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Some of our finest [ about ] Approved Articles Developed Articles (over 700) Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality. —Often attributed to the Dalai Lama Draft of the Week [ about ] (CC) Image: David E. Volk Steroids, or steroid hormones, are powerful hormones with drastic effects, both good and bad, when artificially supplemented into living systems. They are normally produced by three glands, the adrenal cortex, the testes, and the ovaries, but are also produced by the placenta during pregnancy, and some steroids ("neurosteroids") are produced within the brain. Steroids play an important role at all stages of life from the embryo until death. Corticosteroids, or synthetic mimics such as prednisone, are used to treat inflammation related illnesses like asthma or rheumatoid arthritis, but they can have severe side effects. Athletes have often taken anabolic steroids to improve muscle growth and athletic performance. Glucocorticoids play a role in metabolism and inflammation, and estrogens have been linked to cancer. Testosterone and estrogen influence sexual traits (maleness/femaleness). All steroid hormones are naturally synthesized from cholesterol (through pregnenolone) under the control of the anterior pituitary gland, which produces andrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH, or corticotropin), a polypeptide that stimulates the conversion of cholesterol to pregnenolone. [more...] New Draft of the Week [ about ] The Miniature Fox Terrier is a small, fine, lightweight terrier developed as a hunting dog and vermin router. It is known colloquially in its native Australia as the “Mini Foxie”, the "Mini Fox Terrier" and sometimes as the “Little Foxie”. It is akin to the Toy Fox Terrier, a breed that developed along similar lines in the United States. Some Toy Fox Terrier owners can trace their dogs’ pedigrees to "Foiler", aka "Old Foiler", the first Fox Terrier registered by The Kennel Club in Britain, circa 1875-6. It is interesting that although the bloodlines of the Mini Foxie and the Toy Fox Terrier are apparently distinct, Australian and American dogs can bear startling resemblance to each other. [more...]