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S Caiola

Publications and source records attributed to S Caiola.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Effects of dihydrotestosterone treatment on adrenal gland function and morphology in adult female guinea-pigs.

The effect of chronic treatment of female guinea-pigs with dihydrotestosterone (DHT) on growth and function of the adrenal gland and, in particular, on the reticular zone is described. Two groups of 6 young adult, female guinea-pigs were treated with DHT (1 mg/kg dissolved in peanut oil and injected s.c.) for 30 and 60 days. Two other groups of animals, treated only with oil, were used as controls. At the end of treatment, animals were killed and adrenal glands were quickly removed. Plasma levels of pregnenolone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA) and its sulfate (DHA-S), 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone, androstenedione, testosterone, estradiol, 11-deoxycortisol, androstenedione, DHT and 3 alpha-androstanediol were determined by R.I.A. following celite microcolumn chromatography. Animals treated for 30 days showed only elevated DHT and 3 alpha-androstanediol plasma levels, whereas animals treated for 60 days also showed increased values of pregnenolone (251 +/- 62 vs 193 +/- 51 ng/dl; P less than 0.05), DHA-S (12,046 +/- 4110 vs 2780 +/- 888 ng/dl; P less than 0.001) and slightly increased values of DHA (110 +/- 31 vs 86.5 +/- 55.4). In the 30-day-treated animals no histological changes were observed, but in the 60-day-treated group the total size as well as cell volumes of the zona reticularis were significantly increased. Normal estrous cycles were observed in the 30-day-treated animals whereas the 60-day-treated animals showed a progressive acyclicity during the second month of treatment. These results indicate that in guinea-pigs, prolonged treatment with DHT induces a growth of the zona reticularis of the adrenal gland associated with increased levels of 5-ene steroids, particularly DHA-S. The mechanisms inducing these modifications are probably mediated by a DHT effect at the hypothalamic-pituitary level. A direct effect of DHT on the zona reticularis, however, cannot be excluded.

Adrenal Glands↗
PubMed1988

Teratogenicity study of ammonium glycyrrhizinate in the Sprague-Dawley rat.

Ammonium glycyrrhizinate (AG), a commercially used salt of glycyrrhizic acid, was administered in the drinking-water to Sprague-Dawley rats on days 7-17 of pregnancy. The actual intakes were 0, 21.33 +/- 1.22, 238.75 +/- 17.50 and 679.94 +/- 69.87 mg AG/kg body weight/day for groups 0, 1, 2 and 3, respectively. AG caused polydipsia in the dams. Foetuses from the treated litters did not present an increase in external malformations, a decrease in weight or a decrease in the degree of ossification. However, there was a slight but significant increase in embryolethality and in the prevalence of external haemorrhages. Skeletal examination revealed a dose-related increase in minor anomalies, especially in the sternebral variants. Renal ectopy also increased significantly at the highest dose. These results indicate that the possible embryotoxicity of aromatizing compounds should be considered.

Aldosterone↗
PubMed1987

Lack of correlation between sex hormone binding globulin and free testosterone in some cases of "idiopathic" hirsutism.

Plasma 3 alpha-androstanediol levels are increased in a high percentage of hirsute women, including those with normal plasma levels of its precursors, repeatedly evaluated during the menstrual cycle. To better ascertain the origin of this form of hirsutism, so called "idiopathic", 17 hirsute women (aged 19.5 +/- 4.8 SD yr), with normal bw, showing an isolated increase in plasma 3 alpha-androstanediol (0.65 +/- 0.18 SD nmol/l) were studied in basal conditions (on day 6, 7, 17, 18 of the menstrual cycle). A hirsute female (aged 14 yr) with congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency was also included in the protocol. Sex hormone binding globulin was evaluated using a saturation method (dihydrotestosterone- 3H 0.5-25 nM) with and without 200x cold dihydrotestosterone. Maximum number of binding sites and Ka were calculated in all cases with Scatchard analysis. Free testosterone was evaluated by the equilibrium dialysis technique. The results obtained showed a significant increase in Ka values in 10 out of the 17 cases; low plasma levels of sex hormone binding globulin in 13 cases and normal levels in 4 cases; high levels of free testosterone fraction in 5 cases and in the upper limits of the normal range or normal in the remaining 12. These findings demonstrate that some cases of "idiopathic" hirsutism may present an alteration in the binding affinity of the sex hormone binding globulin which may be genetically transmitted, being found to be increased in two sisters and in their brother.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Is hirsutism an evolving syndrome?

The possibility that hirsutism is an evolving syndrome rather than a static condition involving only one gland has been considered. To assess this proposal 60 untreated hirsute patients aged 12-32 years were divided into five groups according to the duration of the hirsutism (less than 1, 1-2, 2-3, 3-5 and greater than 5 years). Peripheral plasma concentrations of LH and FSH, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate, testosterone, 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone, 5 alpha-androstane-3 alpha, 17 beta-diol, 5 alpha-androstane-3 beta, 17 beta-diol, cortisol, oestradiol-17 beta and oestrone were determined by radioimmunoassay. When the values obtained were compared with those from normal menstruating women, the results showed that in group I there was a significant increase only in the mean plasma 5 alpha-androstane-3 alpha, 17 beta-diol concentration. The mean concentration of this steroid was also raised in all other groups. In groups II and III mean basal levels of plasma dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate were also significantly increased and showed a marked increase after ACTH stimulation (1 mg tetracosactide acetate, i.m.) as did the concentrations of androstenedione and 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone. Finally, in groups IV and V, a significant increase in mean plasma concentrations of LH, androstenedione, oestrone and testosterone was found in the basal condition. The clinical picture also became gradually more severe from group I to group V. These data suggest that hirsutism could be an evolving syndrome progressively involving peripheral androgen metabolism, the adrenal gland and finally the ovary possibly through alterations of hypothalamic-pituitary function.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Is 3 alpha-androstanediol a marker of peripheral hirsutism?

The behaviour of 5 alpha-reduced metabolites of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone1, 3 alpha-androstanediol and 3 beta-androstanediol, was studied in 36 hirsute women: Group I: 24 patients with high plasma levels of testosterone, androstenedione and/or dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate and Group II: 12 patients with normal plasma concentrations of these steroids. Testosterone and its 5 alpha-reduced metabolites were determined by radioimmunoassay after chromatographic separation on celite 535 microcolumns. Plasma 3 alpha-androstanediol was found to be elevated both in Group I (26.9 +/- 10.8 SD ng/100 ml) and in Group II patients (23.2 +/- 10.5 SD ng/100 ml). 3 beta-Androstanediol and dihydrotestosterone, on the contrary, were elevated in only a few cases: in 6 cases in Group I and in 2 and in 1 case, respectively, in Group II. The finding of high plasma 3 alpha-androstanediol levels in hirsute women, with normal values of the other androgens, may be an index of hirsutism of peripheral origin, since this steroid is produced almost exclusively in the extraglandular compartment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

delta-Aminolevulinate dehydrase: a new genetic polymorphism in man.

A method has been developed for the electrophoretic and quantitative analyses of human red cell delta-aminolevulinate dehydrase (ALADH). The enzyme is under the control of an autosomal gene, with two common codominant alleles. ALADH1 and ALADH2, with frequencies of 0.89 and 0.11, respectively, in the Italian population. Mean phenotypic enzyme activities are nearly identical: 52,. 49 and 55 mIU/g Hb for ALADH 1, 2-1 and 2 phenotypes respectively.

Alleles↗