Viktória Poór

Urinary steroid metabolites and 11β-hydroxysteroid dehyrogenase activity in patients with unipolar recurrent major depression

BACKGROUND The aim of the present study was to obtain comprehensive information on steroid metabolism in depressed patients. METHODS 24-h urinary steroids were measured by gas chromatography in patients with unipolar recurrent major depression (URMD) compared to controls, and an index of relative activity of the 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11beta-HSD) enzyme was calculated. RESULTS The levels of etiocholanolone (E) (p < 0.05), beta-cortolone (beta-CL) (p < 0.01) were significantly decreased, while levels of allo-tetrahydrocorticosterone (aTHB) (p < 0.05) and cortisol (F) (p < 0.01) were elevated in depressed women. The levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) (p < 0.01), tetrahydrocorticosterone (THB) (p < 0.01), beta-CL (p < 0.01), and aTHB (p < 0.05) were found significantly decreased in depressed men. The index of 11beta-HSD activity (p < 0.01) was significantly decreased in patients in both sexes. LIMITATIONS The sample is limited to only urine samples of patient with URMD; the correlation between the severity of depression and F and DHEA was not analyzed. CONCLUSION Our investigations confirmed that URMD associated with altered steroid metabolism, which shows gender differences, pointing to the different stress sensibility of women. These differences may be the cause as well as the consequence of the major depression (MD).

Urinary steroids in men with male-pattern alopecia.

Enzyme hydrolysis, solid phase extraction, methoxym-silyl derivatization and capillary gas chromatographic analysis were used to examine the changes in urinary steroid metabolites in men with androgenic alopecia. A total of 23 men with androgenic alopecia and 7 age-matched control healthy men collected 24-h urine. Significantly increased values were found in the metabolites of testosterone (T): androsterone (A) (p<0.02), and etiocholanolone (E) (p<0.05) in patients with androgenic alopecia, compared to the control values. Elevated levels of 16-hydroxy-dehydroepiandrosterone (16-OHD) (p<0.03) and cortisol (F) (P<0.05) were found, but the levels of cortisol metabolites were unchanged. Calculating the ratio of total 5 alpha/5 beta metabolites provided information on the activity of 5 alpha-reductase. The ratio of total 5 alpha/5 beta metabolites was increased in the patients showing the increased 5 alpha-reductase activity. The elevated 16-OHD level could be indicative of patients who had mild hyperadrenal activity.

Urinary Steroid Measurements in Some Endocrine and Psychiatric Diseases

In 1990, the worldwide accepted Shackleton method, which provides a possibility of determining the steroid metabolites from urine, was adopted in our laboratory. The procedure is very useful in the diagnosis of different endocrine diseases and in the recognition of dysfunction or absence of enzymes with an important role in steroid metabolism, and it gives possibility to control the treatment in patients with these diseases. Besides the proximate clinical application, the method gives a convenient tool to study the steroid background of these disorders, helping us understand the mechanism of their development. In the last few years, we have examined the steroid profile of patients with hair (androgen alopecia /AA/, effluvium /E/), psychiatric problems (major depression /MD/, eating disorders /EDS/, especially anorexia nervosa and bulimia) and osteoporosis (OP). In all of the examined hair loss diseases, the levels of main androgen metabolites were increased, and elevated 5alpha-reductase activity were found. We could observe the alteration of the activity of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11beta-HSD) enzyme and marked gender differences in the changes of the steroid metabolism in patients with major depression (MD). In women with OP, the significantly decreased level of certain metabolites points to the role of testosterone, androstenedione and DHEA in postmenopausal bone loss in women. Our experiences contribute to the knowledge of the nature and steroid background of some endocrine and psychiatric diseases.

Diagnostic relevance of urinary steroid profiles on ovarian granulosa cell tumors: two case reports

BackgroundGranulosa cell tumor of the ovary is the most frequent sex cord stromal tumor and represents 2 to 5% of all primary ovarian cancers. Ovarian granulosa cell tumor is a malignant tumor with slow progression and in some cases this tumor is hormonally active. The recurrence of granulosa cell tumor often happens after 5 years.Case presentationWe describe two cases of postmenopausal women with adult-type granulosa cell tumors of the ovary. Patient 1 is a 49-year-old European woman with a recurrent tumor; patient 2 is a 55-year-old European woman without recurrence of tumor. Urinary steroid profiles of patient 1 were monitored during a 5-year period starting from before an operation (13 samples). In patient 2, the urinary steroid profiles were monitored during a 3-year period starting from after an operation (six samples). The 24-hour urinary samples were examined and the urinary concentration of 20 androgen, progesterone, and corticoid metabolites was quantitatively determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with selected ion-monitoring mode.ConclusionsBased on these cases a correlation could be observed between increased levels of the urinary steroids and the recurrence of ovarian granulosa cell tumor; therefore, we concluded that a urinary steroid profile could be a more effective method to follow-up such patients compared to the traditional serum hormones determinations supplemented with conventional tumor markers.

Advanced online mass spectrometry detection of proteins separated by capillary isoelectric focusing after sequential injection

Capillary isoelectric focusing hyphenated with mass spectrometry detection, following the sequential injection of the carrier ampholytes and the sample zone, is highly efficient for the characterization of proteins. The main advantage of the sequential injection protocol is that ampholytes, with pH ranges, which are not supposed to cover the isoelectric points of the sample components, can be used for separation. The method then allows online mass spectrometry detection of separated analytes either in the absence (substances that have left the pH gradient) or in the presence of low-level ampholytes (substances that are migrating within the pH gradient). The appearance of the substances within, or outside the pH gradient depends on, e.g., the composition of the ampholytes (broad or narrow pH range) or on the composition of electrolyte solutions. The experiments performed in coated capillaries (with polyvinyl alcohol or with polyacrylamide) show that the amount and the injection length of the ampholytes influence the length of the pH gradient formed in the capillary.

Environmental Assessment of an Abandoned Briquette Factory – A Case Study at Nagymányok Area, Former Industrial Zone

Abstract The study is focused on environmental assessments of impacts by former briquette factory at the Nagymányok area in South Hungary. The (former) industrial zone is located in a northern valley of the Eastern Mecsek Mountains. Until the 1990s this company was the largest briquette factory in Hungary and the demolition works are still incomplete. former investigations were based on only five samples. our sampling sites were selected on the basis of the source of the contaminations and then we covered the whole area in equal distribution. We used the A1-F6 codes for the sample places. We have started from southwest to northeast. The samples were analyzed for Total Petrol Hydrocarbons (TPHs), Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and for heavy metals. The area was heavily contaminated by TPHs and moderately heavy metals (such as Cu, Cr, Zn and Pb). Highest contaminant concentrations were found around the former industrial buildings, especially between the boiler-house and the coal-pillbox. In the industrial area the mean of the detected values is below the upper limit of the legal exposure values, but among the former industrial buildings higher (e.g. toxic level) concentration values were detected in multiple samples. Based on our investigation the pollutant can be transported by wind or by water on the surface (stream bed) or underground. The hazardous material can easily reach some part of the city, therefore reclamation is necesarry.

Altered urinary profiles of endogenous steroids in postmenopausal women with adenocarcinoma endometrii.

Objective. The potential role of androgen metabolism as co-factors in the development of carcinoma endometrii was investigated. Design. The urinary concentration of 23 androgen, progesterone and corticoid metabolites was quantitatively determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry with selected ion-monitoring. We obtained 24-h urine samples from 13 patients with adenocarcinoma endometrii and from 10 age-matched normal female subjects. In the course of the urinary steroid determination, we observed changes in the steroid profiles in the disease examined compared to the same age and same sex control group. Profiling urinary steroids has to give comprehensive information about the synthesis of steroids including the glandular and peripheral steroid metabolisms. Results. The concentrations of 16-hydroxy- dehydroepiandrosterone, pregnanediol and pregnenediol were not significantly different in the two groups. The concentrations of androsterone, etiocholanolone, 11β-hydroxy-androsterone, 11β-hydroxy-etiocholanolone, pregnanetriol, pregnenetriol, tetrahydrocortisone, tetrahydro-11-dehydrocorticosterone, tetrahydro-corticosterone, allo-tetrahydro-corticosterone, tetrahydrocortisol, allo-tetrahydrocortisol, α-cortolone, β-cortolone and α-cortol were significantly lower in the postmenopausal women with adenocarcinoma than in the controls. Conclusion. The changes in the concentrations of single metabolites point out the important role of steroid group, thus providing help in the recognition and treatment of diseased states.

Urinary steroids in premenopausal women with breast cancer at the time of surgery

SummaryUrinary steroid metabolites were measured by capillary gas chromatogaphy in 10 premenopausal women with operable breast cancer and 16 control women a day before operation. There were significant decreases in the levels of androsterone (A), main cortisol (F) metabolites/tetrahydrocortisone (THE), tetrahydrocortisol (THF), allo-tetrahydrocortisol (aTHF)/and β-cortolone (βCL). The lower adrenal function accompanies breast cancer in premenopausal women. As the number of patients included in the study is small our conclusions must be considered as preliminary.