2{alpha} 3{alpha}-Epithio-5{alpha}-androstan-17{beta}-ol in Treatment of Gynecomastia

1. 1. The clinical effect of epitiostanol, a new anti-estrogenagent (2,3-epithio-5a-androstan-17ß-ol) against gynecomastiawas studied in comparison with dromostanolone propionate infifty-four patients ranging from twenty to fifty years in agewithout previous history of hormone therapy and with normalliver function. The experiment was performed for eight weeksby double blind methods in three dosage groups, epithiostanol10 mg, and 20 mg and dromostanolone propionate 50 mg.
2. 2. Epithiostanol20 mg was most effective with regards to effecton mass sizeand tenderness, (effective in 96%, 20/21), followedby 10 mgepitiostanol (effective in 89%, 16/18) and dromostanolonepropionate50 mg (effective in 89%, 16/18) in descending order.No sideeffects were observed in any of the three groups.
3. 3. Basedon the results of the present study, epitiostanol isconcludedto be at least as effective as dromostanolone propionateagainstgynecomastia and to be safe from the viewpoint of sideeffects.A satisfactory therapeutical effect on gynecomastiacan be expectedwith a weekly dosage of 20 mg of epitiostanolfor an administrationperiod of between five to eight weeks.

Present Address: Department of Surgery, Keio University Hospital,Shinanomachi, Shin-juku-ku, Tokyo, Japan.     

Antibodies Against the β-Subunit of Ovine Luteinizing Hormone Can Decrease the Clearance of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin in Rhesus Monkeys*

ABSTRACT: Contraceptive vaccines based on active immunization against gonadotropic hormones are being investigated in humans and other primates. Immunization against the β-subunit of ovine luteinizing hormone (oLHβ) reduces fertility in rhesus monkeys by inducing inadequate luteal phases and preventing corpus luteum rescue by rhesus chorionic gonadotropin (rhCG). These effects result from the cross-reactions of the oLHβ-antibodies with rhCG and rhLH. We used human CG (hCG), which also cross-reacts strongly with anti-oLHβ to examine how the circulating oLHβ-antibodies affect the metabolic clearance rates (MCR) of hCG in rhesus monkeys. ¹²⁵I-hCG was injected into four nonimmunized and seven immunized monkeys and blood was collected at frequent intervals over 7 days. Total and immunoprecipitable radioactivity did not differ significantly, suggesting that the radioactivity in the plasma consisted almost entirely of ¹²⁵I-hCG. This was confirmed by column chromatography. The MCR (mean ± SE) was significantly lower (p < 0.001) in six immunized monkeys (0.35 ± 0.06 liters/day) as compared to controls (1.19 ± 0.09 liters/day). The hCG disappearance curve in control monkeys was best described by a two-compartmental system (slow and fast) while an additional third (intermediate) compartment of distribution was typical for immunized animals. The half-lives of hCG for the two exponentials corresponding to the slow and fast components of distribution were not significantly different between the two groups. One immunized monkey had a MCR (1.44 liters/day) that was much greater than the MCR of the other six. This monkey cleared a significantly smaller proportion of hCG in the slow and a higher proportion in the intermediate compartment and unlike the others, formed a circulating immune complex capable of binding hCG that was significantly larger than the antibody-hCG complexes found in the other six immunized animals. We conclude that circulating antibodies to oLHβ reduced the MCR of hCG in six of seven monkeys. The decreased MCR found in immunized monkeys is associated with a shift in clearance from the “fast” to the “slow” compartment as well as the addition of an intermediate compartment of distribution. Plasma disappearance rates of hCG depend on the size of the antibody hCG complex.     

Comparison of 2-Year Weight Loss Trends in Behavioral Treatments of Obesity: Diet, Exercise, and Combination Interventions

Objective The effects of three cognitive-behavioral weight control interventions for adults were compared: diet only, exercise only, and a combination of diet and exercise. This article reports 2-year follow-up data.Design The three interventions were compared in a randomized, experimental design.Subjects A total of 127 men and women who were at least 14 kg overweight (according to height-weight tables) were recruited from an urban community and assigned randomly to the experimental conditions.Intervention The dietary intervention was a low-energy eating plan adjusted to produce a 1 kg/week loss of weight. The exercise component involved training in walking and a home-based program of up to five exercise periods per week. There were 12 weekly instructional sessions, followed by 3 biweekly and 8 monthly meetings. All sessions were led by registered dietitians.Outcome measures Changes in body weight.Statistical analyses Analysis of variance for weight changes and repeated measures analysis of variance for weight change trends.Results At 1 year, no significant differences were noted among the three groups. The diet-only group lost 6.8 kg, the exercise-only group lost 2.9 kg, and the combination group lost 8.9 kg (P=.09). During the second year, the diet-only group regained weight — reaching 0.9 kg above baseline; the combination group regained to 2.2 kg below baseline; and the exercise-only group regained slightly to 2.7 kg below baseline (P=.36). Repeated measures analysis of variance showed a group-by-time interaction (P=.001); data for the dieting groups best fit a U-shaped regain curve (P=.001).Applications The results suggest that dieting is associated with weight loss followed by regain after treatment ends, whereas exercise alone produced smaller weight losses but better maintenance. The large outcome variability and unequal difficulty of the regimens across groups limit the generalizability of the findings. J Am Diet Assoc. 1996; 96:342-346.     

CHILDHOOD HOUSING EXPERIENCES AND SCHOOL ATTAINMENT

The housing conditions of children in the National Child Development Study are related both to 16-year school attainment and also to progress through secondary school from 11 to 16. Children in homes which are crowded or lacking amenities, or in council homes at sixteen have relatively low scores on tests of reading and mathematics at the same age. The relationship between 16-year attainment and housing conditions is shown to be similar whether the child experienced the unsatisfactory housing at the age of 7, 11 or 16. Crowding and amenities are shown to be slightly associated with progress through the secondary school, although tenure is more strongly associated. The overall conclusions from this study are that children who have ever lived in unsatisfactory housing perform relatively poorly at school when they are 16, but no evidence emerged that there is any particular age at which housing circumstances are crucial for eventual school attainment. Consideration is also given to the importance of the wider environment in which the child lives.     

Inoculation of Rhesus Monkeys with Human Helicobacter pylori: A Long-term Investigation on Gastric Mucosa by Endoscopy

Abstract: To study the pathogenetic role of Helicobacter pylori, colonization of this organism was attempted in conventional rhesus monkeys. After inoculation of human H. pylori to the gastric mucosa of four 10-year-old monkeys, endoscopical and histological examinations were repeated for 10 weeks. The organisms were recovered bacteriologically from all 4 monkeys at the first week, from 3 animals at the 2nd, and from 2 animals at the 6th to 10th week. The endoscopical examination showed only minimum changes in the mucosal appearance such as erythema and erosion due to H. pylori colonization throughout the study. In contrast, the histological examination revealed prominent polymorphonuclear cell infiltration, edema of the mucosa and dissected epithelium at the earlier periods and mononuclear cell infiltration afterwards. The maximum lymphocyte reaction such as clusters or the formation of a thick layer at the bottom of the lamina propria was observed at the 8th week. These results indicated that rhesus monkeys can be infected by human H. pylori resulting in similar pathologic changes in the human stomach, and that this animal model may be useful for future studies.     

Periodicity and prediction of mania onsets in biopolar I affective disorders

Abstract In studying the periodicity of mania onsets, cycle-oriented diagrams were made of the clinical course from 257 manic episodes analyzed retrospectively in 34 bipolar I manic-depressive patients for a period of about 5 years. Using these diagrams, the frequent period of mania onsets located in one-quarter of the follow-up period was pre-estimated, and the accordance ratio during a 25 month follow-up period was analyzed. The accordance ratio in all subjects was 39% (11/28) for the first episode and 35% (7/20) for the second episode. These ratios were not significantly different from the expected level (25%). The number of subjects was limited to 11 patients (10 rapid and 1 non-rapid cyclers) whose number of episodes used for the determination of the index cycle was eight or more. The accordance ratio was 64% (7/11) and 60% (6/10) for the first and second episodes, respectively. Their levels were significantly higher than those expected. Periodicity of mania onsets existed at least in rapid cyclers with abundant past data.