{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,30]],"date-time":"2025-07-30T14:51:01Z","timestamp":1753887061709},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"2","content-domain":{"domain":["eje.bioscientifica.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[1985,2]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Abstract. In the present study we determined progesterone (p), 17-OH-progesterone (17-OH-P), androstenedione (\u0394<jats:sub>4<\/jats:sub>), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and testosterone (T) in spermatic venous blood of 34 varicocele patients and of 13 normal subjects. We also used the DHEA\/\u0394<jats:sub>4<\/jats:sub> ratio as an index of the \u0394<jats:sub>5<\/jats:sub>\/\u0394<jats:sub>4<\/jats:sub> pathway ratio in testosterone biosynthesis.<\/jats:p>\n        <jats:p>The mean of T and \u0394<jats:sub>4<\/jats:sub> in the spermatic blood of varicocele (V) patients appeared to be significantly lower with respect to that of normal (N) subjects (T:N = 1718.2 \u00b1 202.4 (<jats:sc>sem<\/jats:sc>) nmol\/l, No. 11; V = 1243.7 \u00b1 97 (<jats:sc>sem<\/jats:sc>) nmol\/l, No. 34; <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic> &lt; 0.03. \u0394<jats:sub>4<\/jats:sub>: N = 56.4 \u00b1 5.6 (<jats:sc>sem<\/jats:sc>) nmol\/l, No. 12; V = 38.1 \u00b1 4 (<jats:sc>sem<\/jats:sc>) nmol\/l, No. 27, 0.02&gt; <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>&gt;0.01).<\/jats:p>\n        <jats:p>A negative correlation was observed between the individual age of varicocele patients and 17-OH-P (No. 34, y = \u221230.66x + 1300, r = \u22120.57, <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic> &lt; 0.01) \u0394<jats:sub>4<\/jats:sub> values (No. 27, y = \u22121.981x + 96.52, r = \u22120.67, <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>&lt; 0.01).<\/jats:p>\n        <jats:p>When the ratio of T precursors was evaluated, we observed a positive correlation between the P\/17-OH-P ratio and age of varicocele (No. 33, y = 0.0065x\u20130.092, r = 0.45, <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic> &lt; 0.03). The 17-OH-P\/\u0394<jats:sub>4<\/jats:sub> ratio was greatly increased with respect to that of normal subjects (N = 5.12 \u00b1 (<jats:sc>sem<\/jats:sc>), No. 12; V= 10.77 \u00b1 1.31 (<jats:sc>sem<\/jats:sc>), No. 27; <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>&lt;0.01).<\/jats:p>\n        <jats:p>These data suggest that the reduced T levels in spermatic venous blood of varicocele patients were due firstly to the enzymatic deficiency of 17-20-lyase and secondly to that of 17\u03b1-hydroxylase activity as the patients grow relatively older.<\/jats:p>\n        <jats:p>The negative correlation between the DHEA\/\u0394<jats:sub>4<\/jats:sub> ratio and \u0394<jats:sub>4<\/jats:sub>\/T ratio was observed in normal subjects (No. 10, y = \u22120.00432x + 0.0542, r = \u22120.67, <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic> &lt; 0.03) as well as in varicocele patients (No. 27, y = \u22120.00399x + 0.0587, r = \u22120.48, 0.02 &gt; <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic> &gt; 0.01). This indicates that in the testis of varicocele patients the testosterone remains prevalently supplied by the \u0394<jats:sub>5<\/jats:sub> pathway of biosynthesis.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1530\/acta.0.1080277","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2008,12,15]],"date-time":"2008-12-15T21:53:47Z","timestamp":1229378027000},"page":"277-283","update-policy":"http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1530\/crossmarkpolicy-1","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Testosterone precursors in spermatic venous blood of normal men and varicocele patients"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"108","author":[{"given":"S.","family":"And\u00f2","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"C.","family":"Giacchetto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"G. M.","family":"Colpi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"E.","family":"Beraldi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"M. L.","family":"Panno","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"G.","family":"Sposato","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"286","container-title":["Acta Endocrinologica"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/eje.bioscientifica.com\/view\/journals\/eje\/108\/2\/acta_108_2_022.xml","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/eje.bioscientifica.com\/view\/journals\/eje\/108\/2\/acta_108_2_022.xml","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,14]],"date-time":"2023-02-14T16:20:52Z","timestamp":1676391652000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/ejendo\/article\/108\/2\/277\/6801942"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[1985,2]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2"},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1530\/acta.0.1080277","relation":{},"ISSN":["0804-4643","1479-683X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0804-4643","type":"print"},{"value":"1479-683X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[1985,2]]}}}