Testosterone In Children Research Articles

Effects of perchlorate, nitrate, and thiocyanate exposures on serum total testosterone in children and adolescents

Perchlorate, nitrate, and thiocyanate are common thyroid disruptors in daily life and alter testosterone levels in animals. However, little is known about the effects of perchlorate, nitrate, and thiocyanate on serum total testosterone (TT) in the general population. The study was designed to assess the associations between urinary levels of perchlorate, nitrate, and thiocyanate and serum total testosterone (TT) in the general population. The present study utilized data from the 2011–2016 National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES). A total of 6201 participants aged 6–79 with information on urinary perchlorate, nitrate, thiocyanate, and serum total testosterone were included. We conducted multiple linear regression models and Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR) models to estimate the associations by sex-age groups. Children (ages 6–11) have higher levels of perchlorate and nitrate than the rest. After adjusting for covariates, urinary perchlorate was significantly negatively associated with serum TT in male adolescents (β = −0.1, 95 % confidence interval: −0.2, −0.01) and female children [−0.13, (−0.21, −0.05)]. Urinary nitrate was significantly negatively associated with serum TT in female children, while urinary thiocyanate was significantly positively associated with serum TT in female adults aged 20 to 49 [0.05 (0.02, 0.08)]. BKMR analysis indicated that no other interactions were found between urinary perchlorate, nitrate, and thiocyanate. Our findings suggested that urinary perchlorate, nitrate, and thiocyanate levels may relate to serum total testosterone levels in specific sex-age groups. We identified male adolescents and female children as are most sensitive subgroups where testosterone is susceptible to interference.

Effects of Perchlorate, Nitrate, and Thiocyanate Exposures on Serum Total Testosterone in Children and Adolescents

Effects of Perchlorate, Nitrate, and Thiocyanate Exposures on Serum Total Testosterone in Children and Adolescents

Children’s hair cortisol and hair testosterone concentrations in response to environmental changes: from summer holidays to school

Elevated hair cortisol concentrations in children have been linked to several stress-related conditions, including school-related demands. However, little is known about changes in hair testosterone in children. The present study investigated changes in hair cortisol and hair testosterone concentrations in the time course of four months – from summer holidays until mid of autumn of the following school year – in 60, 10–12-year-old (11.31 ± 0.63) school children (29 girls). Children’s mental health was assessed by the strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) and related to hair cortisol and hair testosterone levels. Body mass index, waist-to-height ratio, and parental education were evaluated as potential confounders. In girls, the expected increase of hair cortisol concentrations was observed during school as compared to summer holidays, partly accounted for by peer- and emotional problems and the increase of HTC. In boys, hair cortisol and testosterone concentrations were significantly higher. Hair cortisol increased only slightly, while hair testosterone decreased significantly during school. The findings suggest a reciprocal influence of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, differentially affecting girls’ and boys’ hormone production in response to environmental changes.

Single dose of testosterone in children with hypospadias: any effect on the diameter of the glans penis?

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to assess the effect of a single dose of testosterone on the diameter of the glans penis.MethodsThis was a prospective evaluation of the effect of a single dose of testosterone on the diameter of the glans penis of children with hypospadias. The diameter of the glans penis was measured transversely at the level of the coronal sulcus using Vernier calipers. The patients were categorized into two groups: Group A and Group B. Group A received intramuscular testosterone at the dose of 2 mg per kilogram body weight. Group B did not receive any testosterone and served as control. The diameter of the glans penis was evaluated at the beginning of the study and at 4 weeks after the testosterone injection.ResultsOverall, 64 patients were evaluated. There were 32 patients in group A (50%) and 32 patients in group B (50%). The mean diameter in group A before and after testosterone injection was 17.6 mm ± 2.5 SD and 17.8 ± 2.3 SD, respectively. The mean diameter in group B at onset and after 4 weeks was 17.6 mm ± 2.4 SD and 17.7 ± 2.4 SD, respectively. p = 0.12 which is statistically insignificant.ConclusionSingle dose of testosterone in children with hypospadias does not produce significant increase in the diameter of the glans penis.

A robust LC-MS/MS assay with online cleanup for measurement of serum testosterone.

Accurate measurement of low levels of testosterone is critical for diagnosis and treatment of androgen disorders. The very low concentrations of testosterone in children, females, and males with androgen suppression therapies necessitate the use of mass spectrometry-based methods. We aimed to develop a liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method with simplified sample preparation and online solid-phase extraction cleanup to achieve enhanced precision, accuracy, robustness, and cost-effectiveness. The assay was linear from 10 to 20 000pg/mL with an analytical recovery of 93-104%. The total coefficient of variation was 2.5, 1.9, and 1.7% at concentration levels of 348, 5432, and 10 848pg/mL, respectively. No significant carryover was observed from samples with concentrations up to 20 000pg/mL. No significant interference was observed from androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone, epi-testosterone, and estriol. Comparison with CDC Hormone Standardization program (HoSt) reference samples with defined values (n=40) showed a Deming regression slope of 0.963, intercept of 28.06pg/mL, standard error of estimate was 66.9, a correlation coefficient of 0.9996, and a mean bias of -0.6%. The method met the accuracy criteria by the CDC HoSt program. In addition, we achieved >12 000 injections on a single analytical column without significant performance deterioration due to the specific online solid-phase extraction settings.

Outcome of urethroplasty after parenteral testosterone in children with distal hypospadias

Pre-operative testosterone use in hypospadias surgery is known to increase penile dimensions and vascularity, which should facilitate tension-less formation of the urethral tube and tissue healing. However, androgens can have a negative effect on wound healing. There are very few randomized studies on postoperative results after androgen use, and this study attempted to understand the utility of pre-operative testosterone in distal hypospadias. To study the effect of parenteral testosterone in children undergoing single stage urethroplasty for distal hypospadias, especially the occurrence of urethrocutaneous fistula and wound dehiscence. Patients were prospectively enrolled and randomized into two groups: Group 1 (control group) and Group 2 (receiving three injections of pre-operative intramuscular testosterone enanthate (2mg/kg) at 1 monthly intervals; they were further subdivided into those operated 1 month (Group 2A) or 3 months (Group 2B) later. Patients with micropenis, previous testosterone use or any surgical intervention were excluded. Preputial skin was studied with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and CD31 immunohistochemistry. Patients were followed up for at least 18 months. Ninety four patients underwent urethroplasty over a 3.5-year period. Penile dimensions increased significantly after testosterone use (Summary table). On H&E staining, proliferating blood vessels and increased lymphocytic infiltrates were significantly increased in Group 2B. Group 2 patients tended to have more postoperative edema and inflammation. Although urethrocutaneous fistula rates were similar in Group 1 (n=7) and Group 2 (n=5) (P=0.438), wound dehiscence occurred only in Group 2 (P=0.01). The total number of patients in this study was small and this was a drawback. Although, several factors played a role in wound healing, the overall higher complication rate, especially wound dehiscence in Group 2, pointed to a higher incidence of inflammatory reaction and healing complication rates with testosterone use. Testosterone should be used judiciously in distal hypospadias. While tissue availability significantly increased, there was an increase in inflammatory reaction and edema, which increased the risk of wound dehiscence in cases of precocious surgery.

TurboFlow-LC-MS/MS method for quantification of DHEA, DHEAS, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, Δ4-androstenedione and testosterone in children

Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences in endocrinology ISSN 1470-3947 (print) | ISSN 1479-6848 (online)

Serum concentrations of DHEA, DHEAS, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, Δ4-androstenedione and testosterone in children determined by TurboFlow-LC–MS/MS

Diagnosis and management of infants and children with sex steroid disorders require fast and simultaneous assessment of several sex steroid metabolites in serum at low concentrations and on small sample volumes. Therefore, we developed a sensitive and selective TurboFlow-LC–MS/MS method for quantification of DHEA, DHEAS, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, Δ4-androstenedione and testosterone in serum from pre-pubertal children.Run time was 10.75min. Limits of quantification were as follows: DHEA, 0.88nM; DHEAS, 48nM; 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, 0.19nM; Δ4-androstenedione, 0.18nM and testosterone, 0.10nM. Intra-day relative standard deviation ranged from 4.6 to 13.8% and inter-day relative standard deviation ranged from 5.7 to 15.7%. Steroid concentrations in 38 serum samples from pre-pubertal children were compared with results obtained by immunoassays for DHEAS, Δ4-androstenedione and testosterone. DHEAS gave overall similar results but with several outliers, while levels of Δ4-androstenedione were found to be much lower when analysed by LC–MS/MS. Testosterone was not detected in any of the samples analysed using a sensitive immunoassay, while 30 of 38 samples were quantifiable using the current LC–MS/MS method. The presented method is suitable in a clinical setting for simultaneous quantification of five steroids important for management of children with disorders of sex development and steroid biosynthesis defects.

Comparison of topical versus parenteral testosterone in children with microphallic hypospadias

Surgical correction of genital defects was formerly proposed when the size of the penis was sufficient to permit easy surgical repair. To enlarge penile size, temporary stimulation with testosterone either topical or parenteral has been reported. Parenteral testosterone has been found to be effective; however, variable results have been reported with topical testosterone. This study was taken up as an attempt to compare the efficacy of parenteral versus topical testosterone application. Twenty-one consecutive children with microphallic hypospadias were randomized to receive either topical or parenteral testosterone prior to surgery. Penile length, glans circumference and secondary effects were recorded before and after therapy by the same observer. Significant penile growth was noticed in both the groups of children when compared with pre-therapy size. The desired therapeutic effect of significant penile growth following testosterone was achieved in both the groups of children. There was no significant difference between the two routes of administration.

Sex hormone-binding globulin and testosterone in individuals with childhood diabetes.

Insulin downregulates hepatic production of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), which in turn influences sex hormone bioavailability. The effects of childhood-onset diabetes and insulin resistance in nondiabetic individuals on SHBG and testosterone in children and young adults are poorly understood. Individuals with diabetes diagnosed at <18 years of age (n = 48) and their siblings without diabetes (n = 47) were recruited for the Chicago Childhood Diabetes Registry Family Study. SHBG and total and free testosterone were measured. Participants ranged in age from 10 to 32 years; 39% were non-Hispanic white. The majority of individuals with diabetes had the classic type 1 phenotype (75%), while the remainder exhibited features of type 2 or mixed diabetes; 96% were treated with insulin. SHBG and total testosterone were higher in male subjects with diabetes compared with those in male siblings. Elevated SHBG was associated with the absence of endogenous insulin independent of sex; elevated total testosterone was similarly associated with the absence of C-peptide for male subjects only. Diabetes type and treatment were unrelated. In those without diabetes, greater insulin resistance had a small, nonsignificant association with lower SHBG and higher free testosterone. SHBG and total testosterone appear to be higher in male children and young adults with diabetes compared with nondiabetic male siblings, which is apparently related to the absence of endogenous insulin. This may have implications for sex hormone-dependent processes across the lifespan in male individuals diagnosed with diabetes as children.

Salivary Testosterone Determination in Studies of Child Health and Development

Measurement of hormones in children's saliva has excited interest because of numerous potential applications in developmental studies. Although assays of children's saliva for some hormones (e.g., cortisol) are widely available and used, the availability and use of assays of children's saliva testosterone is restricted. By adapting a commercially available serum testosterone kit, our laboratory has developed a reliable, efficient, and highly sensitive procedure for measuring testosterone in children's saliva that does not require separation or extraction. The minimum detection limit was 0.8 pg/mL. Intraassay coefficients of variation (CV) were between 3.66 and 6.78% at concentrations 9.25 to 86.41 pg/mL, and interassay CVs were between 5.70 and 6.61% at concentrations of 7.3 to 118.51 pg/mL. The standard curve was highly reproducible (Mslope = −0.70 andMr= 0.99). Method accuracy, determined by spike recovery, and linearity, determined by serial dilution, were 99.20 and 92.80%, respectively. Values from matched serum and saliva samples showed strong linear relationships. The assay captured near 99.09% of the range of individual differences in boys' (N= 90) and girls' (N= 85), ages 8–12,amandpmsalivary testosterone levels. This assay can be easily applied to the investigation of testosterone–behavior relations in the context of studies on child health and development. It may help many child development researchers improve or expand their research activities.

Bone Alkaline Phosphatase Isoenzyme and Carboxy-Terminal Propeptide of Type-I Procollagen in Healthy Chinese Girls and Boys

The bones of children grow at a faster rate during the first few years of childhood and puberty. Recently, advances in assays for biochemical markers of bone formation have provided noninvasive means to study bone growth and metabolism in children (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14). Because of the variations in the rate of bone growth in different age groups and possible ethnic differences, age-specific reference ranges for bone formation markers must be established in a particular pediatric population. Conventional bone formation markers such as osteocalcin (1) have been shown to correlate with serum concentrations of insulin-like growth factor-I and testosterone in children and adolescents. In pathological conditions, osteocalcin (2)(3)(4) is lower in growth hormone-deficient children and increases with replacement therapy. Osteocalcin, however, is labile and possesses problems in sample processing and storage (15). Recently, two other bone formation markers in serum, bone alkaline phosphatase isoenzyme (BAP) (16) and the carboxy-terminal propeptide of type-I procollagen (PICP) (17), were shown to be sensitive and specific markers …

Performance on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children as related to salivary testosterone in children with learning disabilities: a poststudy analysis.

Reanalysis of testosterone values published in 1993 gave a significantly higher mean and standard deviation for 15 learning-disabled children scoring P > V than those for 10 scoring V > P but not for a matched nonlearning-disabled group. Replication with larger samples would allow a test of hemispheric integration.

Salivary testosterone in children with and without learning disabilities

Previous studies have indicated that the sex steroids have organizational effects upon neural tissue and that abnormal secretion during development may lead to functional anomalies. In this study, we explore the possibility of prepubertal steroid hormone involvement in the etiology of learning disabilities. Salivary testosterone levels in 264 children without learning disabilities (133 males, 131 females) were measured and compared to that in 32 children with learning disabilities (25 males, 7 females). The presence of learning disabilities was significantly associated with higher salivary testosterone. Data from equivalent samples of learning-disabled and control subjects also were compared separately because of disparities in sample size and variable distribution in the total group analysis. A 32-member sample of nonlearning-disabled children was created by randomly selecting individuals who exactly matched the age, race, and sex characteristics of the learning-disabled group. The matched analysis further substantiated the association between testosterone secretion and learning disabilities. Thus, it is possible that some learning disabilities may be associated in part with abnormal testosterone levels.

Effects of gonadotrophin-induced elevation of serum testosterone upon somatomedin C levels and serum thymidine activity in children.

3H-thymidine uptake into lectin-activated human lymphocytes allows to measure a growth-stimulating activity of serum, the thymidine activity (TA), which is GH dependent in vivo and related to somatomedins (Sm). In this work, it is shown: that addition of human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) or testosterone in vitro does not increase the 3H-thymidine uptake into lymphocytes; that the gonadotrophin-induced elevation of testosterone in children is accompanied by a significant increase of TA and, at a lesser degree, of Sm C; that these two increases are significantly correlated, and that the age-related variation of TA and Sm C after HCG stimulation test are not parallel.