Early adrenarche in normal prepubertal girls: a prospective longitudinal study.

Objective: To study basal and ACTH stimulated levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), androstenedione (A4), and cortisol (F) in healthy girls during prepuberty.

Patients: Six prepubertal girls, ages 3.7-10.

Role of a CYP17 polymorphism in the regulation of circulating dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

We studied 259 consecutive unselected white patients with the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and 161 matched controls for a common polymorphism of CYP17, the gene encoding for P450c17alpha, and did not observe an important modulatory effect of this variant on circulating DHEAS. It does not appear that this common variant of CYP17, a T to C substitution in the 5' promoter region, plays a significant role in the adrenal androgen excess of PCOS.

Adrenal progestogen and androgen production in 21-hydroxylase-deficient nonclassic adrenal hyperplasia is partially independent of adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that adrenal steroidogenesis in nonclassic adrenal hyperplasia (NCAH) patients is, at least in part, independent of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) control.

Design: Prospective controlled clinical study.

Setting: Patients and healthy volunteers in an academic research environment.