{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,17]],"date-time":"2026-10-17T06:39:31Z","timestamp":1792219171689,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"3","content-domain":{"domain":["eje.bioscientifica.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[1983,3]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract.<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>In order to study Leydig cell function in patients with varicoceles, we determined plasma levels of the most important testicular steroids, 17-OH-progesterone (17-OH-P) and testosterone (T) in the basal condition and after hCG stimulation.<\/jats:p>\n<jats:p>There was a significant inverse linear correlation between age, plasma testosterone, and 17-OH-P (n = 65, r = 0.316, <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic> = 0.01, n = 48, r = 0.532, <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic> = 0.01). This was in contrast to the absence of such correlations in normal men in the same age range.<\/jats:p>\n<jats:p>Following hCG stimulation in 16 patients the 17-OH-P\/T ratio was significantly increased with respect to normal controls. No correlation was been observed between sperm count and age in varicocele patients. Analysis of variance of 17-OH-P plasma levels between the patients with a sperm count less than 10 million\/ml and that of more than 10 million\/ml did not reveal any significant difference.<\/jats:p>\n<jats:p>These results suggest that the deleterious effects of varicocele on seminiferous tubules and Leydig cells are unrelated. Moreover the increased 17-OH-P\/T ratio after hCG stimulation suggests that some enzymatic impairment involving the last steps of testosterone biosynthesis exists in patients with varicoceles. This is evident in middle aged varicocele patients with a premature decrease of plasma levels of testosterone.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1530\/acta.0.1020463","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2008,12,15]],"date-time":"2008-12-15T21:53:47Z","timestamp":1229378027000},"page":"463-469","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1530\/crossmarkpolicy-1","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":19,"title":["Plasma levels of 17-OH-progesterone and testosterone in patients with varicoceles"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"102","author":[{"given":"S.","family":"And\u00f2","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"C.","family":"Giacchetto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"G.","family":"Colpi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"M. L.","family":"Panno","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"E.","family":"Beraldi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"A.","family":"Lombardi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"G.","family":"Sposato","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"286","container-title":["Acta Endocrinologica"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/eje.bioscientifica.com\/view\/journals\/eje\/102\/3\/acta_102_3_022.xml","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/eje.bioscientifica.com\/view\/journals\/eje\/102\/3\/acta_102_3_022.xml","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,14]],"date-time":"2023-02-14T16:15:24Z","timestamp":1676391324000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/ejendo\/article\/102\/3\/463\/6802534"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[1983,3]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3"},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1530\/acta.0.1020463","relation":{},"ISSN":["0804-4643","1479-683X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0804-4643","type":"print"},{"value":"1479-683X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[1983,3]]}}}