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Nathan Goodyear

Effect of androgen replacement therapy... [Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2014] - PubMed - NCBI - 0 views

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/...25280063

atherosclerosis carotid IMT carotid intima-media thickness low T low Testosterone idiopathic hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism men male hormone hormones CVD CAD

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 06 Oct 14 - No Cached
  • Nathan Goodyear on 06 Oct 14
     
    men with idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism have increased carotid IMT--atherosclerosis.  Testosterone therapy reduced carotid IMT.  
Nathan Goodyear

Effect of folic acid supplementation on the ... [Atherosclerosis. 2012] - PubMed - NCBI - 0 views

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/...22209480

IMT folic acid folate carotid intima-medial thickness atherosclerosis CAD

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 25 Jul 12 - No Cached
  • Nathan Goodyear on 25 Jul 12
     
    A common tool to monitor the progression of atherosclerosis is carotid intima-medial thickness.  This meta-analysis showed that folic acid reduces carotid intimal medial thickness.
Nathan Goodyear

Mercury accumulation and accelerated progres... [Atherosclerosis. 2000] - PubMed - NCBI - 0 views

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/...10657561

IMT carotid carotid IMT carotid intima-media thickness atherosclerosis mercury Hg cardiovascular disease men hypertension

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 16 Sep 14 - No Cached
  • Nathan Goodyear on 16 Sep 14
     
    Accumulating Hg associated with increased CIMT and carotid atherosclerosis.
Nathan Goodyear

Low plasma testosterone and elevated carotid... [Atherosclerosis. 2012] - PubMed - NCBI - 0 views

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/...22658553

low T Testosterone CRP CVD carotid IMT inflammation male men hormone hormones

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 15 Nov 13 - No Cached
  • Nathan Goodyear on 15 Nov 13
     
    Study finds that low Total T and "bioavailable", also known as free, Testosterone  is associated with an increase in carotid intima-media thickness, which is a marker of CVD.  Higher CRP increased the IMT in those with low T.
Nathan Goodyear

Circulating Estradiol Is an Independent Predictor of Progression of Carotid Artery Inti... - 0 views

jcem.endojournals.org/...4433.long

Estradiol inflammation carotid IMT men male hormone hormones CVD

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 15 Nov 13 - No Cached
  • Nathan Goodyear on 15 Nov 13
     
    Increasing Estradiol is associated with an increasing carotid IMT in men.
Nathan Goodyear

Testosterone and the Cardiovascular System: A Comprehensive Review of the Clinical Lite... - 0 views

jaha.ahajournals.org/...e000272.full

Testosterone men male cardiovascular disease low T

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 20 Nov 13 - No Cached
  • Low endogenous bioavailable testosterone levels have been shown to be associated with higher rates of all‐cause and cardiovascular‐related mortality.39,41,46–47 Patients suffering from CAD,13–18 CHF,137 T2DM,25–26 and obesity27–28
  • have all been shown to have lower levels of endogenous testosterone compared with those in healthy controls. In addition, the severity of CAD15,17,29–30 and CHF137 correlates with the degree of testosterone deficiency
  • In patients with CHF, testosterone replacement therapy has been shown to significantly improve exercise tolerance while having no effect on LVEF
  • ...66 more annotations...
  • testosterone therapy causes a shift in the skeletal muscle of CHF patients toward a higher concentration of type I muscle fibers
  • Testosterone replacement therapy has also been shown to improve the homeostatic model of insulin resistance and hemoglobin A1c in diabetics26,68–69 and to lower the BMI in obese patients.
  • Lower levels of endogenous testosterone have been associated with longer duration of the QTc interval
  • testosterone replacement has been shown to shorten the QTc interval
  • negative correlation has been demonstrated between endogenous testosterone levels and IMT of the carotid arteries, abdominal aorta, and thoracic aorta
  • These findings suggest that men with lower levels of endogenous testosterone may be at a higher risk of developing atherosclerosis.
  • Current guidelines from the Endocrine Society make no recommendations on whether patients with heart disease should be screened for hypogonadism and do not recommend supplementing patients with heart disease to improve survival.
  • The Massachusetts Male Aging Study also projects ≈481 000 new cases of hypogonadism annually in US men within the same age group
  • since 1993 prescriptions for testosterone, regardless of the formulation, have increased nearly 500%
  • Testosterone levels are lower in patients with chronic illnesses such as end‐stage renal disease, human immunodeficiency virus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), obesity, and several genetic conditions such as Klinefelter syndrome
  • A growing body of evidence suggests that men with lower levels of endogenous testosterone are more prone to develop CAD during their lifetimes
  • There are 2 major potential confounding factors that the older studies generally failed to account for. These factors are the subfraction of testosterone used to perform the analysis and the method used to account for subclinical CAD.
  • The biologically inactive form of testosterone is tightly bound to SHBG and is therefore unable to bind to androgen receptors
  • The biologically inactive fraction of testosterone comprises nearly 68% of the total testosterone in human serum
  • The biologically active subfraction of testosterone, also referred to as bioavailable testosterone, is either loosely bound to albumin or circulates freely in the blood, the latter referred to as free testosterone
  • It is estimated that ≈30% of total serum testosterone is bound to albumin, whereas the remaining 1% to 3% circulates as free testosterone
  • it can be argued that using the biologically active form of testosterone to evaluate the association with CAD will produce the most reliable results
  • English et al14 found statistically significant lower levels of bioavailable testosterone, free testosterone, and free androgen index in patients with catheterization‐proven CAD compared with controls with normal coronary arteries
  • patients with catheterization‐proven CAD had statistically significant lower levels of bioavailable testosterone
  • In conclusion, existing evidence suggests that men with CAD have lower levels of endogenous testosterone,13–18 and more specifically lower levels of bioavailable testosterone
  • low testosterone levels are associated with risk factors for CAD such as T2DM25–26 and obesity
  • In a meta‐analysis of these 7 population‐based studies, Araujo et al41 showed a trend toward increased cardiovascular mortality associated with lower levels of total testosterone, but statistical significance was not achieved (RR, 1.25
  • the authors showed that a decrease of 2.1 standard deviations in levels of total testosterone was associated with a 25% increase in the risk of cardiovascular mortality
  • the relative risk of all‐cause mortality in men with lower levels of total testosterone was calculated to be 1.35
  • higher risk of cardiovascular mortality is associated with lower levels of bioavailable testosterone
  • Existing evidence seems to suggest that lower levels of endogenous testosterone are associated with higher rates of all‐cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality
  • studies have shown that lower levels of endogenous bioavailable testosterone are associated with higher rates of all‐cause and cardiovascular mortality
  • It may be possible that using bioavailable testosterone to perform mortality analysis will yield more accurate results because it prevents the biologically inactive subfraction of testosterone from playing a potential confounding role in the analysis
  • The earliest published material on this matter dates to the late 1930s
  • the concept that testosterone replacement therapy improves angina has yet to be proven wrong
  • In more recent studies, 3 randomized, placebo‐controlled trials demonstrated that administration of testosterone improves myocardial ischemia in men with CAD
  • The improvement in myocardial ischemia was shown to occur in response to both acute and chronic testosterone therapy and seemed to be independent of whether an intravenous or transdermal formulation of testosterone was used.
  • testosterone had no effect on endothelial nitric oxide activity
  • There is growing evidence from in vivo animal models and in vitro models that testosterone induces coronary vasodilation by modulating the activity of ion channels, such as potassium and calcium channels, on the surface of vascular smooth muscle cells
  • Experimental studies suggest that the most likely mechanism of action for testosterone on vascular smooth muscle cells is via modulation of action of non‐ATP‐sensitive potassium ion channels, calcium‐activated potassium ion channels, voltage‐sensitive potassium ion channels, and finally L‐type calcium ion channels
  • Corona et al confirmed those results by demonstrating that not only total testosterone levels are lower among diabetics, but also the levels of free testosterone and SHBG are lower in diabetic patients
  • Laaksonen et al65 followed 702 Finnish men for 11 years and demonstrated that men in the lowest quartile of total testosterone, free testosterone, and SHBG were more likely to develop T2DM and metabolic syndrome.
  • Vikan et al followed 1454 Swedish men for 11 years and discovered that men in the highest quartile of total testosterone were significantly less likely to develop T2DM
  • authors demonstrated a statistically significant increase in the incidence of T2DM in subjects receiving gonadotropin‐releasing hormone antagonist therapy. In addition, a significant increase in the rate of myocardial infarction, stroke, sudden cardiac death, and development of cardiovascular disease was noted in patients receiving antiandrogen therapy.67
  • Several authors have demonstrated that the administration of testosterone in diabetic men improves the homeostatic model of insulin resistance, hemoglobin A1c, and fasting plasma glucose
  • Existing evidence strongly suggests that the levels of total and free testosterone are lower among diabetic patients compared with those in nondiabetics
  • insulin seems to be acting as a stimulant for the hypothalamus to secret gonadotropin‐releasing hormone, which consequently results in increased testosterone production. It can be argued that decreased stimulation of the hypothalamus in diabetics secondary to insulin deficiency could result in hypogonadotropic hypogonadism
  • BMI has been shown to be inversely associated with testosterone levels
  • This interaction may be a result of the promotion of lipolysis in abdominal adipose tissue by testosterone, which may in turn cause reduced abdominal adiposity. On the other hand, given that adipose tissue has a higher concentration of the enzyme aromatase, it could be that increased adipose tissue results in more testosterone being converted to estrogen, thereby causing hypogonadism. Third, increased abdominal obesity may cause reduced testosterone secretion by negatively affecting the hypothalamus‐pituitary‐testicular axis. Finally, testosterone may be the key factor in activating the enzyme 11‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in adipose tissue, which transforms glucocorticoids into their inactive form.
  • increasing age may alter the association between testosterone and CRP. Another possible explanation for the association between testosterone level and CRP is central obesity and waist circumference
  • Bai et al have provided convincing evidence that testosterone might be able to shorten the QTc interval by augmenting the activity of slowly activating delayed rectifier potassium channels while simultaneously slowing the activity of L‐type calcium channels
  • consistent evidence that supplemental testosterone shortens the QTc interval.
  • Intima‐media thickness (IMT) of the carotid artery is considered a marker for preclinical atherosclerosis
  • Studies have shown that levels of endogenous testosterone are inversely associated with IMT of the carotid artery,126–128,32,129–130 as well as both the thoracic134 and the abdominal aorta
  • 1 study has demonstrated that lower levels of free testosterone are associated with accelerated progression of carotid artery IMT
  • another study has reported that decreased levels of total and bioavailable testosterone are associated with progression of atherosclerosis in the abdominal aorta
  • These findings suggest that normal physiologic testosterone levels may help to protect men from the development of atherosclerosis
  • Czesla et al successfully demonstrated that the muscle specimens that were exposed to metenolone had a significant shift in their composition toward type I muscle fibers
  • Type I muscle fibers, also known as slow‐twitch or oxidative fibers, are associated with enhanced strength and physical capability
  • It has been shown that those with advanced CHF have a higher percentage of type II muscle fibers, based on muscle biopsy
  • Studies have shown that men with CHF suffer from reduced levels of total and free testosterone.137 It has also been shown that reduced testosterone levels in men with CHF portends a poor prognosis and is associated with increased CHF mortality.138 Reduced testosterone has also been shown to correlate negatively with exercise capacity in CHF patients.
  • Testosterone replacement therapy has been shown to significantly improve exercise capacity, without affecting LVEF
  • the results of the 3 meta‐analyses seem to indicate that testosterone replacement therapy does not cause an increase in the rate of adverse cardiovascular events
  • Data from 3 meta‐analyses seem to contradict the commonly held belief that testosterone administration may increase the risk of developing prostate cancer
  • One meta‐analysis reported an increase in all prostate‐related adverse events with testosterone administration.146 However, when each prostate‐related event, including prostate cancer and a rise in PSA, was analyzed separately, no differences were observed between the testosterone group and the placebo group
  • the existing data from the 3 meta‐analyses seem to indicate that testosterone replacement therapy does not increase the risk of adverse cardiovascular events
  • the authors correctly point out the weaknesses of their study which include retrospective study design and lack of randomization, small sample size at extremes of follow‐up, lack of outcome validation by chart review and poor generalizability of the results given that only male veterans with CAD were included in this study
    • Nathan Goodyear
      Nathan Goodyear on 04 Dec 13
       
      The authors here present Total Testosterone as a "confounding" value
    • Nathan Goodyear
      Nathan Goodyear on 09 Dec 13
       
      This would be HSD-II
  • the studies that failed to find an association between testosterone and CRP used an older population group
  • low testosterone may influence the severity of CAD by adversely affecting the mediators of the inflammatory response such as high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein, interleukin‐6, and tumor necrosis factor–α
  • Nathan Goodyear on 20 Nov 13
     
    Good review of Testosterone and CHD.  Low T is associated with increased all cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality, CAD, CHF, type II diabetes, obesity, increased IMT,  increased severity of CAD and CHF.  Testosterone replacement in men with low T has been shown to improve exercise tolerance in CHF, improve insulin resistance, improve HgbA1c and lower BMI in the obese.
Nathan Goodyear

Sex steroids and cardiovascular disease Yeap BB - Asian J Androl - 0 views

www.ajandrology.com/article.asp

cardiovascular disease CVD sex estradiol carotid intima-media thickness hormones hormone men Testosterone estrogen

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 15 Jan 14 - No Cached
  • Levels of SHBG are higher in older men, therefore levels of free T decline more steeply than total T as men's age increases.
  • calculations based on mass action equations may not reflect precisely free T measured using a reference method
  • free T declines more steeply with age than total T in both cross-sectional [35] and longitudinal studies, [36] as does free E2 in comparison to total E2
  • ...22 more annotations...
  • T may slow development of or progression of atherosclerosis by modulating effects on insulin resistance, inflammation, endothelial function, preclinical atherosclerosis or the vasculature.
  • these cross-sectional and longitudinal studies support a relationship between low circulating T with CIMT and higher E2 with its progression
  • lower levels of T are biomarkers for aortic vascular disease
  • circulating free T was negatively associated with the presence of AAA
  • luteinizing hormone (LH) was positively associated.
  • low levels of total or bioavailable T were associated with aortic atherosclerosis manifested as calcified deposits detected by radiography
  • Men with total or free T in the lowest quartile had increased adjusted ORs for PAD defined as ABI <0.90, as did men with free E2 in the highest quartile of values
  • The apparent association of SHBG with intermittent claudication reflects the correlation of total T with SHBG, while the contribution of E2 to risk of PAD remains unclear
  • men with total T in the lowest quartile of values (<11.7 nmol l−1 ) experienced an increased incidence of stroke or transient ischemic attack
  • lower total T with increased incidence of CVD events
  • cohort studies in mostly older men have supported the association of lower androgen levels with higher mortality
  • lower total or free T levels were associated with mortality in older men, but with discordant results for cause-specific mortality and for associations of E2
  • several large studies identifying lower endogenous levels of total or free T as independent predictors of all-cause or CVD-related deaths in middle-aged and older men
  • T exhibits anti-inflammatory effects, enhances flow-mediated brachial artery reactivity, and reduces arterial stiffness
  • Short-term T therapy had a beneficial effect on exercise-induced myocardial ischemia in middle-aged men with coronary artery disease or chronic stable angina, [95],[96],[97] and reduced angina frequency in older men with diabetes and coronary artery disease
  • T therapy resulted in an increase in treadmill test duration and time to ST segment depression
  • there are interventional studies supporting a protective effect of exogenous T against myocardial ischemia in men with coronary artery disease
  • employ conservative doses
    • Nathan Goodyear
      Nathan Goodyear on 16 Jan 14
       
      This dosing is 100 fold higher then peak production of a  young man at 20-22.
  • Observational studies indicate that lower levels of endogenous T in older men are associated with the presence of carotid atherosclerosis, aortic and peripheral vascular disease, and incidence of CVD events and mortality
  • Interventional studies have shown beneficial effects of exogenous T on vascular function and on exercise-induced myocardial ischemia in men with coronary artery disease
    • Nathan Goodyear
      Nathan Goodyear on 16 Jan 14
       
      the therapies employed in these studies were massively overdosed.
  • Nathan Goodyear on 15 Jan 14
     
    Nice review of all the sex hormones and their relationship to CVD in men.  
Nathan Goodyear

http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/109/17/2074.full.pdf - 0 views

circ.ahajournals.org/...2074.full.pdf

Testosterone Estradiol CVD atherosclerosis carotid intima-media thickness men male hormone hormones

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 16 Jan 14 - No Cached
  • Nathan Goodyear on 16 Jan 14
     
    lower Free Testosterone and increased Estradiol through aromatase activity is associated with increased atherosclerosis.  This was monitored with Carotid intima-media thickness.  This study found an increase associated with low free Testosterone and increased free estradiol levels independent of other CVD variables.
Nathan Goodyear

Circulating estradiol is an independ... [J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006] - PubMed - NCBI - 0 views

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/...16940451

Estradiol men male hormone hormones carotid intima-media thickness CVD atherosclerosis

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 16 Jan 14 - No Cached
  • Nathan Goodyear on 16 Jan 14
     
    increased Total and free Estradiol associated with progression of carotid intima-media thickness in men ie. increased atherosclerosis.
Nathan Goodyear

Nutrition Journal | Full text | A daily glass of red wine associated with lifestyle cha... - 0 views

www.nutritionj.com/...147

red wine nutrition cholesterol LDL HDL arteriosclerosis CVD cardiovascular disease

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 26 Nov 13 - No Cached
  • Nathan Goodyear on 26 Nov 13
     
    tools for health are all around us.  red wine reduced the LDL/HDL ratio by 13% in patients with carotid arteriosclerosis.  This occurred  independently from dietary changes and exercise.
Nathan Goodyear

http://atvb.ahajournals.org/content/25/5/1038.full.pdf - 0 views

atvb.ahajournals.org/...1038.full.pdf

metabolic syndrome insulin resistance uric acid carotid plaque atherosclerosis

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 24 Aug 14 - No Cached
  • Nathan Goodyear on 24 Aug 14
     
    Increasing uric acid concentrations is found to be associated with insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome in both men and women.  Equally, it is associated with carotid plaque formation.
Nathan Goodyear

Low Testosterone Concentration and Atherosclerotic Disease Markers in Male Patients Wit... - 0 views

press.endocrine.org/...jc.2014-2585

low T low Testosterone low T Testosterone carotid intima-media thickness IMT intima-medial thickness atherosclerosis hsCRP free Testosterone endothelial dysfunction men male hormones hormone cardiovascular disease CVD

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 21 Oct 14 - No Cached
  • Nathan Goodyear on 21 Oct 14
     
    Study of men < 70 finds that low Total Testosterone and Free Testosterone is associated with increased Carotid Intima-media thickness (CIMT), increased endothelial dysfunction.  Atherosclerotic plaque and hsCRP were also found to correlate but were adjusted out when age, DM, HgbA1c, lipids, and BMI were excluded.
Nathan Goodyear

Preventive Cardiology - Natural Medicine Journal: The Official Journal of the American ... - 0 views

www.naturalmedicinejournal.com/article_content.asp

preventive cardiology natural medicine

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 16 Oct 13 - No Cached
  • Nathan Goodyear on 16 Oct 13
     
    Preventive Cardiology.  Assessing plaque burden using calcium scoring and carotid intima media thickness.
Nathan Goodyear

Testosterone and the Cardiovascular System: A Comprehensive Review of the Clinical Lite... - 0 views

jaha.ahajournals.org/...e000272

low T Testosterone cardiovascular disease CAD CHF insulin resistance type II diabetes diabetes obesity men male hormone hormones therapy

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 13 May 14 - No Cached
  • Nathan Goodyear on 13 May 14
     
    Some startling statistics in this 2013 review on Testosterone in men.  Studies reflect an inverse relationship between Testosterone and CAD severity.  That is, the lower the Testosterone levels, the increase in severity of CAD. This same association was also found with CHF.  Low Testosterone is common in those with CAD, CHF, type II diabetes, increased IMT in carotids and aorta, and obesity when compared to "healthy" individuals.  Testosterone therapy in those with CAD found benefits: prolongation of ST segment depression, coronary vasodilation, improved exercise capacity in those with CHF, shift to type I muscle fibers, shorten the QTc interval.  Testosterone therapy has been shown to improve insulin resistance, improve HgbA1c and decrease waist circumference and fat loss in obese individuals.  Otherwise, a good review of the association between a declining Testosterone and cardiovascular disease.
Nathan Goodyear

Carotid artery intima-media thickness and erec... [Med Sci Monit. 2014] - PubMed - NCBI - 0 views

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/...24869934

erectile dysfunction ED cardiovascular disease MetS metabolic syndrome low T Testosterone CRP carotid intima-media thickness CVD men male hormone hormones

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 04 Jun 14 - No Cached
  • Nathan Goodyear on 04 Jun 14
     
    The full pdf is available for free download.  ED should be used as a marker for cardiovascular disease.  This study, though small, of turkey men found low T to be a prominent feature of MetS.
Nathan Goodyear

The relationship between testosterone, metabolic syndrome, and mean carotid intima-medi... - 0 views

informahealthcare.com/...13685538.2014.958458

low T Testosterone low T low Testosterone aging male metabolic syndrome metabolic syndrome IMT carotid intima-media thickness men hormone hormones

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 12 Sep 14 - No Cached
  • Nathan Goodyear on 12 Sep 14
     
    Low Testosterone is associated with increased IMT.  Low T is associated with Mets.  MetS is associated with low T.  MetS is associated with increased IMT.
Nathan Goodyear

Testosterone: a vascular hormone in health and disease - 0 views

joe.endocrinology-journals.org/...R47.full

testosterone hormone health disease hormones men male cardiovascular disease CVD

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 13 May 13 - No Cached
  • Testosterone has beneficial effects on several cardiovascular risk factors, which include cholesterol, endothelial dysfunction and inflammation
  • In clinical studies, acute and chronic testosterone administration increases coronary artery diameter and flow, improves cardiac ischaemia and symptoms in men with chronic stable angina and reduces peripheral vascular resistance in chronic heart failure.
  • testosterone is an L-calcium channel blocker and induces potassium channel activation in vascular smooth muscle cells
  • ...54 more annotations...
  • Animal studies have consistently demonstrated that testosterone is atheroprotective, whereas testosterone deficiency promotes the early stages of atherogenesis
  • there is no compelling evidence that testosterone replacement to levels within the normal healthy range contributes adversely to the pathogenesis of CVD (Carson &amp; Rosano 2011) or prostate cancer (Morgentaler &amp; Schulman 2009)
  • bidirectional effect between decreased testosterone concentrations and disease pathology exists as concomitant cardiovascular risk factors (including inflammation, obesity and insulin resistance) are known to reduce testosterone levels and that testosterone confers beneficial effects on these cardiovascular risk factors
  • Achieving a normal physiological testosterone concentration through the administration of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) has been shown to improve risk factors for atherosclerosis including reducing central adiposity and insulin resistance and improving lipid profiles (in particular, lowering cholesterol), clotting and inflammatory profiles and vascular function
  • It is well known that impaired erectile function and CVD are closely related in that ED can be the first clinical manifestation of atherosclerosis often preceding a cardiovascular event by 3–5 years
  • no decrease in the response (i.e. no tachyphylaxis) of testosterone and that patient benefit persists in the long term.
  • free testosterone levels within the physiological range, has been shown to result in a marked increase in both flow- and nitroglycerin-mediated brachial artery vasodilation in men with CAD
  • Clinical studies, however, have revealed either small reductions of 2–3 mm in diastolic pressure or no significant effects when testosterone is replaced within normal physiological limits in humans
  • Endothelium-independent mechanisms of testosterone are considered to occur primarily via the inhibition of voltage-operated Ca2+ channels (VOCCs) and/or activation of K+ channels (KCs) on smooth muscle cells (SMCs)
  • Testosterone shares the same molecular binding site as nifedipine
  • Testosterone increases the expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and enhances nitric oxide (NO) production
  • Testosterone also inhibited the Ca2+ influx response to PGF2α
  • one of the major actions of testosterone is on NO and its signalling pathways
  • In addition to direct effects on NOS expression, testosterone may also affect phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5 (PDE5A)) gene expression, an enzyme controlling the degradation of cGMP, which acts as a vasodilatory second messenger
  • the significance of the action of testosterone on VSMC apoptosis and proliferation in atherosclerosis is difficult to delineate and may be dependent upon the stage of plaque development
  • Several human studies have shown that carotid IMT (CIMT) and aortic calcification negatively correlate with serum testosterone
  • t long-term testosterone treatment reduced CIMT in men with low testosterone levels and angina
  • neither intracellular nor membrane-associated ARs are required for the rapid vasodilator effect
  • acute responses appear to be AR independent, long-term AR-mediated effects on the vasculature have also been described, primarily in the context of vascular tone regulation via the modulation of gene transcription
  • Testosterone and DHT increased the expression of eNOS in HUVECs
  • oestrogens have been shown to activate eNOS and stimulate NO production in an ERα-dependent manner
  • Several studies, however, have demonstrated that the vasodilatory actions of testosterone are not reduced by aromatase inhibition
  • non-aromatisable DHT elicited similar vasodilation to testosterone treatment in arterial smooth muscle
  • increased endothelial NOS (eNOS) expression and phosphorylation were observed in testosterone- and DHT-treated human umbilical vein endothelial cells
  • Androgen deprivation leads to a reduction in neuronal NOS expression associated with a decrease of intracavernosal pressure in penile arteries during erection, an effect that is promptly reversed by androgen replacement therapy
  • Observational evidence suggests that several pro-inflammatory cytokines (including interleukin 1β (IL1β), IL6, tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα), and highly sensitive CRP) and serum testosterone levels are inversely associated in patients with CAD, T2DM and/or hypogonadism
  • patients with the highest IL1β concentrations had lower endogenous testosterone levels
  • TRT has been reported to significantly reduce TNFα and elevate the circulating anti-inflammatory IL10 in hypogonadal men with CVD
  • testosterone treatment to normalise levels in hypogonadal men with the MetS resulted in a significant reduction in the circulating CRP, IL1β and TNFα, with a trend towards lower IL6 compared with placebo
  • parenteral testosterone undecanoate, CRP decreased significantly in hypogonadal elderly men
  • Higher levels of serum adiponectin have been shown to lower cardiovascular risk
  • Research suggests that the expression of VCAM-1, as induced by pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNFα or interferon γ (IFNγ (IFNG)) in endothelial cells, can be attenuated by treatment with testosterone
  • Testosterone also inhibits the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL6, IL1β and TNFα in a range of cell types including human endothelial cells
  • decreased inflammatory response to TNFα and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in human endothelial cells when treated with DHT
  • The key to unravelling the link between testosterone and its role in atherosclerosis may lay in the understanding of testosterone signalling and the cross-talk between receptors and intracellular events that result in pro- and/or anti-inflammatory actions in athero-sensitive cells.
  • testosterone functions through the AR to modulate adhesion molecule expression
  • pre-treatment with DHT reduced the cytokine-stimulated inflammatory response
  • DHT inhibited NFκB activation
  • DHT could inhibit an LPS-induced upregulation of MCP1
  • Both NFκB and AR act at the transcriptional level and have been experimentally found to be antagonistic to each other
  • As the AR and NFκB are mutual antagonists, their interaction and influence on functions can be bidirectional, with inflammatory agents that activate NFκB interfering with normal androgen signalling as well as the AR interrupting NFκB inflammatory transcription
  • prolonged exposure of vascular cells to the inflammatory activation of NFκB associated with atherosclerosis may reduce or alter any potentially protective effects of testosterone
  • DHT and IFNγ also modulate each other's signalling through interaction at the transcriptional level, suggesting that androgens down-regulate IFN-induced genes
  • (Simoncini et al. 2000a,b). Norata et al. (2010) suggest that part of the testosterone-mediated atheroprotective effects could depend on ER activation mediated by the testosterone/DHT 3β-derivative, 3β-Adiol
  • TNFα-induced induction of ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and E-selectin as well as MCP1 and IL6 was significantly reduced by a pre-incubation with 3β-Adiol in HUVECs
  • 3β-Adiol also reduced LPS-induced gene expression of IL6, TNFα, cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2 (PTGS2)), CD40, CX3CR1, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, MMP9, resistin, pentraxin-3 and MCP1 in the monocytic cell line U937 (Norata et al. 2010)
  • This study suggests that testosterone metabolites, other than those generated through aromatisation, could exert anti-inflammatory effects that are mediated by ER activation.
  • The authors suggest that DHT differentially effects COX2 levels under physiological and pathophysiological conditions in human coronary artery smooth muscle cells and via AR-dependent and -independent mechanisms influenced by the physiological state of the cell
  • There are, however, a number of systematic meta-analyses of clinical trials of TRT that have not demonstrated an increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events or mortality
  • The TOM trial, which was designed to investigate the effect of TRT on frailty in elderly men, was terminated prematurely as a result of an increased incidence of cardiovascular-related events after 6 months in the treatment arm
  • trials of TRT in men with either chronic stable angina or chronic cardiac failure have also found no increase in either cardiovascular events or mortality in studies up to 12 months
  • Evidence may therefore suggest that low testosterone levels and testosterone levels above the normal range have an adverse effect on CVD, whereas testosterone levels titrated to within the mid- to upper-normal range have at least a neutral effect or, taking into account the knowledge of the beneficial effects of testosterone on a series of cardiovascular risk factors, there may possibly be a cardioprotective action
  • The effect of testosterone on human vascular function is a complex issue and may be dependent upon the underlying androgen and/or disease status.
  • the majority of studies suggest that testosterone may display both acute and chronic vasodilatory effects upon various vascular beds at both physiological and supraphysiological concentrations and via endothelium-dependent and -independent mechanisms
  • Nathan Goodyear on 13 May 13
     
    Good deep look into the testosterone and CVD link.
Nathan Goodyear

Metabolic effects of testosterone replacement therapy on hypogonadal men with type 2 di... - 0 views

www.ajandrology.com/article.asp

Testosterone therapy diabetes lipids glucose triglycerides men male hormone hormones

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 17 Jan 14 - No Cached
  • up to 40% of men with T2DM have testosterone deficiency
  • Among diabetic patients, a reduction in sex hormone binding globulin levels induced by insulin resistance leads to a further decline of testosterone levels
  • low bioavailable testosterone concentration was related to decreased lean body mass and muscle strength
  • ...13 more annotations...
  • Testosterone deficiency has a high prevalence in men with T2DM, and it is also associated with impaired insulin sensitivity, increased percentage body fat, central obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases (CVD)
  • A meta-analysis of four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) showed that TRT seemed to improve glycemic control as well as fat mass in T2DM subjects with low testosterone levels and sexual dysfunction.
  • testosterone administration could increase muscle mass and strength
  • Insulin stimulates glucose uptake into muscle and adipose tissue via the Glut4 glucose transporter isoform. When insulin activates signaling via the insulin receptor, Glut4 interacts with insulin receptor substrate 1 to initialize intracellular signaling and facilitate glucose transportation into the cell
  • The benefits of TRT on glucose metabolism can mainly be explained by its influence on the insulin signaling pathway
  • Insulin resistance as assessed by, which is calculated from the equation (If*Gf/22.5, where If is fasting insulin and Gf is fasting glucose), was definitely improved by TRT after testosterone administration in three studies
  • Testosterone was observed to elevate the expression levels and stimulate translocation of Glut4 in cultured skeletal muscle cells and to upregulate Glut4 by activating insulin receptor signaling pathways in neonatal rats
  • These effects were inhibited by a dihydrotestosterone (DHT) blocker, indicating that glucose uptake may correlate with conversion of testosterone to DHT and activation of the androgen receptor.
  • TRT reduced triglyceride levels
  • TRT has been reported to have a positive effect in the decrease of total and LDL cholesterol levels and triglycerides in hypogonadal men
  • a recent meta-analysis showed that statins could significantly lower testosterone concentrations.
  • Epidemiological studies have found a negative relationship between testosterone levels and typical cardiovascular risk markers, such as body mass index, waist circumference, visceral adiposity and carotid intima-media thickness.
  • Testosterone treatment was shown to raise hemoglobin, hematocrit and thromboxane, all of which might give rise to CVD
  • Nathan Goodyear on 17 Jan 14
     
    Low Testosterone is a very significant problem in men with type II Diabetes.  Estimated to reach 40%, likely much higher.  They based these estimates only on T levels and sexual symptoms. Testosterone improves glycemic control primarily through Increased transcription and transloction of GLUT4 insulin receptors to the cell surface.  Inflammation reduction is also a mechanism.  Testosteorne lowers Triglycerides in the traditional lipid profile.  Studies are mixed on the other aspects of  lipids.  
Nathan Goodyear

Testosterone deficiency syndrome and cardiovascular health: An assessment of beliefs, k... - 0 views

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/...PMC3929476

low T Testosterone cardiovascular disease physicians men male hormone hormones

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  • The vast majority (88%) did not screen cardiac patients for TDS.
  • Testosterone deficiency has a prevalence of 7% in the general population, rising to 20% in elderly males
  • Males with CAD have lower testosterone levels than those with normal coronary angiograms of the same age,5 suggesting that the prevalence of testosterone deficiency is much higher in the CAD population
  • ...14 more annotations...
  • Men with hypertension, another established risk factor for CAD, have lower testosterone compared to normotensive men
  • Recent meta-analyses showed that testosterone levels are generally lower among patients with metabolic syndrome, regardless of the various definitions of metabolic syndrome that are used
  • Testosterone (total and bioavailable) and sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG) are inversely associated with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in men between the ages of 40 and 80, and this association persists across racial and ethnic backgrounds
  • ower levels of testosterone and SHBG predict a higher incidence of metabolic syndrome.
  • Low testosterone levels have been related to increased insulin resistance and cardiovascular mortality,12 even in the absence of overt type 2 diabetes mellitus.
  • testosterone levels (total and bioavailable) in middle-aged men are inversely correlated with insulin resistance
  • The Massachusetts Male Aging Study (MMAS) demonstrated that low levels of testosterone and SHBG are independent risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes,
  • Andropausal men (age 58 ± 7 years) have a higher maximal carotid artery intima-media thickness
  • There is an inverse linear correlation between body mass index (BMI) and wait-to-hip ratio with testosterone and insulin-like growth factor-1 levels.
  • Testosterone supplementation for 1 year in hypogonadal men has been shown to cause a significant improvement in body weight, BMI, waist size, lipid profile, and C-reactive protein levels
  • TRT for 3 months in hypogonadal men with type 2 diabetes significantly improved fasting insulin sensitivity, fasting blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin.
  • Testosterone replacement can improve angina symptoms and delay the onset of cardiac ischemia, likely through a coronary vasodilator mechanism
  • ADT is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction and cardiovascular mortality.
  • ADT significantly increases fat mass, decreases lean body mass,29,30 increases fasting plasma insulin and decreases insulin sensitivity31 and increases serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels
  • Nathan Goodyear on 03 Mar 14
     
    Startling study on the knowledge of Testosterone and cardiovascular disease in general practitioners and cardiologists in Canada.  Eight-eight percent did not screen patients with cardiovascular disease for low Testosterone.  A whopping 67% of physicians did not know that low T was a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, yet 62% believed Testosterone would increase exercise tolerance. The lack of knowledge displayed by physicians today is staggering and is an indictment of the governing bodies.  This was a survey conducted in Canada so there are obvious limitations to the strength/conclusion of this study.
Nathan Goodyear

Nutrition Journal | Abstract | A daily glass of red wine associated with lifestyle chan... - 0 views

www.nutritionj.com/...abstract

lifestyle nutrition red wine lipids LDL HDL cholesterol

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 19 Nov 13 - No Cached
  • Nathan Goodyear on 19 Nov 13
     
    lifestyle changes, including red wine, shown to improve lipids.
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