A survey on measurement and reporting of total testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin and free testosterone in clinical laboratories in Europe.

Objectives: To compare clinical laboratory workflows for the assessment of androgens in men, focusing on total testosterone (T), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and free T, in clinical laboratories throughout Europe.

Methods: An internet-based survey that included questions related to pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical phases of androgen measurements was distributed between December 2022 and December 2023 by clinical laboratory/chemistry and endocrine societies. A total of 124 unique records from clinical laboratories in 27 European countries were analyzed.

Multiomics unravels the complexity of male obesity: a prospective observational study.

Background: Obesity is associated with varying degrees of metabolic dysfunction. In this study, we aimed to discover markers of the severity of metabolic impairment in men with obesity via a multiomics approach.

Methods: Thirty-two morbidly men with obesity who were candidates for Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery were prospectively followed.

Investigating the Link between Intermediate Metabolism, Sexual Dimorphism, and Cardiac Autonomic Dysfunction in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes.

Sexual dimorphism influences cardiovascular outcomes in type 1 diabetes (T1D), with women facing a higher relative risk of macrovascular events compared to men, especially after menopause. This study hypothesizes that abnormalities in intermediate metabolism may be associated with cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) in T1D. We aim to assess low molecular weight metabolites (LMWM) as markers of CAN in T1D, considering the effects of sexual dimorphism and age.

Resting energy expenditure in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Study Question: Is resting energy expenditure (REE) altered in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)?

Summary Answer: Women with PCOS have a reduction in REE, when corrected for fat-free mass, independent of PCOS clinical phenotypes and BMI categories.

What Is Known Already: Obesity is an important issue in women with PCOS, in terms of frequency and pathophysiological implications. It has been hypothesized that obesity may be favoured by alterations in REE, but the studies have been limited and conflicting.

The association between newborn cord blood steroids and ambient prenatal exposure to air pollution: findings from the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort.

Knowledge of whether prenatal exposure to ambient air pollution disrupts steroidogenesis is currently lacking. We investigated the association between prenatal ambient air pollution and highly accurate measurements of cord blood steroid hormones from the androgenic pathway.This study included 397 newborns born between the years 2010 and 2015 from the ENVIRONAGE cohort in Belgium of whom six cord blood steroid levels were measured: 17α-hydroxypregnenolone, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, pregnenolone, androstenedione, and testosterone.

Physiological declines in sex steroid exposure in relation to changes in body composition in healthy men-a prospective cohort study.

Objective: Androgen levels decline from early adulthood and decreases are steeper in men with increasing body mass index. It is, however, unclear to what extent changes in other indices of body composition and metabolism associate with changes in sex steroid levels in healthy men. Therefore, this study investigated longitudinal changes in body composition and metabolic health in relation to sex steroid levels in healthy adult men.

GRACE-trial: a randomised active-controlled trial for vulvovaginal atrophy in patients with breast cancer on endocrine therapy - study protocol.

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common cancer type in women worldwide. Due to hormone receptor positivity in the majority of the breast cancer tumours is endocrine therapy a crucial part in the treatment landscape of breast cancer. Endocrine therapy consists of the use of selective oestrogen-receptor modulators or aromatase inhibitors.

Sex differences and sex steroids influence on the presentation and severity of cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy of patients with type 1 diabetes.

Background: Sex differences characterize cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 1 diabetes. Cardioautonomic neuropathy is a common complication of type 1 diabetes that associates increased morbi-mortality. Data regarding the interplay between sex and cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy are scarce and controversial in these patients.

Not within spitting distance: Salivary immunoassays of estradiol have subpar validity for predicting cycle phase.

Salivary steroid immunoassays are widely used in psychoneuroendocrinological studies of menstrual cycle phase, puberty, and menopause. Though manufacturers advertise their assays as suitable, they have not been rigorously validated for these purposes. We collated data from eight menstrual cycle studies across > 1200 female participants and > 9500 time points.

Changes in Serum Testosterone and Adrenal Androgen Levels in Transgender Women With and Without Gonadectomy.

Background: Initiating feminizing gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) in transgender women causes a steep decline in serum testosterone. It is unknown if testosterone concentrations change further and whether adrenal androgen levels change during feminizing GAHT and after gonadectomy. This limits clinical decision making in transgender women with symptoms attributed to GAHT or gonadectomy.

Modest Changes in Sex Hormones During Early and Middle Adulthood Affect Bone Mass and Size in Healthy Men: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Bone metabolism in men is in part determined by sex steroid exposure. This is especially clear during puberty and senescence but it remains to be established whether declines in sex steroid levels during young and middle adulthood are associated with changes in bone mass and size. This study investigated changes in bone mineral content (BMC), areal bone mineral density (aBMD), volumetric BMD (vBMD), and bone size in relation to sex steroid levels in 999 young adult men (age 24-46 years) of whom 676 were re-evaluated after a mean period of 12 years.

The relationship between circulating hormone levels, bone turnover markers and skeletal development in healthy boys differs according to maturation stage.

Introduction: This study investigates peri-pubertal changes in bone turnover markers, Wnt-signalling markers, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and sex steroid levels, and how they reflect skeletal development in peri-pubertal boys.

Materials And Methods: Population-based study in 118 peri-pubertal boys from the NINIOS cohort (age range at baseline 5.1-17.

Labile glycated hemoglobin: an underestimated laboratory marker of short term glycemia.

Objectives: Diabetes mellitus is a major public health problem. Hemoglobin A (HbA) is a key laboratory parameter in the management of diabetes patients. However, in diabetes monitoring, interpretation of HbA results is hampered by the important interindividual variation in red blood cell (RBC) life span.

Clinical Value of Serum Levels of 11-Oxygenated Metabolites of Testosterone in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

Context: Recent data suggested that 11-oxygenated androgens may be the preponderant circulating androgens in women with PCOS. However, the pathophysiological significance of these hormones remains unclear.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationships between serum 11-OH testosterone (11-OHT) and 11-keto testosterone (11-KetoT) and clinical and biochemical hyperandrogenism, as well as the metabolic parameters, in women with PCOS.

Analysis of ergonomic occupational accidents and near misses in a large Belgian university hospital.

Introduction: Health-care organizations are facing a high burden of ergonomic occupational accidents, and prevention is a continuous point of interest. In this manuscript, we describe the characteristics of ergonomic accidents in a large Belgian university hospital and discuss the value of near misses.

Methods: Combining databases, we identified the frequency [number of accidents × 10 hours worked per year], severity (number of days off work × 10 hours worked per year), and profile of the victims of occupational ergonomic accidents (with absence from work) or incidents or near-misses (without absence from work).

Insulin-Mediated Substrate Use in Women With Different Phenotypes of PCOS: the Role of Androgens.

Context: Few studies have explored in vivo insulin action on substrate use in women with PCOS. In particular, no data are available in women with different PCOS phenotypes.

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate insulin action on glucose (Gox) and lipid (Lox) oxidation, nonoxidative glucose metabolism (Gnonox), and serum free fatty acids (FFAs) in different PCOS phenotypes.

Metabolism of testosterone during weight loss in men with obesity.

Objective: Men with obesity often have low total and, with increasing adiposity, also low free testosterone (T) levels, which can partially restore during weight loss. Although this is partly explained by lower sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) production and hypothalamic-pituitary downregulation, it is still not unravelled whether changes in androgen metabolism contribute to this phenomenon. Therefore, early changes in urinary excretion of T and its metabolites, during weight loss, in men with obesity are investigated.

Early Decline of Androgen Levels in Healthy Adult Men: An Effect of Aging Per Se? A Prospective Cohort Study.

Context: Androgen levels have been shown to decline in aging men. However, there is no consensus on the effect of aging, (changes in) body mass index (BMI), lifestyle factors, and intercurrent disease.

Objective: Investigating longitudinal changes in serum androgen levels in healthy men in relation to body composition, lifestyle factors, and intercurrent disease.

The effects of age and obesity on postprandial dynamics of serum testosterone levels in men.

Objective: Guidelines recommend using fasting samples to evaluate testosterone (T) levels in men, as free and total T levels decrease postprandially. However, it is not clear whether these dynamics are affected by age or obesity. This could be relevant given the obesity epidemic, ageing population and the barrier for screening which fasting could impose.

Histologically proven hepatic steatosis associates with lower testosterone levels in men with obesity.

Men with obesity often present with low testosterone (T) and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels. Several mechanisms for this have been proposed, but as SHBG is secreted by hepatocytes and sex steroids undergo hepatic metabolization, this study investigates whether severity and histological components of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are associated with sex steroid levels in obese men. This cross-sectional study included 80 obese men (age: 46 ± 11 years; body mass index: 42.

A practical approach towards the evaluation of aberrant thyroid function tests.

: To provide insight in patterns and causes of aberrant thyroid function tests (TFT) and to propose a practical approach for clinicians.: Starting from an illustrative case report, an extensive literature search was performed, resulting in a narrative literature review.: TFT that cannot be explained by the negative feedback principle of the hypothalamo-pituitary-thyroid axis are a challenge for every clinician.

Reassessing Free-Testosterone Calculation by Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Direct Equilibrium Dialysis.

Context: Assessment of free testosterone (FT) might help evaluate androgen status in patients with borderline total testosterone (T) and/or altered sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels. However, the validity of different methods to measure FT is debatable.

Methods: Serum from 183 women and 146 men was analyzed using equilibrium dialysis (ED), with FT directly measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.