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Psychoneuroendocrinology Apr 2022Major depressive disorder is the most common neuropsychiatric comorbidity of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and women are more frequently affected in the general... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Major depressive disorder is the most common neuropsychiatric comorbidity of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and women are more frequently affected in the general population and among those with HIV. The rate of depression in HIV is three times higher than the general population. Differences in biomarkers in neuroendocrine and inflammatory pathways are one possible explanation for the increased prevalence of depression in individuals with HIV, especially biological women. Therefore, we aimed to perform a systematic review identifying differences in neuroendocrine factors leading to depression in men versus women with HIV.
METHODS
A comprehensive search of 8 databases was performed, followed by title and abstract screening and later full-text screening by two independent researchers. A risk of bias assessment was completed.
RESULTS
Twenty-six full-text articles were included in the review. Significant correlations between depression and neuroendocrine marker levels were found for cortisol (both sexes), testosterone (only in men), oxytocin (only tested in women), and estradiol (only in women). No significant correlation between depression and hormone level was found for prolactin, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEAS), or sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). Nearly all studies included only men or women and did not directly compare neuroendocrine markers between the two sexes. One study found that the correlation between cortisol levels and depression scores was stronger in women than men.
CONCLUSION
Neuroendocrine systems are highly active in the brain and important in the development and persistence of mental illness. Given that HIV can, directly and indirectly, impact hormone signaling, it is likely contributing to the high rate of depression in individuals with HIV. However, few studies explore neuroactive hormones in depression and HIV, nor how this connection may differ between the sexes. More high-quality research is needed in this area to explore the link further and inform possible avenues of treatment.
Topics: Biomarkers; Depression; Depressive Disorder, Major; Estradiol; Female; Gonadal Steroid Hormones; HIV Infections; Humans; Hydrocortisone; Male; Sex Characteristics; Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin; Testosterone
PubMed: 35063687
DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105665 -
Journal of Neuroscience Research Dec 2020Depression is a mental disorder that affects millions of people around the world. However, depressive symptoms can be seen in other psychiatric and medical conditions.... (Review)
Review Meta-Analysis
Depression is a mental disorder that affects millions of people around the world. However, depressive symptoms can be seen in other psychiatric and medical conditions. Here, we investigate the effect of DHEA treatment on depressive symptoms in individuals with depression and/or other clinical conditions in which depressive symptoms are present. An electronic search was performed until October 2019, with no restrictions on language or year of publication in the following databases: Medline, EMBASE, LILACS, and Cochrane Library. Randomized controlled trials comparing DHEA versus placebo were included if the depressive symptoms were assessed. Fifteen studies with 853 female and male individuals were included in this review. To conduct the meta-analysis, data were extracted from 14 studies. In comparison with placebo, DHEA improved depressive symptoms (standardized mean difference [SMD] -0.28, 95% (CI) -0.45 to -0.11, p =.001, 12 studies, 742 individuals (375 in the experimental group and 367 in the placebo group), I = 24%), very low quality of evidence, 2 of 14 studies reporting this outcome were removed in a sensitivity analysis as they were strongly influencing heterogeneity between studies. No hormonal changes that indicated any risk to the participants' health were seen. Side effects observed were uncommon, mild, and transient, but commonly related to androgyny. In conclusion, DHEA was associated with a beneficial effect on depressive symptoms compared to placebo. However, these results should be viewed with caution, since the quality of evidence for this outcome was considered very low according to the GRADE criteria.
Topics: Adjuvants, Immunologic; Dehydroepiandrosterone; Depression; Female; Humans; Male; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
PubMed: 32930419
DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24721 -
CNS & Neurological Disorders Drug... 2018Depression is a mental disorder that affects a large part of the world's population. DHEA is a hormone that has long been attributed to the ability to improve depressive... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Depression is a mental disorder that affects a large part of the world's population. DHEA is a hormone that has long been attributed to the ability to improve depressive symptoms. However, few studies were conducted with depression individuals not resulting from other medical conditions.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether DHEA is more effective than placebo in the treatment of depressive symptoms in subjects with depression not resulting from other psychiatric or medical comorbidities.
METHODS
An electronic search was carried out using the keywords Dehydroepiandrosterone (Mesh) AND Depression (Mesh) in the following databases: Medical Literature databases Analysis and Retrieval System Online (Medline), Excerpta Medical Database (EMBASE), Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences (LILACS) and the Cochrane Library through their website for relevant publications until June 2018. Only randomized clinical trials were included. The critical appraisal of the articles was performed using the Risk of Bias Tool from Cochrane Collaboration.
RESULTS
The meta-analysis applied in this review pointed to a significant effect in favor of treatment with DHEA compared to placebo.
CONCLUSION
DHEA may be one more effective alternative between the drugs used in the treatment of depression.
Topics: Antidepressive Agents; Databases, Factual; Dehydroepiandrosterone; Depression; Humans
PubMed: 30124161
DOI: 10.2174/1871527317666180817153914 -
Gynecological Endocrinology : the... Dec 2023This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed at summarizing the evidence concerning circulating asprosin, and related endocrine and metabolites in women with and... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed at summarizing the evidence concerning circulating asprosin, and related endocrine and metabolites in women with and without the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). We performed a comprehensive literature search in Pubmed, Web of Science, Scielo, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure for studies published until May 20, 2022, that evaluated circulating asprosin levels in women with and without PCOS, regardless of language. The quality of studies was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Random-effects models were used to estimate mean differences (MD) or standardized MD (SMD) and their 95% confidence interval (CI). We evaluated eight studies reporting 1,050 PCOS cases and 796 controls of reproductive age. Participants with PCOS were younger (MD = -2.40 years, 95% CI -2.46 to -2.33), with higher values of asprosin (SMD = 2.57, 95% CI 1.64-3.50), insulin (SMD = 2.73, 95% CI 1.18-4.28), homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (SMD = 2.70, 95% CI 0.85-4.55), luteinizing hormone (SMD = 2.33, 95% CI 0.60-4.06), total testosterone (SMD = 4.06, 95% CI 1.89-6.22), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (SMD = 2.38, 95% CI 0.37-4.40), and triglycerides (SMD = 1.20, 95% CI 0.13 to 2.27). Moreover, PCOS women had lower circulating levels of sex hormone-binding globulin (SMD = -3.36, 95% CI -4.92 to -1.80), and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (SMD = -0.85, 95% CI -1.69 to -0.01); with no significant differences observed for glucose, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels. Circulating asprosin levels were significantly higher in women with PCOS as compared to those without the syndrome.
Topics: Female; Humans; Cholesterol, HDL; Insulin; Insulin Resistance; Luteinizing Hormone; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
PubMed: 36480935
DOI: 10.1080/09513590.2022.2152790 -
Journal of Aging and Physical Activity Apr 2023Age-related changes affect the ratio between two steroid hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (sulfate) (DHEA[S]).... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Age-related changes affect the ratio between two steroid hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (sulfate) (DHEA[S]). Physical activity (PA) may buffer the effects of chronic stress and counteract the aging decline of DHEA(S). Therefore, a systematic review was conducted to understand how PA influences physiological markers of cortisol and/or DHEA(S) and whether there is a difference in observational associations or experimental effects in older adults aged 65 years and older. A narrative synthesis was performed on nine observational studies, and meta-analyses were performed on 22 randomized controlled trials. There was low- to moderate-quality evidence that regular PA beneficially reduces cortisol and increases DHEA(S) levels. Subgroup analyses showed no clinically important differences between men and women, different exercise modalities, or health states. The findings cautiously suggest that regular PA of older adults' own choice that they find enjoyable could be recommended to improve cortisol and/or DHEA(S) levels.
Topics: Male; Humans; Female; Aged; Hydrocortisone; Dehydroepiandrosterone; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System; Pituitary-Adrenal System; Exercise; Sulfates
PubMed: 35981715
DOI: 10.1123/japa.2021-0501 -
Testosterone, DHEA and DHEA-S in patients with schizophrenia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Psychoneuroendocrinology Mar 2018Neuroactive steroids, including testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfate (DHEA-S) might play an important role in the pathophysiology of... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Neuroactive steroids, including testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfate (DHEA-S) might play an important role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Therefore, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies comparing the levels of testosterone, DHEA and DHEA-S in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. We searched electronic databases from their inception until Oct 29, 2017. Effect size (ES) estimates were calculated as Hedges' g. Data analysis was performed using random-effects models. Our analysis included 34 eligible studies, representing 1742 patients and 1604 controls. Main analysis revealed elevated DHEA-S levels in the whole group of patients (ES = 0.75, 95%CI: 0.23-1.28, p = 0.005). In subgroup analyses, patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP) had significantly higher levels of free testosterone (ES = 1.21, 95%CI: 0.30-2.12, p = 0.009) and DHEA-S (ES = 1.19, 95%CI: 0.66-1.71, p < 0.001). Acutely relapsed schizophrenia patients presented significantly higher levels of total testosterone (ES = 0.50, 95%CI: 0.21-0.70, p < 0.001). Total testosterone levels were also elevated in stable multi-episode schizophrenia (sMES) females (ES = 0.56, 95%CI: 0.33-0.80, p < 0.001) and reduced in sMES males (ES = -0.62, 95%CI: -1.07 to 0.18, p = 0.006). Increased levels of biologically active, free testosterone and DHEA-S in FEP suggest that these alterations might appear as a response to stress that becomes blunted during subsequent exacerbations of schizophrenia. Differential changes in total testosterone levels in male and female sMES patients might represent medication effects related to prolactin-releasing effects of antipsychotics.
Topics: Adult; Antipsychotic Agents; Dehydroepiandrosterone; Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Schizophrenia; Testosterone
PubMed: 29334627
DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.01.007 -
Physiological Reports Nov 2022Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) commonly experience sex hormone disturbances, which may be associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) commonly experience sex hormone disturbances, which may be associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality. This review aimed to systematically evaluate current findings on the association of sex hormone levels with the risk of CVD events and mortality (CVD and all-cause) in the CKD population. Articles were systematically searched in CINAHL, Cochrane, and PubMed. A total of 1739 articles were independently screened by two reviewers and 17 prospective cohort studies were included. The clinical conditions of the patients were those with non-dialysis CKD [mean/median estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) between 15-51 ml/min/1.73 m ] and those on chronic dialysis (mean/median vintage between 6-125 months). The sample size ranged from 111 to 2419 and the mean/median age of subjects ranged from 52 to 72 years. The sex hormones studied were testosterone, estradiol, prolactin, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, and relaxin. A random-effects model was used to generate a pooled hazard ratio (HR) to evaluate the association of total testosterone levels with the risk of CVD and all-cause mortality. Most studies examined total testosterone levels (11 out of 17 studies) and studied only male patients (12 out of 17 studies). A lower total testosterone level was associated with a higher risk of CVD mortality [HR 4.37 (95% CI 1.40-13.65)] and all-cause mortality [1.96 (1.35-2.83)] in males with CKD. To conclude, there is a strong need for additional studies examining the association of sex hormones with cardiovascular and mortality risk in female patients with CKD.
Topics: Humans; Male; Female; Middle Aged; Aged; Cardiovascular Diseases; Prospective Studies; Risk Factors; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic; Gonadal Steroid Hormones; Testosterone
PubMed: 36394074
DOI: 10.14814/phy2.15490 -
Gynecological Endocrinology : the... Mar 2018Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) supplementation might hold some promise in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer cycles. However, the results remain controversial. We... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) supplementation might hold some promise in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer cycles. However, the results remain controversial. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of DHEA in patients for in vitro fertilization. PubMed, EMbase, Web of science, EBSCO and Cochrane library databases were systematically searched. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effect of DHEA versus placebo on in vitro fertilization were included. Two investigators independently searched articles, extracted data and assessed the quality of included studies. The primary outcomes were clinical pregnancy and live birth rate. Meta-analysis was performed using random-effect model. Six RCTs involving 745 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, compared with placebo, DHEA supplementation was associated with the significant increase in clinical pregnancy (OR = 1.45; 95% CI = 1.04-2.03; p = .03), live birth rate (OR = 2.70; 95% CI = 1.24-5.85; p = .01) and endometrial thickness (Std. mean difference = 0.67; 95% CI = 0.02-1.32; p = .04) but showed no influence on E on hCG day (Std. mean difference = 0.69; 95% CI = -0.46 to 1.85; p = .24), embryos transferred (Std. mean difference = 0.42; 95% CI = -0.04 to 0.88; p = .07) and miscarriage rate (OR = 0.43; 95% CI = 0.03-6.66; p = .55). DHEA supplementation could significantly improve clinical pregnancy, live birth rate, endometrial thickness and retrieved oocytes but failed to alter E on hCG day, embryos transferred and miscarriage rate.
Topics: Dehydroepiandrosterone; Embryo Transfer; Female; Fertilization in Vitro; Humans; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Outcome; Pregnancy Rate; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 29073790
DOI: 10.1080/09513590.2017.1391202 -
Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine 2022Sex hormones are associated with many cardiovascular risk factors, but their effects on atrial fibrillation (AF) incidence remain unclear. This systematic review and...
BACKGROUND
Sex hormones are associated with many cardiovascular risk factors, but their effects on atrial fibrillation (AF) incidence remain unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the association of circulating sex hormones with AF risk by pooling available data from observational studies.
METHODS
A systematic literature search for pertinent articles with case-control and cohort designs was conducted five databases up to 7 July 2021. A meta-analysis with six cohort studies was conducted separately on men and women. Adjusted relative risk (RR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was derived by comparing the highest with the lowest levels of a specific sex hormone and by using a random-effect or fixed-effect model. Heterogeneity was tested using the statistic and the Q-test.
RESULTS
A total of six cohort studies and four case-control studies were included. In a meta-analysis of cohort studies, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) was associated with a decreased risk of AF in men (RR: 0.729, 95% CI: 0.559-0.952, = 50.0%, = 0.157) after combining results from two cohort studies; total testosterone was not associated with any risk of AF in men and postmenopausal women, and AF risk was not associated with estradiol in men after synthesizing available studies.
CONCLUSION
This study indicates that a higher endogenous DHEAS level was associated with a lower AF risk in men, whereas total testosterone and estradiol were not associated with AF risk. Longitudinal studies with multiple monitoring are needed to further promulgate the relationship between various circulating sex hormones and AF risk.
PubMed: 36072857
DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.952430 -
Biomedicines Jul 2023A better understanding of interindividual differences and the development of targeted therapies is one of the major challenges of modern medicine. The sex of a person... (Review)
Review
A better understanding of interindividual differences and the development of targeted therapies is one of the major challenges of modern medicine. The sex of a person plays a crucial role in this regard. This systematic review aimed to summarise and analyse available evidence on the mutual interactions between non-invasive brain stimulation and sex/polypeptide hormones. The PubMed database was searched from its inception to 31 March 2023, for (i) studies that investigated the impact of sex and/or polypeptide hormones on the effects induced by non-invasive brain stimulation, or (ii) studies that investigated non-invasive brain stimulation in the modulation of sex and/or polypeptide hormones. Eighteen studies (319 healthy and 96 disabled participants) were included. Most studies focused on female sex hormone levels during the menstrual cycle. The later follicular phase is associated with a weak between hemispheric and intracortical inhibition, strong intracortical facilitation, and high stimulation-induced neural and behavioural changes. The opposite effects are observed during the luteal phase. In addition, the participant's sex, presence and/or absence of real ovulation and increase in oestradiol level by chorionic gonadotropin injection influence the stimulation-induced neurophysiological and behavioural effects. In Parkinson's disease and consciousness disorders, the repetitive application of non-invasive brain stimulation increases oestradiol and dehydroepiandrosterone levels and reduces disability. To date, male hormones have not been sufficiently included in these studies. Here, we show that the sex and/or polypeptide hormones and non-invasive brain stimulation methods are in reciprocal interactions. This may be used to create a more effective and individualised approach for healthy individuals and individuals with disabilities.
PubMed: 37509620
DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11071981