Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M Serio

Publications and source records attributed to M Serio.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources

Luminescent immunoassay (LIA) for progesterone in a heterogeneous system.

An immunoassay procedure for determination of progesterone in human plasma is described which utilizes chemiluminescence as the endpoint. The assay utilized progesterone-11-hemisuccinate-aminobutyl-ethyl-isoluminol (P-11-HS-ABEI) as the chemiluminescent marker conjugate and dextran coated charcoal for the separation of bound and free fractions of the ligand. An assay procedure for progesterone was established and validated in terms of sensitivity and precision, and assay results were compared with radioimmunoassay, using tritiated progesterone as the tracer. The two methods agreed well (n=35, r=0.96). The most important advantage of this assay is the elimination of problems inherent in the use of radioactive materials.

Azides↗

Thyroxine and triiodothyronine levels in thyroid vein blood and in thyroid tissue of patients with autonomous adenomas.

Thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) concentrations were measured in peripheral and thyroid vein blood and in nodular and extranodular thyroid tissue from twenty-four patients with autonomous thyroid nodules (AFTN); fifteen of these patients showed clinical signs of hyperthyroidism and nine were euthyroid. Thirteen patients with solitary non-functioning thyroid adenomas who were clinically euthyroid, served as controls; samples of thyroid vein blood and normal thyroid tissue being obtained from the contralateral lobe. T4 (189.4 +/- 27.2 nmol/l) and T3 (7.05 +/- 2.03 nmol/l) concentrations were significantly higher in the thyroid vein blood of patients with AFTN compared with controls (T4 = 119 +/- 9.1 nmol/l, P less than 0.05; T3 = 2.3 +/- 0.21 nmol/l, P less than 0.01) whereas peripheral levels in the two groups were similar. The T3 concentrations (10.56 +/- 4.12 nmol/g wet tissue) in autonomously-functioning thyroid nodular tissue were significantly higher than those of extranodular (1.9 +/- 0.62 nmol/g wet tissue, P less than 0.01) and normal thyroid tissue (2.63 +/- 0.43 nmol/g wet tissue, P less than 0.05). The T4 levels were not different in the tissues examined. The concentrations of T4 and T3 in thyroid vein blood did not show any significant correlation with the hormone levels in thyroid tissue.

Adenoma↗

Testosterone concentrations in spermatic venous blood plasma of prepubertal boys.

Testosterone concentration has been measured in spermatic and peripheral venous plasma obtained during surgery from a total of 25 prepubertal boys affected either by inguinal hernia (Group I; N = 6; age range 2-8 years) or unilateral undescended testis (Group II; N = 19; age range 5-11 years). Median spermatic venous testosterone level was 58.7 ng/dl) (range 14.0--120.8 ng/dl) in Group I and 43.2 ng/dl (range 12..2-267.5 ng/dl) in Group II; median peripheral testosterone level was 4.9 ng/dl (range 2.3-15.4 ng/dl) and 5.6 ng/dl (range 1.1-89.3 ng/dl) in Group I and II, respectively. The difference between the spermatic and peripheral level was statistically significant in both groups (P less than 0.01 in Group I and P less than 0.001 in Group II). These results indicate that the prepubertal human testis secretes testosterone, even if in a very low amount. It is also suggested that this secretion can be responsible for LH inhibition in prepubertal boys.

Child↗

Spermatic and peripheral oestradiol levels in patients affected by azoospermia due to seminiferous tubular damage.

Plasma levels of testosterone, androstenedione and oestradiol were determined in the spermatic venous blood of both testes of 17 patient affected by azoospermia due to tubular damage (Group I). The results were compared with those found in 5 patients affected by azoospermia of obstructive origin and 5 patients with an inguinal hernia (Group II). Mean spermatic levels of testosterone and androstenedione were not significantly different in the two groups, while the mean (+/- SE) oestradiol spermatic level was significantly higher in patients of Group I (5.02 +/- 0.75 nM/l vs. 2.20 +/- 0.365 nM/l; P less than 0.05). Moreover, while the testosterone/androstenedione and the androstenedione/oestradiol ratios were not significantly different in the two groups, the mean (+/- SE) testosterone/oestradiol ratio was significantly lower in patients of Group I (552.71 +/- 80.94 vs. 939.86 +/- 129.45; P less than 0.025). Peripheral testosterone and androstenedione mean levels were not significantly different between the two groups while the mean peripheral oestradiol level (+/- SE) was significantly higher in Group I (0.107 +/- 0.021 nM/l vs. 0.038 +/- 0.05 nM/l; P less than 0.025). Peripheral oestradiol was not significantly related to peripheral FSH, nor to spermatic oestradiol in both groups. These results suggest the possibility that oestradiol may be involved in the pathogenesis of some cases of male infertility.

Adult↗

Spermatic and peripheral plasma concentrations of testosterone and androstenedione in prepubertal boys.

Spermatic and peripheral plasma concentrations of testosterone (T) and androstenedione (A) have been measured in prepubertal boys affected by inguinal hernia (group I; n = 7) and unilateral undescended testis (group II; n = 18). Mean (+/- SE) spermatic T concentrations (47.7 +/- 14.8 ng/dl in group I; 36.3 +/- 3.4 ng/dl in group II) were significantly different from mean peripheral T concentrations (9.8 +/- 2.1 ng/dl in group I; 9.3 +/- 0.9 ng/dl in group II) in both groups (P less than 0.05 and P less than 0.0005, respectively). Mean spermatic A concentration (59.7 +/- 4.9 ng/dl) was significantly higher than mean peripheral A concentration (49.8 +/- 4.9 ng/dl) in group II (P less than 0.05) but not in group I. Mean spermatic and peripheral T and A values found in boys of group I were not significantly different from those found in group II. The mean spermatic/peripheral T ratio was higher (5.01 in group I; 4.42 in group II) than the corresponding mean spermatic/peripheral A ratio (1.27 in group I; 1.32 in group II) in both groups. Our data suggest that 1) although testicular T secretion is present in all prepubertal boys, A secretion is not constant and often negligible; 2) the contribution of testicular secretion to the circulating T is much more important than the contribution to the circulating A; 3) no significant differences were found between the testicular secretory pattern of prepubertal boys with inguinal hernia and unselected boys with unilateral undescended testis.

Androstenedione↗

Plasma dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate in hypothyroid premenopausal women.

Plasma dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS), cortisol (F) and prolactin (PRL) were measured in seventeen premenopausal women with primary hypothyroidism and in fifteen normal premenopausal women. Significantly lower (P < 0.001) DHEAS levels were found in hypothyroid women while F and PRL were in the range of normal controls. No significant relation was found between DHEAS and total thyroxine (T4) and TSH. Our results support the hypothesis that DHEAS secretion is impaired in some women with primary hypothyroidism.

Adult↗

Seminal plasma levels of testosterone and 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone in azoospermic patients.

Testosterone (T) and 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) have been measured in seminal plasma of sixteen azoospermic patients with tubular damage (germinal cell arrest or Sertoli cell only syndrome) and five patients affected by azoospermia of obstructive origin. In both groups T values were not significantly different from controls, while DHT was significantly lower in patients affected by azoospermia of obstructive origin.

Dihydrotestosterone↗

Klinefelter's syndrome: a study of its hormonal plasma pattern.

Plasma testosterone (T), dihydrotestosterone (DHT), 17 beta-estradiol (E2), 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP), androstenedione (delta), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS), 5-androstene-3 beta-17 beta-diol (A-diol) and cortisol (F) have been measured in a group of normal males and in a group of patients with Klinefelter's syndrome (KS) before and after hCG stimulation. Significantly lower baseline levels of T and DHT and significantly higher baseline levels of E2 were found in patients with KS. No significant differences were found between baseline levels of 17-OHP, delta, DHEA, DHEAS, A-diol, and F. After hCG stimulation between T, DHT, E2 and 17-OHP levels showed a significant increase in the two groups of subjects. The percentage variation of T and DHT, however, was much less important in Klinefeiter patients, while E2 and 17-OHP did not show a significantly different pattern from that of normal controls, hCG administration did not produce any significant variation of delta, DHEA, DHEAS, and F in the two groups of subjects, while A-diol levels increased significantly in normal subjects, but not in Klinefelter patients. Our data may be consistent with the hypothesis that testicular steroidogenesis in Klinefelter patients is impaired below the 21-C-steriod level not only at delta 4 but also at the delta 5 pathway.

Adolescent↗

Measurement of 5-androsten-3beta,17beta-diol in spermatic and peripheral venous blood samples from the same human subjects by a radioimmunoassay method.

An original method for 5-androsten-3beta,17beta-diol (A-diol) measurement using an antiserum against A-diol-16-CMO-BSA is described. A-diol and testosterone (T) were determined by radioimmunoassay methods in spermatic and peripheral venous plasma of nine normal subjects during surgical intervention for inguinal hernia repair. In spermatic venous plasma the levels of T and A-diol were, respectively, 25.9 +/- 13.3 and 4.8 +/- 5.1 microgram/100ml (mean +/- SD) with an A-diol/T ratio of 0.19 +/- 0.15 (mean +/- SD); in peripheral plasma the levels of T and A-diol were, respectively, 269 +/- 58 and 91 +/- 25 ng/100 ml (mean +/- SD) with an A-diol/T ratio of 0.35 +/- 0.12 (mean +/- SD) significantly different from spermatic venous plasma (p less than 0.01). From these data a mean testicular A-diol secretion of about 0.70 mg/24 h can be calculated: this value corresponds approximately to the 50% of the blood production rate (BPR) of this steroid. So it can be assumed that a large amount of A-diol in systemic blood comes from sources outside the male gonad.

Adult↗

Plasma androgens in women with hyperprolactinaemic amenorrhoea.

Cortisol, androstenedione, testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHAS) and free dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA) were measured in plasma of ten women affected by amenorrhoea with hyperprolactinaemia and eleven women affected by secondary hypothalamic amenorrhoea; twelve normal women at the second day of the menstrual cycle were used as controls. All subjects were hospitalized and 17-ketosteroids, 17OH-corticosteroids and total dehydroepiandrosterone were also measured in urine. Plasma DHAS was increased in all subjects affected by amenorrhoea with hyperprolactinaemia, while plasma DHA and urinary DHA were significantly increased in this group in comparison to other groups. Plasma cortisol, androstenedione and testosterone and urinary 17-oxosteroids and 17OH-corticosteroids were not significantly differnt in the three groups. In subjects affected by amenorrhoea with hyperprolactinaemia treated with bromocriptine a clear decrease of DHAS correlating with a decrease of plasma prolactin was observed. Since in wome DHAS sems to be almost exclusively secreted by the adrenal gland and most of the circulating DHA is dervied from adrenal secretion, these data suggest that human prolactin can stimulate DHAS production by the adrenal cortex.

Adrenal Cortex↗