Article Title: The psychological and social impact of Klinefelter’s Syndrome
Author: Marianne Morris, Sue Jackson, and Jude Hancock
Date of Publication: September 2009
Article Title: Reduced artery diameters in Klinefelter syndrome
Authors: C. Foresta, N. Caretta, P. Palego, A. Ferlin, D. Zuccarello, A. Lenzi, R. Selice
Date of Publication: April 10, 2012
“Various epidemiological studies in relatively large cohorts of patients with Klinefelter syndrome (KS) described the increased morbidity and mortality in these subjects. Our aim was to study the structure and function of arteries in different districts to investigate in these subjects possible alterations. A total of 92 patients having non-mosaic KS, diagnosed in Centre for Human Reproduction Pathology at the University of Padova, and 50 age-matched healthy male controls were studied. Klinefelter syndrome subjects and controls evaluation included complete medical history, physical examination, measurement of concentrations of the reproductive hormones, lipidic and glycidic metabolism, AR function and sensitivity, ultrasound examinations (diameters, carotid intima-media thickness and brachial flow-mediated dilation) of brachial, common carotid and common femoral artery and abdominal aorta. Klinefelter syndrome patients showed significantly reduced artery diameters in all districts evaluated.”
Article Title: FDA Panel Split on Safety of Long-Acting Testosterone
Author: Megan Brooks
Date of Publication: April 18, 2013
An advisory panel to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was split today on the question of whether or not testosterone undecanoate intramuscular injection (Aveed, Endo Pharma Solutions) is a safe testosterone replacement therapy, given reports of severe post-injection reactions.
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Article Title: Representations of Klinefelter Syndrome
Author: Michael Noble
Date of Publication: May 2010
This article, published by Michael Noble of OII (Organization Intersex International), focuses on the gender identity and discusses the concept of “XXY Intersex” for some with 47,XXY.
Article Title: Social Attention, Affective Arousal and Empathy in Men with Klinefelter Syndrome (47,XXY): Evidence from Eyetracking and Skin Conductance
Authors: Sophie van Rijn, Marjolein Barendse, Stephanie van Goozen, and Hanna Swaab
Date of Publication: January 8, 2014
“Individuals with an extra X chromosome (Klinefelter syndrome) are at risk for problems in social functioning and have an increased vulnerability for autism traits. In the search for underlying mechanisms driving this increased risk, this study focused on social attention, affective arousal and empathy. Seventeen adults with XXY and 20 non-clinical controls participated in this study. Eyetracking was used to investigate social attention, as expressed in visual scanning patterns in response to the viewing of empathy evoking video clips. Skin conductance levels, reflecting affective arousal, were recorded continuously during the clips as well. Empathic skills, i.e. participants’ understanding of own and others’ emotions in response to the clips was also assessed.”
Article Title: Association of Testosterone Therapy With Mortality, Myocardial Infarction, and Stroke in Men With Low Testosterone Levels
Authors: Rebecca Vigen, Colin I. O’Donnell, Anna E. Barón, et al
Date of Publication: November 6, 2013
A November, 2013 article in JAMA pointed to increased heart risks for individuals on testosterone therapy. Since many teens and men with XXY rely on testosterone therapy, we asked Dr. Wylie Hembree, previous member of AXYS’s Board of Directors, to put this article in perspective for those we serve.
Dr. Hembree’s comments:
“Over the years, the question of safety of testosterone treatment of men has been evaluated. Appropriate diagnosis and treatment of men with testosterone has been well demonstrated in the two Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guidelines and they have pointed out the risks as well as benefits. A few studies have demonstrated the vulnerability of older men – especially frail older men – to testosterone treatment. All of us are very careful about treatment of testosterone deficient older men, especially those with hypertension, heart disease, prostate disease and diabetes. No one should be treated with testosterone without a complete evaluation that clearly demonstrates both clinical and laboratory evidence of testosterone deficiency and carefully assesses the risks of the treatment. Careful monitoring thereafter is essential, especially in men with the above mentioned conditions and older men in general. There is no evidence that testosterone treatment is responsible for prostate cancer but in older men monitoring for prostate cancer is much more difficult.
Article Title: Klinefelter’s syndrome (karyotype 47, XXY) and schizophrenia-spectrum pathology
Authors: Sophie van Rijn, MSc; André Aleman, PhD; Hanna Swaab, PhD; and René Kahn, PhD, MD
Date of Publication: November 2006
“Klinefelter’s syndrome, characterised by a 47, XXY chromosomal pattern, has largely been associated with physical abnormalities. Here, we report high levels of schizophrenia-spectrum pathology in 32 men with this syndrome in comparison with 26 healthy controls. This may have implications for treatment of Klinefelter’s syndrome and suggests that the X chromosome may be involved in the aetiology of schizophrenia.”
Article Title: When to ask male adolescents to provide semen sample for fertility preservation?
Authors: Peter N. Schlegel et al
Date of Publication: March 2014
“It is appropriate to consider a request for semen specimens by masturbation from teenagers at one year and six months after the onset of puberty; the onset age of puberty plus 1.5 years is an important predictor of ejaculation and sample collection for cryopreservation.”
Article Title: Genetic evaluation of male infertility
Author: Matthew S. Wosnitzer
Date of Publication: March 2014
“Men with severe oligospermia (<5 million sperm/mL ejaculate fluid) or azoospermia should receive genetic testing to clarify etiology of male infertility prior to treatment. Categorization by obstructive azoospermia (OA) or non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) is critical since genetic testing differs for the former with normal testicular function, testicular volume (~20 mL), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) (1-8 IU/mL) when compared to the latter with small, soft testes and increased FSH.”
Article Title: Medical treatment of male infertility
Authors: Ali A. Dabaja, Peter N. Schlegel
Date of Publication: March 2014
“The majority of male infertility is idiopathic. However, there are multiple known causes of male infertility, and some of these causes can be treated medically with high success rates. In cases of idiopathic or genetic causes of male infertility, medical management is typically empirical; in most instances medical therapy represents off-label use that is not specifically approved by the FDA. Understanding the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and the effect of estrogen excess is critical for the assessment and treatment of male infertility.”
