Paige K. Besch

Relation between testosterone concentration, sex role identity, and personality among females

Eighty-four undergraduate female students completed Baucoms Masculinity and Femininity Scales, the Bem Sex Role Inventory, and the Adjective Check List. Testosterone concentration was determined from saliva samples provided by the women. The results indicated that sex role type was related to level of testosterone concentration. More specifically, undifferentiated females had much higher levels of testosterone concentration than did the feminine-sex-typed females. Also, females with high levels of masculinity (androgynous and masculine-sex-typed females combined) had somewhat higher testosterone levels than did feminine-sex-typed females. Adjectival correlates indicated that females with higher testosterone concentrations perceive themselves as self-directed, action-oriented, resourceful individuals; women with lower testosterone concentration view themselves as conventional, socialized individuals, possessing a caring attitude coupled with an anxious and dejected mood.

Saliva as a matrix for measuring free androgens: comparison with serum androgens in polycystic ovarian disease.

We report a simple and direct procedure for the measurement of circulating free testosterone concentrations by using saliva as a matrix rather than serum. There is a close correlation between saliva testosterone values measured by radioimmunoassay, calculated values of free testosterone, and free testosterone estimated by equilibrium dialysis. Our method is direct and has the advantage that the biologic fluid can be obtained routinely by noninvasive techniques outside the clinic during a course of therapy. We also show that a single saliva value is of greater diagnostic use than any of the currently used androgen assays. Testosterone was found to be elevated in the saliva of 17 infertility patients diagnosed as having polycystic ovarian syndrome, 14 of these patients were hirsute.

Effect of Tetrahydrocannabinol on the Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis in the Ovariectomized Rhesus Monkey *

Single doses of delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) (5.0, 2.5, 1.25, or 0.625 mg/kg) can decrease the levels of both luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in the ovariectomized rhesus monkey. The inhibition of gonadotropins (50% to 88%) lasts for 6 to 24 hours depending upon the dose of THC. There are no great differences in the responses of the two gonadotropins to THC. The inhibition of gonadotropin levels by THC appears to be at the level of the hypothalamus, since both LH and FSH are released from the pituitary gland in response to LH- releasing factor in the presence of THC.

Unconjugated steroids in leiomyomas and tumor-bearing myometrium

The concentrations of 17 beta-estradiol, progesterone, and estrone in leiomyomas and tumor-bearing myometrium were determined by specific radioimmunoassays in hysterectomy specimens from 12 women aged between 30 and 47 years. The concentration of 17 beta-estradiol was significantly higher in leiomyomas than in myometrium. There was no difference in the concentration of progesterone in leiomyomas and myometrium. The concentration of estrone was higher in the myometrium than in the leiomyomas, although the difference was not statistically significant. The concentrations of progesterone, 17 beta-estradiol, and to some extent estrone show variation with the phase of the menstrual cycle. The significance of the difference in concentration of 16 beta-estradiol in leiomyomas and myometrium, the relationship of this difference to the concentrations of estrogen and progesterone receptors, and factors possibly related to the growth of leiomyomas are discussed.

Estradiol and progesterone binding in human term placental cytosol.

Human term placentas were studied with regard to their ability to bind estrogens and progestins. A proteinaceous molecule was demonstrated in the high-speed supernatant fraction of disrupted cells that bound estradiol and sedimented in a sucrose density gradient with a coefficient of variation of 4 to 4.5 S with respect to bovine serum albumin. Estradiol was also bound by a single class of binding sites with a dissociation constant (Kd) of 7.35 +/- 1.10 X 10(-9) M and a concentration of binding sites of 54.67 +/- 17.62 fmol/mg protein (N = 7). A synthetic progestin tracer, R5020, was used in an exchange assay to detect any progestin binding and a Kd of 8.13 +/- 1.07 X 10(-9) M, and number of binding sites of 35 +/- 10 fmol/mg protein (N = 6) were obtained at 15 degrees C for 2 hours. No binding was observed in sucrose density gradients. The apparent specificity of the receptor protein for estrogens and progestins was demonstrated by means of competition studies. The possible role of these macromolecules in the human placenta is suggested.

The effect of marihuana (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) on the secretion of luteinizing hormone in the ovariectomized rhesus monkey☆

Despite the widespread use of marihuana by large numbers of young adults in the reproductive years, little is known about the effects of this drug on reproductive function. information on the effect of the drug on the woman is particularly meager. The rhesus monkey provides an excellent animal model from which to generalize to man. While the primary purpose of the project is to determine the effect of long-term administration on the cycling female monkey, the initial studies were carried out in the ovariectomized monkey with resulting elevated gonadotropin levels under conditions of short-term administration of the drug. Marihuana causes a reversible depression in luteinizing hormone levels in the ovariectomized female rhesus monkey.

Observations on the Mechanism of Action of Clomiphene (MRL-41)

Serial follicle stimulaint hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) determinations (by the methods of Steelman and Pohley and Parlow respectively) in 4 23-53 year old anovulatory patients given short-term clomiphene treatment (100-400 mg orally/day for 6 days) were employed in studying the mechanism of clomiphene action. Serial determinations of 3 estrogens (estrone estradiol and estriol) were also determined using thin-layer absorption chromatography before Kober color development. FSH levels rose in all cases during or immediately following clomiphene therapy. LH did not rise prior to a rise in estrogens. The estradiol fraction was found to contain at least 3 different components. During clomiphene therapy the estradiol fraction fell. Since the estradiol fraction was composed of 2 compounds in addition to estradiol and since it fell during treatment it was postulated that it was the unidentified estrogens whose excretion had decreased. It was suggested that this fall in unidentified estrogens may be responsible for the increase in FSH release observed during treatment.

Nasal and Vaginal Staphylococcus aureus in Young Women: Quantitative Studies

On quantitative cultures using media selective for staphylococci, 15 of 145 healthy women (10.3%) had Staphylococcus aureus isolated from the vagina; numbers of staphylococci ranged from 3 x 10(1) to 7.3 x 10(7) per swab. Nine of 15 women who were S. aureus vaginal carriers were also nasal carriers, but only 30 of 130 of women without vaginal S. aureus also had coagulase-positive staphylococci in the nose (p = 0.002). Among women with S. aureus at both sites, the numbers of vaginal and nasal staphylococci isolated were not correlated. No association was found between the presence of vaginal staphylococcal colonization and the use of tampons compared to napkins. Cultures taken during menstruation from which S. aureus were isolated contained significantly higher numbers of coagulase-positive staphylococci (mean log +/- SE of 4.0 +/- 0.3) than positive cultures after menstruation (3.3 +/- 0.2) (p less than 0.02).

Receptor-like binding proteins for testosterone and progesterone in the human ovary

The presence of two receptor-like proteins in human ovarian cytosol is described, one for testosterone and the other for progesterone. They have high affinity and are saturable, thermolabile, and highly specific. The properties of these proteins are discussed, and their possible role in the regulation of ovarian function is discussed.

Studies on the mechanism of the production of the testicular feminization syndrome

Abstract Studies in a patient with testicular feminization are reported. Evidence is presented that the gonads produce testosterone as measured in the gonadal vein blood and in the urine. Urinary testosterone levels increased in response to gonadal stimulation with Pergonal and decreased following gonadectomy. Low normal urinary levels of estrogen persisted following gonadectomy despite the administration of large amounts of testosterone. In vitro studies of the gonad demonstrated their biosynthetic capacity to produce testosterone. Administration of large doses of exogenous testosterone for a period of three months produced no manifestations of virilization. It is concluded that the syndrome represents end organ unresponsiveness to testosterone. This unresponsiveness was demonstrated after gonadectomy, and it is therefore unlikely that it is due to gonadal secretion of an antiandrogenic substance [19].