable angina pectoris,UA)组、稳定型心绞痛(stable angina pectoris,SA)组,每组30例患者,另设健康对照组30例,比较各组间血清睾酮、游离睾酮与sICAM-1水平差异并分析其相关性.结果 AMI组和UA组血清游离睾酮与sICAM-1水平与对照组差异有统计学意义(P＜0.01),ACS患者血清游离睾酮与sICAM-1水平之间呈负相关(P＜0.01).结论 血清游离睾酮与sICAM-1水平改变与ACS的发生有关,它们可作为评价冠状动脉粥样硬化斑块稳定性与病变严重程度的一个参考指标,并为临床预防和治疗ACS开辟了新的途径.     

Relation of age and smoking to serum levels of total testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate in aged men

Background:   Hormonal factors have been extensively investigated in the area of geriatric medicine in the search for potential anti-aging agents or useful biomarkers for senescence in men. However, inconsistent results have been published so far concerning the relation of anthropometric and life-style factors to endocrine factors. To confirm the relationships between epidemiological parameters and sex hormone levels, we examined the relation of age and smoking to serum levels of total testosterone (T) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA) in aged men.
Methods:   The subjects included men aged 50–74 years, 40 current smokers and 27 never smokers. Serum levels of T and DHEA were assayed with a radioimmunoassay kit.
Results:   Serum T did not decrease with age, and was significantly higher in smokers than for non-smokers. Serum DHEA decreased with age more sharply in non-smokers than for smokers.
Conclusion:   These data suggest that serum DHEA decreases with aging, but serum T does not, and that serum levels of these hormones are influenced by cigarette smoking.     

多囊卵巢综合征患者性激素结合球蛋白和总睾酮与胰岛素抵抗的相关性

目的 了解性激素结合球蛋白(SHBG)和总睾酮在预测多囊卵巢综合征(PCOS)患者胰岛素抵抗和生殖内分泌以及糖脂代谢紊乱中的作用.方法 选择2004年6月至2006年5月在复旦大学附属妇产科医院就诊的344例PCOS患者为病例组,年龄12～35岁,平均年龄(23±5)岁.选择同期月经规律、基础体温双相的100名妇女作为对照组,比较PCOS患者SHBG和总睾酮与对照组的差异,并用Spearman相关分析法分别分析SHBG和总睾酮与其他指标的相关性,Logistic回归分析胰岛素抵抗的风险因子并做SHBG对胰岛素抵抗的受试者操作特征(ROC)曲线,获得预测胰岛素抵抗的风险值,比较不同水平SHBG患者的糖脂代谢紊乱的程度.结果 PCOS患者SHBG为(114±88)mmol/L,与对照组[(201±106)mmol/L]比较差异有统计学意义(t=-5.60,P<0.01),总睾酮为(2.8±1.0)nmol/L,与对照组[(1.7±0.6)nmol/L]比较差异有统计学意义(t=7.73,P<0.01);SHBG与空腹胰岛素、胰岛素释放试验曲线下面积、口服葡萄糖耐量试验(OGTT)的葡萄糖曲线下面积、胰岛素抵抗指数、甘油三酯和腰围/臀围比呈负相关(r值分别为:-0.30、-0.26、-0.29、-0.19、-0.20、-0.29、-0.22,均P<0.01);总睾酮与空腹胰岛素(r=0.14,P<0.01)、胰岛素释放试验(1、2、3 h的r值分别为0.15、0.12、0.11,均P<0.05)以及相应的曲线下面积(r=0.15,P<0.05)、胰岛素抵抗指数(r=0.11,P<0.05)呈正相关.Logistic回归分析发现SHBG是PCOS患者胰岛素抵抗的独立危险因素(OR=3.741).由ROC曲线得到SHBG预测胰岛素抵抗的大致风险值为88 mmol/L(95%CI为0.668～0.774).在低SHBG(<88 mmol/L)患者中,空腹胰岛素、胰岛素释放试验相应的曲线下面积、胰岛素抵抗指数、空腹血糖、OGTT的葡萄糖曲线下面积与高SHBG(≥88 mmoL/L)患者比较差异有统计学意义(t值分别为-6.45、-5.08、-6.19、-3.16、-3.66,均P<0.01),甘油三酯也高于高SHBG患者(t=-2.06,P<0.05).结论 PCOS患者总睾酮水平高于对照组,SHBG低?     

Association between mild anemia and executive function impairment in community-dwelling older women: The Women's Health and Aging Study II

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the relationship between mild anemia and executive function in community-dwelling older women. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Community-based. PARTICIPANTS: High-functioning subjects participating in the baseline assessment of the Women's Health and Aging Study (WHAS) II, Baltimore, Maryland, 1994 to 1996. WHAS II eligibility criteria included aged 70 to 80, a Mini-Mental State Examination score of 24 or greater, and absence of advanced disability (difficulty in no more than 1 domain of physical function). Included in this study were 364 subjects with a hemoglobin concentration 10 g/dL or greater and known executive function status. MEASUREMENTS: Trail Making Test (TMT) Parts B and A. Tertiles of time to complete each test were used to define best (bottom), intermediate, and worst (top) performance. Tertiles of the difference TMT-B minus TMT-A were calculated. Anemia defined as hemoglobin concentration less than 12 g/dL. RESULTS: The percentage of subjects in the worst TMT-B, TMT-A, and TMT-B minus TMT-A performance tertile was highest for those with anemia. Prevalent anemia substantially increased the likelihood of performing worst (as opposed to best) on the TMT-B (odds ratio (OR) = 5.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.3-20.5), TMT-A (OR = 4.8, 95% CI = 1.5-15.6), and TMT-B minus TMT-A (OR = 4.2, 95% CI = 1.0-17.2), even after controlling for age, education, race, prevalent diseases, and relevant physiological and functional parameters. CONCLUSION: This study provides preliminary evidence in support of the hypothesis that mild anemia might be an independent risk factor for executive function impairment in community-dwelling older adults. Whether such an association is causal or noncausal remains to be determined.     

Serum total and bioavailable testosterone levels, central obesity, and muscle strength changes with aging in healthy Chinese men

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of the changes in serum bioavailable and total testosterone (TT) levels with aging on visceral body fat distribution and muscle strength in Chinese men.
DESIGN: Cross-sectional study.
SETTING: Ambulatory care.
PARTICIPANTS: Four hundred seventy-five healthy ambulatory Chinese men (aged 18–89, body mass index (BMI) 16.4–40.0 kg/m²).
MEASUREMENTS: Morning serum total and bioavailable testosterone levels, waist circumference (WC), waist-hip ratio (WHR), and right handgrip strength.
RESULTS: Mean serum TT levels fell mildly but significantly with aging ( P =.02, linear trend; one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA)), whereas mean serum bioavailable testosterone (BT) levels fell greatly with aging ( P <.001, linear trend, one-way ANOVA). The rates of decline in serum TT and BT levels were 0.2% and 1.14% per year, respectively. [Correction added after online publication 14-May-2008: BT levels have been corrected from 1.44% to 1.14%.] After adjustment for adiposity according to BMI, multiple linear regression analyses showed that age remained significantly related to serum TT and BT levels. Handgrip strength decreased with age (correlation coefficient ( r )=−0.394, P <.001) and was greater with higher serum BT levels ( r =0.239, P <.001) but not with higher TT levels. WHR, before and after adjustment for BMI, was inversely related to serum TT ( r =−0.34 and −0.197 respectively, P <.001) and BT levels ( r =−0.104, P <.05 and −0.161, P <.001, respectively).
CONCLUSION: In Chinese men, serum BT levels decreased with aging and may contribute to central obesity and poorer muscle strength in aging men.     

老年男性慢性心力衰竭患者血浆睾酮与心室重构和氧化应激的关系

目的通过对老年男性慢性心力衰竭(CHF)患者血浆总睾酮、超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、丙二醛水平及左心室质量指数(LVMI)、左心室舒张未内径(LVIDD)的观察,探讨男性CHF患者血浆睾酮水平与心脏重构及氧化应激的相互关系。方法选择男性CHF患者(CHF组)50例,另选年龄相匹配的男性患者(对照组)40例.检测血浆睾酮、丙二醛和SOD水平,应用超声心动图测量LVMI、LVIDD,进行对比和直线相关分析。结果与对照组比较,CHF组睾酮、SOD水平明显降低(P<0.01).丙二醛、LVIDD、LVMI明显增加(P<0.01);CHF组睾酮水平与LVMI、LVIDD、丙二醛呈负相关(r=-0.732、r=-0.629、r=-0.623,P<0.01);与SOD水平呈正相关(r=0.743,P<0.01);SOD水平与LVMI、LVIDD呈负相关(r=-0.621、r=-0.594,P<0.01)。结论男性CHF患者睾酮下降可致心室重构加剧及机体氧化应激水平提高。同时机体抗氧化物质的减少对心室重构有重要促进作用。     

男性急性冠脉综合征患者血清睾酮与炎性因子改变的相关性

目的：测定不同类型冠心病（CHD）患者血清睾酮、血浆白介素-18（IL-18）、IL-10的水平,探讨睾酮与IL-18、IL-10的相关性,及在CHD发生发展中的可能作用。方法：96例男性CHD患者被分为急性心梗（AMI）组（35例）、不稳定型心绞痛（UAP）组（32例）和稳定型心绞痛（SAP）组（29例）,另选择30例经冠脉造影排除冠心病的患者为非冠心病对照组,采用酶联免疫吸附法测定各组血清睾酮,血浆IL-18、IL-10水平。结果：血清睾酮水平在UAP组、AMI组均显著低于非冠心病对照组[（6．89±1．35）mmol／L比（5．02±1．87）mmol／L比（13．46±1．99）mmol／L,t=1．917～2．365,P均〈0．05],且AMI组显著低于UAP组（t=1．034,P〈0．05）;IL-18水平在SAP组、UAP组和AMI组均显著高于非冠心病对照组[（209．32±80．49）pg／ml比（316．78±75．63）pg／ml比（457．78±83．21）pg／ml比（146．72±79．36）pg／ml,t=2．016～3．167,P均〈0．05],且UAP、AMI组显著高于SAP组（t=2．173,2．596,P〈0．05）;IL-10水平在SAP组、UAP组和AMI组显著高于非冠心病对照组[（116．45±42．76）pg／ml比（85．64±27．33）pg／ml比（70．26±18．55）pg／ml比（48．46±18．27）pg／ml,t=2．9972．018,P均d0．053,而AMI组、UAP组显著低于SAP组（t-2．034,2．291,P〈0．05）。Pearson直线回归分析显示,CHD组的血清睾酮水平与IL．10（r=-0．678,P〈0．01）,IL-18（r=-0．579,P〈O．01）水平呈显著负相关。结论：冠心病血清睾酮及IL-18,IL-10水平有显著改变,且血清睾酮与IL-18,IL-10呈显著负相关,可作为评价冠状动脉粥样硬化病变的新指标。     

男性血清生物有效性睾酮与心血管病危险因素个体聚集性的相关性现况调查

目的 通过分析男性血清生物有效性睾酮(Bio—T)与心血管病危险因素个体聚集性的相关性，探讨Bio—T在冠心病发病中的地位。方法 通过现况调查，以1546例男性为研究对象，用放射免疫法测定血清：Bio—T，并检测体重指数、血脂谱、血压、血糖等。结果按Bio-T四分位进行分层(3．54，5．06，8．03nmol／L)分析结果显示男性BMI，SBP，DBP，TC，LDL-C和SG均随Bio—T浓度的下降明显升高，而HDL-C随Bio—T浓度的下降则明显降低。以心血管病危险因素聚集为因变量，Bio—T四等分组设亚变量，调整年龄、吸烟、饮酒、进行logistic：回归分析，结果显示随着Bio—T水平的下降，两个以上心血管病危险因素聚集的危险性升高。结论男性：Bio-T可能是心血管病危险因素聚集的原因之一，雄激素水平的变化与冠心病发病密切相关。     

Interrelation between plasma testosterone and plasma insulin in healthy adult men: the Telecom Study

Summary Plasma insulin is a risk factor for diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease in men. We investigated the association between plasma testosterone and plasma insulin in an occupational sample of 1292 healthy adult men. Total plasma testosterone decreased with each decade of age and insulin increased with each decade of age. In these cross-sectional data, this significant graded inverse association between testosterone and insulin was independent of age. The association was reduced but not explained by the addition of obesity and subscapular skinfold to the model. Adjustment for alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking and plasma glucose did not materially alter the association. These results are the reverse of the positive association of androgens with insulin in women and suggest alternative possible explanations for the effect of hyperinsulinaemia on cardiovascular disease risk. Prospective studies will be necessary to determine the direction and causal nature of this association.     

Effects of corticosterone and testosterone on pituitary gonadotropin content, secretion, bioactivity and messenger RNA levels in the presence or absence of GnRH in male rats

The effects of corticosterone (B) and testosterone (T) on pituitary and serum bioactive and immunoreactive gonadotropins and on gonadotropin hormone subunit messenger RNA levels were compared in the absence of GnRH. Male rats were implanted with pellets of either cholesterol, B or T. At implantation, 2 and 4 days later half of each group received GnRH antagonist and animals were killed 5 days after implantation. As expected, GnRH antagonist lowered bioactive and immunoreactive serum FSH and LH, pituitary FSH, LHβ and FSHβ mRNA. B treatment alone lowered bioactive and immunoreactive serum FSH and immunoreactive serum LH. B reversed the antagonist effect on bioactive and immunoreactive pituitary FSH and FSHβ mRNA. T alone lowered bioactive and immunoreactive serum FSH and LH levels. T reversed the antagonist effect on bioactive and immunoreactive pituitary FSH. T lowered bioactive and immunoreactive pituitary LH and LHβ mRNA and partially reversed the antagonist effect on FSHβ mRNA. The data suggest that either B or T enhance FSH synthesis by acting directly at the gonadotrope, but that B does not affect LH variables to the same extent as T. The results suggest that in stressed animals, when T levels are reduced, B can substitute for T in sustaining FSH synthesis.