Sex- and age-specific reference intervals of 16 steroid metabolites quantified simultaneously by LC-MS/MS in sera from 2458 healthy subjects aged 0 to 77 years.

Background: Reference intervals covering the whole life span for all the metabolites in the steroid hormone biosynthesis quantified by sensitive and robust analytical methods are sparse or not existing.

Objective: To develop a state-of-the-art LC-MS/MS method for simultaneous quantification of multiple steroid metabolites and to establish detailed sex- and age-specific reference intervals for 16 steroid metabolites.

Materials And Method: An isotope diluted LC-MS/MS method was developed for simultaneous quantitation of 16 steroid hormones.

Serum Concentrations of Inhibin B in Healthy Females and Males Throughout Life.

Objective: To describe the natural history of inhibin B throughout life according to sex, age, and pubertal development.

Methods: Based on serum samples from 2707 healthy controls aged 0 to 80 years, sex- and age-specific reference ranges of inhibin B concentrations were constructed. Concentrations were evaluated according to pubertal development and use of oral contraceptives (OCs).

Disparities with global standards about growth references of mid-upper arm circumference-for-age for Pakistani children aged 6-60 months.

Aim: Growth reference values about mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) are vital for assessing children's nutritional status. However, Pakistan lacks these reference values and growth charts. This study aims to develop these for children aged 6-60 months and compare them with global standards.

Risk of long COVID and associated symptoms after acute SARS-COV-2 infection in ethnic minorities: A nationwide register-linked cohort study in Denmark.

Background: Ethnic minorities living in high-income countries have been disproportionately affected by Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in terms of infection rates, hospitalisations, and deaths; however, less is known about long COVID in these populations. Our aim was to examine the risk of long COVID and associated symptoms among ethnic minorities.

Methods And Findings: We used nationwide register-based cohort data on individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 aged ≥18 years (n = 2,287,175) between January 2020 and August 2022 in Denmark.

The impact of acute SARS-CoV-2 on testicular function including insulin-like factor 3 (INSL3) in men with mild COVID-19: A longitudinal study.

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may affect the male reproductive system as it uses angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)2, which is expressed in testicular tissue, as an entry point into the cell. Few studies have evaluated the long-term effects of mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on testicular function, and insulin-like factor 3 (INSL3) levels have not previously been assessed during acute SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the impact of acute SARS-CoV-2 infection on testicular function including INSL3 and the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in semen in non-hospitalised men with mild COVID-19.

COVID-19 mortality and use of intensive care among ethnic minorities - a national register-based Danish population study.

Migrants and ethnic minorities are disproportionately affected by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic compared to the majority population. Therefore, we studied mortality and use of mechanical ventilation (MV) by country of birth and migrant status in a nationwide cohort in Denmark. Nationwide register data on all cases hospitalized for > 24-hours with COVID-19 between February 2020 and March 2021.

Reproductive hormones, bone mineral content, body composition, and testosterone therapy in boys and adolescents with Klinefelter syndrome.

Adult patients with Klinefelter syndrome (KS) are characterized by a highly variable phenotype, including tall stature, obesity, and hypergonadotropic hypogonadism, as well as an increased risk of developing insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and osteoporosis. Most adults need testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), whereas the use of TRT during puberty has been debated. In this retrospective, observational study, reproductive hormones and whole-body dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry-derived body composition and bone mineral content were standardized to age-related standard deviation scores in 62 patients with KS aged 5.

Socioeconomic inequities in mortality and functional outcome after stroke in Zanzibar: A prospective cohort study.

Objectives: To characterise mortality and functional outcome and their relationships with socioeconomic deprivation for women and men in Zanzibar.

Materials And Methods: Participants in ZanStroke, a prospective observational study of patients admitted to hospital with a diagnosis of acute stroke, were followed up until one year after the stroke. The modified National Institute of Health Stroke Scale was used to assess initial stroke severity, while modified Rankin Scale (mRS) was used to assess disability at 12 months post-stroke.

Maternal phthalate exposure during pregnancy and testis function of young adult sons.

Background: Phthalate exposure during fetal life may disrupt testicular development. Congruent with this, studies have found shorter anogenital distance, reduced penile size and altered hormone levels in infant boys whose mothers were exposed to higher levels of some phthalates during pregnancy. Few studies have explored if such adverse effects persist in adulthood.

Differences in the distribution of pathogens and antimicrobial resistance in bloodstream infections in migrants compared with non-migrants in Denmark.

Background: We wish to study disparities in bloodstream infections in migrants and non-migrants by comparing the distribution of pathogens and their resistance patterns in long-term migrants with that in non-migrants in Denmark.

Methods: The study is based on a cohort of migrants, who received residency in Denmark between 1993 and 2015 and a control group of non-migrants. The cohort was linked to a database of bloodstream infections from 2000 to 2015 covering two regions in Denmark.

Hair cortisol, glucocorticoid gene receptor polymorphisms, stress, and testicular function.

Objective: Self-reported psychological stress has been associated with decreased semen quality. Cortisol levels in scalp hair (hair cortisol concentration, HCC) has emerged as a potential objective marker of psychological stress. Thus, we investigated if HCC was associated with markers of testicular function.

Pathogen distribution and antimicrobial resistance in infections in migrants and nonmigrants in Denmark, a cross-sectional study.

Objective: To investigate differences in bacterial distribution and resistance patterns of relevant pathogens in skin and tissue infections among migrants compared to nonmigrants.

Methods: The population is based on a cohort of migrants who obtained residence as refugees or family-reunited migrants in Denmark between January 1993 and December 2015. The cohort was linked to positive swabs and tissue cultures collected from hospitals and general practitioners between the years 2000 and 2016 at the Department of Microbiology, University Hospital Hvidovre, Denmark.

Effect of a single-dose denosumab on semen quality in infertile men (the FITMI study): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Infertility is a common problem globally and impaired semen quality is responsible for up to 40% of all cases. Almost all infertile couples are treated with either insemination or assisted reproductive techniques (ARTs) independent of the etiology of infertility because no medical treatment exists. Denosumab is an antibody that blocks RANKL signaling and inhibition of testicular RANKL signaling has been suggested to improve semen quality in a pilot study.

Optimized detection of germ cell neoplasia in situ in contralateral biopsy reduces the risk of second testis cancer.

Objective: To evaluate whether optimized and standardized diagnostic procedures would improve detection of germ cell neoplasia in situ (GCNIS) in the contralateral testis of patients with testicular germ cell tumour (TGCT) and decrease the rate of metachronous tumours, which in a nationwide Danish study was estimated to be 1.9%.

Patients And Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of outcomes in 655 patients with TGCT who underwent contralateral biopsies (1996-2007) compared with those in 459 non-biopsied TGCT controls (1984-1988).

Serum Testosterone Levels in 3-Month-Old Boys Predict Their Semen Quality as Young Adults.

Context: It remains unknown how the postnatal activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in infancy, also known as "minipuberty", relates to adult testis function.

Objective: To investigate how markers of reproductive function in 3-month-old boys correlate with adult reproductive health parameters.

Methods: This population-based birth cohort study (the Copenhagen Mother-Child cohort), conducted at Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark, included 259 boys examined once around 3 months of age and again at 18 to 20 years.

Hearing loss in fabry disease: A 16 year follow-up study of the Danish nationwide cohort.

Background: Fabry disease (FD) is a lysosomal storage disorder resulting in systemic accumulation of globotriaosylceramide (Gb) causing multi-organ dysfunction. The audiologic involvement in FD has been neglected in previous studies; while not a lethal aspect of the disease, hearing loss can have a significantly negative impact on quality of life.

Objective: To investigate hearing loss from baseline through 16 years follow-up of the Danish FD cohort and to compare audiometric data to other clinical variables.

Labour market marginalisation in young refugees and their majority peers in Denmark and Sweden: The role of common mental disorders and secondary school completion.

Background: Due to the circumstances of their early lives, young refugees are at risk of experiencing adverse labour market and health outcomes. The post-settlement environment is thought to play a decisive role in determining how this vulnerability plays out. This study compared trends in labour market marginalisation in young refugees and their majority peers during early adulthood in two national contexts, Denmark and Sweden, and explored the mediating role of common mental disorders and secondary school completions.

Long-term testosterone undecanoate treatment in the elderly testosterone deficient male: An observational cohort study.

Background: Quarterly intramuscular injections with long-acting testosterone undecanoate (TU) provide stable serum testosterone concentrations over time and are therefore preferred by many testosterone-deficient patients. However, the use of long-acting TU in elderly patients is limited due to lack of safety and feasibility studies.

Objective: To investigate long-acting TU pharmacokinetics and assess differences in treatment regimens and risk of adverse outcomes in younger versus elderly testosterone-deficient patients.

Socioeconomic and demographic risk factors in COVID-19 hospitalization among immigrants and ethnic minorities.

Background: Immigrants and ethnic minorities have been shown to be at increased risk of hospitalization from COVID-19. Our aim was to analyse the contribution of socioeconomic and demographic risk factors on hospital admissions for COVID-19 among immigrants and ethnic minorities compared to the majority population.

Methods: We used nationwide register data on all hospitalized COVID-19 cases between February and June 2020 (N = 2232) and random controls from the general population (N = 498 117).

Childhood reproductive hormone levels after pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in relation to adult testicular function.

Objectives: Longitudinal assessment of testicular function after pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is needed to guide clinical follow-up. We investigated dynamics in male reproductive hormones after pediatric HSCT, focusing on pubertal timing and associations with testosterone deficiency and azoospermia in adulthood.

Methods: This retrospective, longitudinal study included 39 survivors median 19 years after pediatric HSCT.

Vitamin D Supplementation Improves Fasting Insulin Levels and HDL Cholesterol in Infertile Men.

Context: Vitamin D has been linked with glucose and lipid metabolism. Men with impaired gonadal function have a higher risk of metabolic syndrome and mortality, and vitamin D status may be a reversible modulator.

Objective: This work aimed to determine the effect of daily vitamin D and calcium supplementation for 150 days on glucose and lipid homeostasis in infertile men.

Waiting for family reunification and the risk of mental disorders among refugee fathers: a 24-year longitudinal cohort study from Denmark.

Purpose: To examine whether family separation caused by prolonged waiting for family reunification is associated with the risk of mental disorders among refugee fathers.

Method: Based on full-population Danish registry data covering 1995-2015, we mapped arrival patterns among nuclear refugee family members resettled in Denmark (n = 76,776) and established a cohort of refugee fathers (n = 6176) who all arrived alone and later obtained family reunification with their wife and children. The fathers were followed for up to 24 years, from the day their residence permit was issued until their first psychiatric diagnosis, emigration, death, or study end, whichever came first.