• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.109-113
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• 2000

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of short-term thermal stress on the serum concentrations of cortisol and DHEAS in BALB / c male mice. Cortisol and DHEAS concentrations in serum were measured by radioimmunoassay(RIA). We found there were significantly increased in the cortisol levels in 30 min-stressed group(T30) compared with control group(p＜0.01), and then declined without significance in 120 min-stressed group (T120) compared with T30. By contrast, DHEAS levels were decreased without significance in both T30 and T120 compared with control group. Though short-term thermal stress, the continuous decline of DHEAS levels were observed. These results show that short-term thermal stress affects the serum levels of cortisol and DHEAS in mice. Furthermore, we found that DHEAS is a stress-related hormone and will be able to utilize as a stress marker.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.115-120
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• 2000

We have investigated the effect of short-term immobilization stress on the serum concentrations of cortisol and DHEAS in BALB/c male mice. Serum cortisol and DHEAS concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay(RIA). We found there were significantly increased in the cortisol levels in 30 min-stressed group(Ⅰ-30N) compared with control(C) group (p＜0.01), and also increased with significance in 120 min-stressed group(I-120N) compared with C group(p＜0.01). Cortisol concentrations were significantly increased in both 30 min-stressed group(Ⅰ-30T), and 120 min-stressed group(Ⅰ-120T) compared with C group(p＜0.01). The sustained increase of cortisol levels were observed in both SG treated and SG non-treated group. Serum cortisol levels were lower in SG treated group than SG non-treated group with significance(p＜0.01). By contrast, DHEAS levels were slightly decreased without significance in Ⅰ-30N, but significantly decreased in Ⅰ-120N compared with C group(p＜0.01). There were slightly decreased in the DHEAS levels in Ⅰ-30T, but significantly decreased in Ⅰ-120T compared with C group(p＜0.01). However, SG treatment did not induce any significant changes of DHEAS levels in both 30 min and 120 min-stressed group. Though short-term immobilization stress, the continuous decline of DHEAS levels were observed. Therefore, these results show that short-term immobilization stress affects the serum concentrations of cortisol and DHEAS in mice.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.1059-1068
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• 2016

Objectives: This study reports on the efficacy of treating patients with general weakness symptoms with Korean medicine. Methods: Two patients with general weakness symptoms were treated with Korean medical treatment modalities, including acupuncture, moxibustion, and herbal medicines. Blood tests, the visual analogue scale (VAS), and patients' complaints were used to assess the treatment effects. Results and Conclusions: dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS), DHEAS/cortisol index, VAS, and the patients' complaints improved after treatment. Korean medical treatment is effective in improving DHEAS and the DHEAS/cortisol index according to the improvements in the patients' conditions. However, more studies are required to validate its use with other patients.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.249-254
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• 2000

This study was carried out to investigate the possibility of dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate(DHEAS) as a stress hormone. Experiment 1) We evaluated the variation of DHEAS levels of long-term(30minutes a day fur 3 weeks) 37$^{\circ}C$ thermal stressed mice compared with that of cortisol. Serum concentrations of cortisol and DHEAS were measured by radioimmunoassay(RIA). Cortisol levels were not significantly altered both LW(Long-term stressed group, mice were killed without rest) and LR(Long-term stressed group, mice were killed after 4 days' rest) compared with control group, but DHEAS levels were decreased in LW compared with control group(p<0.05), and it kept a sustained difference after 4 days' rest(LR)(p<0.05). Experiment 2) We evaluated the changes of DHEAS levels on term of stress and rest. As stress term was longer, serum DHEAS levels were decreased and also kept a sustained difference after 10 days' rest compared with control group(p<0.05). These results suggest that cortisol has difficulty in taking an accurate measurement after extinction of stimuli, whereas DHEAS is more accurate and stable. Thus, this study implies that DHEAS is a stress-related hormone.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.654-658
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• 2002

Purpose : Endocrine and immune systems are connected and interdependent. Adrenal glands play an important role in this network and control the balance between serum levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate(DHEAS) and cortisol. These steroids have an antagonistic effect on the T cell progression into Th1 and Th2 cells and on the induction of correlated interleukins. Therefore we evaluated the role of adrenal androgen and cortisol as immune modulators in Kawasaki disease( KD) with changes of T cell immunity. Methods : From April to August in 2001, we examined serum DHEAS and 24 hour urine free cortisol(F) before administration of immunoglobulin and steroids by radioimmunoassay in 14 KD patients. It's clinical severity was determined by Harada score and coronary lesion. Results : The age of the patient group ranged from 4 months to 4 years; its average age was 2.3 years. Three patients(21.4%) were below 1 year, 2(14.3%) between 1 and 2 years, 5(35.7%) between 2 and 3 years, 4(28.6%) between 3 and 4 years of age. Male to female ratio was 1:1.3. DHEAS was significantly decreased in patients($11.1{\pm}6.0{\mu}g/dL$) more than controls($81.6{\pm}13.3{\mu}g/dL$)(P<0.05). Twenty-four hour urine free cortisol was significantly increased in patients($36.9{\pm}21.9{\mu}g/dL$) more than controls($13.6{\pm}5.5{\mu}g/dL$)(P<0.05). Ratio of DHEAS/F was decreased remarkably in patients($0.33{\pm}0.20$) more than controls($6.65{\pm}2.56$)(P=0.016). There was no difference between ratio of DHEAS/F and Harada score, but its ratio was very low in patients with coronary aneurysm. Conclusion : These data demonstrate that there are changes of DHEAS and cortisol in acute stage of KD and the dis-equilibrium between two steroids may be relevant in the T cell immune response induction of Kawasaki disease. These changes support the use of DHEAS/F ratio as one of the predictive factors of coronary arteries complication.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.105-111
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• 2015

Purpose: Fatigue, energy loss, feeling of helplessness, poor appetite, pain besides general weakness are major symptoms presented to terminally ill cancer patients. These symptoms are similar to those that appeared with adrenal insufficiency. Also, for terminally ill cancer patients who are hospitalized for palliative care, opioid agents are prescribed to control moderate to severe pain. We studied the relationship of opioid agents and adrenal insufficiency. Methods: From November 2013 through June 2014, we monitored the serum level of cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS, serum) in 55 cancer patients who were over 18 years old and were treated at a hospice center. We also checked the treatment period and dosage of opioid agents. Results: The DHEAS level, treatment period and dosage of opioid agents did not have significant correlation. Correlation between the serum cortisol level and the opioid agent treatment period was not significant either, but the serum cortisol level was positively correlated with the dosage of opioid agents (P value 0.0322). Conclusion: This study did not identify a novel link between treatment period, dosage of opioid agents and adrenal insufficiency. But, the DHEAS level was mostly below the normal level in patients who were treated with opioid agents.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.73-79
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• 2001

Recently many studies have reported that total and bioavailable androgens reduced in male and female athletes and that physical exercise reduces the body weight and increases the reproductive abnormalities such as oligomenorrhea, anovulation, inadequate luteal phase, and delayed puberty in women by the inhibition of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis . In addition, high mileage endurance 겨nning, psychological stress, and military endurance training in men also reduce the secretion of reproductive hormones. To investigate the efffcts of physical endurance exercise on the secretion of reproductive hormones in men, androgenic hormones from adrenal glands and testis were measured in serum by the conventional radioimmunoassays after long-term (more than3 months), short-term (1 week), and acute (1${sim}$2 hours) physical exercises. Androgenic hormones from adrenal glands and testis such as total testosterone (TT), free testosterone (fT), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and androstenedione (A) decreased after thesestrenuous endurance trainings, whereas ACTH, cortisol, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfetes (DHEAS) increased. Conadotropins (LH and FSH) were not idluenced by the physical exercises. Based upon the present results, we assume that the decrease in adrenal and testicular androgens by physical endurance exercises might be associated with the reproductive abnormalities in athletes by unknown factor(s) in addition to the HPG axis disturbance.