The Majority of Boys Having Orchidopexy for Congenital Nonsyndromic Cryptorchidism during Minipuberty Exhibited Normal Reproductive Hormonal Profiles

Introduction The activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis that occurs in male minipuberty during the first 5 months of life is important for early germ cell development. Orchidopexy during minipuberty may improve fertility potential as the germinative epithelium may benefit from the naturally occurring gonadotropin stimulation. We hypothesize that most boys with congenital nonsyndromic cryptorchidism display normal reproductive hormonal profiles and histological findings during minipuberty. Methods We included boys with congenital nonsyndromic cryptorchidism who underwent orchidopexy at less than 160 days of age, having no potential for spontaneous resolution clinically. At surgery, testicular biopsies and reproductive hormones were collected and compared with normal reference values. We measured the germ cells (G/T) and type A dark spermatogonia number per tubule. Results Thirty-five boys aged 37 to 159 (median age: 124) days at orchidopexy were included, five were bilateral. G/T was below the normal lower range in 26% (9/35) of the cases. In six of these cases, luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) were above 97.5 percentile, whereas one case had FSH below 2.5 percentile. Totally, 97% (33/34, one FSH was missing) exhibited a normal LH/FSH ratio. LH was more often above 97.5 percentile than FSH: 34% (12/35) versus 3% (1/34, p < 0.001). Inhibin B was below 2.5 percentile in 17% (6/35) of cases who all proved FSH above normal mean and four had LH above normal mean. Conclusion Generally, reproductive hormonal profiles of the cryptorchid boys exhibited normal minipubertal pattern. Thus, 26% of the boys had reduced germ cell number, and transient hypogonadotropic hypogonadism could be suspected in few cases.

Obesity Exacerbates Irritable Bowel Syndrome-Related Sleep and Psychiatric Disorders in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Background/ObjectivesPolycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) share similar clinical and psychosocial features. We aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of IBS in women with PCOS, and its relationship with obesity, metabolic and hormonal profiles, as well as sleep and psychiatric disorders.Subjects/MethodsThis is a cross-sectional case-control study of 431 untreated women with PCOS and 259 healthy volunteers. All participants were assessed with a comprehensive clinical evaluation and two questionnaires: the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) and the Brief Symptom Rating Scale (BSRS-5). IBS was diagnosed using the Rome III criteria. Obesity was defined as a BMI ≥30 kg/m2. Anthropometric measurements, metabolic, hormonal profiles, and psychosocial morbidities were compared.ResultsWomen with PCOS were more likely to have IBS (10.7% vs 5.8%, p=0.029) and obesity (29% vs 4%, p&lt;0.001) than healthy volunteers. Mixed-type IBS (IBS-M) was the most common subtype (74%) among patients with PCOS and IBS. There was a higher prevalence of psychiatric morbidities (total BSRS-5 score ≥10) in women with PCOS than in healthy women (11.4% vs 3.5%, p&lt;0.001). Women with PCOS and IBS were more likely to have sleep difficulties (67.4% vs 30.9%, p&lt;0.001) and psychiatric morbidities (21.7% vs 10.1%, p=0.019) than those without IBS. Anthropometrics, metabolic and hormonal profiles were similar between PCOS women with and without IBS. Among women with PCOS, those with both IBS and obesity had the highest risk of developing sleep difficulties (odds ratio: 5.91; 95% confidence interval: 1.77–19.77) and psychiatric distress (odds ratio: 4.39; 95% confidence interval: 1.26–15.29) than those without.ConclusionWomen with PCOS have increased IBS, obesity, sleep and psychiatric disturbances. The presence of IBS in PCOS women is associated with sleep and psychiatric disorders. The coexistence of obesity and IBS exacerbates sleep difficulties and psychiatric distress. Screening and management of IBS and obesity might be warranted to improve sleep and psychiatric disturbances in women with PCOS.

Impact of Treating Hatching Eggs with Curcumin after Exposure to Thermal Stress on Embryonic Development, Hatchability, Physiological Body Reactions, and Hormonal Profiles of Dokki-4 Chickens

This study evaluated the impact of incubation temperature and spraying hatching eggs with curcumin during the early embryogenesis phase on chick embryo developments, hatchability, physiological body reactions, and hormonal profiles of Dokki 4 chickens. A total of 720 fertile eggs were equally distributed into two groups. In the first group, the eggs were incubated at normal incubation temperature/NIT (37.8 °C and 55–60% RH) for up to 19 days of incubation, whereas those in the second group were incubated in the same conditions except from 6 to 8 day, in which they were daily exposed to chronic incubation temperature/CIT (39.0 °C) for 3 h. Each group was classified into four curcumin treatment doses; the 1st treatment (control) was sprayed with distilled water, while the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th treatments were sprayed with 250, 500, and 1000 mg curcumin/liter distilled water. The results indicated that the lowest hatchability of fertile eggs (%) was obtained in the CIT group (p = 0.02), whereas the highest body surface temperature/BST compared in the NIT group (p = 0.01). Regarding curcumin treatments, the percentages of heart, gizzard, spleen, and T3 hormone levels in the treated group were significantly increased, while the H/L ratio was significantly reduced (p = 0.001) compared with the control. At 8 weeks of age, the testes and ovary percentages in treated groups were significantly (p = 0.05) increased compared with the control. In conclusion, exposure of hatching eggs to high thermal stress (39 °C) during the incubation phase had deleterious effects on chick performance and T3 hormone level. Moreover, spraying hatching eggs had beneficial impacts on growth, reproductive organs, T3 hormone level, and reducing H/L ratio.

Author Correction: Linking human male vocal parameters to perceptions, body morphology, strength and hormonal profiles in contexts of sexual selection

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Bone mineral density in well-trained females with different hormonal profiles

Objective: The association between sex hormones and bone mineral density (BMD) has been studied in sedentary women, whereas only few studies have evaluated trained females. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the influence of sex hormones on BMD in well-trained females with different hormonal profiles: eumenorrheic females, oral contraceptive (OC) users and postmenopausal women. The secondary purpose was to determine if maximal oxygen consumption (V̇ O2max) or maximal back squat strength (1RM) could be good predictors of BMD in this population. Methods: Sixty-eight eumenorrheic, forty-one monophasic-OC users and sixteen postmenopausal well-trained females participated in this study. A Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry scan (DXA), a basal blood sample and a maximal back squat and/or a maximal treadmill test were performed. In order to measure all volunteers under similar hormonal conditions (low sex hormone levels), all tests were carried out during the early follicular phase for the eumenorrheic females and in the withdrawal phase for the OC group. Results: One way ANCOVA reported lower values of BMD in postmenopausal (1.13±0.07g/cm2) than in eumenorrheic (1.19±0.08 g/cm2) (p=0.003) and OC users (1.17±0.07 g/cm2) (p=0.030). Pearson´s correlation showed a positive relationship between BMD and 1RM (p<0.001), but not with V̇ O2max. Conclusions: Lower BMD has been reported in postmenopausal women compared to both, eumenorrheic females and OC users. BMD loss after menopause seems to be not fully compensated by exercise, but this could effectively mitigate it. Moreover, 1RM back squat reported a slight association to BMD. Hence, strength training may be the best choice to prevent BMD loss.