***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: BACKGROUND And rogenetic alopecia ( male pattern hair loss ) is caused by and rogen-dependent miniaturization of scalp hair follicles , with scalp dihydrotestosterone ( DHT ) implicated as a contributing cause . Finasteride , an inhibitor of type II 5alpha-reductase , decreases serum and scalp DHT by inhibiting conversion of testosterone to DHT . OBJECTIVE Our purpose was to determine whether finasteride treatment leads to clinical improvement in men with male pattern hair loss . METHODS In two 1-year trials , 1553 men ( 18 to 41 years of age ) with male pattern hair loss received  oral finasteride 1 mg/d or placebo , and 1215 men continued in blinded extension studies for a second year . Efficacy was evaluated by scalp hair counts , patient and investigator assessment s , and review of photographs by an expert panel . RESULTS Finasteride treatment improved scalp hair by all evaluation techniques at 1 and 2 years ( P < .001 vs placebo , all comparisons ) . Clinical ly significant increases in hair count ( baseline = 876 hairs ) , measured in a 1-inch diameter circular area ( 5.1 cm2 ) of balding vertex scalp , were observed with finasteride treatment ( 107 and 138 hairs vs placebo at 1 and 2 years , respectively ; P < .001 ) . Treatment with placebo result ed in progressive hair loss . Patients ' self- assessment demonstrated that finasteride treatment slowed hair loss , increased hair growth , and improved appearance of hair . These improvements were corroborated by investigator assessment s and assessment s of photographs . Adverse effects were minimal . CONCLUSION In men with male pattern hair loss , finasteride 1 mg/d slowed the progression of hair loss and increased hair growth in clinical trials over 2 years BACKGROUND Finasteride , a type II 5alpha-reductase inhibitor , reduces scalp and serum dihydrotestosterone and has been shown to be effective in men with and rogenetic alopecia ( AGA ) . OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of finasteride on scalp hair weight in men with AGA . METHODS Sixty-six men with AGA received finasteride , 1 mg/d , or placebo in a 48-week study , and 49 men continued in a 48-week extension . Efficacy was assessed by scalp hair weights and hair counts . RESULTS As expected , hair counts improved with finasteride ( net mean percent change + /- SE [ 95 % CI ] compared with placebo = 9.2 % + /- 2.8 % [ 3.8 , 14.6 ] and 15.4 % + /- 3.2 % [ 9.1 , 21.7 ] at 48 and 96 weeks , respectively ; P < .01 for both time points ) , and net improvements in hair weight were greater ( 25.6 % + /- 3.6 % [ 18.5 , 32.7 ] and 35.8 % + /- 4.6 % [ 26.7 , 44.8 ] at 48 and 96 weeks , respectively ; P < .001 for both time points ) . Finasteride was generally well tolerated . CONCLUSION In this study , finasteride , 1 mg , increased hair weight  in men with AGA .  Hair weight increased to a larger extent than hair count , implying that factors other than the number of hairs , such as increased growth rate ( length ) and thickness of hairs , contribute to the beneficial effects of finasteride in treated men BACKGROUND Finasteride , a specific inhibitor of type II 5alpha-reductase , decreases serum and scalp dihydrotestosterone and has been shown to be effective in men with vertex male pattern hair loss . OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the efficacy of finasteride 1 mg/day in men with frontal ( anterior/mid ) scalp hair thinning .  METHODS This was a 1-year , double-blind , placebo-controlled study followed by a 1-year open extension . Efficacy was assessed by hair counts ( 1 cm2 circular area ) , patient and investigator assessment s , and global photographic review . RESULTS There was a significant increase in hair count in the frontal scalp of finasteride-treated patients ( P < .001 ) , as well as significant improvements in patient , investigator , and global photographic assessment s. Efficacy was maintained or improved throughout the second year of the study . Finasteride was generally well tolerated . CONCLUSION In men with hair loss in the anterior/mid area of the scalp , finasteride 1 mg/day slowed hair loss and increased hair growth BACKGROUND Male pattern hair loss ( MPHL ) is a potentially reversible condition in which dihydrotestosterone is an important etiologic factor . OBJECTIVE Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy of the type 1 and 2 5alpha-reductase inhibitor dutasteride in men with MPHL . METHODS Four hundred sixteen men , 21 to 45 years old , were r and omized to receive dutasteride 0.05 , 0.1 , 0.5 or 2.5 mg , finasteride 5 mg , or placebo daily for 24 weeks . RESULTS Dutasteride increased target area hair count versus placebo in a dose-dependent fashion and dutasteride 2.5 mg was superior to finasteride at 12 and 24 weeks . Expert panel photographic review and investigator assessment of hair growth confirmed these results . Scalp and serum dihydrotestosterone levels decreased , and testosterone levels increased , in a dose-dependent fashion with dutasteride . LIMITATIONS The study was limited to 24 weeks . CONCLUSION Dutasteride increases scalp hair growth in men with MPHL . Type 1 and type 2 5alpha-reductase may be important in the pathogenesis and treatment of MPHL Background Finasteride is a competitive inhibitor of 5 alpha-reductase enzyme , and is used for treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia and and rogenetic alopecia . Animal studies have shown that finasteride might induce behavioral changes . Additionally , some cases of finasteride-induced depression have been reported in humans . The purpose of this study was to examine whether depressive symptoms or anxiety might be induced by finasteride administration . Methods One hundred and twenty eight men with and rogenetic alopecia , who were prescribed finasteride ( 1 mg/day ) were enrolled in this study . Information on depressed mood and anxiety was obtained by Beck Depression Inventory ( BDI ) , and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale ( HADS ) . Participants completed BDI and HADS question naires before beginning the treatment and also two months after it . Results Mean age of the subjects was 25.8(± 4.4 ) years . At baseline , mean BDI and HADS depression scores were 12.11(± 7.50 ) and 4.04(± 2.51 ) , respectively . Finasteride treatment increased both BDI ( p < 0.001 ) and HADS depression scores significantly ( p = 0.005 ) . HADS anxiety scores were increased , but the difference was not significant ( p = 0.061 ) . Conclusion This preliminary study suggests that finasteride might induce depressive symptoms ; therefore this medication should be prescribed cautiously for patients with high risk of depression . It seems that further studies would be necessary to determine behavioral effects of this medication in higher doses and in more susceptible patients A 24-month double-blind , r and omized , placebo-controlled , parallel-group , multicenter study of 424 men was conducted to determine the efficacy and tolerability of finasteride 1 mg on hair growth/loss in men aged 41 to 60 years with mild-to-moderate , predominantly vertex male pattern hair loss .  Efficacy was evaluated by review of global photographs of the vertex scalp taken at baseline and at Months 6 , 12 , 18 , and 24 and by patient self- assessment s and investigator clinical assessment s of change from baseline in hair growth/loss collected at Months 6 , 12 , 18 , and 24 . Safety analyses included assessment of clinical and laboratory adverse experiences , including sexual adverse experiences . Analysis of global photographic assessment data showed significant improvement in hair growth for men in the finasteride group compared with those taking placebo beginning at Month 6 ( p < 0.001 ) and maintained through Month 24 ( p < 0.001 ) . Results of the patient self- assessment and investigator assessment s were consistent with those from the global photographic assessment . Finasteride 1 mg improved scalp hair growth in men aged 41 to 60 years with predominantly vertex male pattern hair loss compared with results seen with placebo . Improvement was evident by 6 months of treatment and continued through 24 months . Treatment with finasteride 1 mg was generally well tolerated BACKGROUND And rogenetic alopecia is a common condition of adult men .  Finasteride , a type 2 5alpha-reductase inhibitor , decreases the formation of dihydrotestosterone from testosterone . OBJECTIVE Two separate clinical studies were conducted to establish the optimal dose of finasteride in men with this condition . METHODS Men from 18 to 36 years of age with moderate vertex male pattern hair loss received finasteride 5 , 1 , 0.2 , or 0.01 mg/day or placebo based on r and om assignment . Efficacy was determined by scalp hair counts , patient self- assessment , investigator assessment , and assessment of clinical photographs . Safety was assessed by clinical and laboratory measurements and by analysis of adverse experiences . RESULTS Efficacy was demonstrated for all end points for finasteride at doses of 0.2 mg/day or higher , with 1 and 5 mg demonstrating similar efficacy that was superior to lower doses . Efficacy of the 0.01 mg dose was similar to placebo . No significant safety issues were identified in the trials . CONCLUSION Finasteride 1 mg/day is the optimal dose for the treatment of men with male pattern hair loss and was subsequently identified for further clinical development BACKGROUND Data suggest that and rogenetic alopecia is a process dependent on dihydrotestosterone ( DHT ) and type 2 5alpha-reductase . Finasteride is a type 2 5alpha-reductase inhibitor that has been shown to slow further hair loss and improve hair growth in men with and rogenetic alopecia . OBJECTIVE We attempted to determine the effect of finasteride on scalp skin and serum and rogens . METHODS Men with and rogenetic alopecia ( N = 249 ) underwent scalp biopsies before and after receiving 0.01 , 0.05 , 0.2 , 1 , or 5 mg daily of finasteride or placebo for 42 days . RESULTS Scalp skin DHT levels declined significantly by 13.0 % with placebo and by 14.9 % , 61.6 % , 56 . 5 % , 64.1 % , and 69.4 % with 0.01 , 0.05 , 0.2 , 1 , and 5 mg doses of finasteride , respectively . Serum DHT levels declined significantly ( P < .001 ) by 49.5 % , 68.6 % , 71.4 % , and 72.2 % in the 0.05 , 0.2 , 1 , and 5 mg finasteride treatment groups , respectively . CONCLUSION In this study , doses of finasteride as low as 0.2 mg per day maximally decreased both scalp skin and serum DHT levels . These data support the rationale used to conduct clinical trials in men with male pattern hair loss at doses of finasteride between 0.2 and 5 mg BACKGROUND Finasteride 1 mg ( Propecia ) is indicated for the treatment of men with and rogenetic alopecia ( male pattern hair loss , MPHL ) . However , the long-term ( > 2 years ) efficacy and safety of finasteride in this population has not been previously reported . Objectives . To assess the efficacy and safety of finasteride in men with MPHL compared to treatment with placebo over five years . METHODS In two 1-year , Phase III trials , 1,553 men with MPHL were r and omized to receive finasteride 1 mg/day or placebo  , and 1,215 men continued in up to four 1-year , placebo-controlled extension studies . Efficacy was evaluated by hair counts , patient and investigator assessment s , and panel review of clinical photographs . RESULTS Treatment with finasteride led to durable improvements in scalp hair over five years ( p 3/4 0.001 versus placebo , all endpoints ) , while treatment with placebo led to progressive hair loss . Finasteride was generally well tolerated and no new safety concerns were identified during long-term use . CONCLUSIONS In men with MPHL , long-term treatment with finasteride 1 mg/day over five years was well tolerated , led to durable improvements in scalp hair growth , and slowed the further progression of hair loss that occurred without treatment BACKGROUND Our practical experience indicates that sexual side-effects in subjects taking finasteride 1 mg ( Propecia ) for and rogenetic alopecia are much less common than reported in the literature . OBJECTIVE To evaluate the sexual function in subjects taking finasteride ( 1 mg ) compared with age-matched controls using the International Index of Erectile Function ( IIEF ) . METHODS The IIEF , a brief , reliable question naire , was self-administered to 236 patients taking Propecia and 236 age-matched males attending the Department of Dermatology of the University of Bologna . RESULTS Statistical analysis showed no differences between scores obtained with the IIEF in subjects taking finasteride and controls . CONCLUS 
    Output:
    
Moderate- quality evidence suggests that daily use of oral finasteride increases hair count and improves patient and investigator assessment of hair appearance , while increasing the risk of sexual dysfunction