Our results show that the UGT2B17 polymorphism is strongly associated with the bimodal distribution of the testosterone excretion and also with the large differences in testosterone excretion between Koreans and Swedes.

Women with ASD had elevated testosterone levels and several masculinised characteristics compared with controls, whereas men with ASD displayed several feminised characteristics. Our findings suggest that ASD, rather than being characterised by masculinisation in both genders, may constitute a gender defiant disorder.

We studied the effects of chronic nocturnal hypoxaemia due to obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) on the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid and hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axes and on catecholamine and cortisol secretion. We investigated whether hormones other than catecholamines may serve as markers for chronic hypoxic stress and the possible effects of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) treatment on endocrine status. Nocturnal oximetry was performed in 16 male patients with OSAS diagnosed by polysomnography, immediately before nCPAP treatment and in 11 of the patients the oximetry was repeated after 7 months of nCPAP therapy. Plasma and urinary catecholamines, luteinizing hormone (LH) testosterone, cortisol, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), prolactin (PRL), and the response of TSH and PRL to a thyroid releasing hormone (TRH) challenge test were measured immediately before and after 7 months of nCPAP treatment. Subnormal LH and TSH and elevated serum cortisol as well as increased nocturnal urinary norepinephrine levels were found in patients prior to treatment; otherwise endocrine values were normal. There was a significant correlation between low pretreatment nocturnal arterial oxygen saturation and high plasma and urinary norepinephrine levels. The nCPAP treatment caused significant reduction in serum prolactin and TSH, and significant reduction in plasma epinephrine and urinary norepinephrine. The reduction in serum TSH and urinary norepinephrine was most pronounced in the subjects with the worst pretreatment nocturnal hypoxaemia. No other significant changes were found in basal hormone levels. The response to TRH challenge was normal before and after treatment and was not influenced by CPAP therapy. OSAS is associated with elevated catecholamine and cortisol and decreased TSH and LH levels but a normal response to TRH challenge and a normal androgen status. Apart from catecholamines, none of the hormones studied is likely to serve as a specific marker for chronic hypoxic stress.

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Aim: To study bone mass, body composition and androgenic/anabolic activity in adult women with virilizing congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) treated with glucocorticoids since infancy and to relate this to the postmenarcheal glucocorticoid impact. Patients and methods: Thirteen adult women with virilizing CAH treated with gluco-and mineralocorticoids but otherwise medicine-free were investigated with respect to bone mineral content, body composition by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and endocrine status. In addition an index of accumulated postmenarcheal exogenous glucocorticoid impact was calculated. Seven of the patients had regular menstrual periods, and six were oligomenorrheic but responded with withdrawal bleedings on cyclic progestagens. The data for the patients were compared with those of age-matched healthy reference subjects. Results: In spite of their shorter stature, CAH patients were significantly heavier and had a significantly higher body mass index and fat/lean body mass ratio than the controls. Their bone mineral area density (BMD) was significantly lower than that of the controls. Serum concentrations of androgens were subnormal in all except two of the patients. Strong negative associations were found between BMD and the calculated index of accumulated postmenarcheal glucocorticoid dose but not between BMD and circulating androgen levels. Conclusion:The results indicate that glucocorticoids were administered in excess in most of the patients, resulting in subnormal levels of adrenocortical androgens, increased body fat and bone demineralization. Increased catabolic activity due to hypercortisolism rather than decreased androgenic/anabolic steroids is probably the major cause of the subnormal BMD in the treated CAH patients.

A protein in rat ventral prostate cytosol that -binds estramustine [estradiol 3-bis(2-chloroethyl)carbamate] was purified to homogeneity by using chromatography on DEAEcellulose, Sephadex G-100 (superfine), octyl-Sepharose CL4B, and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The [3H]estramustine, the drug is initially accumulated in the prostatic epithelium and subsequently secreted into the lumina of the prostatic lobuli (5). These findings might indicate that estramustine binds to a protein in the prostate cell and that the estramustine-protein complex is secreted into the prostatic fluid.To study this specific protein and the mechanism of action of estramustine further, the estramustine-binding protein has been purified from rat ventral prostate. Antibodies have been raised against this protein and its distribution in male and female rats has been studied by using radioimmunoassay. All of the following purification procedures were performed at 0-4°C unless stated otherwise. DEAE-Cellulose Chromatography. A column (1.5 X 22 cm) of DEAE-cellulose (Whatman DE-52) was prepared and equilibrated with TEKG buffer containing 0.25 mM dithiothreitol (TEKGD buffer). After application of sample to the column, elution was with 60 ml of TEKGD buffer and a 2 X 150 ml 0.01-0.30 M KCl linear gradient in TEKGD buffer. The flow rate was adjusted to 1 ml/min and absorbance was measured continuously '4 280 nm. Fractions (2 ml) were collected and analyzed for radioactivity and conductivity. Fractions containing radioactivity were pooled and concentrated to 4 ml in a collodion bag (Sartorius membrane filter).Gel Filtration on Sephadex G-100. Sephadex G-100 (superfine; Pharmacia) was packed in a 2.5 X 50 cm column. The column was equilibrated with TEKGD buffer and calibrated with eight proteins with known molecular weights ranging from 13,700 to 151,000. The concentrate from the DEAE-cellulose step was applied to the column and chromatography was carried out at a flow rate of 5 ml/hr. Fractions (2 ml) were collected and examined for radioactivity. Fractions containing radioactivity were pooled and a saturated ammonium sulfate solution (in TEKGD buffer at 0WC, pH 7.4) was added to give a final ammonium sulfate concentration of 20% saturation.Octyl-Sepharose Chromatography. A gel bed of 7-8-ml of octyl Sepharose CL-4B (Pharmacia) was layered on top of 1 ml of Sephadex G-25 (medium) in a 0.9 X 30 cm column. The Abbreviation: NaDodSO4, sodium dodecyl sulfate. 3149The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U. S. C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact.

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