Prevention of Mammary gland defects in experimental congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to inhibition to 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in rats

The diagnosis and management of intersex

The patient whose genitalia are ambiguous or are inappropriate for the assigned sex presents the physician with a set of problems requiring a thorough grasp of sexual differentiation, development and function. Although several reviews have covered various aspects of these matters, these texts do not cover recent advances in understanding normal and abnormal sexual development nor do they provide an integrated guide to the management of intersex cases. Our objectives are to show the clinical relevance of recent advances in understanding the determinants of normal and abnormal sexual differentiation, to indicate the improved diagnostic procedures now available and to provide specific guidelines for optimal case management in the light of current medical knowledge and psychological and ethical understanding.

Trilostane, an orally active inhibitor of steroid biosynthesis

Trilostane is a competitive inhibitor of 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. In vitro, the drug inhibits conversion of pregnenolone to progesterone but does not alter conversion of cholesterol to pregnenolone nor progesterone to corticoid hormones. When given orally to rats, trilostane inhibits corticosterone and aldosterone production and elevates circulating levels of pregnenolone at doses lower than those that produce adrenal hypertrophy or inhibit gonadal steroidogenesis.