Higher serum testosterone and dihydrotestosterone, but not oestradiol, are independently associated with favourable indices of lung function in community-dwelling men.

Objectives: Lower circulating androgens and poorer lung function are associated with increased cardiovascular risk and mortality in men. The association between androgens and lung function is unclear. We tested the hypothesis that circulating testosterone (T) and its metabolites dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and oestradiol (E2) are differentially associated with lung function in men.

Active vitamin D (1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D) is associated with chronic pain in older Australian men: the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project.

Background: Although there is a conflicting evidence for an association between low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25D) levels and pain, the relationship between pain and the active vitamin D metabolite, 1,25-hydroxyvitamin D (1,25D), has not been investigated. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between serum vitamin D metabolites: 25D and 1,25D with intrusive or chronic pain in community-living men aged ≥70 years.

Methods: Population-based, cross-sectional analysis of the baseline phase of the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project, a large epidemiological study conducted in Sydney between January 2005 and May 2007.

Cellular cholesterol regulates ubiquitination and degradation of the cholesterol export proteins ABCA1 and ABCG1.

The objective of this study was to examine the influence of cholesterol in post-translational control of ABCA1 and ABCG1 protein expression. Using CHO cell lines stably expressing human ABCA1 or ABCG1, we observed that the abundance of these proteins is increased by cell cholesterol loading. The response to increased cholesterol is rapid, is independent of transcription, and appears to be specific for these membrane proteins.

Proteomic comparison of colorectal tumours and non-neoplastic mucosa from paired patient samples using iTRAQ mass spectrometry.

Quantitative mass spectrometry using iTRAQ was used to identify differentially expressed proteins from 16 colorectal cancer (CRC) tumours compared to patient-paired adjacent normal mucosa. Over 1400 proteins were identified and quantitated, with 118 determined as differentially expressed by >1.3-fold, with false discovery rate < 0.

Bone turnover in nutrition-related disorders.

It has been known for some time that nutritional and lifestyle factors are of great importance in the development and maintenance of normal bone mass and remodelling. Recent studies suggest that hypovitaminosis D is frequent in children and adolescent persons, and may affect their bone health. Clearly, chronic eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa are associated with high rates of bone resorption and bone loss, and increased fracture risk.

The short-term effects of high-dose testosterone on sleep, breathing, and function in older men.

Androgen therapy may precipitate obstructive sleep apnea in men. Despite increasing androgen use in older men, few studies have examined sleep and breathing. Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies examining effects of testosterone simultaneously on sleep, breathing, and function in older men are not available.

Optimal power transformations for analysis of sperm concentration and other semen variables.

The nongaussian (or nonnormal) distribution of sperm concentration, and variables deriving from it, is a common practical problem in the statistical evaluation of semen data. Yet it has been little studied, and its importance to data analysis, as well as to practical remedies, is not widely appreciated. Inappropriate use of the raw scale of measurement produces inflated estimates of mean and variance, leading to false-negative (underpowered) statistical comparisons and excessive sample size estimates.

Nutrition and molecular markers of bone remodelling.

Purpose Of Review: Molecular markers of bone remodelling are noninvasive and comparatively inexpensive tools to evaluate the two major processes of bone renewal: bone formation and bone resorption. Over the past 10 years, research has generated a number of novel and specific bone markers that enable us to investigate those processes even more closely.

Recent Findings: It has been known for some time that nutritional and lifestyle factors are of great importance in the development and maintenance of normal bone mass and remodelling.

A novel transgenic model to characterize the specific effects of follicle-stimulating hormone on gonadal physiology in the absence of luteinizing hormone actions.

Gonadal function is wholly reliant on the two pituitary-derived gonadotropins, FSH and LH. Identifying the specific effects of FSH has been difficult because of the intimate relationship between LH and FSH action and inherent limitations of classic research paradigms. We describe a novel transgenic model to characterize the definitive actions of FSH alone, distinct from LH effects, created by combining transgenic FSH expression with the gonadotropin-deficient background of the hypogonadal (hpg) mouse.