Endocrine Abstracts

PCOS is a common disorder that is reported to affect 5–7% of women of reproductive age. Although there has been debate about the diagnostic criteria for PCOS, hyperandrogenemia/hyperandrogenism, not explained by other causes, is a hallmark of the disorder, and it is included as an essential element in all ‘consensus’ diagnostic schemes. Studies on cultures of human theca cells derived from normal and PCOS women have demonstrated that PCOS theca secretes greater ...

Insulin resistance and androgen excess are the cardinal features of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The severity of hyperandrogenism and metabolic dysfunction in PCOS are closely correlated but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Aldoketoreductase type 1C3 (AKR1C3) is an important source of adipose androgen generation (converting androstenedione to testosterone) and we have postulated that it may have a critical role linking androgen metabolism and meta...

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