Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26963952›Full record

Trial reportThe Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism2016

A Subset of Men With Age-Related Decline in Testosterone Have Gonadotroph Autoantibodies.

Adriana Ricciuti, Thomas G Travison, Giulia Di Dalmazi, Monica V Talor, Ludovica DeVincentiis, Robert W Manley, Shalender Bhasin, Patrizio Caturegli, Shehzad Basaria

Open access · bronzeAbstract readComparative StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 22% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Adriana RicciutiDepartment of Pathology (A.R., G.D.D., M.V.T., L.D.V., P.C.), The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Pharmacy (A.R., G.D.D.), Gabriele d'Annunzio University, Chieti, Italy; The Research Program in Men's Health: Aging and Metabolism (T.G.T., R.W.M., S.B., S.B.), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Institute for Aging Research (T.G.T.), Hebrew SeniorLife, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology (P.C.), The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
Thomas G TravisonDepartment of Pathology (A.R., G.D.D., M.V.T., L.D.V., P.C.), The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Pharmacy (A.R., G.D.D.), Gabriele d'Annunzio University, Chieti, Italy; The Research Program in Men's Health: Aging and Metabolism (T.G.T., R.W.M., S.B., S.B.), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Institute for Aging Research (T.G.T.), Hebrew SeniorLife, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology (P.C.), The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
Giulia Di DalmaziDepartment of Pathology (A.R., G.D.D., M.V.T., L.D.V., P.C.), The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Pharmacy (A.R., G.D.D.), Gabriele d'Annunzio University, Chieti, Italy; The Research Program in Men's Health: Aging and Metabolism (T.G.T., R.W.M., S.B., S.B.), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Institute for Aging Research (T.G.T.), Hebrew SeniorLife, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology (P.C.), The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
Monica V TalorDepartment of Pathology (A.R., G.D.D., M.V.T., L.D.V., P.C.), The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Pharmacy (A.R., G.D.D.), Gabriele d'Annunzio University, Chieti, Italy; The Research Program in Men's Health: Aging and Metabolism (T.G.T., R.W.M., S.B., S.B.), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Institute for Aging Research (T.G.T.), Hebrew SeniorLife, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology (P.C.), The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
Ludovica DeVincentiisDepartment of Pathology (A.R., G.D.D., M.V.T., L.D.V., P.C.), The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Pharmacy (A.R., G.D.D.), Gabriele d'Annunzio University, Chieti, Italy; The Research Program in Men's Health: Aging and Metabolism (T.G.T., R.W.M., S.B., S.B.), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Institute for Aging Research (T.G.T.), Hebrew SeniorLife, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology (P.C.), The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
Robert W ManleyDepartment of Pathology (A.R., G.D.D., M.V.T., L.D.V., P.C.), The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Pharmacy (A.R., G.D.D.), Gabriele d'Annunzio University, Chieti, Italy; The Research Program in Men's Health: Aging and Metabolism (T.G.T., R.W.M., S.B., S.B.), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Institute for Aging Research (T.G.T.), Hebrew SeniorLife, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology (P.C.), The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
Shalender BhasinDepartment of Pathology (A.R., G.D.D., M.V.T., L.D.V., P.C.), The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Pharmacy (A.R., G.D.D.), Gabriele d'Annunzio University, Chieti, Italy; The Research Program in Men's Health: Aging and Metabolism (T.G.T., R.W.M., S.B., S.B.), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Institute for Aging Research (T.G.T.), Hebrew SeniorLife, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology (P.C.), The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
Patrizio CaturegliDepartment of Pathology (A.R., G.D.D., M.V.T., L.D.V., P.C.), The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Pharmacy (A.R., G.D.D.), Gabriele d'Annunzio University, Chieti, Italy; The Research Program in Men's Health: Aging and Metabolism (T.G.T., R.W.M., S.B., S.B.), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Institute for Aging Research (T.G.T.), Hebrew SeniorLife, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology (P.C.), The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
Shehzad BasariaDepartment of Pathology (A.R., G.D.D., M.V.T., L.D.V., P.C.), The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Pharmacy (A.R., G.D.D.), Gabriele d'Annunzio University, Chieti, Italy; The Research Program in Men's Health: Aging and Metabolism (T.G.T., R.W.M., S.B., S.B.), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Institute for Aging Research (T.G.T.), Hebrew SeniorLife, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology (P.C.), The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
Johns Hopkins Medicine · USBrigham and Women's Hospital · USHarvard University · USJohns Hopkins University · USUniversity of Chieti-Pescara · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

contextAge-related decline in serum testosterone (T) is being increasingly diagnosed. In most men, it associates with low or inappropriately normal gonadotropin levels, which suggests a hypothalamic-pituitary etiology. Autoantibodies against adenohypophyseal cells have been associated with pituitary dysfunction; however, the prevalence of pituitary autoimmunity in this age-related T decline has not been assessed.

objectivesThis is a proof-of-concept study with the objective of determining the prevalence of antibodies to gonadotrophs in older men with age-related low T and compare it with healthy young and older eugonadal men. STUDY

designThis is a cross-sectional case-control study of 182 men. Cases included 100 older men (≥65 years) with age-related low T levels; the control groups were composed of 50 young and 32 older healthy eugonadal men. Serum antibodies against the anterior pituitary gland were measured using a two-step approach: 1) single indirect immunofluorescence (ie, participant serum only) to determine the pattern of cytosolic staining; and 2) double indirect immunofluorescence (ie, participant serum plus a commercial adenohypophyseal hormone antibody) to identify the anterior pituitary cell type recognized by the patient's antibodies).

resultsIn participants with positive antipituitary antibodies, the granular cytosolic pattern (highly predictive of pituitary autoimmunity) was only seen in older men with age-related low T (4%) and none in control groups (0%, P = .001). Double indirect immunofluorescence confirmed that pituitary antibodies were exclusively directed against the gonadotrophs.

conclusionA subset of older men with age-related low T levels have specific antibodies against the gonadotrophs. Whether these antibodies are pathogenic and contributory to the age-related decline in T remains to be established.

Indexed as

AdolescentAdultAgingAutoantibodiesCase-Control StudiesCross-Sectional StudiesFollicle Stimulating HormoneGonadotrophsHumansLuteinizing HormoneMaleMiddle AgedTestosteroneYoung AdultAutoantibodiesFollicle Stimulating HormoneLuteinizing HormoneTestosterone

Identifiers

PMID26963952
PMCPMC4880156
OpenAlexW2296255131

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.