The Effects of Testosterone and Its Receptors on Cardiovascular Development and Function / 中国生物化学与分子生物学报

Testosterone (T) is a key member of the androgen family, and its biosynthesis is regulated by the hypothalamie-pituitary-gonadal axis, and it is an important hormone that drives sexual differentiation and body development in mammals. The regulatory effects of testosterone on the organism include the androgen receptor (AR) mediated genomic pathway and the non-genomic pathway independent of AR. The genomic approach is that testosterone binds to AR in the cytoplasm through the cell membrane, and then the ligand receptor complex is transferred into the nucleus and combines with androgen response elements (ARE) in the promoter region of the androgen response gene to regulate the downstream gene expression. By binding to receptors on the cell membrane, testosterone rapidly activates related signaling molecules on the membrane and in the cell, and produces effects by initiating transmembrane signal transduction mechanisms, a process known as non-genomic pathway. The heart is the first functional organ formed during embryonic development. Its main function is to provide power for blood flow. Its morphogenesis and function maintenance are closely related to the cell type that constitutes the heart. It is known that the heart is one of the target organs of androgens. In recent years, studies have found that ligand-dependent transcription factor AR is distributed in various cell types of heart tissues, including cardiomyocytes, vascular smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells and cardiac fibroblasts. In addition to affecting gender differentiation and maintaining sexual characteristics, testosterone is also widely involved in the development and function maintenance of many tissues and organs. It also plays an important role in the regulation of cardiac physiological and pathological processes, including participating in heart development, inducing cardiac hypertrophy, regulating cardiac contraction, delaying cardiac aging and affecting vascular calcification. This paper reviews the function of testosterone and its receptor in the main cell types of the heart and their mechanism of action on cardiac physiological and pathological processes in order to provide a reference for the study of the mechanism of action of androgens in the heart.

Effect of acupoint catgut embedding, fire needle, auricular acupuncture on female post-adolescent acne and serum sex hormone / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare the difference of serum sex hormone between female patients with post-adolescent acne and healthy women, and to explore the efficacy and action mechanism of acupoint catgut embedding, fire needle, auricular acupuncture on skin lesion in female patients of post-adolescent acne.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 107 female patients of post-adolescent acne were divided into an integrated acupuncture group (54 cases, 4 cases were excluded) and a medication group (53 cases, 5 cases were excluded). The patients in the integrated acupuncture group were treated with comprehensive treatment of acupoint catgut embedding, fire needle, auricular acupuncture; the acupoint catgut embedding was applied at Dazhui (GV 14), Yintang (GV 29), Yangbai (GB 14) through Yuyao (EX-HN 4) and other acupoints based on syndrome differentiation; the fire needle was applied at skin lesion; the auricular acupuncture was applied at erjian (HX), e (AT), kou (CO), etc. The patients in the medication group were treated with oral administration of tanshinone capsules (4 capsules each time, 3 times a day) and external use of adapalene gel (one treatment per day at night). Patients in the two groups were treated for 8 weeks. The skin lesion of acne was evaluated before treatment as well as 4 weeks and 8 weeks after treatment in the two groups; the serum levels of testosterone (T) and estradiol (E) were tested 24 hours before menstruation in the integrated acupuncture group (50 cases) and healthy control group (46 cases), and the change of serum sex hormone after treatment was observed in 21 patients with sex hormone disorder in the integrated acupuncture group.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Before treatment, the level of E in the integrated acupuncture group was significantly lower than that in the healthy control group (<0.01), but T/E in the integrated acupuncture group was significantly higher than that in the healthy control group (<0.01). After treatment, the level of E was significantly increased (<0.01) and T/E was reduced (<0.01) in the 21 patients with sex hormone disorder in the integrated acupuncture group. The skin lesion scale of acne was significantly reduced in the two groups after 4-week and 8-week treatment (all <0.01); the difference between the two groups was not significant after 4-week treatment (>0.05); the skin lesion scale of acne in the integrated acupuncture group was significantly lower than that in the medication group after 8-week treatment (<0.01). The efficacy between the two groups was not significant after 4-week the treatment (>0.05); after 8-week treatment, the cured and effective rate was 66.0% (33/50) in the integrated acupuncture group, which was superior to 45.8% (22/48) in the medication group (<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Compared with healthy women, the level of serum sex hormone of E is reduced in the female patients of post-adolescent acne, resulting in relative increased level of T; the acupoint catgut embedding, fire needle, auricular acupuncture have better efficacy than medication for post-adolescent acne, which have regulation effects on sex hormone disorder.</p>

Relationship between menstrual disorder and ovarian morphology of adolescent women / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

Objective To study the relationship between menstrual disorder and ovarian morphology of adolescent women in order to provide basis for diagnosis of adolescent polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).Methods We analyzed the clinical data of 212 patients with adolescent menstrual disorders 2 years after menstruation collected from the Department of Gynecology and Women's Health of First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University between September 2014 and September 2015.Results ① Oligomenorrhea was the most common in the 212 adolescent women (33.96 ％),followed by amenorrhea (16.51％).There was a significant difference in F-G score and acne score among patients with different types of menstrual disorder (F=1.39,1.77,all P＜0.05),the highest in those with oligomenorrhea.② The volume of the ovary,number of sinusoidal follicles,maximum area of the ovary in women with oligomenorrhea were significantly higher than those in non-oligomenorrhea women (t =2.89,5.76,6.23,all P＜ 0.05).③ Clinical manifestations differed significantly among normal ovarian group,MFO group and PCO group (x2=43.25,P＜0.05).Incidence rate of oligomenorrhea ranked the top in polycystic ovary group (49.30％),followed by multiple ovarian follicles group (42.59％),and there were significant differences in blood LH,T,and LH/FSH (F=3.45,2.43,2.76,all P＜0.05) was found in PCO group.There was significant difference in diagnosis of puberty PCOS (x2=26.58,P＜0.05).④ Among these 212 adolescent women,45 ones had puberty PCOS (21.23％).The ovary volume,number of sinus follicles,and the largest area in the obese patients were significantly higher than those in non-obese group (t =3.42,7.89,4.02,all P＜0.05);HOMA IR was also significantly higher than that in non-obese group (t =8.89,10.62,all P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Oligomenorrhea is the most common menstrual disorder in adolescent women.Ovarian morphological abnormalities occur in most women with oligomenorrhea and obesity,who should be followed up regularly.

Effects of environmental lead pollution on blood lead and sex hormone levels among occupationally exposed group in an E-waste dismantling area / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effects of environmental multi-media lead pollution on blood lead and sex hormone levels among lead exposed males engaged in E-waste dismantling, and the correlation between confounding factors and sex hormone levels.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>An E-waste dismantling area in Taizhou of Zhejiang Province was selected as the research site. One hundred and fifty two samples were collected from the groundwater, soil, rice, corn, chicken, and pork in the dismantling area. The effects of the multi-media lead pollution on the male blood lead and sex hormone levels of FSH, LH, and T, as well as the correlation with confounding factors, were studied.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The blood lead concentrations in the males aged under 31, from 31 to 45 and from 46 to 60 were 98.55, 100.23, and 101.45 μg/L, respectively. Of all the environmental media lead exposures, the groundwater, rice and soil were main contributing factors to the lead accumulation in humans. FSH and LH levels increased with the age while the T levels decreased with the age instead. There was a significant correlation between the FSH and LH levels and wearing masks.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>There was correlation between the FSH, LH, and T levels, and the mean values of lead concentrations in environmental media, and the sex hormone levels were correlated with the confounding factor of wearing masks.</p>

Experimental Studies on Antiaging Effects of Seal Kidney / 中国海洋药物

Objective Antiaging effects of seal kidney on aged male rats have been studies. Methods: Reproduction system of male rat was damaged by CYP. After ig. seal kidney 30 days, the content of serum T, serum MDA and the activity of SOD were determined. The changes of histology of the testis were observed by microscope with the method of paraffin embedding and H-E staining. Results The contents of serum T not only in normal rat but also in reproduction system damaged rat were markedly enhanced. The function condition of leydig's cells in the testis was improved. The formation and development of spermatozoon were increased. The activity of serum SOD was remarkably raised , while the content of serum MDA was strikingly reduced. Conclusion Seal kidney has the notable antiaging effects.