Personality differences between sex and sexual orientation group

It has been argued that because some biological underpinnings affecting personality occur in a continuum (e.g. hormonal exposure), personality scores in a given population should also occur in a continuum. Personality sex differences have been widely studied but these do not allow to study personality as a continuum. To tackle this limitation, Lippa (2001) suggested using sexual orientation. The Shift and the Inversion Hypotheses have been proposed to predict how the personality scores of homosexual participants would differ from their heterosexual counterparts. However, these efforts have been largely ignored. This study used a large UK sample to compare these hypotheses using personality scores at the facet and domain level. The results suggested that there was evidence for the Shift and the Inversion Hypotheses at the facet level, but these patterns were obscured at domain level where groups tended to cluster according to sexual orientation. Moreover, Neuroticism was often responsible for the largest differences across groups at facet and domain level.

Sex steroids receptors, hypertension, and vascular ageing

Sex hormone receptors are expressed throughout the vasculature and play an important role in the modulation of blood pressure in health and disease. The functions of these receptors may be important in the understanding of sexual dimorphism observed in the pathophysiology of both hypertension and vascular ageing. The interconnectivity of these factors can be exemplified in postmenopausal females, who with age and estrogen deprivation, surpass males with regard to hypertension prevalence, despite experiencing significantly less disease burden in their estrogen replete youth. Estrogen and androgen receptors mediate their actions via direct genomic effects or rapid non-genomic signaling, involving a host of mediators. The expression and subtype composition of these receptors changes through the lifespan in response to age, disease and hormonal exposure. These factors may promote sex steroid receptor-mediated alterations to the Renin–Angiotensin–Aldosterone System (RAAS), and increases in oxidative stress and inflammation, thereby contributing to the development of hypertension and vascular injury with age.

Effect of estradiol on gonads development for resident form males of cherry salmon Oncorhynchus masou

Effect of estradiol on development of gonads in resident form males of cherry salmon is investigated. The fish aged 0+ with initial weight of 3.48-10.70 g were treated with the hormone for 30 days, then reared for 8 months. Estradiol was given with pelleted food in concentration of 100 mg/kg. The gonads were examined histologically during entire period of the experiment. The control group included 184 specimens (90 females, 59 anadromous males and 35 males of resident form). The experimental group of 50 females and 48 males was taken randomly in 3.5 months after the end of hormonal exposure. The fund of germ cells in gonads of the experimental group consisted only of gonias. Males of resident form were identified in 6 and 8 months after the end of hormonal exposure, they were distinguished by both size of the testes and presence of germ cells at different stages. Portion of the males of resident form was similar in the control and experimental groups — 37.0 % and 40.7 % of total number of males, respectively.

Perinatal hormones favor CC17 group B Streptococcus intestinal translocation through M cells and hypervirulence in neonates

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is the leading cause of invasive bacterial neonatal infections. Late-onset diseases (LOD) occur between 7 and 89 days of life and are largely due to the CC17 GBS hypervirulent clone. We studied the impact of estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4), which impregnate the fetus during pregnancy, on GBS neonatal infection in cellular and mouse models of hormonal exposure corresponding to concentrations found at birth (E2-P4 C0) and over 7 days old (E2-P4 C7). Using representative GBS isolates, we show that E2-P4 C7 concentrations specifically favor CC17 GBS meningitis following mice oral infection. CC17 GBS crosses the intestinal barrier through M cells. This process mediated by the CC17-specific surface protein Srr2 is enhanced by E2-P4 C7 concentrations which promote M cell differentiation and CC17 GBS invasiveness. Our findings provide an explanation for CC17 GBS responsibility in LOD in link with neonatal gastrointestinal tract maturation and hormonal imprint.

CNS-Selective Estrogen Therapy

17β-Estradiol (E2), the main human estrogen, has been known to exert multiple actions throughout the body, including in the central nervous system (CNS). In particular, it has been shown that E2 is gender-independently needed for brain and eye health. Lack of E2 due to normal aging and/or pathological processes leads to neurological and psychiatric diseases as well as accelerated neurodegeneration. Current estrogen replacement therapies, however, cannot be used as therapeutic interventions to treat these maladies due to a profound, unwanted hormonal exposure to the rest of the body. In this presentation, we show that the small-molecule bioprecursor prodrug 10β,17β-dihydroxyestra-1,4-dien-3-one (DHED) produces E2 only in the CNS but remains inert in the rest of the body, both upon chronic systemic and topical administrations, thereby avoiding the detrimental side-effects of the hormone, such as stimulation of the uterus and tumor growth. The highly localized production of E2 in the CNS will be shown through a series of bioanalytical assays and efficacy studies using animal models of estrogen-responsive maladies pertaining to the brain and the retina. Owing to DHED’s significantly more favorable physicochemical properties than the highly lipophilic parent E2 for transport through biological membranes such as the blood-brain barrier or the cornea, a highly effective E2 therapy can be achieved in rodents upon prodrug administration, which further enhances therapeutic safety. Altogether, our patented DHED approach shows unprecedented selectivity to deliver E2 into the CNS and, thus, promises a high translation value in terms of efficacious and safe treatment against neurodegeneration as well as neurological and psychiatric symptoms arising from estrogen deficiency.

Pubertal hormones and brain structure: Exploring the value of hair assays

Neuroimaging research has highlighted the role of puberty in structural brain development in humans, but studies investigating the mechanistic role of hormones in this association have produced inconsistent findings. Limitations of current approaches to hormonal assessments have long been recognized, as basal hormone levels are susceptible to momentary influences (in particular, circadian rhythmicity and menstrual cyclicity). However, emerging research suggests that a novel method of assaying pubertal hormone concentrations in hair may overcome some of these issues by capturing hormonal exposure across a longer period of time. This study is the first to compare associations between hormone concentrations measured via hair and saliva with brain structure in a sample of early adolescent females (N = 112, 10-13 years of age). Estradiol, testosterone, and DHEA concentrations were assayed from i) 5cm hair samples collected proximal to the scalp, reflecting approximately 5 months of hormonal exposure, and ii) repeated weekly saliva samples collected over the course of one month. Participants also underwent structural MRI scans, and estimates of cortical thickness and subcortical volume were obtained. Findings revealed that pubertal hormones in saliva samples exhibited strongest associations with parieto-occipital cortices. Comparatively, hair hormone concentrations exhibited stronger negative associations with cingulate and lateral prefrontal cortical thickness, which may reflect unique developmental processes that occur across longer periods of hormonal exposure. However, controlling for pubertal stage removed much of the cortical associations with hormones in saliva, and resulted in minimal change in cortical associations with hormones in hair. Thus hormone concentrations in hair may reflect biological processes not captured by self-reported pubertal stage that influence brain development. Further research is needed to improve our understanding of these potentially unique neurodevelopmental processes captured by saliva and hair hormone concentrations.

Androgenic and estrogenic indices in human newborns and infants: the MIREC-ID study

Prenatal sex steroid exposure plays an important role in determining child development. Yet, measurement of prenatal hormonal exposure has been limited by the paucity of newborn/infant data and the invasiveness of fetal hormonal sampling. Here we provide descriptive data from the MIREC-ID study (n=173 girls; 162 boys) on a range of minimally invasive physical indices thought to reflect prenatal exposure to androgens [anogenital distances (AGDs); penile length/width, scrotal/vulvar pigmentation], to estrogens [vaginal maturation index (VMI) – the degree of maturation of vaginal wall cells] or to both androgens/estrogens [2nd-to-4th digit ratio (2D:4D); areolar pigmentation, triceps/sub-scapular skinfold thickness, arm circumference]. VMI was found to be associated with triceps skinfold thickness (β=0.265, P=0.005), suggesting that this marker may be sensitive to estrogen levels produced by adipose tissue in girls. Both estrogenic and androgenic markers (VMI: β=0.338, P=0.031; 2D:4D – right: β=−0.207, P=0.040; left: β=−0.276, P=0.006; AGD-fourchette − β=0.253, P=0.036) were associated with areolar pigmentation in girls, supporting a role for the latter as an index of both androgen and estrogen exposure. We also found AGD-penis (distance from the anus to the penis) to be associated with scrotal pigmentation (β=0.290, P=0.048), as well as right arm circumference (β=0.462, P<0.0001), supporting the notion that these indices may be used together as markers of androgen exposure in boys. In sum, these findings support the use of several physical indices at birth to convey a more comprehensive picture of prenatal exposure to sex hormones.

Recurrent vulvar breast fibroadenoma: presentation of a rare clinical condition

Vulvar fibroadenoma is an ectopic mammary-like fibroepithelial tumor of undetermined pathogenesis. Surgery is usually the primary option of treatment for this condition. Recurrent vulvar fibroadenoma is a rare clinical condition, and it has therapeutic challenges for surgeons and pathologists. Three cases of recurrent vulvar fibroadenoma were reviewed and studied (at 25, 39, and 18 years old for each case). We summarize and report our clinical experience on recurrent vulvar fibroadenoma. All patients were surgically managed with a satisfactory outcome and were followed up for at least 6 months. This is the first case series to address a rare clinical condition in vulvar fibroadenoma. Tumor size, conditions of high hormonal exposure, iatrogenic issues, and residual lesions contribute to recurrence. The standard surgical strategy for vulvar fibroadenoma is important for lowering the risk of local recurrence.

Endometriosis With Cystic Degeneration: A Rare Disease of Males

Endometriosis in men is extremely rare with only a few cases reported in the English literature. Different theories have been proposed as to its origin. In this article, we describe the clinicopathologic features of 2 cases of endometriosis occurring in male patients. The patients’ ages were 50 and 43 years, and sizes were 2 and 5.2 cm, respectively. No significant chemical or hormonal exposure was identified. Both patients presented with a testicular mass. Grossly, both lesions were cystic and contained hemorrhagic fluid. Microscopic examination revealed cysts and occasional glands lined by low columnar to cuboidal epithelium, surrounded by spindle cell stroma with abundant hemosiderin-laden macrophages reminiscent of endometrium. One case was predominantly intratesticular, with a minute focus of endometrial-type glands and spindled stroma within the tunica vaginalis. Focal chronic inflammation and epithelial denudation were present in both cases. The surrounding testicular and epididymal structures adjacent to the cystic mass were unremarkable. In summary, endometriosis is an extremely rare lesion in men. The presence of these lesions in both cases along the route of the Müllerian duct supports the theory that these lesions arise from embryonic remnants. Awareness of this entity is crucial for general pathologists to avoid wrong diagnosis and unnecessary management.