Decreased nocturnal melatonin secretion in patients with Klinefelter's syndrome

My voyage in the enchanted world of sleep

In this paper, I describe my 45-year career in sleep research. I started my undergraduate studies at Tel Aviv University, where I was first introduced to the enchanted world of sleep, continued to my graduate studies with Wilse B. Webb at the University of Florida, and then to post-doctoral training with Dan Kripke at the University of California at San Diego. Then, I describe the evolution of my academic career at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, where I started in 1975 as an Assistant Professor and retired in 2019 as the President of the Institute. I describe the areas of research that I pursued and how the research developed, emphasizing unexpected results that guided me and my lab team in new directions. This includes my early studies on ultradian rhythms, inspired by Nathaniel Kleitman's Basic Rest Activity Cyle hypothesis, utilizing the ultrashort sleep-wake paradigm to chart the 24-hour sleep propensity function, and how these studies led us to explore the role of melatonin in sleep regulation. I also explain why we directed our attention to sleep apnea, and how clinical observations led to the provocative hypothesis that sleep apnea-typically seen as a disorder-may also play a protective role. Under the leadership of my research partner and wife, Lena, we confirmed this hypothesis. Also in this article, I describe my enthusiasm for the history of our field and, as derived from my experience as a Dean of Medicine and President of a university, I share my philosophy about the role of members of academia in society. I emphasize that none of my achievements could have been accomplished without the hard work and motivation of my students and research partners, who shared my enthusiasm and passion for the enchanted world of sleep. This paper is part of the Living Legends in Sleep Research series, which is sponsored by Idorsia Pharmaceuticals and Jazz Pharmaceuticals.

Theoretical aspects of autism: biomarkers--a review

Autism is dramatically increasing in incidence and is now considered an epidemic. There are no objective means to diagnose the disorder. Diagnosis is made subjectively, based on the perceived behavior of the subject. This review presents an approach toward development of an objective measure of autism. Covering the literature from 1943 to the present in the PubMed and Ovid Medline databases, this review summarizes evidence of hormones, metabolites, amino acids, and other biomarkers present in significantly different quantities in autistic subjects compared to age- and sex-matched controls. These differences can be measured in the gastrointestinal, immunologic, neurologic, and toxicologic systems of the body, with some biomarkers showing ubiquitous application. In addition, there are unifying concepts, i.e., increased vulnerability to oxidative stress, immune glutamatergic dysfunction, and pineal gland malfunction. The variances of the biomarkers from the norm present the opportunity to create biomarker arrays that when properly developed and analyzed could result in an objective diagnosis with a ranking of the severity of autism for each subject. The contribution of each biomarker to the overall diagnosis could be calculated, thus providing a profile pattern unique to the individual. This profile could consequently provide information for therapeutic interventions on an individual basis.

Urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin excretion in hyperandrogenic women with polycystic ovary syndrome: the effect of ethinyl estradiol-cyproterone acetate treatment

The role of melatonin in human reproduction is still unknown. Data obtained in patients with hypogonadism and precocious puberty suggest that melatonin and the reproductive hormones are interrelated. The aim of this study was to determine melatonin production in hyperandrogenic women. We studied 12 women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and 10 women with idiopathic hirsutism (IH). Patients were treated with cyproterone acetate-ethinyl estradiol (Diane 35) for 4 months. Fasting blood samples for the determination of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and 24-h urine collections for the determination of 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (alpha MT6s) excretion were obtained from all patients at baseline and after 4 months of treatment. The results were compared with those obtained in 15 control women. At baseline, women with PCOS had significantly higher LH and testosterone levels than those with IH and controls. Their alpha MT6s values (52.6 +/- 20.3 micrograms/24 h) were significantly higher than the values in women with IH (34.3 +/- 7.1) and controls (30.5 +/- 6.5) (p < 0.001). Diane 35 treatment significantly decreased LH, FSH, testosterone and alpha MT6a values in PCOS (28.0 +/- 13.9 micrograms/24 h) (p < 0.0001). These results indicate that women with PCOS have increased melatonin production. The normalization of alpha MT6s and testosterone values during Diane 35 treatment suggests that sex steroids modulate melatonin secretion in these patients either directly or through the suppression of gonadotropin.

Increased 6-sulfatoxymelatonin excretion in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

OBJECTIVE

To determine melatonin production in hyperandrogenic women.

DESIGN

Controlled prospective study.

SETTING

Outpatients in an academic medical center.

PATIENT(S)

Twenty-two women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), 20 women with idiopathic hirsutism, and 15 age-matched individuals who had similar body mass indexes as controls.

INTERVENTION(S)

Fasting blood samples and 24-hour urinary samples were obtained from all participants.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)

All participants provided serum samples for the measurement of LH, FSH, testosterone, E(2), DHEAS, 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP), and insulin levels, as well as urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (aMT6s).

RESULT(S)

Women with PCOS had higher aMT6s, testosterone, LH/FSH ratio, and insulin values than either women with idiopathic hirsutism or control women. Testosterone inversely correlated with aMT6s in PCOS. Regression analysis revealed that only testosterone was an important determinant of aMT6s in PCOS.

CONCLUSION(S)

Women with PCOS have increased melatonin production.