Comparison of the effect of Passiflora incarnata extract and Alprazolam on sex hormone levels and ovarian tissue ultra-structure in Adult Female fish (Trichogaster trichopterus)

The annual killifish, Austrofundulus limnaeus, may enter embryonic diapause at three distinct points of development, termed diapause I, II, and III. Previous studies suggest a role for steroid hormones in the regulation of diapause in annual killifish. This study concerns the hormonal and genomic components involved in the developmental decision to enter or escape diapause II from both a maternal and embryonic perspective. Steroid hormone levels were measured in tissues isolated from adult female fish that were producing either high or low proportions of escape embryos. Levels of steroid hormones were also measured in new fertilized embryos that were known to be on either an escape or diapausing developmental trajectory. In addition, cDNA microarray gene expression analysis was used to identify gene sequences that may be associated with the regulation of entry into diapause in this species. Decreases in maternal estrogen levels associated with aging are correlated with decreasing escape embryo production, but there is no direct association between measured steroid hormone levels and escape embryo production. However, maternal production of escape embryos is correlated with increased ratios of 17 ß-estradiol to testosterone in ovary tissue, and cDNA microarray gene expression analysis indicates differentially regulated sequences associated with escape embryo production in maternal tissues. Both of these independent measures suggest hormonal involvement in the regulation of diapause. Embryonic levels of steroid hormones in newly fertilized embryos are not correlated with entry or escape from diapause II, although incubation in exogenous cortisol and 17 ß-estradiol causes an increase in the proportion of escape embryos. Gene expression analysis again suggests hormonal involvement. Interestingly, genes involved in epigenetic control of gene expression though chromatin condensation are differentially regulated in both maternal tissues producing escape embryos, and in embryos on the different developmental trajectories. These data suggest that hormonal control of gene expression through alterations of chromatin condensation may regulate the decision to enter or escape diapause II.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:Few studies have explored the hormonal triggers for masturbation in infants and young children. Thus, we aimed to study the sex hormones and clinical profiles of masturbating infants and young children.METHODS:This case-control study involved infants and young children who masturbate and were referred to three pediatric neurology clinics between September 2004 and 2006 (n=13), and a similar control group. All children underwent basic laboratory investigations prior to referral. Other tests included electroencephalography (n=8) and brain neuroimaging (n=9). We measured dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, free testosterone, estradiol, dehydroepiandrosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), and androstenedione in all participants.RESULT:The median age at the first incident was 19.5 months (range, 4-36 months); the median masturbation frequency, 4 times/day; and the median duration of each event, 3.9 min. The subjects masturbated in both prone (n=10) and supine positions (n=3); two subjects used the knee-chest position. All subjects showed facial flushing; 6, friction between the thighs; 5, sweating; 9, sleeping after the event; and 12, disturbance on interruption. EEG was abnormal in one of eight subjects tested, and neuroimages were normal in all of nine subjects examined. The case and control groups had comparable levels of all sex hormones, except estradiol, which showed significantly lower levels in the case group (P=.02).CONCLUSION:Masturbation in children seems to be associated with reduced estradiol levels, but not with other sex hormones. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings.

To observe the effect of Chinese medicine therapy combined with psychological intervention (combined therapy) on the clinical symptoms and levels of blood lipids and sex hormones of patients of peri-menopausal syndrome complicated with hyperlipidemia. With the use of a randomizing digital table method, 185 patients that fit the registration standard were randomly assigned to three groups. The 59 cases in Group A were treated with two Chinese patents, Kunbao Pill and Modified Xiaoyao Pill; the 63 in Group B received psychological intervention alone; and the 63 in Group C were treated with both (the combined therapy), with the treatment course for all six months. The items of observation included: (1) scoring by SCL-90 on eight factors and seven symptoms; (2) scoring on Chinese medicine symptoms by Kupermann scale, including anxiety and bad temper, scorching sense action with sweating, dizziness, tinnitus, soreness and weakness of the loin and knees, palpitation, insomnia, lassitude, weakness, and hyposexuality; (3) blood contents of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), apoprotein AI (ApoAI) and B (ApoB); (4) levels of sex hormones, including estradiol (E(2)), progesterone (P), pituitary prolactin (PRL), follicular stimulating hormone (FSH), and), luteinzing hormone (LH) in some randomly selected patients; (5) adverse reaction; and (6) one-year follow-up study on long-term effect. A total of 21 patients (6, 8, and 7 cases in Groups A, B, and C, respectively) dropped out; the drop-out rate was insignificant among groups. (1) The markedly effective rates in Group A, B, and C were 26.42% (14/53), 18.18% (10/55), and 53.57% (30/56), respectively, and the total effective rates in them were 64.15% (34/53), 50.91% (28/55), and 87.50% (49/56), respectively, suggesting the therapeutic efficacy in Group C was significantly better than that in Groups A and B (P<0.01). (2) SCL-90 scoring showed that the total scores decreased significantly after treatment in Group C (P<0.01), but remained unchanged in Groups A and B (P>0.05). (3) Scoring on Chinese medicine symptoms showed the same results as shown by SCL-90 scoring in terms of total scores and individual symptoms, except that menstrual disorder and amenorrhea were unchanged in all three groups (P>0.05). (4) Levels of HDL-C, ApoAI, and E(2) increased and those of TG, TC, LDL-C, ApoB, FSH, and LH decreased after treatment in Group C, reaching near normal levels; similar trends of blood lipids were shown in Group A, but the level of sex hormones was unchanged. In Group B all the above-mentioned indices were unchanged (P>0.05). (5) A one-year follow-up study showed the markedly effective rate and the total effective rate in Group C were higher than those in the other two groups respectively (P<0.01). (6) No adverse reaction was found. Chinese medicine therapy combined with psychological intervention could not only improve the nervous symptoms, but also regulate the blood levels of lipids and sex hormones in patients of peri-menopausal syndrome complicated with hyperlipidemia.

Males Exceeding Females in Whole-Fish Polychlorinated Biphenyl Concentration Mainly Attributable to Higher Energy Expenditure Rate.

Introduction. The new coronavirus infection remains a pressing health problem today. The new mutagenic strain (omicron) and its variants (stealth-omicron, «centaur»), like its predecessors (beta, delta), also causes multisystem damage to the body. A pressing issue in the study of the pathogenic properties of the pathogen is the effect of the virus on changes in the level of sex hormones in men. Purpose of the work: to analyze modern ideas about the course of COVID-19 and the level of sex hormones in men. Materials and methods. A search for publications was carried out in the international MEDLINE database on the PubMed platform, in the scientific electronic library eLibrary.ru and in the GoogleScholar. Search terms included the following combinations of words: «COVID-19», «SARS-CoV-2», «male fertility», «hypogonadism», «testis», «angiotensin converting enzyme 2», «reproductive health», «testosterone», «estradiol», «hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis». A total of 130 publications were analyzed, of which 43 publications were selected for this review. Conference abstracts, short communications, and duplicate publications were excluded. Results. According to a review of scientific publications, the level of male sex hormones and the course of the new coronavirus infection are interrelated. The novel coronavirus infection has a negative impact on male sex hormone levels via ACE-2 as well as cellular transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2), due to increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines that increase metabolic clearance and suppress the gonadal axis. Conclusions. COVID-19 and sex hormones have a relationship. There is still debate and there is no consensus on how the level of sex hormones affects the course of COVID-19. Therefore, we believe that this issue remains relevant to this day, given that outbreaks of new strains of SARS-CoV-2 arise periodically.

Objective A retrospective cohort study aimed to explore the effects of different ovulation induction regimens on the levels of sex hormones and serum C1q/TNF-related protein-3 (CTRP3) and C1q/TNF-related protein-15 (CTRP15) in patients with PCOS. Methods A total of 100 patients with PCOS treated in the department of gynecology and obstetrics from February 2019 to April 2021 in our hospital were enrolled. The patients were arbitrarily assigned into control group and study group. The treatment effect, pregnancy rate, ovulation rate, follicle size, thickness of endometrium, number of mature follicles and ovulation, serum levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol (E2), testosterone (T), serum CTRP3, CTRP15 and menstrual score were compared. Results There exhibited no statistical difference in baseline clinical data between the two kinds of patients. The therapeutic effects were compared, the effective rate was 98.00% in the study group, 13 cases in the control group, 20 cases in the effective group and 7 cases in the control group, and the effective rate was 86.00%. The effective rate in the study group was higher (P <0.05). The size of follicles and the thickness of endometrium in the two groups were compared before and after intervention. There exhibited no significant difference in the size of follicles and the thickness of endometrium before and after intervention (P >0.05). The size of follicles and the thickness of endometrium in the study group were significantly higher (P <0.05). The size of follicles and the thickness of endometrium in the study group were significantly higher (P <0.05). There exhibited no significant difference in the number of mature follicles and ovulation before and after intervention (P >0.05). After intervention, the number of mature follicles and ovulation in the two groups increased. The number of mature follicles and ovulation in the study group were (4.76 ± 0.90) and (4.48 ± 0.73), respectively, which were higher compared to the control group (2.45 ± 0.86) and (2.82 ± 0.84), respectively (P <0.05). The levels of serum LH, FSH, E2 and T were not significantly different before and after intervention. After the intervention of different ways of ovulation induction, the levels of serum LH, FSH, E2 and T in the two groups continued to decrease, and the levels of the above sex hormones in the study group were significantly lower (P <0.05). The menstrual score and the levels of serum CTRP3 and CTRP15 were compared before and after intervention. After intervention, the menstrual score of patients in both groups decreased, and the menstrual score of the study group was lower. In addition, the levels of serum CTRP3 and CTRP15 in the two groups decreased after intervention. Compared with the control group, the levels of CTRP3 and CTRP15 in the study group were lower after intervention (P <0.05). The ovulation rate and pregnancy rate of the two groups were compared. In the study group, there were 45 ovulation cases, the ovulation rate was 90.00% (45/50), the pregnancy rate was 33 cases, the pregnancy rate was 66.00% (33/50), and the ovulation rate in the control group was 31 cases, the ovulation rate was 62.00% (31/50), the pregnancy rate was 20 cases, and the pregnancy rate was 40.00% (20/50). The ovulation rate and pregnancy rate in the study group were higher (P <0.05). Conclusion Different ovulation induction regimens have different effects on the levels of sex hormones and serum CTRP3 and CTRP15 in patients with PCOS. Long-acting follicular phase regimens can effectively promote the therapeutic effect of patients and increase the ovulation rate and pregnancy rate. In addition, it can also reduce the levels of serum LH, follicle stimulating FSH, E2 and testosterone T, and help to promote the levels of serum CTRP3 and CTRP15, which is worth popularizing and applying in clinic.

Tamoxifen, a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), regulates estrogen signaling in a tissue-dependent manner. Phytoestrogens such as red clover (Trifolium pratense) activate estrogenic pathways through receptor agonism and are increasingly studied for hormone-related conditions. This study compared the endocrine and hepatic effects of tamoxifen and red clover extract in a validated vertebrate model, the female three-spot gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus). A total of 120 adult female gourami were randomly assigned to eight groups, receiving intramuscular (IM) injections of tamoxifen (10, 50, 100mg/kg), IM injections of red clover extract (25, 75, 150mg/kg), vehicle, or no treatment over 18days. Reproductive (GSI, hormone levels, ovarian histology) and hepatic (HSI, ALT/AST levels, liver histology, TEM) parameters were assessed. Tamoxifen induced dose-dependent reductions in GSI at 50 and 100mg/kg (p = 0.004 and p < 0.001), accompanied by significant decreases in sex hormone levels and elevations in ALT and AST (p < 0.01), along with marked hepatic histopathological changes. In contrast, red clover extract significantly increased GSI at 75 and 150mg/kg (p = 0.012 and p = 0.001) and enhanced sex hormone levels (p < 0.05) compared with controls. Histological and ultrastructural analyses confirmed arrested ovarian development and hepatic degeneration in tamoxifen-treated fish, while red clover-treated fish showed follicular maturation and preserved liver architecture. The contrasting effects of tamoxifen and red clover reflect their distinct estrogen-modulatory mechanisms. While tamoxifen showed anti-estrogenic and hepatotoxic effects, red clover promoted reproductive activity with preserved hepatic safety, supporting its potential as a safer phytoestrogenic alternative.

Sewage treatment plants are sources of anthropogenic substances in the environment. Sewage effluents elicit adverse effects on the reproductive abilities of aquatic organisms. The aim of the project was to assess the efficiency of the treatment processes at a sewage treatment plant in Sweden with zebra fish as test models for aquatic organisms. The project entailed the exposure of adult male and female zebra fish to the sewage effluents (A1- A7) for 21 days. The reproductive parameters monitored were spawning ability, fertilization, fecundity and vitellogenin concentration. Fish exposed to effluent A2 (after sedimentation treatment) had a higher number of successful spawning compared to the controls (A1 and A8). Fish in groups A3 (outlet L1), A4 (biofilter) and A5 (ozone) exhibited a decrease in spawning ability. Adult female fish exposed to effluent A4 exhibited low fecundity compared to the controls. The processes at the sewage treatment plant need to be optimized to forestall adverse effects on the reproductive abilities of aquatic organisms.

Feces deposited by the breeding alpha pair on exposed substrates and/or zones may act as visual and olfactory marks associated with social dominance in wolves. The aim of this study was to determine if there was a correlation between marking behavior, sex hormone levels, and physiological stress in a wild population of Iberian wolves in Northwest Spain. The glucocorticoid and sex hormone levels were measured in feces collected as a function of exposure (conspicuous/inconspicuous), height (above ground level/at ground level), and strategic location in the habitat (at crossroads/off crossroads), as well as the frequency of re-marking. The feces, believed to serve as marking cues, had higher glucocorticoid levels (cortisol) and sex hormones (testosterone, progesterone, and estradiol). The results suggest that in Iberian wolves, the alpha pair is subject to higher social stress than subordinate individuals, and that the reproductive suppression of subordinates is not mediated by chronic glucocorticoid elevation.

Introduction: The blue gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus) female has an asynchronic ovary development and the FOM will occur only in the presence of the male. Thus, each stage of its gonadal development can be controlled and examined separately in the laboratory [4]. Previous studies in our laboratory have shown variations in hypothalamic and pituitary hormonal gene expression during reproduction stages. Gonadotropin releasing hormone 3 (GnRH3), and pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP long and short form [PRP]) gene expression increased in reproductively active females [5,6], and beta-follicle stimulating hormone (beta FSH) and beta-luteinizing hormone (beta LH) gene expression were increased in females in the vitellogenic stage [4]. Accumulated data indicate an involvement of growth factors in the regulation of reproduction, e.g., growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (PRL) [2, 3]. The present study examined the effect of temperature on reproduction and growth-related factors in blue gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus) females under non-reproductive (NRC) and reproductive conditions. Methods: The females, maintained in three different containers at the temperatures as described in prevue study [1], gonads were sampled and mRNA levels of GnRH3, PACAP, PRP, IGF1, GH, beta-LH, beta-FSH and PRL were mustered[1]. Results: A higher percentage of oocytes in the advanced vitellogenic stage was found in FNRC kept at 27 °C than in those kept at 23 °C or 31 °C (P<0.05,Fig. 1a). In contrast, in FRM and FNRM, a higher percentage of oocytes at the FOM stage were observed at 23 °C, than at 27 °C (Fig. 1b). In FNRC kept at 23 oC and 27 oC, as compared to the group at 31 oC, significantly higher mRNA levels of brain GnRH3 were detected, whereas no significant differences in the mRNA levels of brain IGF-1, PACAP and PRP were observed in these females at 23 oC, 27 oC or 31 oC. In FRM, mRNA levels of brain GnRH3, IGF1, PACAP and PRP were higher when kept at 27 °C than at 23 °C (Figs. 2A-D). PRP mRNA levels were also higher at 27 °C than at 31 °C in these fish. On the other hand, mRNA levels of PACAP were greater in FNRM kept at 27 °C than in those fish maintained at 23 °C and 31°C (Fig. 2B); and mRNA levels of IGF-1 were higher in the brains of FNRM kept at 23 °C than in those kept at 31 °C (Fig. 2C).

Background: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is more common in older women than men. Differences in sex hormone (SH) levels may contribute to sex differences in HFpEF risk. Left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and concentric remodeling [increased Mass (M): Volume (V) ratio] are risk markers of HFpEF. In a multi-ethnic cohort of men and women with preserved EF, we examined whether SH levels were associated with LV structure. We hypothesized that a more androgenic pattern would predict adverse concentric remodeling in women but not men. Methods: We studied 4279 MESA participants (49% women) aged 45-84 yrs with serum SH levels and cardiac MRI performed at baseline (2000-2002) and baseline EF ≥50%. Among these, 2957 participants underwentMRI at Exam 5 (2010-2012). Stratified by sex, we used linear regression for cross-sectional analyses and mixed model effect methods for longitudinal analyses to test the associations of SH and binding globulin (SHBG) levels [per 1 SD greater log(SH)] with baseline levels and changes in LV mass (LVM), end diastolic volume (LVEDV) and M:V ratio. Models were adjusted for age, ethnicity, center, height, weight, education, physical activity and smoking, and for hormone use and menopause in women. Results: The mean (SD) age was 64 (9) for women and 62 (10) yrs for men. Cross-sectionally, among women, higher Testosterone (T) and Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) levels were associated with greater LVM ( Table ). Among both men and women, higher free T and lower SHBG were associated lower LVEDV and greater M:V ratio. In men, greater estradiol levels were associated with lower LVEDV and greater M:V ratio. After a mean followup of 10 yrs, higher free T and lower SHBG were associated with an increase in LVM in both sexes. Findings were generally consistent after adjustment for possible mediators of these associations such as blood pressure and other CV risk factors. Conclusion: A more androgenic profile of higher free T and lower SHBG is associated with greater increase in LVM over 10 yrs in both men and women.

Sex hormone levels and subclinical atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Ningxin Tongyu Zishen Tang in Treatment of Premature Ovarian Insufficiency: A Retrospective Control Study

ObjectivesIn 2007, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified long-term shift work as a probable carcinogen, with the strongest evidence for breast cancer. One proposed mechanism involves night-time light...

Postmenopausal sex hormones: comparing apples and pears