Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0042755 (masculinization)
 2,562 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Long-term corticosteroid therapy is the most frequent and most severe cause of iatrogenic osteoporosis. Hypocalcaemia, subsequent to the induced negative calcium balance, may lead to secondary hyperparathyroidism. Corticosteroids also affect bone itself, probably by disrupting the production of growth factors. Bone resorption increases and bone formation decreases leading to a reduction in total bone mass. The relative immobilization resulting from the corticoid-induced myopathy or the underlying disease may accelerate the process. On the average, after one year of treatment, 5% of the bone mass is lost, and loss may reach as much as 10 to 30% at certain sites. Nearly 40% of all subjects on long-term corticosteroids suffer fractures. Other iatrogenic causes include anticonvulants which perturb phosphocalcium metabolism, 1-thyroxin which leads to bone loss when administered for hormone substitution, gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonists which inhibit the hypophyseal-ovarian axis, tamoxifen (used in the treatment of breast cancer) which has an oestrogen-like effect, and other circumstances such as chemotherapy and long-term heparin. The gravity of iatrogenic osteroporosis thus requires preventive measures. Calcium and vitamin D supplements can compensate for impaired intestinal absorption of calcium but have no effect on bone density. One-alpha hydroxyl derivatives have been suggested but their effect remains controversial. Calcitriol can prevent bone loss in the lumbar vertebrae but hypercalcaemia occurs in one-fourth of the cases, limiting its use. Recent reports have shown that anti-oestroclastic agents may be useful. Nandrolone decaonate would have a favourable effect on bone loss but also causes virilization. In patent osteoporosis, fluorine can be combined with calcium resulting in increased lumbar bone density. Calcitonin and calcium can also be combined to induce a rise in bone density. The long-term effects of these treatments in terms of reduced fracture risk remain to be determined. A better understanding of the adverse effects of the different classes of corticosteroids is essential for optimal treatment. In cases requiring long-term therapy implicating the risk of iatrogenic osteoporosis, bone density quantitation can be a valuable means of evaluating bone loss, and of adapting preventive or corrective measures.
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PMID:[Iatrogenic demineralizing osteopathies]. 820 75

Four women aged between 27 and 58 years sought otolaryngological examination due to significant alterations to their voices, the primary concerns being hoarseness in vocal quality, lowering of habitual pitch, difficulty projecting their speaking voices, and loss of control over their singing voices. Otolaryngological examination with a mirror or flexible laryngoscope revealed no apparent abnormality of vocal fold structure or function, and the women were referred for speech pathology with diagnoses of functional dysphonia. Objective acoustic measures using the Kay Visipitch indicated significant lowering of the mean fundamental frequency for each woman, and perceptual analysis of the patients' voices during quiet speaking, projected voice use, and comprehensive singing activities revealed a constellation of features typically noted in the pubescent male. The original diagnoses of a functional dysphonia were queried, prompting further exploration of each woman's medical history, revealing in each case onset of vocal symptoms shortly after commencing treatment for conditions with medications containing virilizing agents (eg, Danocrine (danazol), Deca-Durabolin (nandrolene decanoate), and testosterone). Although some of the vocal symptoms decreased in severity with the influences from 6 months voice therapy and after withdrawal from the drugs, a number of symptoms remained permanent, suggesting each subject had suffered significant alterations in vocal physiology, including muscle tissue changes, muscle coordination dysfunction, and propioceptive dysfunction. This retrospective study is presented in order to illustrate that it was both the projected speaking voice and the singing voice that proved so highly sensitive to the virilization effects. The implications for future prospective research studies and responsible clinical practice are discussed.
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PMID:A report on alterations to the speaking and singing voices of four women following hormonal therapy with virilizing agents. 1062 16