Divergent Evolutionary Trajectories of Two Young, Homomorphic, and Closely Related Sex Chromosome Systems

PubMed Central

Furman, Benjamin L S; Evans, Ben J

2018-01-01

Abstract There exists extraordinary variation among species in the degree and nature of sex chromosome divergence. However, much of our knowledge about sex chromosomes is based on comparisons between deeply diverged species with different ancestral sex chromosomes, making it difficult to establish how fast and why sex chromosomes acquire variable levels of divergence. To address this problem, we studied sex chromosome evolution in two species of African clawed frog (Xenopus), both of whom acquired novel systems for sex determination from a recent common ancestor, and both of whom have female (ZW/ZZ) heterogamy. Derived sex chromosomes of one species, X. laevis, have a small region of suppressed recombination that surrounds the sex determining locus, and have remained this way for millions of years. In the other species, X. borealis, a younger sex chromosome system exists on a different pair of chromosomes, but the region of suppressed recombination surrounding an unidentified sex determining gene is vast, spanning almost half of the sex chromosomes. Differences between these sex chromosome systems are also apparent in the extent of nucleotide divergence between the sex chromosomes carried by females. Our analyses also indicate that in autosomes of both of these species, recombination during oogenesis occurs more frequently and in different genomic locations than during spermatogenesis. These results demonstrate that new sex chromosomes can assume radically different evolutionary trajectories, with far-reaching genomic consequences. They also suggest that in some instances the origin of new triggers for sex determination may be coupled with rapid evolution sex chromosomes, including recombination suppression of large genomic regions. PMID:29608717

Sex differences in stress effects on emotional learning.

PubMed

Merz, Christian J; Wolf, Oliver T

2017-01-02

Stress influences emotional learning and memory processes. These effects are thought to underlie stress-associated mental disorders. Sex differences in stress reactivity and in central nervous system stress sensitivity illustrate the important modulatory role of sex hormones. This Review outlines how stress hormones influence different stages of the fear conditioning process, such as fear acquisition, extinction, and retrieval. Results will be compared with findings on the impact of stress on episodic memory. The focus is on the available human data on sex differences and the impact sex hormones have on the stress effects on emotional learning and memory. It will become apparent that the menstrual cycle but also the intake of hormonal contraceptives modulates the impact of stress on brain and behavior. Additional basic research is needed for a deeper insight regarding the interplay between stress and sex hormones in emotion and cognition. In addition, new treatment options might be derived to optimize existing strategies such as exposure therapy, which relies on the principles of fear conditioning. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Gender-Typed Play and Amniotic Testosterone

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knickmeyer, Rebecca Christine; Wheelwright, Sally; Taylor, Kevin; Raggatt, Peter; Hackett, Gerald; Baron-Cohen, Simon

2005-01-01

Sex differences in play are apparent in a number of mammalian species, including humans. Prenatal testosterone may contribute to these differences. The authors report the first attempt to correlate gender-typed play in a normative sample of humans with measurements of amniotic testosterone (aT). Testosterone was measured in the amniotic fluid of…

Sex-Specific Selection and Sex-Biased Gene Expression in Humans and Flies

PubMed Central

Kirkpatrick, Mark

2016-01-01

Sexual dimorphism results from sex-biased gene expression, which evolves when selection acts differently on males and females. While there is an intimate connection between sex-biased gene expression and sex-specific selection, few empirical studies have studied this relationship directly. Here we compare the two on a genome-wide scale in humans and flies. We find a distinctive “Twin Peaks” pattern in humans that relates the strength of sex-specific selection, quantified by genetic divergence between male and female adults at autosomal loci, to the degree of sex-biased expression. Genes with intermediate degrees of sex-biased expression show evidence of ongoing sex-specific selection, while genes with either little or completely sex-biased expression do not. This pattern apparently results from differential viability selection in males and females acting in the current generation. The Twin Peaks pattern is also found in Drosophila using a different measure of sex-specific selection acting on fertility. We develop a simple model that successfully recapitulates the Twin Peaks. Our results suggest that many genes with intermediate sex-biased expression experience ongoing sex-specific selection in humans and flies. PMID:27658217

Gender-related differences in the apparent timing of skeletal density bands in the reef-building coral Siderastrea siderea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carricart-Ganivet, J. P.; Vásquez-Bedoya, L. F.; Cabanillas-Terán, N.; Blanchon, P.

2013-09-01

Density banding in skeletons of reef-building corals is a valuable source of proxy environmental data. However, skeletal growth strategy has a significant impact on the apparent timing of density-band formation. Some corals employ a strategy where the tissue occupies previously formed skeleton during as the new band forms, which leads to differences between the actual and apparent band timing. To investigate this effect, we collected cores from female and male colonies of Siderastrea siderea and report tissue thicknesses and density-related growth parameters over a 17-yr interval. Correlating these results with monthly sea surface temperature (SST) shows that maximum skeletal density in the female coincides with low winter SSTs, whereas in the male, it coincides with high summer SSTs. Furthermore, maximum skeletal densities in the female coincide with peak Sr/Ca values, whereas in the male, they coincide with low Sr/Ca values. Both results indicate a 6-month difference in the apparent timing of density-band formation between genders. Examination of skeletal extension rates also show that the male has thicker tissue and extends faster, whereas the female has thinner tissue and a denser skeleton—but both calcify at the same rate. The correlation between extension and calcification, combined with the fact that density banding arises from thickening of the skeleton throughout the depth reached by the tissue layer, implies that S. siderea has the same growth strategy as massive Porites, investing its calcification resources into linear extension. In addition, differences in tissue thicknesses suggest that females offset the greater energy requirements of gamete production by generating less tissue, resulting in differences in the apparent timing of density-band formation. Such gender-related offsets may be common in other corals and require that environmental reconstructions be made from sexed colonies and that, in fossil corals where sex cannot be determined, reconstructions must be duplicated in different colonies.

Separate effects of sex hormones and sex chromosomes on brain structure and function revealed by high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging and spatial navigation assessment of the Four Core Genotype mouse model.

PubMed

Corre, Christina; Friedel, Miriam; Vousden, Dulcie A; Metcalf, Ariane; Spring, Shoshana; Qiu, Lily R; Lerch, Jason P; Palmert, Mark R

2016-03-01

Males and females exhibit several differences in brain structure and function. To examine the basis for these sex differences, we investigated the influences of sex hormones and sex chromosomes on brain structure and function in mice. We used the Four Core Genotype (4CG) mice, which can generate both male and female mice with XX or XY sex chromosome complement, allowing the decoupling of sex chromosomes from hormonal milieu. To examine whole brain structure, high-resolution ex vivo MRI was performed, and to assess differences in cognitive function, mice were trained on a radial arm maze. Voxel-wise and volumetric analyses of MRI data uncovered a striking independence of hormonal versus chromosomal influences in 30 sexually dimorphic brain regions. For example, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and the parieto-temporal lobe of the cerebral cortex displayed steroid-dependence while the cerebellar cortex, corpus callosum, and olfactory bulbs were influenced by sex chromosomes. Spatial learning and memory demonstrated strict hormone-dependency with no apparent influence of sex chromosomes. Understanding the influences of chromosomes and hormones on brain structure and function is important for understanding sex differences in brain structure and function, an endeavor that has eventual implications for understanding sex biases observed in the prevalence of psychiatric disorders.

Differential phytosociological interactions involving male and female atriplex bonnevillensis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sinclair, J.; Emlen, J.M.; Rinella, M.; Snelgrove, J.; Freeman, D.C.

2009-01-01

Wind-pollinated dioecious plants often exhibit spatial segregation of the sexes. This partial niche separation has most often been explored using abiotic niche axes. However, if the sexes are truly separated in space, then they are apt to encounter different plant species that may heavily affect growth and reproduction. Also, to the extent that their niches differ, the sexes may respond differently to the same co-occurring species. Here we examine interspecific interactions that influence male and female reproductive potential in Atriplex bonnevillensis. Using Emlen's interaction assessment, a technique which assesses species interactions based on cover classes, we show that Salsola species compete significantly with females but not males, while Halogeton glomeratus competes with males but not females. The effect of competition only became apparent when we corrected for site-specific fertility. These results imply that differential competition must be considered when studying dioecious plants that display spatial segregation of the sexes.

The Measurement of Values: Effects of Different Assessment Procedures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feather, N. T.

1973-01-01

Rating and pair-comparison procedures for assessing the importance of terminal and instrumental values were compared with the standard ranking procedure developed by Rokeach. Effects of order of presentation of of the value sets were also investigated. Neither procedure nor order had replicable effect though some sex differences were apparent. (TO)

Sex Differences in the Effect of Puberty on Hippocampal Morphology

PubMed Central

Satterthwaite, Theodore D.; Vandekar, Simon; Wolf, Daniel H.; Ruparel, Kosha; Roalf, David R.; Jackson, Chad; Elliott, Mark A.; Bilker, Warren B.; Calkins, Monica E.; Prabhakaran, Karthik; Davatzikos, Christos; Hakonarson, Hakon; Gur, Raquel E.; Gur, Ruben C.

2014-01-01

Objective Puberty is the defining process of adolescence, and is accompanied by divergent trajectories of behavior and cognition for males and females. Here we examine whether sex differences exist in the effect of puberty on the morphology of the hippocampus and amygdala. Method T1-weighted structural neuroimaging was performed in a sample of 524 pre- or postpubertal adolescents ages 10–22. Hippocampal and amygdala volume and shape were quantified using FSL’s FIRST procedure and scaled by intracranial volume. The effects on regional volume of age, sex, puberty, and their interactions were examined using linear regression. Postpubertal sex differences were examined using a vertex analysis. Results Prepubertal males and females had similar hippocampal volumes, whereas postpubertal females had significantly larger bilateral hippocampi, resulting in a significant puberty-by-sex interaction even when controlling for age and age-by-sex. This effect was regionally specific and was not apparent in the amygdala. Vertex analysis revealed that postpubertal differences were most prominent in the lateral aspect of the hippocampus bilaterally, corresponding to the CA1 subfield. Conclusions These results establish that there are regionally specific sex differences in the effect of puberty on the hippocampus. These findings are relevant for the understanding of psychiatric disorders that have both hippocampal dysfunction and prominent gender disparities during adolescence. PMID:24565361

A novel application of multi-event modeling to estimate class segregation in a highly migratory oceanic vertebrate.

PubMed

Chapple, T K; Chambert, T; Kanive, P E; Jorgensen, S J; Rotella, J J; Anderson, S D; Carlisle, A B; Block, B A

2016-12-01

Spatial segregation of animals by class (i.e., maturity or sex) within a population due to differential rates of temporary emigration (TE) from study sites can be an important life history feature to consider in population assessment and management. However, such rates are poorly known; new quantitative approaches to address these knowledge gaps are needed. We present a novel application of multi-event models that takes advantage of two sources of detections to differentiate temporary emigration from apparent absence to quantify class segregation within a study population of double-marked (photo-identified and tagged with coded acoustic transmitters) white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) in central California. We use this model to test if sex-specific patterns in TE result in disparate apparent capture probabilities (p o ) between male and female white sharks, which can affect the observed sex ratio. The best-supported model showed a contrasting pattern of Pr(TE) from coastal aggregation sites between sexes (for males Pr[TE] = 0.015 [95% CI = 0.00, 0.31] and Pr[TE]= 0.57 [0.40, 0.72] for females), but not maturity classes. Additionally, by accounting for Pr(TE) and imperfect detection, we were able to estimate class-specific values of true capture probability (p * ) for tagged and untagged sharks. The best-supported model identified differences between maturity classes but no difference between sexes or tagging impacts (tagged mature sharks p *  = 0.55 (0.46-0.63) and sub-adult sharks p*   = 0.36 (0.25, 0.50); and untagged mature sharks p *  = 0.50 (0.39-0.61) and sub-adults p *  = 0.18 (0.10, 0.31). Estimated sex-based differences in p o were linked to sex-specific differences in Pr(TE) but not in p * ; once the Pr(TE) is accounted for, the p * between sexes was not different. These results indicate that the observed sex ratio is not a consequence of unequal detectability and sex-specific values of Pr(TE) are important drivers of the observed male-dominated sex ratio. Our modeling approach reveals complex class-specific patterns in Pr(TE) and p * in a mark-recapture data set, and highlights challenges for the population modeling and conservation of white sharks in central California. The model we develop here can be used to estimate rates of temporary emigration and class segregation when two detection methods are used. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

The energy costs of sexual dimorphism in mole-rats are morphological not behavioural

PubMed Central

Scantlebury, M; Speakman, J.R; Bennett, N.C

2005-01-01

Different reproductive strategies of males and females may lead to the evolution of differences in their energetic costs of reproduction, overall energetic requirements and physiological performances. Sexual dimorphism is often associated with costly behaviours (e.g. large males might have a competitive advantage in fighting, which is energetically expensive). However, few studies of mammals have directly compared the energy costs of reproductive activities between sexes. We compared the daily energy expenditure (DEE) and resting metabolic rate (RMR) of males and females of two species of mole-rat, Bathyergus janetta and Georychus capensis (the former is sexually dimorphic in body size and the latter is not) during a period of intense digging when males seek females. We hypothesized that large body size might be indicative of greater digging or fighting capabilities, and hence greater mass-independent DEE values in males of the sexually dimorphic species. In contrast to this prediction, although absolute values of DEE were greater in B. janetta males, mass-independent values were not. No differences were apparent between sexes in G. capensis. By comparison, although RMR values were greater in B. janetta than G. capensis, no differences were apparent between the sexes for either species. The energy cost of dimorphism is most likely to be the cost of maintenance of a large body size, and not the cost of behaviours performed when an individual is large. PMID:16519235

Sex change and effective population size: implications for population genetic studies in marine fish.

PubMed

Coscia, I; Chopelet, J; Waples, R S; Mann, B Q; Mariani, S

2016-10-01

Large variance in reproductive success is the primary factor that reduces effective population size (Ne) in natural populations. In sequentially hermaphroditic (sex-changing) fish, the sex ratio is typically skewed and biased towards the 'first' sex, while reproductive success increases considerably after sex change. Therefore, sex-changing fish populations are theoretically expected to have lower Ne than gonochorists (separate sexes), assuming all other parameters are essentially equal. In this study, we estimate Ne from genetic data collected from two ecologically similar species living along the eastern coast of South Africa: one gonochoristic, the 'santer' sea bream Cheimerius nufar, and one protogynous (female-first) sex changer, the 'slinger' sea bream Chrysoblephus puniceus. For both species, no evidence of genetic structuring, nor significant variation in genetic diversity, was found in the study area. Estimates of contemporary Ne were significantly lower in the protogynous species, but the same pattern was not apparent over historical timescales. Overall, our results show that sequential hermaphroditism may affect Ne differently over varying time frames, and that demographic signatures inferred from genetic markers with different inheritance modes also need to be interpreted cautiously, in relation to sex-changing life histories.

Vertebrate sex-determining genes play musical chairs

PubMed Central

Pan, Qiaowei; Anderson, Jennifer; Bertho, Sylvain; Herpin, Amaury; Wilson, Catherine; Postlethwait, John H.; Schartl, Manfred; Guiguen, Yann

2017-01-01

Sexual reproduction is one of the most highly conserved processes in evolution. However, the genetic and cellular mechanisms making the decision of whether the undifferentiated gonad of animal embryos develops either towards male or female are manifold and quite diverse. In vertebrates, sex-determining mechanisms range from environmental to simple or complex genetic mechanisms and different mechanisms have evolved repeatedly and independently. In species with simple genetic sex-determination, master sex-determining genes lying on sex chromosomes drive the gonadal differentiation process by switching on a developmental program, which ultimately leads to testicular or ovarian differentiation. So far, very few sex-determining genes have been identified in vertebrates and apart from mammals and birds, these genes are apparently not conserved over a larger number of related orders, families, genera, or even species. To fill this knowledge gap and to better explore genetic sex-determination, we propose a strategy (RAD-Sex) that makes use of next-generation sequencing technology to identify genetic markers that define sex-specific segments of the male or female genome. PMID:27291506

Resistance to Alzheimer Disease Neuropathologic Changes and Apparent Cognitive Resilience in the Nun and Honolulu-Asia Aging Studies.

PubMed

Latimer, Caitlin S; Keene, C Dirk; Flanagan, Margaret E; Hemmy, Laura S; Lim, Kelvin O; White, Lon R; Montine, Kathleen S; Montine, Thomas J

2017-06-01

Two population-based studies key to advancing knowledge of brain aging are the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study (HAAS) and the Nun Study. Harmonization of their neuropathologic data allows cross comparison, with findings common to both studies likely generalizable, while distinct observations may point to aging brain changes that are dependent on sex, ethnicity, environment, or lifestyle factors. Here, we expanded the neuropathologic evaluation of these 2 studies using revised NIA-Alzheimer's Association guidelines and compared directly the neuropathologic features of resistance and apparent cognitive resilience. There were significant differences in prevalence of Alzheimer disease neuropathologic change, small vessel vascular brain injury, and Lewy body disease between these 2 studies, suggesting that sex, ethnicity, and lifestyle factors may significantly influence resistance to developing brain injury with age. In contrast, hippocampal sclerosis prevalence was very similar, but skewed to poorer cognitive performance, suggesting that hippocampal sclerosis could act sequentially with other diseases to impair cognitive function. Strikingly, despite these observed differences, the proportion of individuals resistant to all 4 diseases of brain or displaying apparent cognitive resilience was virtually identical between HAAS and Nun Study participants. Future in vivo validation of these results awaits comprehensive biomarkers of these 4 brain diseases. © 2017 American Association of Neuropathologists, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sex differences in the genetic and environmental influences on childhood conduct disorder and adult antisocial behavior.

PubMed

Meier, Madeline H; Slutske, Wendy S; Heath, Andrew C; Martin, Nicholas G

2011-05-01

Sex differences in the genetic and environmental influences on childhood conduct disorder and adult antisocial behavior were examined in a large community sample of 6,383 adult male, female, and opposite-sex twins. Retrospective reports of childhood conduct disorder (prior to 18 years of age) were obtained when participants were approximately 30 years old, and lifetime reports of adult antisocial behavior (antisocial behavior after 17 years of age) were obtained 8 years later. Results revealed that either the genetic or the shared environmental factors influencing childhood conduct disorder differed for males and females (i.e., a qualitative sex difference), but by adulthood, these sex-specific influences on antisocial behavior were no longer apparent. Further, genetic and environmental influences accounted for proportionally the same amount of variance in antisocial behavior for males and females in childhood and adulthood (i.e., there were no quantitative sex differences). Additionally, the stability of antisocial behavior from childhood to adulthood was slightly greater for males than females. Though familial factors accounted for more of the stability of antisocial behavior for males than females, genetic factors accounted for the majority of the covariation between childhood conduct disorder and adult antisocial behavior for both sexes. The genetic influences on adult antisocial behavior overlapped completely with the genetic influences on childhood conduct disorder for both males and females. Implications for future twin and molecular genetic studies are discussed.

Sex Differences in the Genetic and Environmental Influences on Childhood Conduct Disorder and Adult Antisocial Behavior

PubMed Central

Meier, Madeline H.; Slutske, Wendy S.; Heath, Andrew C.; Martin, Nicholas G.

2011-01-01

Sex differences in the genetic and environmental influences on childhood conduct disorder and adult antisocial behavior were examined in a large community sample of 6,383 adult male, female, and opposite-sex twins. Retrospective reports of childhood conduct disorder (prior to age 18) were obtained when participants were approximately 30 years old, and lifetime reports of adult antisocial behavior (antisocial behavior after age 17) were obtained eight years later. Results revealed that either the genetic or shared environmental factors influencing childhood conduct disorder differed for males and females (i.e., a qualitative sex difference), but by adulthood, these sex-specific influences on antisocial behavior were no longer apparent. Further, genetic and environmental influences accounted for proportionally the same amount of variance in antisocial behavior for males and females in childhood and adulthood (i.e., no quantitative sex differences). Additionally, the stability of antisocial behavior from childhood to adulthood was slightly greater for males than females. Though familial factors accounted for more of the stability of antisocial behavior for males than females, genetic factors accounted for the majority of the covariation between childhood conduct disorder and adult antisocial behavior for both sexes. The genetic influences on adult antisocial behavior overlapped completely with the genetic influences on childhood conduct disorder for both males and females. Implications for future twin and molecular genetic studies are discussed. PMID:21319923

How to study sex differences in addiction using animal models

PubMed Central

Carroll, Marilyn E.; Lynch, Wendy J.

2016-01-01

The importance of studying sex as a biological variable in biomedical research is becoming increasingly apparent. There is a particular need in preclinical studies of addiction to include both sexes, as female animals are often excluded from studies, leaving large gaps in our knowledge of not only sex differences and potential prevention and treatment strategies, but also with regard to the basic neurobiology of addiction. This review focuses on methodology that has been developed in preclinical studies to examine sex differences in the behavioral aspects and neurobiological mechanisms related to addiction across the full range of the addiction process, including initiation (acquisition), maintenance, escalation, withdrawal, relapse to drug seeking and treatment. This review also discusses strategic and technical issues that need to be considered when comparing females and males, including the role of ovarian hormones and how sex differences interact with other major vulnerability factors in addiction, such as impulsivity, compulsivity and age (adolescent vs. adult). Novel treatments for addiction are also discussed, such as competing nondrug rewards, repurposed medications such as progesterone and treatment combinations. Practical aspects of conducting research comparing female and male animals are also considered. Making sex differences a point of examination requires additional effort and consideration; however, such studies are necessary given mounting evidence demonstrating that the addiction process occurs differently in males and females. These studies should lead to a better understanding of individual differences in the development of addiction and effective treatments for males and females. PMID:27345022

THE APPARENT NON-SIGNIFICANCE OF SEX IN CHILD UNDERNUTRITION IN INDIA.

PubMed

Mukhopadhyay, Simantini

2016-03-01

The lack of significance of sex in the determination of child nutrition in India, as revealed from the analysis of data from the entire population, is misleading and perplexing. Given that child nutrition is affected by all channels through which sex bias operates, scholars have sought to explain its inconclusive evidence, looking at child-specific household-level factors such as birth order and sex composition of surviving older siblings. The paper points out that sex inequality needs to be examined in the context of its intersection with other consequential social identities such as religious membership, economic status and caste group affiliation. Sex disparity in child stunting is found to be prevalent particularly among upper caste Hindus. However, the relative advantage that poor tribal girls enjoy is reversed with improvement in wealth status. Thus, children in different social settings need customized policy focus.

Differential effects of an adult observer's presence on sex-typed play behavior: A comparison between gender-schematic and gender-aschematic preschool children.

PubMed

Wilansky-Traynor, Pamela; Lobel, Thalma E

2008-08-01

The present study examined the differential effect of an adult observer's presence on the sex-typed play behavior of gender schematic and aschematic preschoolers. A total of 116 Israeli preschoolers (M age = 64.9 months) participated in the study. Children were classified as either gender schematic or aschematic based upon responses to a computerized measure of different sex stereotype components. Children's play behavior with gender typical and atypical, attractive and unattractive, toys was videotaped. An observer was present for half the children's play and absent for the other half's play. Observation status affected the aschematic, but not the schematic, children's play with gender typical toys. For example, observed aschematic boys spent a greater percent of time playing with the unattractive masculine toys compared to unobserved aschematic boys. This difference was not apparent for schematic boys. Additionally, a difference found for schematic boys was not apparent in schematic girls, i.e., when unobserved, schematic boys tended to spend a greater percent of time playing with the unattractive masculine toy than aschematic boys. Further, some differences were found for unattractive, and not attractive, toys. For instance, observed aschematic boys spent a greater percent of time playing with the unattractive masculine toy than did the unobserved aschematic boys. This gap was not found for the attractive masculine toy. Results are discussed with reference to the accessibility and complexity of gender schemas.

Sex-stratified genome-wide association studies including 270,000 individuals show sexual dimorphism in genetic loci for anthropometric traits.

PubMed

Randall, Joshua C; Winkler, Thomas W; Kutalik, Zoltán; Berndt, Sonja I; Jackson, Anne U; Monda, Keri L; Kilpeläinen, Tuomas O; Esko, Tõnu; Mägi, Reedik; Li, Shengxu; Workalemahu, Tsegaselassie; Feitosa, Mary F; Croteau-Chonka, Damien C; Day, Felix R; Fall, Tove; Ferreira, Teresa; Gustafsson, Stefan; Locke, Adam E; Mathieson, Iain; Scherag, Andre; Vedantam, Sailaja; Wood, Andrew R; Liang, Liming; Steinthorsdottir, Valgerdur; Thorleifsson, Gudmar; Dermitzakis, Emmanouil T; Dimas, Antigone S; Karpe, Fredrik; Min, Josine L; Nicholson, George; Clegg, Deborah J; Person, Thomas; Krohn, Jon P; Bauer, Sabrina; Buechler, Christa; Eisinger, Kristina; Bonnefond, Amélie; Froguel, Philippe; Hottenga, Jouke-Jan; Prokopenko, Inga; Waite, Lindsay L; Harris, Tamara B; Smith, Albert Vernon; Shuldiner, Alan R; McArdle, Wendy L; Caulfield, Mark J; Munroe, Patricia B; Grönberg, Henrik; Chen, Yii-Der Ida; Li, Guo; Beckmann, Jacques S; Johnson, Toby; Thorsteinsdottir, Unnur; Teder-Laving, Maris; Khaw, Kay-Tee; Wareham, Nicholas J; Zhao, Jing Hua; Amin, Najaf; Oostra, Ben A; Kraja, Aldi T; Province, Michael A; Cupples, L Adrienne; Heard-Costa, Nancy L; Kaprio, Jaakko; Ripatti, Samuli; Surakka, Ida; Collins, Francis S; Saramies, Jouko; Tuomilehto, Jaakko; Jula, Antti; Salomaa, Veikko; Erdmann, Jeanette; Hengstenberg, Christian; Loley, Christina; Schunkert, Heribert; Lamina, Claudia; Wichmann, H Erich; Albrecht, Eva; Gieger, Christian; Hicks, Andrew A; Johansson, Asa; Pramstaller, Peter P; Kathiresan, Sekar; Speliotes, Elizabeth K; Penninx, Brenda; Hartikainen, Anna-Liisa; Jarvelin, Marjo-Riitta; Gyllensten, Ulf; Boomsma, Dorret I; Campbell, Harry; Wilson, James F; Chanock, Stephen J; Farrall, Martin; Goel, Anuj; Medina-Gomez, Carolina; Rivadeneira, Fernando; Estrada, Karol; Uitterlinden, André G; Hofman, Albert; Zillikens, M Carola; den Heijer, Martin; Kiemeney, Lambertus A; Maschio, Andrea; Hall, Per; Tyrer, Jonathan; Teumer, Alexander; Völzke, Henry; Kovacs, Peter; Tönjes, Anke; Mangino, Massimo; Spector, Tim D; Hayward, Caroline; Rudan, Igor; Hall, Alistair S; Samani, Nilesh J; Attwood, Antony Paul; Sambrook, Jennifer G; Hung, Joseph; Palmer, Lyle J; Lokki, Marja-Liisa; Sinisalo, Juha; Boucher, Gabrielle; Huikuri, Heikki; Lorentzon, Mattias; Ohlsson, Claes; Eklund, Niina; Eriksson, Johan G; Barlassina, Cristina; Rivolta, Carlo; Nolte, Ilja M; Snieder, Harold; Van der Klauw, Melanie M; Van Vliet-Ostaptchouk, Jana V; Gejman, Pablo V; Shi, Jianxin; Jacobs, Kevin B; Wang, Zhaoming; Bakker, Stephan J L; Mateo Leach, Irene; Navis, Gerjan; van der Harst, Pim; Martin, Nicholas G; Medland, Sarah E; Montgomery, Grant W; Yang, Jian; Chasman, Daniel I; Ridker, Paul M; Rose, Lynda M; Lehtimäki, Terho; Raitakari, Olli; Absher, Devin; Iribarren, Carlos; Basart, Hanneke; Hovingh, Kees G; Hyppönen, Elina; Power, Chris; Anderson, Denise; Beilby, John P; Hui, Jennie; Jolley, Jennifer; Sager, Hendrik; Bornstein, Stefan R; Schwarz, Peter E H; Kristiansson, Kati; Perola, Markus; Lindström, Jaana; Swift, Amy J; Uusitupa, Matti; Atalay, Mustafa; Lakka, Timo A; Rauramaa, Rainer; Bolton, Jennifer L; Fowkes, Gerry; Fraser, Ross M; Price, Jackie F; Fischer, Krista; Krjutå Kov, Kaarel; Metspalu, Andres; Mihailov, Evelin; Langenberg, Claudia; Luan, Jian'an; Ong, Ken K; Chines, Peter S; Keinanen-Kiukaanniemi, Sirkka M; Saaristo, Timo E; Edkins, Sarah; Franks, Paul W; Hallmans, Göran; Shungin, Dmitry; Morris, Andrew David; Palmer, Colin N A; Erbel, Raimund; Moebus, Susanne; Nöthen, Markus M; Pechlivanis, Sonali; Hveem, Kristian; Narisu, Narisu; Hamsten, Anders; Humphries, Steve E; Strawbridge, Rona J; Tremoli, Elena; Grallert, Harald; Thorand, Barbara; Illig, Thomas; Koenig, Wolfgang; Müller-Nurasyid, Martina; Peters, Annette; Boehm, Bernhard O; Kleber, Marcus E; März, Winfried; Winkelmann, Bernhard R; Kuusisto, Johanna; Laakso, Markku; Arveiler, Dominique; Cesana, Giancarlo; Kuulasmaa, Kari; Virtamo, Jarmo; Yarnell, John W G; Kuh, Diana; Wong, Andrew; Lind, Lars; de Faire, Ulf; Gigante, Bruna; Magnusson, Patrik K E; Pedersen, Nancy L; Dedoussis, George; Dimitriou, Maria; Kolovou, Genovefa; Kanoni, Stavroula; Stirrups, Kathleen; Bonnycastle, Lori L; Njølstad, Inger; Wilsgaard, Tom; Ganna, Andrea; Rehnberg, Emil; Hingorani, Aroon; Kivimaki, Mika; Kumari, Meena; Assimes, Themistocles L; Barroso, Inês; Boehnke, Michael; Borecki, Ingrid B; Deloukas, Panos; Fox, Caroline S; Frayling, Timothy; Groop, Leif C; Haritunians, Talin; Hunter, David; Ingelsson, Erik; Kaplan, Robert; Mohlke, Karen L; O'Connell, Jeffrey R; Schlessinger, David; Strachan, David P; Stefansson, Kari; van Duijn, Cornelia M; Abecasis, Gonçalo R; McCarthy, Mark I; Hirschhorn, Joel N; Qi, Lu; Loos, Ruth J F; Lindgren, Cecilia M; North, Kari E; Heid, Iris M

2013-06-01

Given the anthropometric differences between men and women and previous evidence of sex-difference in genetic effects, we conducted a genome-wide search for sexually dimorphic associations with height, weight, body mass index, waist circumference, hip circumference, and waist-to-hip-ratio (133,723 individuals) and took forward 348 SNPs into follow-up (additional 137,052 individuals) in a total of 94 studies. Seven loci displayed significant sex-difference (FDR<5%), including four previously established (near GRB14/COBLL1, LYPLAL1/SLC30A10, VEGFA, ADAMTS9) and three novel anthropometric trait loci (near MAP3K1, HSD17B4, PPARG), all of which were genome-wide significant in women (P<5×10(-8)), but not in men. Sex-differences were apparent only for waist phenotypes, not for height, weight, BMI, or hip circumference. Moreover, we found no evidence for genetic effects with opposite directions in men versus women. The PPARG locus is of specific interest due to its role in diabetes genetics and therapy. Our results demonstrate the value of sex-specific GWAS to unravel the sexually dimorphic genetic underpinning of complex traits.

Sex-stratified Genome-wide Association Studies Including 270,000 Individuals Show Sexual Dimorphism in Genetic Loci for Anthropometric Traits

PubMed Central

Jackson, Anne U.; Monda, Keri L.; Kilpeläinen, Tuomas O.; Esko, Tõnu; Mägi, Reedik; Li, Shengxu; Workalemahu, Tsegaselassie; Feitosa, Mary F.; Croteau-Chonka, Damien C.; Day, Felix R.; Fall, Tove; Ferreira, Teresa; Gustafsson, Stefan; Locke, Adam E.; Mathieson, Iain; Scherag, Andre; Vedantam, Sailaja; Wood, Andrew R.; Liang, Liming; Steinthorsdottir, Valgerdur; Thorleifsson, Gudmar; Dermitzakis, Emmanouil T.; Dimas, Antigone S.; Karpe, Fredrik; Min, Josine L.; Nicholson, George; Clegg, Deborah J.; Person, Thomas; Krohn, Jon P.; Bauer, Sabrina; Buechler, Christa; Eisinger, Kristina; Bonnefond, Amélie; Froguel, Philippe; Hottenga, Jouke-Jan; Prokopenko, Inga; Waite, Lindsay L.; Harris, Tamara B.; Smith, Albert Vernon; Shuldiner, Alan R.; McArdle, Wendy L.; Caulfield, Mark J.; Munroe, Patricia B.; Grönberg, Henrik; Chen, Yii-Der Ida; Li, Guo; Beckmann, Jacques S.; Johnson, Toby; Thorsteinsdottir, Unnur; Teder-Laving, Maris; Khaw, Kay-Tee; Wareham, Nicholas J.; Zhao, Jing Hua; Amin, Najaf; Oostra, Ben A.; Kraja, Aldi T.; Province, Michael A.; Cupples, L. Adrienne; Heard-Costa, Nancy L.; Kaprio, Jaakko; Ripatti, Samuli; Surakka, Ida; Collins, Francis S.; Saramies, Jouko; Tuomilehto, Jaakko; Jula, Antti; Salomaa, Veikko; Erdmann, Jeanette; Hengstenberg, Christian; Loley, Christina; Schunkert, Heribert; Lamina, Claudia; Wichmann, H. Erich; Albrecht, Eva; Gieger, Christian; Hicks, Andrew A.; Johansson, Åsa; Pramstaller, Peter P.; Kathiresan, Sekar; Speliotes, Elizabeth K.; Penninx, Brenda; Hartikainen, Anna-Liisa; Jarvelin, Marjo-Riitta; Gyllensten, Ulf; Boomsma, Dorret I.; Campbell, Harry; Wilson, James F.; Chanock, Stephen J.; Farrall, Martin; Goel, Anuj; Medina-Gomez, Carolina; Rivadeneira, Fernando; Estrada, Karol; Uitterlinden, André G.; Hofman, Albert; Zillikens, M. Carola; den Heijer, Martin; Kiemeney, Lambertus A.; Maschio, Andrea; Hall, Per; Tyrer, Jonathan; Teumer, Alexander; Völzke, Henry; Kovacs, Peter; Tönjes, Anke; Mangino, Massimo; Spector, Tim D.; Hayward, Caroline; Rudan, Igor; Hall, Alistair S.; Samani, Nilesh J.; Attwood, Antony Paul; Sambrook, Jennifer G.; Hung, Joseph; Palmer, Lyle J.; Lokki, Marja-Liisa; Sinisalo, Juha; Boucher, Gabrielle; Huikuri, Heikki; Lorentzon, Mattias; Ohlsson, Claes; Eklund, Niina; Eriksson, Johan G.; Barlassina, Cristina; Rivolta, Carlo; Nolte, Ilja M.; Snieder, Harold; Van der Klauw, Melanie M.; Van Vliet-Ostaptchouk, Jana V.; Gejman, Pablo V.; Shi, Jianxin; Jacobs, Kevin B.; Wang, Zhaoming; Bakker, Stephan J. L.; Mateo Leach, Irene; Navis, Gerjan; van der Harst, Pim; Martin, Nicholas G.; Medland, Sarah E.; Montgomery, Grant W.; Yang, Jian; Chasman, Daniel I.; Ridker, Paul M.; Rose, Lynda M.; Lehtimäki, Terho; Raitakari, Olli; Absher, Devin; Iribarren, Carlos; Basart, Hanneke; Hovingh, Kees G.; Hyppönen, Elina; Power, Chris; Anderson, Denise; Beilby, John P.; Hui, Jennie; Jolley, Jennifer; Sager, Hendrik; Bornstein, Stefan R.; Schwarz, Peter E. H.; Kristiansson, Kati; Perola, Markus; Lindström, Jaana; Swift, Amy J.; Uusitupa, Matti; Atalay, Mustafa; Lakka, Timo A.; Rauramaa, Rainer; Bolton, Jennifer L.; Fowkes, Gerry; Fraser, Ross M.; Price, Jackie F.; Fischer, Krista; KrjutÅ¡kov, Kaarel; Metspalu, Andres; Mihailov, Evelin; Langenberg, Claudia; Luan, Jian'an; Ong, Ken K.; Chines, Peter S.; Keinanen-Kiukaanniemi, Sirkka M.; Saaristo, Timo E.; Edkins, Sarah; Franks, Paul W.; Hallmans, Göran; Shungin, Dmitry; Morris, Andrew David; Palmer, Colin N. A.; Erbel, Raimund; Moebus, Susanne; Nöthen, Markus M.; Pechlivanis, Sonali; Hveem, Kristian; Narisu, Narisu; Hamsten, Anders; Humphries, Steve E.; Strawbridge, Rona J.; Tremoli, Elena; Grallert, Harald; Thorand, Barbara; Illig, Thomas; Koenig, Wolfgang; Müller-Nurasyid, Martina; Peters, Annette; Boehm, Bernhard O.; Kleber, Marcus E.; März, Winfried; Winkelmann, Bernhard R.; Kuusisto, Johanna; Laakso, Markku; Arveiler, Dominique; Cesana, Giancarlo; Kuulasmaa, Kari; Virtamo, Jarmo; Yarnell, John W. G.; Kuh, Diana; Wong, Andrew; Lind, Lars; de Faire, Ulf; Gigante, Bruna; Magnusson, Patrik K. E.; Pedersen, Nancy L.; Dedoussis, George; Dimitriou, Maria; Kolovou, Genovefa; Kanoni, Stavroula; Stirrups, Kathleen; Bonnycastle, Lori L.; Njølstad, Inger; Wilsgaard, Tom; Ganna, Andrea; Rehnberg, Emil; Hingorani, Aroon; Kivimaki, Mika; Kumari, Meena; Assimes, Themistocles L.; Barroso, Inês; Boehnke, Michael; Borecki, Ingrid B.; Deloukas, Panos; Fox, Caroline S.; Frayling, Timothy; Groop, Leif C.; Haritunians, Talin; Hunter, David; Ingelsson, Erik; Kaplan, Robert; Mohlke, Karen L.; O'Connell, Jeffrey R.; Schlessinger, David; Strachan, David P.; Stefansson, Kari; van Duijn, Cornelia M.; Abecasis, Gonçalo R.; McCarthy, Mark I.; Hirschhorn, Joel N.; Qi, Lu; Loos, Ruth J. F.; Lindgren, Cecilia M.; North, Kari E.; Heid, Iris M.

2013-01-01

Given the anthropometric differences between men and women and previous evidence of sex-difference in genetic effects, we conducted a genome-wide search for sexually dimorphic associations with height, weight, body mass index, waist circumference, hip circumference, and waist-to-hip-ratio (133,723 individuals) and took forward 348 SNPs into follow-up (additional 137,052 individuals) in a total of 94 studies. Seven loci displayed significant sex-difference (FDR<5%), including four previously established (near GRB14/COBLL1, LYPLAL1/SLC30A10, VEGFA, ADAMTS9) and three novel anthropometric trait loci (near MAP3K1, HSD17B4, PPARG), all of which were genome-wide significant in women (P<5×10−8), but not in men. Sex-differences were apparent only for waist phenotypes, not for height, weight, BMI, or hip circumference. Moreover, we found no evidence for genetic effects with opposite directions in men versus women. The PPARG locus is of specific interest due to its role in diabetes genetics and therapy. Our results demonstrate the value of sex-specific GWAS to unravel the sexually dimorphic genetic underpinning of complex traits. PMID:23754948

[Brain apparent diffusion coefficient: differences caused by age, sex, laterality, and distinct b value].

PubMed

García Santos, J M; Ordóñez González, C; Torres del Río, S

2009-01-01

To analyze the effects of age, sex, and b value on the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in brain areas affected by neurodegenerative diseases. We studied the ADC of the genu and splenium of the corpus callosum and of the hippocampus in normal patients using diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) with b1,000 s/mm2 and b3,000 s/mm2. We calculated the differences between the ADC (diffusion differential [DD]) with b1,000 and with b3,000 for each region. Patients were classified into the following age groups (60 years old). We used a Kruskal-Wallis one-way ANOVA and the Bonferroni correction to analyze the differences in ADC and DD between age groups and between sexes. Pearson's chi-square test was used to correlate the ADC and DD with age. In the right hippocampus, we observed differences in ADC (b1,000, p=0.011; b3,000, p=0.024) and DD (p=0.006) with age. Differences in ADC were observed between the 31-60 year-old age group and the >60 year-old age group (p=0.009) for b1,000, and between the<30 year-old age group and the 31-60 year-old age group (p=0.036) for b3,000. The DD in the >60 year-old age group was different from the rest. In the corpus callosum, there were significant differences between sexes in the DD of the genu (p=0.016). The DD was correlated with age in the right hippocampus (r=0.321, p=0.023). Our data indicate greater stability in mean ADC values with b3000 during aging. It might be useful to analyze the ADC with a higher b in patients with neurodegenerative diseases.

Boys and Girls on the Playground: Sex Differences in Social Development Are Not Stable across Early Childhood

PubMed Central

Barbu, Stéphanie; Cabanes, Guénaël; Le Maner-Idrissi, Gaïd

2011-01-01

Sex differences in human social behaviors and abilities have long been a question of public and scientific interest. Females are usually assumed to be more socially oriented and skilful than males. However, despite an extensive literature, the very existence of sex differences remains a matter of discussion while some studies found no sex differences whereas others reported differences that were either congruent or not with gender stereotypes. Moreover, the magnitude, consistency and stability across time of the differences remain an open question, especially during childhood. As play provides an excellent window into children's social development, we investigated whether and how sex differences change in social play across early childhood. Following a cross-sectional design, 164 children aged from 2 to 6 years old, divided into four age groups, were observed during outdoor free play at nursery school. We showed that sex differences are not stable over time evidencing a developmental gap between girls and boys. Social and structured forms of play emerge systematically earlier in girls than in boys leading to subsequent sex differences in favor of girls at some ages, successively in associative play at 3–4 years, cooperative play at 4–5 years, and social interactions with peers at 5–6 years. Preschool boys also display more solitary play than preschool girls, especially when young. Nevertheless, while boys catch up and girls move on towards more complex play, sex differences in social play patterns are reversed in favor of boys at the following ages, such as in associative play at 4–5 years and cooperative play at 5–6 years. This developmental perspective contributes to resolve apparent discrepancies between single-snapshot studies. A better understanding of the dynamics of sex differences in typical social development should also provide insights into atypical social developments which exhibit sex differences in prevalence, such as autism. PMID:21297987

Boys and girls on the playground: sex differences in social development are not stable across early childhood.

PubMed

Barbu, Stéphanie; Cabanes, Guénaël; Le Maner-Idrissi, Gaïd

2011-01-28

Sex differences in human social behaviors and abilities have long been a question of public and scientific interest. Females are usually assumed to be more socially oriented and skillful than males. However, despite an extensive literature, the very existence of sex differences remains a matter of discussion while some studies found no sex differences whereas others reported differences that were either congruent or not with gender stereotypes. Moreover, the magnitude, consistency and stability across time of the differences remain an open question, especially during childhood. As play provides an excellent window into children's social development, we investigated whether and how sex differences change in social play across early childhood. Following a cross-sectional design, 164 children aged from 2 to 6 years old, divided into four age groups, were observed during outdoor free play at nursery school. We showed that sex differences are not stable over time evidencing a developmental gap between girls and boys. Social and structured forms of play emerge systematically earlier in girls than in boys leading to subsequent sex differences in favor of girls at some ages, successively in associative play at 3-4 years, cooperative play at 4-5 years, and social interactions with peers at 5-6 years. Preschool boys also display more solitary play than preschool girls, especially when young. Nevertheless, while boys catch up and girls move on towards more complex play, sex differences in social play patterns are reversed in favor of boys at the following ages, such as in associative play at 4-5 years and cooperative play at 5-6 years. This developmental perspective contributes to resolve apparent discrepancies between single-snapshot studies. A better understanding of the dynamics of sex differences in typical social development should also provide insights into atypical social developments which exhibit sex differences in prevalence, such as autism.

Complementarity of Sex Differences in Brain and Behavior: From Laterality to Multi-Modal Neuroimaging

PubMed Central

Gur, Ruben C.; Gur, Raquel E.

2016-01-01

While overwhelmingly behavior is similar in males and females, and correspondingly the brains are similar, sex differences permeate both brain and behavioral measures and these differences have been the focus of increasing scrutiny by neuroscientists. Here we describe milestones of over three decades of research in brain and behavior. This research was necessarily bound by available methodology, and we began by indirect behavioral indicators of brain function such as handedness. We proceeded to using neuropsychological batteries and then to structural and functional neuroimaging that provided the foundations of a cognitive neuroscience based computerized neurocognitive battery. Sex differences were apparent and consistent in neurocognitive measures, with females performing better on memory and social cognition tasks and males on spatial processing and motor speed. Sex differences were also prominent on all major brain parameters, including higher rates of cerebral blood flow, higher percent of gray matter tissue and higher inter-hemispheric connectivity in females compared to higher percent of white matter and greater intra-hemispheric connectivity, as well as higher glucose metabolism in limbic regions in males. Many of these differences are present in childhood but they become more prominent with adolescence, perhaps linked to puberty. Together they indicate complementarity between the sexes that would result in higher adaptive diversity. PMID:27870413

A simple PCR-based marker to determine sex in aspen.

PubMed

Pakull, B; Kersten, B; Lüneburg, J; Fladung, M

2015-01-01

The genus Populus features a genetically controlled sex determination system, located on chromosome 19. However, different Populus species vary in the position of the sex-linked region on the respective chromosome and the apparent heterogametic sex, and the precise mechanism of sex determination in Populus is still unknown. Using next generation sequencing of pooled samples of male and female aspens, we identified the aspen homologue of the P. trichocarpa gene Potri.019G047300 ('TOZ19') to be male-specific. While in P. tremuloides, the complete gene is missing in the genome of female plants, a short fragment of the 3'-part of the gene is still present in P. tremula females. The male-specific presence and transcription of TOZ19 was further verified using PCR in various different aspen individuals and RT-PCR expression analysis. TOZ19 is potentially involved in early steps of flower development, and represents an interesting candidate gene for involvement in sex determination in aspen. Regardless of its role as candidate gene, TOZ19 represents an ideal marker for determination of the sex of non-flowering aspen individuals or seedlings. © 2014 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

Mobility and Navigation among the Yucatec Maya: Sex Differences Reflect Parental Investment, Not Mating Competition.

PubMed

Cashdan, Elizabeth; Kramer, Karen L; Davis, Helen E; Padilla, Lace; Greaves, Russell D

2016-03-01

Sex differences in range size and navigation are widely reported, with males traveling farther than females, being less spatially anxious, and in many studies navigating more effectively. One explanation holds that these differences are the result of sexual selection, with larger ranges conferring mating benefits on males, while another explanation focuses on greater parenting costs that large ranges impose on reproductive-aged females. We evaluated these arguments with data from a community of highly monogamous Maya farmers. Maya men and women do not differ in distance traveled over the region during the mate-seeking years, suggesting that mating competition does not affect range size in this monogamous population. However, men's regional and daily travel increases after marriage, apparently in pursuit of resources that benefit families, whereas women reduce their daily travel after marriage. This suggests that parental effort is more important than mating effort in this population. Despite the relatively modest overall sex difference in mobility, Maya men were less spatially anxious than women, thought themselves to be better navigators, and pointed more accurately to distant locations. A structural equation model showed that the sex by marital status interaction had a direct effect on mobility, with a weaker indirect effect of sex on mobility mediated by navigational ability.

Apparently-Different Clearance Rates from Cohort Studies of Mycoplasma genitalium Are Consistent after Accounting for Incidence of Infection, Recurrent Infection, and Study Design.

PubMed

Smieszek, Timo; White, Peter J

2016-01-01

Mycoplasma genitalium is a potentially major cause of urethritis, cervicitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and increased HIV risk. A better understanding of its natural history is crucial to informing control policy. Two extensive cohort studies (students in London, UK; Ugandan sex workers) suggest very different clearance rates; we aimed to understand the reasons and obtain improved estimates by making maximal use of the data from the studies. As M. genitalium is a sexually-transmitted infectious disease, we developed a model for time-to-event analysis that incorporates the processes of (re)infection and clearance, and fitted to data from the two cohort studies to estimate incidence and clearance rates under different scenarios of sexual partnership dynamics and study design (including sample handling and associated test sensitivity). In the London students, the estimated clearance rate is 0.80 p.a. (mean duration 15 months), with incidence 1.31%-3.93% p.a. Without adjusting for study design, corresponding estimates from the Ugandan data are 3.44 p.a. (mean duration 3.5 months) and 58% p.a. Apparent differences in clearance rates are probably mostly due to lower testing sensitivity in the Uganda study due to differences in sample handling, with 'true' clearance rates being similar, and adjusted incidence in Uganda being 28% p.a. Some differences are perhaps due to the sex workers having more-frequent antibiotic treatment, whilst reinfection within ongoing sexual partnerships might have caused some of the apparently-persistent infection in the London students. More information on partnership dynamics would inform more accurate estimates of natural-history parameters. Detailed studies in men are also required.

Sex differences in the effect of puberty on hippocampal morphology.

PubMed

Satterthwaite, Theodore D; Vandekar, Simon; Wolf, Daniel H; Ruparel, Kosha; Roalf, David R; Jackson, Chad; Elliott, Mark A; Bilker, Warren B; Calkins, Monica E; Prabhakaran, Karthik; Davatzikos, Christos; Hakonarson, Hakon; Gur, Raquel E; Gur, Ruben C

2014-03-01

Puberty is the defining process of adolescence, and is accompanied by divergent trajectories of behavior and cognition for males and females. Here we examine whether sex differences exist in the effect of puberty on the morphology of the hippocampus and amygdala. T1-weighted structural neuroimaging was performed in a sample of 524 pre- or postpubertal individuals ages 10 to 22 years. Hippocampal and amygdala volume and shape were quantified using the Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain (FMRIB) Software Library (FSL) FIRST procedure and scaled by intracranial volume. The effects on regional volume of age, sex, puberty, and their interactions were examined using linear regression. Postpubertal sex differences were examined using a vertex analysis. Prepubertal males and females had similar hippocampal volumes, whereas postpubertal females had significantly larger bilateral hippocampi, resulting in a significant puberty-by-sex interaction even when controlling for age and age-by-sex. This effect was regionally specific and was not apparent in the amygdala. Vertex analysis revealed that postpubertal differences were most prominent in the lateral aspect of the hippocampus bilaterally, corresponding to the CA1 subfield. These results establish that there are regionally specific sex differences in the effect of puberty on the hippocampus. These findings are relevant for the understanding of psychiatric disorders that have both hippocampal dysfunction and prominent gender disparities during adolescence. Copyright © 2014 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Bariatric surgery emphasizes biological sex differences in rodent hepatic lipid handling.

PubMed

Grayson, Bernadette E; Gutierrez-Aguilar, Ruth; Sorrell, Joyce E; Matter, Emily K; Adams, Michelle R; Howles, Philip; Karns, Rebekah; Seeley, Randy J; Sandoval, Darleen A

2017-01-01

Eighty percent of patients who receive bariatric surgery are women, yet the majority of preclinical studies are in male rodents. Because sex differences drive hepatic gene expression and overall lipid metabolism, we sought to determine whether sex differences were also apparent in these endpoints in response to bariatric surgery. Two cohorts of age-matched virgin male and female Long-Evans rats were placed on a high fat diet for 3 weeks and then received either Sham or vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG), a surgery which resects 80% of the stomach with no intestinal rearrangement. Each sex exhibited significantly decreased body weight due to a reduction in fat mass relative to Sham controls ( p  < 0.05). Microarray and follow-up qPCR on liver revealed striking sex differences in gene expression after VSG that reflected a down-regulation of hepatic lipid metabolism and an up-regulation of hepatic inflammatory pathways in females vs. males after VSG. While the males had a significant reduction in hepatic lipids after VSG, there was no reduction in females. Ad lib -fed and fasting circulating triglycerides, and postprandial chylomicron production were significantly lower in VSG relative to Sham animals of both sexes ( p  < 0.01). However, hepatic VLDL production, highest in sham-operated females, was significantly reduced by VSG in females but not males. Taken together, although both males and females lose weight and improve plasma lipids, there are large-scale sex differences in hepatic gene expression and consequently hepatic lipid metabolism after VSG.

Regional Thicknesses and Thickening of Compacted and Trabeculated Myocardial Layers of the Normal Left Ventricle Studied by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance

PubMed Central

Dawson, Dana K.; Maceira, Alicia M.; Raj, Vimal J.; Graham, Catriona; Pennell, Dudley J.; Kilner, Philip J.

2011-01-01

Background We used cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) to study normal left ventricular (LV) trabeculation as a basis for differentiation from pathological noncompaction. Methods and Results The apparent end-diastolic (ED) and end-systolic (ES) thicknesses and thickening of trabeculated and compacted myocardial layers were measured in 120 volunteers using a consistent selection of basal, mid, and apical CMR short-axis slices. All had a visible trabeculated layer in 1 or more segments. The compacted but not the trabeculated layer was thicker in men than in women (P<0.01 at ED and ES). When plotted against age, the trabeculated and compacted layer thicknesses demonstrated opposite changes: an increase of the compact layer after the fourth decade at both ED and ES (P<0.05) but a decrease of the trabeculated layer. There was age-related preservation of total wall thickness at ED but an increase at ES (P<0.05). The compacted layer thickened, whereas the trabeculated layer thinned with systole, but neither change differed between sexes. With age, the most trabeculated LV segments showed significantly greater systolic thinning of trabeculated layers and, conversely, greater thickening of the compact segments (P<0.05). Total wall thickening is neither sex nor age dependent. There were no sex differences in the trabeculated/compacted ratio at ES or ED, but the ES trabeculated/compacted ratio was smaller in older (50 to 79 years) versus younger (20 to 49 years) groups (P<0.05). Conclusions We demonstrated age- and sex-related morphometric differences in the apparent trabeculated and compacted layer thicknesses and systolic thinning of the visible trabeculated layer that contrasts with compacted myocardial wall thickening. PMID:21193690

Vulnerability to heat-related mortality in Latin America: a case-crossover study in São Paulo, Brazil, Santiago, Chile and Mexico City, Mexico

PubMed Central

Bell, Michelle L; O’Neill, Marie S; Ranjit, Nalini; Borja-Aburto, Victor H; Cifuentes, Luis A; Gouveia, Nelson C

2008-01-01

Background Factors affecting vulnerability to heat-related mortality are not well understood. Identifying susceptible populations is of particular importance given anticipated rising temperatures from climatic change. Methods We investigated heat-related mortality for three Latin American cities (Mexico City, Mexico; São Paulo, Brazil; Santiago, Chile) using a case-crossover approach for 754 291 deaths from 1998 to 2002. We considered lagged exposures, confounding by air pollution, cause of death and susceptibilities by educational attainment, age and sex. Results Same and previous day apparent temperature were most strongly associated with mortality risk. Effect estimates remained positive though lowered after adjustment for ozone or PM10. Susceptibility increased with age in all cities. The increase in mortality risk for those ≥65 comparing the 95th and 75th percentiles of same-day apparent temperature was 2.69% (95% CI: −2.06 to 7.88%) for Santiago, 6.51% (95% CI: 3.57–9.52%) for São Paulo and 3.22% (95% CI: 0.93–5.57%) for Mexico City. Patterns of vulnerability by education and sex differed across communities. Effect estimates were higher for women than men in Mexico City, and higher for men elsewhere, although results by sex were not appreciably different for any city. In São Paulo, those with less education were more susceptible, whereas no distinct patterns by education were observed in the other cities. Conclusions Elevated temperatures are associated with mortality risk in these Latin American cities, with the strongest associations in São Paulo, the hottest city. The elderly are an important population for targeted prevention measures, but vulnerability by sex and education differed by city. PMID:18511489

Vertebrate sex-determining genes play musical chairs.

PubMed

Pan, Qiaowei; Anderson, Jennifer; Bertho, Sylvain; Herpin, Amaury; Wilson, Catherine; Postlethwait, John H; Schartl, Manfred; Guiguen, Yann

2016-01-01

Sexual reproduction is one of the most highly conserved processes in evolution. However, the genetic and cellular mechanisms making the decision of whether the undifferentiated gonad of animal embryos develops either towards male or female are manifold and quite diverse. In vertebrates, sex-determining mechanisms range from environmental to simple or complex genetic mechanisms and different mechanisms have evolved repeatedly and independently. In species with simple genetic sex-determination, master sex-determining genes lying on sex chromosomes drive the gonadal differentiation process by switching on a developmental program, which ultimately leads to testicular or ovarian differentiation. So far, very few sex-determining genes have been identified in vertebrates and apart from mammals and birds, these genes are apparently not conserved over a larger number of related orders, families, genera, or even species. To fill this knowledge gap and to better explore genetic sex-determination, we propose a strategy (RAD-Sex) that makes use of next-generation sequencing technology to identify genetic markers that define sex-specific segments of the male or female genome. Copyright © 2016 Académie des sciences. All rights reserved.

Timing of first sex before marriage and its correlates: evidence from India.

PubMed

Santhya, K G; Acharya, Rajib; Jejeebhoy, Shireen J; Ram, Usha

2011-03-01

While several studies have documented the extent of pre-marital sexual experience among young people in India, little work has been done to explore the factors that are correlated with the timing of pre-marital sexual initiation. This paper examines age at initiation of pre-marital sex, circumstances in which first sex was experienced, nature of first sexual experience and correlates of age at initiation of pre-marital sex. Life table estimates suggest that pre-marital sexual initiation occurred in adolescence for 1 in 20 young women and 1 in 10 young men. For the majority of these young people, their first sex was with an opposite-sex romantic partner. First sex, moreover, was unprotected for the majority and forced for sizeable proportion of young women. A number of individual, family-, peer- and community-level factors were correlated with age at first pre-marital sex. Moreover, considerable gender differences were apparent in the correlates of age at first pre-marital sex, with peer- and parent-level factors found more often to be significant for young women than men.

The Impact of College Experiences on Conventional Career Logic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baumgardner, Steve R.

1976-01-01

The factors students consider in choosing a college major were scaled on an analytic-intuitive dimension. Differences in thinking orientation were found to be associated with students's sex, area of study, and year in school. Overall, the apparent lack of explicit rationality in student educational decisions appears to be adaptive. (Author)

Invited review: sex ratio and rheumatic disease.

PubMed

Lockshin, M D

2001-11-01

Human illnesses affect men and women differently. In some cases (diseases of sex organs, diseases resulting from X or Y chromosome mutations), reasons for sex discrepancy are obvious, but in other cases no reason is apparent. Explanations for sex discrepancy of illness occur at different biological levels: molecular (e.g., imprinting, X-inactivation), cellular (sex-specific receptor activity), organ (endocrine influences), whole organism (size, age), and environmental-behavioral, including intrauterine influences. Autoimmunity represents a prototypical class of illness that has high female-to-male (F/M) ratios. Although the F/M ratios in autoimmune diseases are usually attributed to the influence of estrogenic hormones, evidence demonstrates that the attributed ratios are imprecise and that definitions and classifications of autoimmune diseases vary, rendering at least part of the counting imprecise. In addition, many studies on sex discrepancy of human disease fail to distinguish between disease incidence and disease severity. In April 2001, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences published Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health: Does Sex Matter? (Wizemann T and Pardue M-L, editors). This minireview summarizes the section of that report that concerns autoimmune and infectious disease. Some thyroid, rheumatic, and hepatic autoimmune diseases have high F/M ratios, whereas others have low. Those that have high ratios occur primarily in young adulthood. Gonadal hormones, if they play a role, likely do so through a threshold or permissive mechanism. Examples of sex differences that could be caused by environmental exposure, X inactivation, imprinting, X or Y chromosome genetic modulators, and intrauterine influences are presented as alternate, theoretical, and largely unexplored explanations for sex differences of incidence. The epidemiology of autoimmune diseases (young, female) suggests that an explanation for sex discrepancy of these illnesses lies in differential exposure, vulnerable periods, or thresholds. Biologists have an opportunity to inform medical scientists about sex differences that explain different attack rates in specific diseases, and physicians offer biologists experiments of nature to test theories of sex.

Habitat heterogeneity favors asexual reproduction in natural populations of grassthrips

PubMed Central

Lavanchy, Guillaume; Strehler, Marie; Llanos Roman, Maria Noemi; Lessard‐Therrien, Malie; Humbert, Jean‐Yves; Dumas, Zoé; Jalvingh, Kirsten; Ghali, Karim; Fontcuberta García‐Cuenca, Amaranta; Zijlstra, Bart; Arlettaz, Raphaël; Schwander, Tanja

2016-01-01

Explaining the overwhelming success of sex among eukaryotes is difficult given the obvious costs of sex relative to asexuality. Different studies have shown that sex can provide benefits in spatially heterogeneous environments under specific conditions, but whether spatial heterogeneity commonly contributes to the maintenance of sex in natural populations remains unknown. We experimentally manipulated habitat heterogeneity for sexual and asexual thrips lineages in natural populations and under seminatural mesocosm conditions by varying the number of hostplants available to these herbivorous insects. Asexual lineages rapidly replaced the sexual ones, independently of the level of habitat heterogeneity in mesocosms. In natural populations, the success of sexual thrips decreased with increasing habitat heterogeneity, with sexual thrips apparently only persisting in certain types of hostplant communities. Our results illustrate how genetic diversity‐based mechanisms can favor asexuality instead of sex when sexual lineages co‐occur with genetically variable asexual lineages. PMID:27346066

Sex-linked strategies of human reproductive behavior.

PubMed

Jaffe, K; Urribarri, D; Chacon, G C; Diaz, G; Torres, A; Herzog, G

1993-01-01

We present data on fertility characteristics in the Venezuelan population for each sex separately, allowing a detailed comparative analysis of the variance in fertility between males and females. We show that the fertility distribution for both sexes is discontinuous, that the average female has a larger number of offspring per individual than the average male, and that highly fertile males outnumber highly fertile females so that the total number of offspring produced by males and females is balanced. Results indicate that a few males are responsible for a relative higher fertility of the average female and that interactions between polyandric females with monogamic and polygynic males are common. Among the Yanomami, a relatively unacculturated hunter-gatherer-horticulturist tribe, similar differences in fertility distribution of both sexes are apparent. The data suggest that human populations contain statistically distinct subpopulations, with different reproductive strategies, suggesting the existence of complex interactions among human populations which are not evident from the study of individuals or groups.

Variability in sex-determining mechanisms influences genome complexity in reptilia.

PubMed

Janes, D E; Organ, C L; Edwards, S V

2009-01-01

In this review, we describe the history of amniote sex determination as a classic example of Darwinian evolution. We suggest that evolutionary changes in sex determination provide a foundation for understanding important aspects of chromosome and genome organization that otherwise appear haphazard in their origins and contents. Species with genotypic sex determination often possess heteromorphic sex chromosomes, whereas species with environmental sex determination lack them. Through a series of mutations followed by selection at key genes, sex-determining mechanisms have turned over many times throughout the amniote lineage. As a consequence, amniote genomes have undergone gains or losses of sex chromosomes. We review the genomic and ecological contexts in which either temperature-dependent or genotypic sex determination has evolved. Once genotypic sex determination emerges in a lineage, viviparity and heteromorphic sex chromosomes become more likely to evolve. For example, in extinct marine reptiles, genotypic sex determination apparently led to viviparity, which in turn facilitated their pelagic radiation. Sex chromosomes comprise genome regions that differ from autosomes in recombination rate, mutation rate, levels of polymorphism, and the presence of sex-determining and sexually antagonistic genes. In short, many aspects of amniote genome complexity, life history, and adaptive radiation appear contingent on evolutionary changes in sex-determining mechanisms. Copyright 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Variability in Sex-Determining Mechanisms Influences Genome Complexity in Reptilia

PubMed Central

Janes, D.E.; Organ, C.L.; Edwards, S.V.

2010-01-01

In this review, we describe the history of amniote sex determination as a classic example of Darwinian evolution. We suggest that evolutionary changes in sex determination provide a foundation for understanding important aspects of chromosome and genome organization that otherwise appear haphazard in their origins and contents. Species with genotypic sex determination often possess heteromorphic sex chromosomes, whereas species with environmental sex determination lack them. Through a series of mutations followed by selection at key genes, sex-determining mechanisms have turned over many times throughout the amniote lineage. As a consequence, amniote genomes have undergone gains or losses of sex chromosomes. We review the genomic and ecological contexts in which either temperature-dependent or genotypic sex determination has evolved. Once genotypic sex determination emerges in a lineage, viviparity and heteromorphic sex chromosomes become more likely to evolve. For example, in extinct marine reptiles, genotypic sex determination apparently led to viviparity, which in turn facilitated their pelagic radiation. Sex chromosomes comprise genome regions that differ from autosomes in recombination rate, mutation rate, levels of polymorphism, and the presence of sex-determining and sexually antagonistic genes. In short, many aspects of amniote genome complexity, life history, and adaptive radiation appear contingent on evolutionary changes in sex-determining mechanisms. PMID:20203474

Spatial heterogeneity and the evolution of sex in diploids.

PubMed

Agrawal, Aneil F

2009-07-01

Much of the theoretical work on the evolution of sex has focused on the effects of recombination. In diploids, segregation also occurs during sexual reproduction. Segregation breaks down some types of genetic associations that are not affected by recombination and thus influences the evolution of sex in ways that are not apparent from studying the evolution of recombination as a surrogate for sex. Here I examine the evolution of sex in diploids experiencing spatially heterogeneous selection. If divergent selection causes genetic differentiation, then migration can be a powerful force generating genetic associations that may not be favored by selection. An advantage to sex can arise from breaking down these associations. By examining modifiers of both sex and recombination, the model allows for a direct comparison of the forces acting on these related but different processes, illuminating the role of segregation. The model also includes inbreeding, which has been shown to be important for both segregation and recombination. I find that inbreeding affects the evolution of sex through segregation, not recombination. Several suggestions for empirical experiments are given.

Segregation distortion causes large-scale differences between male and female genomes in hybrid ants.

PubMed

Kulmuni, Jonna; Seifert, Bernhard; Pamilo, Pekka

2010-04-20

Hybridization in isolated populations can lead either to hybrid breakdown and extinction or in some cases to speciation. The basis of hybrid breakdown lies in genetic incompatibilities between diverged genomes. In social Hymenoptera, the consequences of hybridization can differ from those in other animals because of haplodiploidy and sociality. Selection pressures differ between sexes because males are haploid and females are diploid. Furthermore, sociality and group living may allow survival of hybrid genotypes. We show that hybridization in Formica ants has resulted in a stable situation in which the males form two highly divergent gene pools whereas all the females are hybrids. This causes an exceptional situation with large-scale differences between male and female genomes. The genotype differences indicate strong transmission ratio distortion depending on offspring sex, whereby the mother transmits some alleles exclusively to her daughters and other alleles exclusively to her sons. The genetic differences between the sexes and the apparent lack of multilocus hybrid genotypes in males can be explained by recessive incompatibilities which cause the elimination of hybrid males because of their haploid genome. Alternatively, differentiation between sexes could be created by prezygotic segregation into male-forming and female-forming gametes in diploid females. Differentiation between sexes is stable and maintained throughout generations. The present study shows a unique outcome of hybridization and demonstrates that hybridization has the potential of generating evolutionary novelties in animals.

Complementarity of sex differences in brain and behavior: From laterality to multimodal neuroimaging.

PubMed

Gur, Ruben C; Gur, Raquel E

2017-01-02

Although, overwhelmingly, behavior is similar in males and females, and, correspondingly, the brains are similar, sex differences permeate both brain and behavioral measures, and these differences have been the focus of increasing scrutiny by neuroscientists. This Review describes milestones from more than 3 decades of research in brain and behavior. This research was necessarily bound by available methodology, and we began with indirect behavioral indicators of brain function such as handedness. We proceeded to the use of neuropsychological batteries and then to structural and functional neuroimaging that provided the foundations of a cognitive neuroscience-based computerized neurocognitive battery. Sex differences were apparent and consistent in neurocognitive measures, with females performing better on memory and social cognition tasks and males on spatial processing and motor speed. Sex differences were also prominent in all major brain parameters, including higher rates of cerebral blood flow, higher percentage of gray matter tissue, and higher interhemispheric connectivity in females, compared with higher percentage of white matter and greater intrahemispheric connectivity as well as higher glucose metabolism in limbic regions in males. Many of these differences are present in childhood, but they become more prominent with adolescence, perhaps linked to puberty. Overall, they indicate complementarity between the sexes that would result in greater adaptive diversity. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Multiple Sources of Test Bias on the WISC-R and Bender-Gestalt Test.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oakland, Thomas; Feigenbaum, David

1979-01-01

Assessed test bias on the Wechsler Intelligence Test for Children-Revised (WISC-R) and Bender-Gestalt. On the Bender, evidence of bias was infrequent and irregular. On the WISC-R, group differences were most discernible for age, sex, family structure, and race. Consistent patterns of bias were not apparent among comparison groups. (Author)

Sex differences in relative foot length and perceived attractiveness of female feet: relationships among anthropometry, physique, and preference ratings.

PubMed

Voracek, Martin; Fisher, Maryanne L; Rupp, Barbara; Lucas, Deanna; Fessler, Daniel M T

2007-06-01

Foot size proportionate to stature is smaller in women than in men, and small feet apparently contribute to perceived physical attractiveness of females. This exploratory study investigated the sex difference in relative foot length and interrelations among foot length, physique, and foot preference ratings in samples from Austria and Canada, each comprised of 75 men and 75 women. The findings included the following lines of evidence: the sex difference in relative foot length replicated in both data sets; the magnitude of this sex effect was large. Relative foot length was smaller in young, nulliparous, and slim women. Pointed-toe and high-heel shoes were more likely worn by smaller, lighter, and slimmer women. Men reported liking women's feet in general more than vice versa. A vast majority of both men and women favored small feet in women, but large feet in men. One's own foot size appeared to correspond to evaluations of attractiveness; particularly, women with small feet preferred small feet in women in general. The preference for small feet in women was convergent across different methods of evaluating attractiveness. Directions for investigations in this emerging field of research on physical attractiveness are discussed.

Age, sex, and racial differences in harsh physical punishment: Results from a nationally representative United States sample

PubMed Central

Taillieu, Tamara L.; Afifi, Tracie O.; Mota, Natalie; Keyes, Katherine M.; Sareen, Jitender

2015-01-01

The purpose of this research was to examine age, sex, and racial differences in the prevalence of harsh physical punishment in childhood in a nationally representative sample of the United States. Data were from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) collected in 2004 and 2005 (n = 34,653). Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine age, sex, and racial differences in the prevalence of harsh physical punishment. Results suggest that the prevalence of harsh physical punishment has been decreasing among more recently born age groups; however, there appear to be sex and racial differences in this trend over time. The magnitude of the decrease appears to be stronger for males than for females. By race, the decrease in harsh physical punishment over time is only apparent among Whites; Black participants demonstrate little change over time, and harsh physical punishment seems to be increasing over time among Hispanics. Prevention and intervention efforts that educate about the links of physical punishment to negative outcomes and alternative non-physical discipline strategies may be particularly useful in reducing the prevalence of harsh physical punishment over time. PMID:25466426

The differences in keeping both male and female physicians healthy.

PubMed

Hotchkiss, Nahid; Early, Sarah

2009-01-01

There is a scarcity of research that addresses the sex difference of health concerns among physicians. There has apparently been no research addressing the health problems of female physicians who are clients of physician health programs. Client files (n = 1,239) during 1997 to 2007 were examined to determine whether significant associations were found between sexes and the following variables: age, marital status, primary presenting problem, referral source, and referral status (mandated or voluntary). This retrospective study used chi(2) analysis and frequency distribution. Sex differences among variables were outlined. Female clients were younger and never married, whereas male clients were older and partnered. More women tended to come voluntarily; men were mandated. Women self-referred, whereas more men were referred by the Colorado Board of Medical Examiners, hospitals, or a workplace administration. Psychiatric problems and stress were more likely to be presented by women; however, men were more likely to present with behavioral, professional boundary, or substance abuse problems (with or without psychiatric issues), and more men reactivated than women. Overall, male and female physician clients presented differently at the Colorado Physician Health Program. Utilization of sex-specific frameworks will assist Physician Health Programs in developing more effective intervention and outreach.

Age, sex, and racial differences in harsh physical punishment: results from a nationally representative United States sample.

PubMed

Taillieu, Tamara L; Afifi, Tracie O; Mota, Natalie; Keyes, Katherine M; Sareen, Jitender

2014-12-01

The purpose of this research was to examine age, sex, and racial differences in the prevalence of harsh physical punishment in childhood in a nationally representative sample of the United States. Data were from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) collected in 2004 and 2005 (n=34,653). Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine age, sex, and racial differences in the prevalence of harsh physical punishment. Results suggest that the prevalence of harsh physical punishment has been decreasing among more recently born age groups; however, there appear to be sex and racial differences in this trend over time. The magnitude of the decrease appears to be stronger for males than for females. By race, the decrease in harsh physical punishment over time is only apparent among Whites; Black participants demonstrate little change over time, and harsh physical punishment seems to be increasing over time among Hispanics. Prevention and intervention efforts that educate about the links of physical punishment to negative outcomes and alternative non-physical discipline strategies may be particularly useful in reducing the prevalence of harsh physical punishment over time. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

12 CFR 268.601 - EEO group statistics.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

..., national origin, sex and disability(ies) of its employees. (b) Data on race, national origin and sex shall... disclosure. If, thereafter, the employee declines to change the apparently inaccurate self identification... or maintain any information on the race, national origin or sex of individual employees except in...

Biometric gonioscopy and the effects of age, race, and sex on the anterior chamber angle

PubMed Central

Congdon, N G; Foster, P J; Wamsley, S; Gutmark, J; Nolan, W; Seah, S K; Johnson, G J; Broman, A T

2002-01-01

Aim: To utilise a novel method for making measurements in the anterior chamber in order to compare the anterior chamber angles of people of European, African, and east Asian descent aged 40 years and over. Methods: A cross sectional study on 15 people of each sex from each decade from the 40s to the 70s, from each of three racial groups—black, white, and Chinese Singaporeans. Biometric gonioscopy (BG) utilises a slit lamp mounted reticule to make measurements from the apparent iris insertion to Schwalbe's line through a Goldmann one mirror goniolens. The main outcome measures were BG measurements of the anterior chamber angle as detailed above. Results: There was no significant difference in angle measurement between black, white, and Chinese races in this study. However, at younger ages people of Chinese race appeared to have deeper angles than white or black people, whereas the angles of older Chinese were significantly narrower (p = 0.004 for the difference in slope of BG by age between Chinese and both black and white people). Conclusion: The failure to detect a difference in angle measurements between these groups was surprising, given the much higher prevalence of angle closure among Chinese. It appears that the overall apparent similarity of BG means between Chinese and Western populations may mask very different trends with age. The apparently more rapid decline in angle width measurements with age among Chinese may be due to the higher prevalence of cataract or “creeping angle closure.” However, longitudinal inferences from cross sectional data are problematic, and this may represent a cohort phenomenon caused by the increasing prevalence of myopia in the younger Singaporean population. PMID:11801496

29 CFR 1614.601 - EEO group statistics.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... origin, sex and disability of its employees. (b) Data on race, national origin and sex shall be collected..., thereafter, the employee declines to change the apparently inaccurate self-identification, the agency must..., national origin or sex of individual employees except when an automated data processing system is used in...

29 CFR 1614.601 - EEO group statistics.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... origin, sex and disability of its employees. (b) Data on race, national origin and sex shall be collected..., thereafter, the employee declines to change the apparently inaccurate self-identification, the agency must..., national origin or sex of individual employees except when an automated data processing system is used in...

29 CFR 1614.601 - EEO group statistics.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... origin, sex and disability of its employees. (b) Data on race, national origin and sex shall be collected..., thereafter, the employee declines to change the apparently inaccurate self-identification, the agency must..., national origin or sex of individual employees except when an automated data processing system is used in...

29 CFR 1614.601 - EEO group statistics.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... origin, sex and disability of its employees. (b) Data on race, national origin and sex shall be collected..., thereafter, the employee declines to change the apparently inaccurate self-identification, the agency must..., national origin or sex of individual employees except when an automated data processing system is used in...

The Influence of Sex and Fly Species on the Development of Trypanosomes in Tsetse Flies

PubMed Central

Peacock, Lori; Ferris, Vanessa; Bailey, Mick; Gibson, Wendy

2012-01-01

Unlike other dipteran disease vectors, tsetse flies of both sexes feed on blood and transmit pathogenic African trypanosomes. During transmission, Trypanosoma brucei undergoes a complex cycle of proliferation and development inside the tsetse vector, culminating in production of infective forms in the saliva. The insect manifests robust immune defences throughout the alimentary tract, which eliminate many trypanosome infections. Previous work has shown that fly sex influences susceptibility to trypanosome infection as males show higher rates of salivary gland (SG) infection with T. brucei than females. To investigate sex-linked differences in the progression of infection, we compared midgut (MG), proventriculus, foregut and SG infections in male and female Glossina morsitans morsitans. Initially, infections developed in the same way in both sexes: no difference was observed in numbers of MG or proventriculus infections, or in the number and type of developmental forms produced. Female flies tended to produce foregut migratory forms later than males, but this had no detectable impact on the number of SG infections. The sex difference was not apparent until the final stage of SG invasion and colonisation, showing that the SG environment differs between male and female flies. Comparison of G. m. morsitans with G. pallidipes showed a similar, though less pronounced, sex difference in susceptibility, but additionally revealed very different levels of trypanosome resistance in the MG and SG. While G. pallidipes was more refractory to MG infection, a very high proportion of MG infections led to SG infection in both sexes. It appears that the two fly species use different strategies to block trypanosome infection: G. pallidipes heavily defends against initial establishment in the MG, while G. m. morsitans has additional measures to prevent trypanosomes colonising the SG, particularly in female flies. We conclude that the tsetse-trypanosome interface works differently in G. m. morsitans and G. pallidipes. PMID:22348165

Range-Wide Sex-Chromosome Sequence Similarity Supports Occasional XY Recombination in European Tree Frogs (Hyla arborea)

PubMed Central

Brelsford, Alan; Perrin, Nicolas

2014-01-01

In contrast with mammals and birds, most poikilothermic vertebrates feature structurally undifferentiated sex chromosomes, which may result either from frequent turnovers, or from occasional events of XY recombination. The latter mechanism was recently suggested to be responsible for sex-chromosome homomorphy in European tree frogs (Hyla arborea). However, no single case of male recombination has been identified in large-scale laboratory crosses, and populations from NW Europe consistently display sex-specific allelic frequencies with male-diagnostic alleles, suggesting the absence of recombination in their recent history. To address this apparent paradox, we extended the phylogeographic scope of investigations, by analyzing the sequences of three sex-linked markers throughout the whole species distribution. Refugial populations (southern Balkans and Adriatic coast) show a mix of X and Y alleles in haplotypic networks, and no more within-individual pairwise nucleotide differences in males than in females, testifying to recurrent XY recombination. In contrast, populations of NW Europe, which originated from a recent postglacial expansion, show a clear pattern of XY differentiation; the X and Y gametologs of the sex-linked gene Med15 present different alleles, likely fixed by drift on the front wave of expansions, and kept differentiated since. Our results support the view that sex-chromosome homomorphy in H. arborea is maintained by occasional or historical events of recombination; whether the frequency of these events indeed differs between populations remains to be clarified. PMID:24892652

The role of fundamental frequency and formants in the perception of speaker sex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hillenbrand, James M.

2005-09-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the relative contributions of fundamental frequency (F0) and formants in controlling the speaker-sex percept. A source-filter synthesizer was used to create four versions of 25 sentences spoken by men: (1) unmodified synthesis; (2) F0 only shifted up toward values typical of women; (3) formants only shifted up toward values typical of women; and (4) both F0 and formants shifted up. Identical methods were used to generate four comparable versions of 25 sentences spoken by women (e.g., unmodified synthesis, F0 only shifted down toward values typical of men, etc.). Listening tests showed: (1) perceived talker sex for the unmodified synthesis conditions was nearly always correct; (2) shifting both F0 and formants was usually effective (~82%) in changing the perceived sex of the utterance; (3) shifting either F0 or formants alone was usually ineffective in changing the perceived sex of the utterance. Both F0 and formants are apparently needed to specify speaker sex, though even together these cues are not entirely effective. Results also suggested that F0 is just slightly more important than formants, despite the fact that the male-female difference in F0 is proportionally much larger than the difference in formants. [Work supported by NIH.

Divergent selection on, but no genetic conflict over, female and male timing and rate of reproduction in a human population

PubMed Central

Bolund, Elisabeth; Bouwhuis, Sandra; Pettay, Jenni E.; Lummaa, Virpi

2013-01-01

The sexes often have different phenotypic optima for important life-history traits, and because of a largely shared genome this can lead to a conflict over trait expression. In mammals, the obligate costs of reproduction are higher for females, making reproductive timing and rate especially liable to conflict between the sexes. While studies from wild vertebrates support such sexual conflict, it remains unexplored in humans. We used a pedigreed human population from preindustrial Finland to estimate sexual conflict over age at first and last reproduction, reproductive lifespan and reproductive rate. We found that the phenotypic selection gradients differed between the sexes. We next established significant heritabilities in both sexes for all traits. All traits, except reproductive rate, showed strongly positive intersexual genetic correlations and were strongly genetically correlated with fitness in both sexes. Moreover, the genetic correlations with fitness were almost identical in men and women. For reproductive rate, the intersexual correlation and the correlation with fitness were weaker but again similar between the sexes. Thus, in this population, an apparent sexual conflict at the phenotypic level did not reflect an underlying genetic conflict over the studied reproductive traits. These findings emphasize the need for incorporating genetic perspectives into studies of human life-history evolution. PMID:24107531

Divergent selection on, but no genetic conflict over, female and male timing and rate of reproduction in a human population.

PubMed

Bolund, Elisabeth; Bouwhuis, Sandra; Pettay, Jenni E; Lummaa, Virpi

2013-12-07

The sexes often have different phenotypic optima for important life-history traits, and because of a largely shared genome this can lead to a conflict over trait expression. In mammals, the obligate costs of reproduction are higher for females, making reproductive timing and rate especially liable to conflict between the sexes. While studies from wild vertebrates support such sexual conflict, it remains unexplored in humans. We used a pedigreed human population from preindustrial Finland to estimate sexual conflict over age at first and last reproduction, reproductive lifespan and reproductive rate. We found that the phenotypic selection gradients differed between the sexes. We next established significant heritabilities in both sexes for all traits. All traits, except reproductive rate, showed strongly positive intersexual genetic correlations and were strongly genetically correlated with fitness in both sexes. Moreover, the genetic correlations with fitness were almost identical in men and women. For reproductive rate, the intersexual correlation and the correlation with fitness were weaker but again similar between the sexes. Thus, in this population, an apparent sexual conflict at the phenotypic level did not reflect an underlying genetic conflict over the studied reproductive traits. These findings emphasize the need for incorporating genetic perspectives into studies of human life-history evolution.

Sex in public and private settings among Latino MSM

PubMed Central

Reisen, Carol A; Iracheta, Miguel A.; Zea, Maria Cecilia; Bianchi, Fernanda T.; Poppen, Paul J.

2009-01-01

Latino men who have sex with men (MSM) constitute a group at high risk for HIV. Recent approaches to understanding sexual risk have emphasized the role that contextual factors can play in shaping behavior. This study examined sexual behavior of Latino MSM in private and public settings. First, a within-person comparison of behaviors performed in sexual encounters that occurred in public and private settings was conducted. Unprotected anal intercourse and other sexual behaviors involving anal stimulation were more common in private settings; group sex was more likely in public settings. Second, a between-person analysis compared sexual behaviors of MSM who went to three different types of public sex settings during the previous six months. The types were: 1) commercial sex venues (CSVs), which were defined as businesses with the function of providing a space where MSM can go to have sexual encounters, such as gay bathhouses; 2) commercial sex environments (CSEs), which were defined as businesses with another apparent function, but in which MSM sometimes have sexual encounters, such as gay bars or pornographic movie houses; and 3) public sex environments (PSEs), which were defined as free public areas where MSM can go to find partners for anonymous sex, such as parks or public restrooms. Results indicated that anal sexual behavior was most likely to occur in CSVs and least likely in PSEs, but the probability of unprotected anal intercourse was not found to differ among the three types of settings. Behavioral differences were discussed in terms of structural conditions related to privacy and safety, and psychological factors related to intimacy. PMID:20461575

Sex and gender differences in chronic kidney disease: progression to end-stage renal disease and haemodialysis.

PubMed

Cobo, Gabriela; Hecking, Manfred; Port, Friedrich K; Exner, Isabella; Lindholm, Bengt; Stenvinkel, Peter; Carrero, Juan Jesús

2016-07-01

Sex and gender differences are of fundamental importance in most diseases, including chronic kidney disease (CKD). Men and women with CKD differ with regard to the underlying pathophysiology of the disease and its complications, present different symptoms and signs, respond differently to therapy and tolerate/cope with the disease differently. Yet an approach using gender in the prevention and treatment of CKD, implementation of clinical practice guidelines and in research has been largely neglected. The present review highlights some sex- and gender-specific evidence in the field of CKD, starting with a critical appraisal of the lack of inclusion of women in randomized clinical trials in nephrology, and thereafter revisits sex/gender differences in kidney pathophysiology, kidney disease progression, outcomes and management of haemodialysis care. In each case we critically consider whether apparent discrepancies are likely to be explained by biological or psycho-socioeconomic factors. In some cases (a few), these findings have resulted in the discovery of disease pathways and/or therapeutic opportunities for improvement. In most cases, they have been reported as merely anecdotal findings. The aim of the present review is to expose some of the stimulating hypotheses arising from these observations as a preamble for stricter approaches using gender for the prevention and treatment of CKD and its complications. © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society.

Doing gender in sex and sex research.

PubMed

Vanwesenbeeck, Ine

2009-12-01

Gender is central to sexuality, and vice versa, but there are a number of difficulties with the treatment of gender in sex research. Apparently, it is hard to find a balance between two conflicting needs. First, obviously, it is necessary to make distinctions between women and men, for political as well as research-technical and theoretical reasons. A second requirement, at odds with the first one, is the necessity to understand gender and its relation to sexuality and the body as much more complex than simplistically referring to two sets of individuals. This is all the more necessary when one realizes the possible drawbacks of exaggerating the differences between the sexes (in particular when they are biologically explained), because of stereotyping, stigmatizing, and expectancy confirmatory processes. This essay identifies and discusses 10 difficulties in the treatment of gender in sex research, reflects on their origins, and reviews theory and evidence with the aim to (1) consider the relative strength of gender/sex as an explanatory variable compared to other factors and processes explaining differences between men and women on a number of sexual aspects, (2) inform an understanding of gender and its relation to sexuality as an ongoing, open-ended, multi-determined, situated, interactional process, with the body as a third player, and (3) argue in favor of a nuanced, well-balanced treatment of gender in sex research.

Early sex differences are not autism-specific: A Baby Siblings Research Consortium (BSRC) study.

PubMed

Messinger, Daniel S; Young, Gregory S; Webb, Sara Jane; Ozonoff, Sally; Bryson, Susan E; Carter, Alice; Carver, Leslie; Charman, Tony; Chawarska, Katarzyna; Curtin, Suzanne; Dobkins, Karen; Hertz-Picciotto, Irva; Hutman, Ted; Iverson, Jana M; Landa, Rebecca; Nelson, Charles A; Stone, Wendy L; Tager-Flusberg, Helen; Zwaigenbaum, Lonnie

2015-01-01

The increased male prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be mirrored by the early emergence of sex differences in ASD symptoms and cognitive functioning. The female protective effect hypothesis posits that ASD recurrence and symptoms will be higher among relatives of female probands. This study examined sex differences and sex of proband differences in ASD outcome and in the development of ASD symptoms and cognitive functioning among the high-risk younger siblings of ASD probands and low-risk children. Prior to 18 months of age, 1824 infants (1241 high-risk siblings, 583 low-risk) from 15 sites were recruited. Hierarchical generalized linear model (HGLM) analyses of younger sibling and proband sex differences in ASD recurrence among high-risk siblings were followed by HGLM analyses of sex differences and group differences (high-risk ASD, high-risk non-ASD, and low-risk) on the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) subscales (Expressive and Receptive Language, Fine Motor, and Visual Reception) at 18, 24, and 36 months and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) domain scores (social affect (SA) and restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRB)) at 24 and 36 months. Of 1241 high-risk siblings, 252 had ASD outcomes. Male recurrence was 26.7 % and female recurrence 10.3 %, with a 3.18 odds ratio. The HR-ASD group had lower MSEL subscale scores and higher RRB and SA scores than the HR non-ASD group, which had lower MSEL subscale scores and higher RRB scores than the LR group. Regardless of group, males obtained lower MSEL subscale scores, and higher ADOS RRB scores, than females. There were, however, no significant interactions between sex and group on either the MSEL or ADOS. Proband sex did not affect ASD outcome, MSEL subscale, or ADOS domain scores. A 3.2:1 male:female odds ratio emerged among a large sample of prospectively followed high-risk siblings. Sex differences in cognitive performance and repetitive behaviors were apparent not only in high-risk children with ASD, but also in high-risk children without ASD and in low-risk children. Sex differences in young children with ASD do not appear to be ASD-specific but instead reflect typically occurring sex differences seen in children without ASD. Results did not support a female protective effect hypothesis.

Role of corticosteroid binding globulin in emotional reactivity sex differences in mice.

PubMed

Minni, A M; de Medeiros, G F; Helbling, J C; Duittoz, A; Marissal-Arvy, N; Foury, A; De Smedt-Peyrusse, V; Pallet, V; Moisan, M P

2014-12-01

Sex differences exist for stress reactivity as well as for the prevalence of depression, which is more frequent in women of reproductive age and often precipitated by stressful events. In animals, the differential effect of stress on male's and female's emotional behavior has been well documented. Crosstalk between the gonadal and stress hormones, in particular between estrogens and glucocorticoids, underlie these sex differences on stress vulnerability. We have previously shown that corticosteroid binding globulin (CBG) deficiency in a mouse model (Cbg k.o.) leads, in males, to an increased despair-like behavior caused by suboptimal corticosterone stress response. Because CBG displays a sexual dimorphism and is regulated by estrogens, we have now investigated whether it plays a role in the sex differences observed for emotional reactivity in mice. By analyzing Cbg k.o. and wild-type (WT) animals of both sexes, we detected sex differences in despair-like behavior in WT mice but not in Cbg k.o. animals. We showed through ovariectomy and estradiol (E2) replacement that E2 levels explain the sex differences found in WT animals. However, the manipulation of E2 levels did not affect the emotional behavior of Cbg k.o. females. As Cbg k.o. males, Cbg k.o. females have markedly reduced corticosterone levels across the circadian cycle and also after stress. Plasma free corticosterone levels in Cbg k.o. mice measured immediately after stress were blunted in both sexes compared to WT mice. A trend for higher mean levels of ACTH in Cbg k.o. mice was found for both sexes. The turnover of a corticosterone bolus was increased in Cbg k.o. Finally, the glucocorticoid-regulated immediate early gene early growth response 1 (Egr1) showed a blunted mRNA expression in the hippocampus of Cbg k.o. mutants while mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors presented sex differences but equivalent mRNA expression between genotypes. Thus, in our experimental conditions, sex differences for despair-like behavior in WT mice are explained by estrogens levels. Also, in both sexes, the presence of CBG is required to attain optimal glucocorticoid concentrations and normal emotional reactivity, although in females this is apparent only under low E2 concentrations. These findings suggest a complex interaction of CBG and E2 on emotional reactivity in females. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of the Minimum Wage on the Employment Status of Youths. An Update.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wellington, Alison J.

1991-01-01

Using data from 1954-86, including the 1980s period of relative decline in the value of the minimum wage, a study found that a 10 percent increase in minimum wage reduced teen unemployment by less than 1 percent. In addition, no apparent effect on employment of adults aged 20-24 was found, and minimal differences appeared for sex and race. (SK)

Human ethology: age and sex differences in mall walking.

PubMed

Hangland, A; Cimbalo, R S

1997-12-01

Well-controlled experimental research has examined the biomechanical aspects of walking in homo sapiens on a track. The research reported here also examined cadence, velocity, and stride length for estimated ages ranging from 15 to over 55 years but in a shopping mall. Women at all ages walked faster than men in the mall setting which was opposite to what was found in the track research. Apparently context may influence how fast people walk. Hunter-gatherer differences could explain these results.

Light availability affects sex lability in a gynodioecious plant.

PubMed

Varga, Sandra; Kytöviita, Minna-Maarit

2016-11-01

Sex lability (i.e., gender diphasy) in plants is classically linked to the larger resource needs associated with the female sexual function (i.e., seed production) compared to the male function (i.e., pollen production). Sex lability in response to the environment is extensively documented in dioecious species, but has been largely overlooked in gynodioecious plants. Here, we tested whether environmental conditions induce sex lability in the gynodioecious Geranium sylvaticum. We conducted a transplantation experiment in the field where plants with different sex expression were reciprocally transplanted between high light and low light habitats. We measured plants' reproductive output and sex expression over four years. Our results show that sex expression was labile over the study period. The light level at the destination habitat had a significant effect on sexual expression and reproductive output, because plants decreased their reproductive output when transplanted to the low light habitat. Transplantation origin did not affect any parameter measured. This study shows that sex expression in Geranium sylvaticum is labile and related to light availability. Sexually labile plants did not produce more seeds or pollen, and thus, there was no apparent fitness gain in sexually labile individuals. Sex lability in gynodioecious plants may be more common than previously believed because detection of sex lability necessitates data on the same individuals over time, which is rare in sexually dimorphic herbaceous plants. © 2016 Botanical Society of America.

The WHISK (Women's Health: Increasing the Awareness of Science and Knowledge) Pilot Project: Recognizing Sex and Gender Differences in Women's Health and Wellness.

PubMed

Edwards, Lorece V; Dennis, Sabriya; Weaks, Francesca

2013-09-01

Women's health encompasses a continuum of biological, psychological, and social challenges that differ considerably from those of men. Despite the remarkable advances in science, women's health and sex differences research is slowly gaining recognition and acceptance. It is important that women's health gain attention as women are usually the gatekeepers of care for the family. Women's health and health outcomes are strongly influenced by sex and gender differences as well as geography. Around the world, the interplay of biology and culture brings about differences in men's and women's health, which have been largely overlooked. The Women's Health: Increasing the Awareness of Science and Knowledge (WHISK) Pilot Project was a multidisciplinary project aimed to increase the awareness of sex and gender differences in women's health and research among healthcare professionals. Theater expression and creative art were used to translate knowledge, enhance understanding, and increase the awareness of sex differences. Findings from this project clearly showed an apparent increase in knowledge and cultivation of new insights.

12 CFR 268.601 - EEO group statistics.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... race, national origin, sex and disability(ies) of its employees. (b) Data on race, national origin and sex shall be collected by voluntary self-identification. If an employee does not voluntarily provide... prevent its unauthorized disclosure. If, thereafter, the employee declines to change the apparently...

12 CFR 268.601 - EEO group statistics.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... race, national origin, sex and disability(ies) of its employees. (b) Data on race, national origin and sex shall be collected by voluntary self-identification. If an employee does not voluntarily provide... prevent its unauthorized disclosure. If, thereafter, the employee declines to change the apparently...

12 CFR 268.601 - EEO group statistics.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... race, national origin, sex and disability(ies) of its employees. (b) Data on race, national origin and sex shall be collected by voluntary self-identification. If an employee does not voluntarily provide... prevent its unauthorized disclosure. If, thereafter, the employee declines to change the apparently...

Would Harry and Hermione Have Done Better in Single-Sex Classes? A Review of Single-Sex Teaching in Coeducational Secondary Schools in the United Kingdom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Younger, Michael Robert; Warrington, Molly

2006-01-01

The gender agenda in many North American, Western European, and Australasian countries has undergone a "boy turn" in the past decade amid growing concerns about boys' apparent "underachievement" relative to girls. One aspect of this turn has been the resurrection of interest in single-sex classes in coeducational public state…

Amelogenin test: From forensics to quality control in clinical and biochemical genomics.

PubMed

Francès, F; Portolés, O; González, J I; Coltell, O; Verdú, F; Castelló, A; Corella, D

2007-01-01

The increasing number of samples from the biomedical genetic studies and the number of centers participating in the same involves increasing risk of mistakes in the different sample handling stages. We have evaluated the usefulness of the amelogenin test for quality control in sample identification. Amelogenin test (frequently used in forensics) was undertaken on 1224 individuals participating in a biomedical study. Concordance between referred sex in the database and amelogenin test was estimated. Additional sex-error genetic detecting systems were developed. The overall concordance rate was 99.84% (1222/1224). Two samples showed a female amelogenin test outcome, being codified as males in the database. The first, after checking sex-specific biochemical and clinical profile data was found to be due to a codification error in the database. In the second, after checking the database, no apparent error was discovered because a correct male profile was found. False negatives in amelogenin male sex determination were discarded by additional tests, and feminine sex was confirmed. A sample labeling error was revealed after a new DNA extraction. The amelogenin test is a useful quality control tool for detecting sex-identification errors in large genomic studies, and can contribute to increase its validity.

Testosterone reactivity to facial display of emotions in men and women.

PubMed

Zilioli, Samuele; Caldbick, Evan; Watson, Neil V

2014-05-01

Previous studies have examined testosterone's role in regulating the processing of facial displays of emotions (FDEs). However, the reciprocal process - the influence of FDEs, an evolutionarily ancient and potent class of social signals, on the secretion of testosterone - has not yet been studied. To address this gap, we examined the effects of emotional content and sex of facial stimuli in modulating endogenous testosterone fluctuations, as well as sex differences in the endocrine responses to faces. One hundred and sixty-four young healthy men and women were exposed, in a between-subjects design, to happy or angry same-sex or opposite-sex facial expressions. Results showed that in both men (n=85) and women (n=79), extended exposure to faces of the opposite sex, regardless of their apparent emotional content, was accompanied by an accumulation in salivary testosterone when compared to exposure to faces of the same sex. Furthermore, testosterone change in women exposed to angry expressions was greater than testosterone change in women exposed to happy expressions. These results add emotional facial stimuli to the collection of social signals that modulate endocrine status, and are discussed with regard to the evolutionary roles of testosterone. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Spawning site fidelity and apparent annual survival of walleye (Sander vitreus) differ between a Lake Huron and Lake Erie tributary

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hayden, Todd A.; Binder, Thomas; Holbrook, Christopher; Vandergoot, Christopher; Fielder, David G.; Cooke, Steven J.; Dettmers, John M.; Krueger, Charles C.

2018-01-01

Fidelity to spawning habitats can maximise reproductive success of fish by synchronising movements to sites of previous recruitment. To determine the role of reproductive fidelity in structuring walleye Sander vitreus populations in the Laurentian Great Lakes, we used acoustic telemetry combined with Cormack–Jolly–Seber capture–recapture models to estimate spawning site fidelity and apparent annual survival for the Tittabawassee River in Lake Huron and Maumee River in Lake Erie. Walleye in spawning condition were tagged from the Tittabawassee River in Lake Huron and Maumee River in Lake Erie in 2011–2012. Site fidelity and apparent annual survival were estimated from return of individuals to the stream where tagged. Site fidelity estimates were higher in the Tittabawassee River (95%) than the Maumee River (70%) and were not related to sex or fish length at tagging. Apparent annual survival of walleye tagged in the Tittabawassee did not differ among spawning seasons but was higher for female than male walleye and decreased linearly as fish length increased. Apparent annual survival of walleye tagged in the Maumee River did not differ among spawning seasons but was higher for female walleye than male walleye and increased linearly as fish length increased. Greater fidelity of walleye tagged in the Tittabawassee River than walleye tagged in the Maumee River may be related to the close proximity to the Maumee River of other spawning aggregations and multiple spawning sites in Lake Erie. As spawning site fidelity increases, management actions to conserve population structure require an increasing focus on individual stocks.

23 CFR 200.5 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... person in the United States, solely because of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, has been.... A recipient has failed to meet prescribed requirements and has shown an apparent lack of good faith..., sex, or national origin in programs receiving Federal financial assistance of the type subject to...

23 CFR 200.5 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... person in the United States, solely because of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, has been.... A recipient has failed to meet prescribed requirements and has shown an apparent lack of good faith..., sex, or national origin in programs receiving Federal financial assistance of the type subject to...

23 CFR 200.5 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... person in the United States, solely because of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, has been.... A recipient has failed to meet prescribed requirements and has shown an apparent lack of good faith..., sex, or national origin in programs receiving Federal financial assistance of the type subject to...

23 CFR 200.5 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... person in the United States, solely because of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, has been.... A recipient has failed to meet prescribed requirements and has shown an apparent lack of good faith..., sex, or national origin in programs receiving Federal financial assistance of the type subject to...

23 CFR 200.5 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... person in the United States, solely because of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, has been.... A recipient has failed to meet prescribed requirements and has shown an apparent lack of good faith..., sex, or national origin in programs receiving Federal financial assistance of the type subject to...

Sex Dimorphism in Late Gestational Sleep Fragmentation and Metabolic Dysfunction in Offspring Mice

PubMed Central

Khalyfa, Abdelnaby; Carreras, Alba; Almendros, Isaac; Hakim, Fahed; Gozal, David

2015-01-01

Background: Excessive sleep fragmentation (SF) is common in pregnant women. Adult-onset metabolic disorders may begin during early development and exhibit substantial sex dimorphism. We hypothesized that metabolic dysfunction induced by gestational SF in male mice would not be apparent in female littermates. Methods: Body weight and food consumption were measured weekly in male and female offspring after late gestational SF or control sleep (SC). At 20 weeks, plasma leptin, adiponectin, lipid profiles, and insulin and glucose tolerance tests were assessed. Leptin and adiponectin, M1, and M2 macrophage messenger RNA expression and polarity were examined. Adiponectin gene promoter methylation levels in several tissues were assessed. Results: Food intake, body weight, visceral fat mass, and insulin resistance were higher, and adiponectin levels lower in male but not female offspring exposed to gestational SF. However, dyslipidemia was apparent in both male and female offspring exposed to SF, albeit of lesser magnitude. In visceral fat, leptin messenger RNA expression was selectively increased and adiponectin expression was decreased in male offspring exposed to gestational SF, but adiponectin was increased in exposed female offspring. Differences in adipokine expression also emerged in liver, subcutaneous fat, and muscle. Increased M1 macrophage markers were present in male offspring exposed to SF (SFOM) while increased M2 markers emerged in SF in female offspring (SFOF). Similarly, significant differences emerged in the methylation patterns of adiponectin promoter in SFOM and SFOF. Conclusion: Gestational sleep fragmentation increases the susceptibility to obesity and metabolic syndrome in male but not in female offspring, most likely via epigenetic changes. Thus, sleep perturbations impose long-term detrimental effects to the fetus manifesting as sex dimorphic metabolic dysfunction in adulthood. Citation: Khalyfa A, Carreras A, Almendros I, Hakim F, Gozal D. Sex dimorphism in late gestational sleep fragmentation and metabolic dysfunction in offspring mice. SLEEP 2015;38(4):545–557. PMID:25325475

Judging the differences between women's attractiveness and health: is there really a difference between judgments made by men and women?

PubMed

Stephen, Ian D; Perera, A Treshi-marie

2014-03-01

Perceived weight in the face and body size have been shown to be significant predictors of both attractiveness and health. Studies looking at the relationship between attractiveness, perceived health, and perceived weight in faces have found that individuals prefer a lower weight for attractiveness than for apparent health. Here, a group of twenty-four Asian participants were allowed to manipulate the apparent body mass indices (BMIs) of full-length photographs of young Malaysian Chinese women to enhance their perceived healthiness and attractiveness. Results showed that both men and women differentiated between attractiveness and health by preferring a lower BMI for attractiveness than health, suggesting a consistency in the preferred ideal BMI for attractiveness and healthy appearance across both sexes. Results also suggested that BMI provides important cues to judgments of attractive and healthy appearance. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Testing environment shape differentially modulates baseline and nicotine-induced changes in behavior: Sex differences, hypoactivity, and behavioral sensitization.

PubMed

Illenberger, J M; Mactutus, C F; Booze, R M; Harrod, S B

2018-02-01

In those who use nicotine, the likelihood of dependence, negative health consequences, and failed treatment outcomes differ as a function of gender. Women may be more sensitive to learning processes driven by repeated nicotine exposure that influence conditioned approach and craving. Sex differences in nicotine's influence over overt behaviors (i.e. hypoactivity or behavioral sensitization) can be examined using passive drug administration models in male and female rats. Following repeated intravenous (IV) nicotine injections, behavioral sensitization is enhanced in female rats compared to males. Nonetheless, characteristics of the testing environment also mediate rodent behavior following drug administration. The current experiment used a within-subjects design to determine if nicotine-induced changes in horizontal activity, center entries, and rearing displayed by male and female rats is detected when behavior was recorded in round vs. square chambers. Behaviors were recorded from each group (males-round: n=19; males-square: n=18; females-square: n=19; and females-round: n=19) immediately following IV injection of saline, acute nicotine, and repeated nicotine (0.05mg/kg/injection). Prior to nicotine treatment, sex differences were apparent only in round chambers. Following nicotine administration, the order of magnitude for the chamber that provided enhanced detection of hypoactivity or sensitization was contingent upon both the dependent measure under examination and the animal's biological sex. As such, round and square testing chambers provide different, and sometimes contradictory, accounts of how male and female rats respond to nicotine treatment. It is possible that a central mechanism such as stress or cue sensitivity is impacted by both drug exposure and environment to drive the sex differences observed in the current experiment. Until these complex relations are better understood, experiments considering sex differences in drug responses should balance characteristics of the testing environment to provide a complete interpretation of drug-induced changes to behavior. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sexual dimorphism in America: geometric morphometric analysis of the craniofacial region.

PubMed

Kimmerle, Erin H; Ross, Ann; Slice, Dennis

2008-01-01

One of the four pillars of the anthropological protocol is the estimation of sex. The protocol generally consists of linear metric analysis or visually assessing individual skeletal traits on the skull and pelvis based on an ordinal scale of 1-5, ranging from very masculine to very feminine. The morphologic traits are then some how averaged by the investigator to estimate sex. Some skulls may be misclassified because of apparent morphologic features that appear more or less robust due to size differences among individuals. The question of misclassification may be further exemplified in light of comparisons across populations that may differ not only in cranial robusticity but also in stature and general physique. The purpose of this study is to further examine the effect of size and sex on craniofacial shape among American populations to better understand the allometric foundation of skeletal traits currently used for sex estimation. Three-dimensional coordinates of 16 standard craniofacial landmarks were collected using a Microscribe-3DX digitizer. Data were collected for 118 American White and Black males and females from the W.M. Bass Donated Collection and the Forensic Data Bank. The MANCOVA procedure tested shape differences as a function of sex and size. Sex had a significant influence on shape for both American Whites (F = 2.90; d.f. = 19, 39; p > F = 0.0024) and Blacks (F = 2.81; d.f. = 19, 37; p > F = 0.0035), whereas size did not have a significant influence on shape in either Whites (F = 1.69; d.f. = 19, 39; p > F = 0.08) or Blacks (F = 1.09; d.f. = 19, 37; p > F = 0.40). Therefore, for each sex, individuals of various sizes were statistically the same shape. In other words, while significant differences were present between the size of males and females (males on average were larger), there was no size effect beyond that accounted for by sex differences in size. Moreover, the consistency between American groups is interesting as it suggests that population differences in sexual dimorphism may result more from human variation in size than allometric variation in craniofacial morphology.

Teachers' implementation of gender-inclusive instructional strategies in single-sex and mixed-sex science classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parker, Lesley H.; Rennie, Léonie J.

2002-09-01

Debate continues over the benefits, or otherwise, of single-sex classes in science and mathematics, particularly for the performance of girls. Previous research and analyses of the circumstances surrounding the implementation of single-sex classes warn that the success of the strategy requires due consideration of the nature of the instructional environment for both boys and girls, together with appropriate support for the teachers involved. This article reports the circumstances under which teachers were able to implement gender-inclusive strategies in single-sex science classes in coeducational high schools and documents some of the difficulties faced. The study was part of the Single-Sex Education Pilot Project (SSEPP) in ten high schools in rural and urban Western Australia. Qualitative and quantitative data were gathered during the project from teachers, students and classroom observations. Overall, it was apparent that single-sex grouping created environments in which teachers could implement gender-inclusive science instructional strategies more readily and effectively than in mixed-sex settings. Teachers were able to address some of the apparent shortcomings of the students' previous education (specifically, the poor written and oral communication of boys and the limited experience of girls with 'hands-on' activities and open-ended problem solving). Further, in same-sex classrooms, sexual harassment which inhibited girls' learning was eliminated. The extent to which teachers were successful in implementing gender-inclusive instructional strategies, however, depended upon their prior commitment to the SSEPP as a whole, and upon the support or obstacles encountered from a variety of sources, including parents, the community, students, and non-SSEPP teachers.

Sex dimorphism in late gestational sleep fragmentation and metabolic dysfunction in offspring mice.

PubMed

Khalyfa, Abdelnaby; Carreras, Alba; Almendros, Isaac; Hakim, Fahed; Gozal, David

2015-04-01

Excessive sleep fragmentation (SF) is common in pregnant women. Adult-onset metabolic disorders may begin during early development and exhibit substantial sex dimorphism. We hypothesized that metabolic dysfunction induced by gestational SF in male mice would not be apparent in female littermates. Body weight and food consumption were measured weekly in male and female offspring after late gestational SF or control sleep (SC). At 20 weeks, plasma leptin, adiponectin, lipid profiles, and insulin and glucose tolerance tests were assessed. Leptin and adiponectin, M1, and M2 macrophage messenger RNA expression and polarity were examined. Adiponectin gene promoter methylation levels in several tissues were assessed. Food intake, body weight, visceral fat mass, and insulin resistance were higher, and adiponectin levels lower in male but not female offspring exposed to gestational SF. However, dyslipidemia was apparent in both male and female offspring exposed to SF, albeit of lesser magnitude. In visceral fat, leptin messenger RNA expression was selectively increased and adiponectin expression was decreased in male offspring exposed to gestational SF, but adiponectin was increased in exposed female offspring. Differences in adipokine expression also emerged in liver, subcutaneous fat, and muscle. Increased M1 macrophage markers were present in male offspring exposed to SF (SFOM) while increased M2 markers emerged in SF in female offspring (SFOF). Similarly, significant differences emerged in the methylation patterns of adiponectin promoter in SFOM and SFOF. Gestational sleep fragmentation increases the susceptibility to obesity and metabolic syndrome in male but not in female offspring, most likely via epigenetic changes. Thus, sleep perturbations impose long-term detrimental effects to the fetus manifesting as sex dimorphic metabolic dysfunction in adulthood. © 2015 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Primary intracranial tumours in Black and Indian children, 1960-1975.

PubMed

Quinn, R J; Scragg, J N; Rubidge, C J

1978-02-11

This report of cerebral tumours in 60 children admitted to the medical wards of King Edward VIII Hospital, Durban, shows that cerebral tumour is the commonest solid neoplasm in both Black and Indian children. There is a significantly lower incidence of cerebral tumour in Black children. No difference was apparent in age, sex ratio, site or histological types in our racial groups compared with studies in White children from other parts of the world.

A 14-mo zinc-supplementation trial in apparently healthy Chilean preschool children.

PubMed

Ruz, M; Castillo-Duran, C; Lara, X; Codoceo, J; Rebolledo, A; Atalah, E

1997-12-01

Apparently healthy preschool children (46 boys, 52 girls) aged 27-50 mo from low socioeconomic conditions who attended daycare centers in Santiago participated in a 14-mo long double-blind zinc supplementation trial. Unlike most previous studies, no additional inclusion criteria such as short stature or slow growth rate were considered. Subjects were pair matched according to sex and age and randomly assigned to two experimental groups: the supplemented group, which received 10 mg Zn/d, and the placebo group. Selected anthropometric, clinical, dietary, biochemical, and functional indexes were determined at the beginning of the study and after 6 and 14 mo of intervention. Actual dietary zinc intake was 66% of the recommended dietary allowance. Height gain after 14 mo was on average 0.5 cm higher in the supplemented group (P = 0.10). The response, however, was different between sexes. Boys from the supplemented group gained 0.9 cm more than those in the placebo group (P = 0.045). No effect was seen in girls. Although no significant differences were observed in the rest of the variables studied, trends (0.05 < P < 0.10) in the supplemented group compared with the placebo group for increased midarm muscle area in boys, improved response to tuberculin, and reduced rates of parasite reinfestation were noted. We conclude that in preschool children of low socioeconomic status, zinc is a limiting factor in the expression of growth potential.

Interpopulation Comparison of Sex-Biased Mortality and Sexual Size Dimorphism in Sea-Run Masu Salmon, Oncorhynchus masou.

PubMed

Tamate, Tsuyoshi

2015-08-01

Evolutionary ecologists often expect that natural and sexual selection result in systematic co-occurrence patterns of sex-biased mortality and sexual size dimorphism (SSD) within animal species. However, whether such patterns actually occur in wild animals is poorly examined. The following expectation, the larger sex suffers higher mortality, was primarily tested here for apparently native sea-run masu salmon (Oncorhynchus masou) in three populations in Hokkaido, Japan. Field surveys on sex ratios, body sizes, and ages of smolts and returning adults revealed that two of the three populations exhibited an expected pattern, a female-biased marine mortality and SSD, but one population demonstrated an unexpected co-occurrence of male-biased marine mortality and female-biased SSD. These female-biased SSDs were attributed to faster marine growth of females because of no sex difference in smolt body size. It has been previously suggested that breeding selection favoring large size generally act more strongly in females than in males in Japanese anadromous masu, as there is a weak sexual selection on adult males but universally intensive natural selection on adult females. Thus, this hypothesis explains female-biased SSDs well in all study populations. Interpopulation variation in sex-biased mortality found here might result from differences in marine predation and/or fishing pressures, given that selection driving female-biased SSD makes females forage more aggressively than males during the marine phase. Taken together, these results raise the possibility that evolutionary forces have shaped adaptive sex-specific foraging strategies under relationships between growth and mortality, resulting in co-occurrence patterns of sex-biased mortality and SSD within animal species.

Cardiovascular disease in women.

PubMed

Lee, L Veronica; Foody, Joanne Micale

2008-08-01

The rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) have decreased significantly for men over the past few decades, but similar reductions have not occurred in women. Consequently, CVD remains the leading killer of women in the United States. Men usually develop heart disease earlier than women, but women develop heart disease more rapidly once menopause has occurred. A review of risk factors that are common between men and women demonstrates some notable sex-dependent differences. Many of these changes appear related to the hormonal changes that occur in menopause, such as the development of hypertension, changes in lipid concentrations, and central adiposity. In addition, diabetes is a more significant risk factor for CVD in women than men. Sociologic and physiologic factors need to be considered in treatment of risk factors, such as smoking, lack of exercise, obesity, and depression. Prevention is known to significantly reduce CVD risk, but new goals are being established for women as the sex-dependent differences have become apparent.

Sex differences in contaminant concentrations of fish: a synthesis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Madenjian, Charles P.; Rediske, Richard R.; Krabbenhoft, David P.; Stapanian, Martin A.; Chernyak, Sergei M.; O'Keefe, James P.

2016-01-01

Comparison of whole-fish polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and total mercury (Hg) concentrations in mature males with those in mature females may provide insights into sex differences in behavior, metabolism, and other physiological processes. In eight species of fish, we observed that males exceeded females in whole-fish PCB concentration by 17 to 43%. Based on results from hypothesis testing, we concluded that these sex differences were most likely primarily driven by a higher rate of energy expenditure, stemming from higher resting metabolic rate (or standard metabolic rate (SMR)) and higher swimming activity, in males compared with females. A higher rate of energy expenditure led to a higher rate of food consumption, which, in turn, resulted in a higher rate of PCB accumulation. For two fish species, the growth dilution effect also made a substantial contribution to the sex difference in PCB concentrations, although the higher energy expenditure rate for males was still the primary driver. Hg concentration data were available for five of the eight species. For four of these five species, the ratio of PCB concentration in males to PCB concentration in females was substantially greater than the ratio of Hg concentration in males to Hg concentration in females. In sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), a very primitive fish, the two ratios were nearly identical. The most plausible explanation for this pattern was that certain androgens, such as testosterone and 11-ketotestosterone, enhanced Hg-elimination rate in males. In contrast, long-term elimination of PCBs is negligible for both sexes. According to this explanation, males ingest Hg at a higher rate than females, but also eliminate Hg at a higher rate than females, in fish species other than sea lamprey. Male sea lamprey do not possess either of the above-specified androgens. These apparent sex differences in SMRs, activities, and Hg-elimination rates in teleost fishes may also apply, to some degree, to higher vertebrates including humans. Our synthesis findings will be useful in: (1) developing sex-specific bioenergetics models for fish, (2) developing sex-specific risk assessment models for exposure of humans and wildlife to contaminants, and (3) refining Hg mass balance models for fish and higher vertebrates.

Sex and ApoE Genotype Differences in Treatment Response to Two Doses of Intranasal Insulin in Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment or Alzheimer’s Disease

PubMed Central

Claxton, Amy; Baker, Laura D.; Wilkinson, Charles W.; Trittschuh, Emily H.; Chapmana, Darla; Watson, G. Stennis; Cholerton, Brenna; Plymate, Stephen R.; Arbuckle, Matthew; Craft, Suzanne

2014-01-01

A previous clinical trial demonstrated that four months of treatment with intranasal insulin improves cognition and function for patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), but prior studies suggest that response to insulin treatment may differ by sex and ApoE ε4 carriage. Thus, responder analyses using repeated measures analysis of covariance were completed on the trial’s 104 participants with MCI or AD who received either placebo or 20 or 40 IU of insulin for 4 months, administered by a nasal delivery device. Results indicate that men and women with memory impairment responded differently to intranasal insulin treatment. On delayed story memory, men and women showed cognitive improvement when taking 20 IU of intranasal insulin, but only men showed cognitive improvement for the 40 IU dose. The sex difference was most apparent for ApoE ε4 negative individuals. For the 40 IU dose, ApoE ε4 negative men improved while ApoE ε4 negative women worsened. Their ApoE ε4 positive counterparts remained cognitively stable. This sex effect was not detected in functional measures. However, functional abilities were relatively preserved for women on either dose of intranasal insulin compared with men. Unlike previous studies with young adults, neither men nor women taking intranasal insulin exhibited a significant change in weight over 4 months of treatment. PMID:23507773

Social influences on unconscious plagiarism and anti-plagiarism.

PubMed

Hollins, Timothy J; Lange, Nicholas; Dennis, Ian; Longmore, Christopher A

2016-08-01

People are more likely to unconsciously plagiarise ideas from a same-sex partner than a different-sex partner, and more likely to unconsciously plagiarise if recalling alone rather than in the presence of their partner [Macrae, C. N., Bodenhausen, G. V., & Calvini, G. (1999). Contexts of cryptomnesia: May the source be with you. Social Cognition, 17, 273-297. doi: 10.1521/soco.1999.17.3.273 ]. Two sets of experiments explore these phenomena, using extensions of the standard unconscious plagiarism paradigm. In Experiment 1A participants worked together in same- or different-sex dyads before trying to recall their own ideas or their partner's ideas. More source errors were evident for same-sex dyads (Experiment 1A), but this effect was absent when participants recalled from both sources simultaneously (Experiment 1B). In Experiment 2A, participants recalled ideas from a single source either alone or in the presence of the partner, using an extended-recall task. Partner presence did not affect the availability of ideas, but did reduce the propensity to report them as task compliant, relative to a partner-present condition. Simultaneous recall from both sources removed this social effect (Experiment 2B). Thus social influences on unconscious plagiarism are apparent, but are influenced by the salience of the alternate source at retrieval.

Sex differences in nitrosative stress during renal ischemia.

PubMed

Rodríguez, Francisca; Nieto-Cerón, Susana; Fenoy, Francisco J; López, Bernardo; Hernández, Isabel; Martinez, Raquel Rodado; Soriano, Ma José González; Salom, Miguel G

2010-11-01

Females suffer a less severe ischemic acute renal failure than males, apparently because of higher nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability and/or lower levels of oxidative stress. Because the renal ischemic injury is associated with outer medullary (OM) endothelial dysfunction, the present study evaluated sex differences in OM changes of NO and peroxynitrite levels (by differential pulse voltammetry and amperometry, respectively) during 45 min of ischemia and 60 min of reperfusion in anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats. Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) protein expression and their phosphorylated forms [peNOS(Ser1177) and pnNOS(Ser1417)], 3-nitrotyrosine, reduced sulfhydryl groups (-SH), and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were also determined. No sex differences were observed in monomeric eNOS and nNOS expression, NO, or 3-nitrotyrosine levels in nonischemic kidneys, but renal -SH content was higher in females. Ischemia increased dimeric/monomeric eNOS and nNOS ratio more in females, but the dimeric phosphorylated peNOS(Ser1177) and pnNOS(Ser1417) forms rose similarly in both sexes, indicating no sex differences in nitric oxide synthase activation. However, NO levels increased more in females than in males (6,406.0 ± 742.5 and 4,058.2 ± 272.35 nmol/l respectively, P < 0.05), together with a lower increase in peroxynitrite current (5.5 ± 0.7 vs. 12.7 ± 1.5 nA, P < 0.05) and 3-nitrotyrosine concentration, (28.7 ± 3.7 vs. 48.7 ± 3.7 nmol/mg protein, P < 0.05) in females than in males and a better preserved GFR after ischemia in females than in males (689.7 ± 135.0 and 221.4 ± 52.5 μl·min(-1)·g kidney wt(-1), P < 0.01). Pretreatment with the antioxidants N-acetyl-L-cysteine or ebselen abolished sex differences in peroxynitrite, nitrotyrosine, and GFR, suggesting that a greater oxidative and nitrosative stress worsens renal damage in males.

The New Zealand rugby injury and performance project. III. Anthropometric and physical performance characteristics of players.

PubMed Central

Quarrie, K L; Handcock, P; Waller, A E; Chalmers, D J; Toomey, M J; Wilson, B D

1995-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the anthropometric and physical performance characteristics of New Zealand rugby players of different ages and both sexes. METHODS: 356 rugby players (264 male, 92 female) took part in the study during a single season. Playing grade ranged from schoolboys and schoolgirls to senior men and women. Assessment of height, weight, neck circumference, and somatotype was performed before the competitive rugby season. A battery of six physical performance assessments was completed after the anthropometry. Analysis of variance was used to examine differences in these variables between field positions and grades. RESULTS: Significant differences between forwards and backs on anthropometric and physical performance variables were apparent at all grades assessed. In terms of anthropometric characteristics, forwards of a given grade were generally taller, possessed greater body mass, and were more endomorphic and less ectomorphic than backs of the same grade. The backs tended to perform better on physical performance measures than forwards, being more aerobically fit, faster, more agile, and possessing a higher degree of muscular endurance. Differences in anthropometry and physical performance attributes were also apparent between players from the various grades. The players at higher levels were generally larger, and performed better on tests of physical performance than the players at lower levels. These differences were found in both sexes. CONCLUSIONS: The greater body mass of the forwards allows them to obtain greater momentum than the backs when sprinting. The ability to obtain greater momentum is important in the body contact phases of the game. Forwards may compromise their aerobic fitness and speed to some extent in order to maintain a high body mass. The anthropometric and physical performance characteristics of players appear to reflect the demands placed on them by the sport. PMID:8808542

'It is like a tomato stall where someone can pick what he likes': structure and practices of female sex work in Kampala, Uganda.

PubMed

Mbonye, Martin; Nakamanya, Sarah; Nalukenge, Winifred; King, Rachel; Vandepitte, Judith; Seeley, Janet

2013-08-10

Effective interventions among female sex workers require a thorough knowledge of the context of local sex industries. We explore the organisation of female sex work in a low socio-economic setting in Kampala, Uganda. We conducted a qualitative study with 101 participants selected from an epidemiological cohort of 1027 women at high risk of HIV in Kampala. Repeat in-depth life history and work practice interviews were conducted from March 2010 to June 2011. Context specific factors of female sex workers' day-to-day lives were captured. Reported themes were identified and categorised inductively. Of the 101 women, 58 were active self-identified sex workers operating in different locations within the area of study and nine had quit sex work. This paper focuses on these 67 women who gave information about their involvement in sex work. The majority had not gone beyond primary level of education and all had at least one child. Thirty one voluntarily disclosed that they were HIV-positive. Common sex work locations were streets/roadsides, bars and night clubs. Typically sex occurred in lodges near bars/night clubs, dark alleyways or car parking lots. Overall, women experienced sex work-related challenges at their work locations but these were more apparent in outdoor settings. These settings exposed women to violence, visibility to police, a stigmatising public as well as competition for clients, while bars provided some protection from these challenges. Older sex workers tended to prefer bars while the younger ones were mostly based on the streets. Alcohol consumption was a feature in all locations and women said it gave them courage and helped them to withstand the night chill. Condom use was determined by clients' willingness, a woman's level of sobriety or price offered. Sex work operates across a variety of locations in the study area in Kampala, with each presenting different strategies and challenges for those operating there. Risky practices are present in all locations although they are higher on the streets compared to other locations. Location specific interventions are required to address the complex challenges in sex work environments.

Chlamydia prevalence in the general population: is there a sex difference? a systematic review

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The focus of Chlamydia trachomatis screening and testing lies more on women than on men. The study aim was to establish by systematic review the prevalence of urogenital Chlamydia trachomatis infection in men and women in the general population. Methods Electronic databases and reference lists were searched from 2000 to 2013 using the key words “Chlamydia trachomatis”, “population-based study” and “disease prevalence”. Reference lists were checked. Studies were included in the analysis if Chlamydia trachomatis prevalence was reported for both men and women in a population-based study. Prevalence rates for men and women were described as well as highest prevalence rate by age and sex. The difference in prevalence between the sexes in each study was calculated. Results Twenty-five studies met the inclusion criteria and quality assessment for the review. In nine of the twenty-five studies there was a statistically significant sex difference in the chlamydia prevalence. In all nine studies the prevalence of chlamydia was higher in women than in men. The prevalence for women varied from 1.1% to 10.6% and for men from 0.1% to 12.1%. The average chlamydia prevalence is highly variable between countries. The highest prevalence of chlamydia occurred predominantly in younger age groups (< 25 years). The absence of symptoms in population-based urogenital chlamydia infection is common in men and women (mean 88.5% versus 68.3%). Conclusions The urogenital chlamydia trachomatis prevalence in the general population is more similar than dissimilar for men and women. A modest sex difference is apparent. The prevalence rates can be used to inform chlamydia screening strategies in general practice. PMID:24215287

Effects of hormones on platelet aggregation.

PubMed

Farré, Antonio López; Modrego, Javier; Zamorano-León, José J

2014-04-01

Platelets and their activation/inhibition mechanisms play a central role in haemostasis. It is well known agonists and antagonists of platelet activation; however, during the last years novel evidences of hormone effects on platelet activation have been reported. Platelet functionality may be modulated by the interaction between different hormones and their platelet receptors, contributing to sex differences in platelet function and even in platelet-mediated vascular damage. It has suggested aspects that apparently are well established should be reviewed. Hormones effects on platelet activity are included among them. This article tries to review knowledge about the involvement of hormones in platelet biology and activity.

Sex Differences and the Effects of Stress on Subsequent Opioid Consumption in Adult Rats Following Adolescent Nicotine Exposure: A Psychopharmacologic Examination of the Gateway Hypothesis

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-07-18

sign of fentanyl addiction is death by drug overdose (David Hester, personal communication, 1996). The addiction and abuse liability offentanyl is high...rats, not exposed to stress, died of apparent fentanyl overdose . These two rats also had been exposed to 12 mg nicotinelkglday and died despite lower...nicotinelkglday) during adolescence was related to increased, subsequent fentanyl self-administration in non-stressed male rats. Exposure to immobilization stress

Local estrogenic/androgenic balance in the cerebral vasculature

PubMed Central

Krause, Diana N.; Duckles, Sue P.; Gonzales, Rayna J.

2011-01-01

Reproductive effects of sex steroids are well-known, however it is increasingly apparent that these hormones have important actions on non-reproductive tissues such as the vasculature. The latter effects can be relevant throughout the lifespan, not just limited to reproductive years, and are not necessarily restricted to one sex or the other. Our work has established that cerebral blood vessels are a non-reproductive target tissue for sex steroids. We have found that estrogen and androgens alter vascular tone, endothelial function, oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in cerebral vessels. Often the actions of estrogen and androgens oppose each other. Moreover, it is clear that cerebral vessels are directly targeted by sex steroids as they express specific receptors for these hormones. Interestingly, cerebral blood vessels also express enzymes that metabolize sex steroids. These findings suggest that local synthesis of 17β-estradiol and dihydrotestosterone can occur within the vessel wall. One of the enzymes present, aromatase, converts testosterone to 17β-estradiol, which would alter the local balance of androgenic and estrogenic influences. Thus cerebral vessels are affected by circulating sex hormones as well as locally synthesized sex steroids. The presence of vascular endocrine effector mechanisms has important implications for male-female differences in cerebrovascular function and disease. Moreover, the cerebral circulation is a target for gonadal hormones as well as anabolic steroids and therapeutic drugs used to manipulate sex steroid actions. The long-term consequences of these influences have yet to be determined. PMID:21535417

Artificial selection reveals sex differences in the genetic basis of sexual attractiveness.

PubMed

Gosden, Thomas P; Reddiex, Adam J; Chenoweth, Stephen F

2018-05-07

Mutual mate choice occurs when males and females base mating decisions on shared traits. Despite increased awareness, the extent to which mutual choice drives phenotypic change remains poorly understood. When preferences in both sexes target the same traits, it is unclear how evolution will proceed and whether responses to sexual selection from male choice will match or oppose responses to female choice. Answering this question is challenging, as it requires understanding, genetic relationships between the traits targeted by choice, mating success, and, ultimately, fitness for both sexes. Addressing this, we applied artificial selection to the cuticular hydrocarbons of the fly Drosophila serrata that are targeted by mutual choice and tracked evolutionary changes in males and females alongside changes in mating success. After 10 generations, significant trait evolution occurred in both sexes, but intriguingly there were major sex differences in the associated fitness consequences. Sexually selected trait evolution in males led to a genetically based increase in male mating success. By contrast, although trait evolution also occurred in females, there was no change in mating success. Our results suggest that phenotypic sexual selection on females from male choice is environmentally, rather than genetically, generated. Thus, compared with female choice, male choice is at best a weak driver of signal trait evolution in this species. Instead, the evolution of apparent female ornamentation seems more likely due to a correlated response to sexual selection on males and possibly other forms of natural selection.

Relationships among childhood sex-atypical behavior, spatial ability, handedness, and sexual orientation in men.

PubMed

Cohen, Kenneth M

2002-02-01

Moderate support was obtained in a sample of 101 gay, bisexual, and heterosexual males for the perinatal hormone theory, which hypothesizes that attenuated levels of androgens during critical periods of male fetal development fail to masculinize and defeminize the brain. Affected individuals develop female-typical sexual orientation (assessed here by a pie chart) and cerebral organization, reflected in visual-spatial abilities and gender nonconformity. Handedness, also thought to reflect in utero hormone exposure, was evaluated. Gay and bisexual males reported greater femininity and lesser masculinity than heterosexuals, with bisexuals intermediate in masculinity, suggesting a common biological mediator for homoeroticism and sex atypicality. Among bisexual males, increased masculinity was related to enhanced performance on all spatial tasks. Group mean differences in spatial ability and handedness were not found; however, among bisexuals, poorer visual-spatial performance predicted increased homoeroticism and right-handedness positively correlated with all spatial tasks. If perinatal hormones contribute to a generalized feminization of the brain, the current data indicate that it is most apparent among bisexual males. Sexing of their brains may involve several sexually dimorphic regions that are related in a continuous manner. Inferred cerebral feminization was more circumscribed among gay and heterosexual males, for whom childhood sex atypicality was most highly-distinguishing. Unspecified mechanisms responsible for homoeroticism in them may differ from those that produce same-sex attractions in bisexuals and thus have relatively little impact on other components of cerebral feminization.

External rostral characters for differentiation of sexes in the biological control agent Mecinus janthinus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Treesearch

Marjolein Schat; Sharlene E. Sing; Robert K. D. Peterson

2007-01-01

The stem-boring weevil, Mecinus janthinus (Germar), is a promising, well established classical biological control agent for the exotic invasive weed Dalmatian toadflax (Linaria dalmatica (L.) Mill.) (Scrophulariaceae). In this paper we present readily apparent rostral characters that can be used for sex differentiation of live stem-boring weevils at low magnification....

Differential Dishabituation as a Function of Magnitude of Stimulus Discrepancy and Sex of the Newborn Infant.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friedman, Steven; And Others

This study uses a habituation paradigm to systematically investigate the discrepancy hypothesis with male and female new borns. In addition, multiple visual response measures are used in monitoring the habituation process and the infant's response to various degrees of novelty. Ss were 36 apparently normal newborns (half of each sex) ranging in…

Women in the midluteal phase of the menstrual cycle have difficulty suppressing the processing of negative emotional stimuli: An event-related potential study.

PubMed

Lusk, Bethany R; Carr, Andrea R; Ranson, Valerie A; Felmingham, Kim L

2017-08-01

Emotion regulation deficits have been implicated in anxiety and depressive disorders, and these internalising disorders are more prevalent in women than men. Few electrophysiological studies have investigated sex differences in emotional reactivity and emotion regulation controlling for menstrual phase. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from 28 early follicular women, 29 midluteal women, and 27 men who completed an emotion regulation task. A novel finding of increased N2 amplitude during suppression was found for midluteal women compared with men. These findings suggest midluteal women may be significantly less able to suppress cortical processing of negative stimuli compared to men. This ERP finding was complemented by behavioral ratings data which revealed that while both early follicular and midluteal women reported more distress than men, midluteal women also reported greater effort when suppressing their responses than men. P1 and N1 components were increased in midluteal women compared to men regardless of instructional set, suggesting greater early attentional processing. No sex or menstrual phase differences were apparent in P3 or LPP. This study underscores the importance of considering menstrual phase when examining sex differences in the cortical processing of emotion regulation and demonstrates that midluteal women may have deficits in down-regulating their neural and behavioural responses.

Sex Differences in Drop Landing: More Apparent in Recreational Surfers Than in Competitive Surfers or Nonsurfers.

PubMed

Bruton, Michaela R; Adams, Roger D; O'Dwyer, Nicholas J

2017-10-01

We suspected that the observed inconsistency of sex differences in drop-landing motor skills might be due to the confounding factor of prior experience. Thus, in this study, we explored the role of experience in shaping male and female surfboard riders' motor skill kinematics during drop landings while surfboard riding. We recruited 42 participants (21 females and 21 males) from three groups of surfing experience levels (competitive surfers, recreational surfers, and nonsurfers), each equally comprising seven males and seven females. Sagittal plane kinematics and vertical ground reaction force data were collected from all participants during a laboratory-based 60-cm drop-landing task. Knee flexion and ankle dorsiflexion at initial ground contact were greater among male participants, independent of experience level. In both sexes, greater range of motion at these joints was related to greater experience. Recreational female surfers landed in a more upright posture with more extended ankle and knee angles and less ankle dorsiflexion at the end of landing than participants in all other groups. We discuss our results in the context of possible remaining experience differences between male and female participants despite being grouped in the same experience levels in our study, individualized motor patterns that may still achieve similar success, and a need for continued research.

Not so great expectations: sex and housewives in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Ying Ho, Petula Sik

2008-01-01

The study explores the life of married women who are being described as having "good," "normal," "blessed" sexuality. The case of si-nais (housewives) in Hong Kong shows that we can never assume that married women (or any social category) are privileged by virtue of their status on the sexual hierarchy. The blessings of social respectability apparently enjoyed by these women may work to enable or hinder women's expression of their erotic desires and sexual fulfillment, depending on their special social circumstances. These women's imagination and experience of good sex is composed of a multitude of components. Women may feel good because they can achieve other psychological and social aims that are important in their lives (which could be related to the maintenance of marriage or the peace of the family). Women may feel good because of the erotic satisfaction that they derive from different pursuits including interests, leisure or other intimate relationships, rather than sexual fulfillment in terms of orgasm or physical pleasure. Women may reformulate their pleasure variously at different stages of their lives. Social respectability, orgasm, emotional intimacy, or any other specific element, may all enter or leave the formula for good sex.

Biologically relevant sex differences for fitness-related parameters in active octogenarians.

PubMed

Lötscher, Fabian; Löffel, Tobias; Steiner, Roger; Vogt, Michael; Klossner, Stephan; Popp, Albrecht; Lippuner, Kurt; Hoppeler, Hans; Däpp, Christoph

2007-03-01

The number of elderly people is growing in western populations, but only few maximal performance data exist for people >75 years, in particular for European octogenarians. This study was performed to characterize maximal performance of 55 independently living subjects (32 women, 81.1 +/- 3.4 years; 23 men, 81.7 +/- 2.9 years) with a focus on sex differences. Maximal performance was determined in a ramp test to exhaustion on a bicycle ergometer with ergospirometry, electrocardiogram and blood lactate measurements. Maximal isometric extension strength of the legs (MEL) was measured on a force platform in a seated position. Body composition was quantified by X-ray absorptiometry. In >25% of the subjects, serious cardiac abnormalities were detected during the ramp test with men more frequently being affected than women. Maximal oxygen consumption and power output were 18.2 +/- 3.2 versus 25.9 +/- 5.9 ml min(-1) kg(-1) and 66 +/- 12 versus 138 +/- 40 W for women versus men, with a significant sex difference for both parameters. Men outperformed women for MEL with 19.0 +/- 3.8 versus 13.6 +/- 3.3 N kg(-1). Concomitantly, we found a higher proportion of whole body fat in women (32.1 +/- 6.2%) compared to men (20.5 +/- 4.4%). Our study extends previously available maximal performance data for endurance and strength to independently living European octogenarians. As all sex-related differences were still apparent after normalization to lean body mass, it is concluded that it is essential to differentiate between female and male subjects when considering maximal performance parameters in the oldest segment of our population.

Fifty-two week chronic toxicity of enzymatically decomposed rutin in Wistar rats.

PubMed

Tamura, T; Mitsumori, K; Muto, S; Kasahara, H; Kobayashi, S; Okuhara, Y; Hayashi, M; Nagasawa, T; Onozato, T; Kuroda, J

2010-01-01

The chronic toxicity of enzymatically decomposed rutin, which consists mainly of isoquercitrin, was evaluated in male and female Wistar rats with dietary administration at concentrations of 0%, 0.04%, 0.2%, 1% and 5% for 52 weeks. No toxicological findings were found in the mortality, body weights, food consumption, hematology, clinical biochemistry or organ weights in either sex. Obvious clinical signs were chromaturia that could be attributed to the color of test substance in the 5% groups of both sexes. Coloration of the urine collected over 24h in the 1% and 5% groups of both sexes was noted. Increased daily urinary calcium excretion was observed in the 5% groups of both sexes and an increase in urinary calcium concentration was observed in the male 5% group. On histopathological examination, incidences of mineralization, inflammatory cell debris, inflammatory cell infiltration and/or transitional cell hyperplasia in the renal pelvis were increased in the 5% male group, whereas treated females showed no apparent difference in these incidences. Based on the above findings, the no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) was estimated to be 1% in both sexes (542.4 mg/kg body weight/day for males and 674.0mg/kg body--weight/day for females). Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Morphometric variations of the 7th cervical vertebrae of Zulu, White, and Colored South Africans.

PubMed

Kibii, Job M; Pan, Rualing; Tobias, Phillip V

2010-05-01

The 7th cervical vertebrae of 240 cadavers of South African Zulu, White, and Colored population groups were examined to determine morphometric variation. White and Colored females had statistically significant narrower cervical anteroposterior diameters than their male counterparts, whereas no statistically significant difference between sexes of the Zulu population group was observed in this variable. In addition, although Zulu and Colored females had statistically significant narrower cervical transverse diameters than their male counterparts, there was no statistically significant variation between South African white males and females in this respect. The findings indicate that sexual dimorphism is more apparent in the vertebral centrum, across the three population groups, where males had significantly larger dimensions in centrum anteroposterior diameter, height, and width than their female counterparts. The study further reveals that sexual dimorphism is more apparent when one compares aspects of the 7th cervical vertebra between sexes within the same population group. Overall, the dimensions of the various variates of the vertebra are substantially smaller in women than in men. The smaller dimensions, particularly of the centrum, may be the result of lower skeletal mass in women and render them more vulnerable to fractures resulting from compression forces. 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Genital Evolution: Why Are Females Still Understudied?

PubMed Central

Ah-King, Malin; Barron, Andrew B.; Herberstein, Marie E.

2014-01-01

The diversity, variability, and apparent rapid evolution of animal genitalia are a vivid focus of research in evolutionary biology, and studies exploring genitalia have dramatically increased over the past decade. These studies, however, exhibit a strong male bias, which has worsened since 2000, despite the fact that this bias has been explicitly pointed out in the past. Early critics argued that previous investigators too often considered only males and their genitalia, while overlooking female genitalia or physiology. Our analysis of the literature shows that overall this male bias has worsened with time. The degree of bias is not consistent between subdisciplines: studies of the lock-and-key hypothesis have been the most male focused, while studies of cryptic female choice usually consider both sexes. The degree of bias also differed across taxonomic groups, but did not associate with the ease of study of male and female genital characteristics. We argue that the persisting male bias in this field cannot solely be explained by anatomical sex differences influencing accessibility. Rather the bias reflects enduring assumptions about the dominant role of males in sex, and invariant female genitalia. New research highlights how rapidly female genital traits can evolve, and how complex coevolutionary dynamics between males and females can shape genital structures. We argue that understanding genital evolution is hampered by an outdated single-sex bias. PMID:24802812

Transient sex change in the immature Malabar grouper, Epinephelus malabaricus, androgen treatment.

PubMed

Murata, Ryosuke; Kobayashi, Yasuhisa; Karimata, Hirofumi; Kishimoto, Kazuo; Kimura, Motofumi; Nakamura, Masaru

2014-07-01

To clarify the cause of sex change recovery after the withdrawal of androgen treatment, immature female Malabar grouper were fed a diet containing 17alpha-methyltestosterone (MT) at 50 μg/g for 7 mo and then a normal diet for 6 mo. The MT brought about precocious sex change from immature ovaries to mature testes with active spermatogenesis, including the development of spermatozoa, and sex change reversed soon after MT treatment withdrawal. This result indicates that precocious sex change in immature Malabar grouper with oral MT treatment is impermanent. The expression of three steroidogenic enzymes (Cyp11a, Cyp19a1a, and Cyp11b) in the gonads of the Malabar grouper were analyzed immunohistochemically at the end of the 7-mo treatment. No apparent differences were seen in the expression pattern of these enzymes between the mature testes of MT-treated fish and the immature ovaries of control fish. In addition, serum estradiol-17beta and 11-ketotestosterone levels in treated fish were the same as those in control fish. These results indicate that in the case of immature Malabar grouper MT might have little effect on endogenous steroidogenesis during precocious sex change even though it induced active spermatogenesis in the gonads of treated fish. From these results, we also concluded that MT might have little effect on the steroidogenic endocrine pathway, and this is one cause of sex change recovery after treatment withdrawal. © 2014 by the Society for the Study of Reproduction, Inc.

Analysis of c-Fos induction in response to social interaction in male and female Fisher 344 rats.

PubMed

Perkins, Amy E; Woodruff, Elizabeth R; Chun, Lauren E; Spencer, Robert L; Varlinskaya, Elena; Deak, Terrence

2017-10-01

Sex differences in the expression of social behavior are typically apparent in adolescent and adult rats. While the neurobiology underlying juvenile social play behavior has been well characterized, less is known about discrete brain regions involved in adult responsiveness to a same sex peer. Furthermore, whether adult males and females differ in their responsiveness to a social interaction in terms of neuronal activation indexed via immediate early gene (IEG) expression remains to be determined. Thus, the present study was designed to identify key sites relevant to the processing of sensory stimuli (generally) or social stimuli (specifically) after brief exposure to a same-sex social partner by assessing IEG expression. Four-month-old male and female Fisher (F) 344 rats (N=38; n=5-8/group) were either left undisturbed in their home cage as controls (HCC), exposed to a testing context alone for 30min (CXT), or were placed in the context for 20min and then allowed to socially interact (SI) with a sex-matched conspecific for 10min. Females demonstrated greater levels of social behavior, relative to males. Analysis of c-Fos induction revealed that females exhibited greater c-Fos expression in the prefrontal cortex, regardless of condition. In many brain regions, induction was similar in the CXT and SI groups. However, in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), females exhibited greater c-Fos induction in response to the social interaction relative to their male counterparts, indicating a sex difference in responsivity to social stimuli. Taken together, these data suggest that the BNST is a sexually dimorphic region in terms of activation in response to social stimuli. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cardio-thoracic ratio in Negroes in Southern Africa

PubMed Central

Walker, Alexander R. P.; Richardson, B. D.; Wadvalla, M.; Walker, B. F.

1972-01-01

Negro groups in West, Central and Southern Africa, also in Jamaica, have mean cardio-thoracic ratios significantly greater than those in corresponding age-sex groups of Caucasians. To throw more light on the situation, studies on young and elderly Negroes have been made in certain groups in Southern Africa, also on local Caucasian groups. Only slight differences in ratio were found between local Negro groups, and Caucasian groups in South Africa, also in Wales and Tecumseh (U.S.A.). Yet ratios in Negro males from Malawi and Mozambique, resident in South Africa, were significantly greater than values in local Negroes. High ratios are not therefore invariable for Negroes. The difference observed relates to heart, not thoracic diameter. Since the phenomenon, which concerns heart position, is apparent in the young, almost certainly it is of ethnic origin. Investigations on cardiomegaly in African populations must take this factor into reckoning. Its presence or absence locally may readily be assessed by determining ratios in relatively small numbers of young people of both sexes. PMID:4263410

Postpartum changes in the GABAergic system in the bed nucleus of the accessory olfactory tract.

PubMed

Rodríguez, Cilia; Guillamón, Antonio; Pinos, Helena; Collado, Paloma

2004-02-01

The bed nucleus of the accessory olfactory tract (BAOT) is a sexually dimorphic structure which controls the inhibition/disinhibition of the medial preoptic area in the expression of maternal behavior. Therefore, in the present study we investigated sex differences and the modulation of gamma-aminobutiric-acid (GABA) in the BAOT during the first two postpartum days. Four groups of Wistar rats: control males, control females, 0 h postpartum females and 48 h postpartum females, were used in this experiment. Sex differences in glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) and GABA(A) alpha-chain receptor densities were apparent in the BAOT. The hormonal and behavioral postpartum state affects GABAergic activity in the females' BAOT in two ways: firstly, pregnancy and the first two postpartum days induce an increase in GABA(A)-receptor and GAD densities; secondly, the intensity of these activities are greater in the left hemisphere than in the right. These changes might be related to the BAOT's function of inhibiting/disinhibiting maternal behavior.

‘It is like a tomato stall where someone can pick what he likes’: structure and practices of female sex work in Kampala, Uganda

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Effective interventions among female sex workers require a thorough knowledge of the context of local sex industries. We explore the organisation of female sex work in a low socio-economic setting in Kampala, Uganda. Methods We conducted a qualitative study with 101 participants selected from an epidemiological cohort of 1027 women at high risk of HIV in Kampala. Repeat in-depth life history and work practice interviews were conducted from March 2010 to June 2011. Context specific factors of female sex workers’ day-to-day lives were captured. Reported themes were identified and categorised inductively. Results Of the 101 women, 58 were active self-identified sex workers operating in different locations within the area of study and nine had quit sex work. This paper focuses on these 67 women who gave information about their involvement in sex work. The majority had not gone beyond primary level of education and all had at least one child. Thirty one voluntarily disclosed that they were HIV-positive. Common sex work locations were streets/roadsides, bars and night clubs. Typically sex occurred in lodges near bars/night clubs, dark alleyways or car parking lots. Overall, women experienced sex work-related challenges at their work locations but these were more apparent in outdoor settings. These settings exposed women to violence, visibility to police, a stigmatising public as well as competition for clients, while bars provided some protection from these challenges. Older sex workers tended to prefer bars while the younger ones were mostly based on the streets. Alcohol consumption was a feature in all locations and women said it gave them courage and helped them to withstand the night chill. Condom use was determined by clients’ willingness, a woman’s level of sobriety or price offered. Conclusions Sex work operates across a variety of locations in the study area in Kampala, with each presenting different strategies and challenges for those operating there. Risky practices are present in all locations although they are higher on the streets compared to other locations. Location specific interventions are required to address the complex challenges in sex work environments. PMID:23938037

Transitions between sex-determining systems in reptiles and amphibians.

PubMed

Sarre, Stephen D; Ezaz, Tariq; Georges, Arthur

2011-01-01

Important technological advances in genomics are driving a new understanding of the evolution of sex determination in vertebrates. In particular, comparative chromosome mapping in reptiles has shown an intriguing distribution of homology in sex chromosomes across reptile groups. When this new understanding is combined with the widespread distribution of genetic and temperature-dependent sex-determination mechanisms among reptiles, it is apparent that transitions between modes have occurred many times, as they have for amphibians (particularly between male and female heterogamety). It is also likely that thermosensitivity in sex determination is a key factor in those transitions in reptiles, and possibly in amphibians too. New models of sex determination involving temperature thresholds are providing the framework for the investigation of transitions and making possible key predictions about the homologies and sex-determination patterns expected among taxa in these groups. Molecular cytogenetics and other genomic approaches are essential to providing the fundamental material necessary to make advances in this field.

Increased vertical impact forces and altered running mechanics with softer midsole shoes.

PubMed

Baltich, Jennifer; Maurer, Christian; Nigg, Benno M

2015-01-01

To date it has been thought that shoe midsole hardness does not affect vertical impact peak forces during running. This conclusion is based partially on results from experimental data using homogeneous samples of participants that found no difference in vertical impact peaks when running in shoes with different midsole properties. However, it is currently unknown how apparent joint stiffness is affected by shoe midsole hardness. An increase in apparent joint stiffness could result in a harder landing, which should result in increased vertical impact peaks during running. The purpose of this study was to quantify the effect of shoe midsole hardness on apparent ankle and knee joint stiffness and the associated vertical ground reaction force for age and sex subgroups during heel-toe running. 93 runners (male and female) aged 16-75 years ran at 3.33 ± 0.15 m/s on a 30 m-long runway with soft, medium and hard midsole shoes. The vertical impact peak increased as the shoe midsole hardness decreased (mean(SE); soft: 1.70BW(0.03), medium: 1.64BW(0.03), hard: 1.54BW(0.03)). Similar results were found for the apparent ankle joint stiffness where apparent stiffness increased as the shoe midsole hardness decreased (soft: 2.08BWm/º x 100 (0.05), medium: 1.92 BWm/º x 100 (0.05), hard: 1.85 BWm/º x 100 (0.05)). Apparent knee joint stiffness increased for soft (1.06BWm/º x 100 (0.04)) midsole compared to the medium (0.95BWm/º x 100 (0.04)) and hard (0.96BWm/º x 100 (0.04)) midsoles for female participants. The results from this study confirm that shoe midsole hardness can have an effect on vertical impact force peaks and that this may be connected to the hardness of the landing. The results from this study may provide useful information regarding the development of cushioning guidelines for running shoes.

Increased Vertical Impact Forces and Altered Running Mechanics with Softer Midsole Shoes

PubMed Central

Baltich, Jennifer; Maurer, Christian; Nigg, Benno M.

2015-01-01

To date it has been thought that shoe midsole hardness does not affect vertical impact peak forces during running. This conclusion is based partially on results from experimental data using homogeneous samples of participants that found no difference in vertical impact peaks when running in shoes with different midsole properties. However, it is currently unknown how apparent joint stiffness is affected by shoe midsole hardness. An increase in apparent joint stiffness could result in a harder landing, which should result in increased vertical impact peaks during running. The purpose of this study was to quantify the effect of shoe midsole hardness on apparent ankle and knee joint stiffness and the associated vertical ground reaction force for age and sex subgroups during heel-toe running. 93 runners (male and female) aged 16-75 years ran at 3.33 ± 0.15 m/s on a 30 m-long runway with soft, medium and hard midsole shoes. The vertical impact peak increased as the shoe midsole hardness decreased (mean(SE); soft: 1.70BW(0.03), medium: 1.64BW(0.03), hard: 1.54BW(0.03)). Similar results were found for the apparent ankle joint stiffness where apparent stiffness increased as the shoe midsole hardness decreased (soft: 2.08BWm/º x 100 (0.05), medium: 1.92 BWm/º x 100 (0.05), hard: 1.85 BWm/º x 100 (0.05)). Apparent knee joint stiffness increased for soft (1.06BWm/º x 100 (0.04)) midsole compared to the medium (0.95BWm/º x 100 (0.04)) and hard (0.96BWm/º x 100 (0.04)) midsoles for female participants. The results from this study confirm that shoe midsole hardness can have an effect on vertical impact force peaks and that this may be connected to the hardness of the landing. The results from this study may provide useful information regarding the development of cushioning guidelines for running shoes. PMID:25897963

Subchronic toxicity evaluation of sulfur mustard in rats.

PubMed

Sasser, L B; Miller, R A; Kalkwarf, D R; Cushing, J A; Dacre, J C

1996-01-01

Occupational exposure criteria have not been established for sulfur mustard (bis(2-chlorethyl) sulfide), a strong alkylating agent with known mutagenic properties. Seventy-two Sprague-Dawley rats of each sex, 6-7 weeks old, were divided into six groups (12 of each sex per group) and gavaged with 0, 0.003, 0.01, 0.03, 0.1 or 0.3 mg kg-1 sulfur mustard in sesame oil for 5 days a week for 13 weeks. No dose-related mortality was observed. A significant decrease (P > 0.05) in body weight was observed in both sexes of rats only in the 0.3 mg kg-1 group. Hematological evaluations and clinical chemistry measurements found non consistent treatment-related effects at the doses studied. The only treatment-related lesion associated with gavage exposure upon histopathological evaluation was epithelial hyperplasia of the forestomach of both sexes at 0.3 mg kg-1 and of males at 0.1 mg kg-1. The hyperplastic change was minimal and characterized by cellular disorganization of the basilar layer, apparent increase in mitotic activity of the basilar epithelial cells and thickening of the epithelial layer due to the apparent increase in cellularity. The estimated no-observed-effect level (NOEL) for sulfur mustard in this 90-day study was 0.1 mg kg-1 day-1 when administered orally.

Effect of race and sex on primary care physicians' diagnosis and treatment of late-life depression.

PubMed

Kales, Helen C; Neighbors, Harold W; Valenstein, Marcia; Blow, Frederic C; McCarthy, John F; Ignacio, Rosalinda V; Taylor, Kiran K-K; Gillon, Leah; Mellow, Alan M

2005-05-01

To examine primary care physician (PCP) contributions toward racial and sex differences in the diagnosis and treatment of late-life depression. Survey using a computerized instrument incorporating video interviews and text, with volunteer PCPs randomly assigned to one of four standardized video vignettes of an elderly patient depicting late-life depression. Vignettes differed only in the patient/actor's race (white/African-American) or sex. American Academy of Family Physicians meeting, San Diego, California, 2002. One hundred seventy-eight U.S.-practicing postresidency PCPs who were asked to participate in a clinical decision-making study. The computerized survey instrument assessed PCPs' diagnoses, first-line treatment and management recommendations, and judgment of personal characteristics/behaviors for the patients in the vignettes. Eighty-five percent of all PCPs correctly diagnosed the elderly patient(s) with major depression. There were no significant differences in the diagnosis of depression, treatment recommendations, or PCP assessment of most patient characteristics by the race or sex of the patient/actor in the vignette, but PCP characteristics, most notably the location of medical school training (U.S. vs international), affected the likelihood of a depression diagnosis and treatment recommendations. Given standardized symptom-pictures, PCPs are just as likely to diagnose and treat depression in African-American as in white older people, suggesting that bias based simply on apparent patient race is not a likely explanation for the lower rates of depression diagnosis and treatment in older African Americans. PCPs who have trained at international medical schools may benefit from targeted training initiatives on the diagnosis and treatment of late-life depression.

Developmental differences between boys and girls result in sex-specific physical fitness changes from fourth to fifth grade.

PubMed

Flanagan, Shawn D; Dunn-Lewis, Courtenay; Hatfield, Disa L; Distefano, Lindsay J; Fragala, Maren S; Shoap, Mark; Gotwald, Mary; Trail, John; Gomez, Ana L; Volek, Jeff S; Cortis, Cristina; Comstock, Brett A; Hooper, David R; Szivak, Tunde K; Looney, David P; DuPont, William H; McDermott, Danielle M; Gaudiose, Michael C; Kraemer, William J

2015-01-01

To better understand how developmental differences impact performance on a broad selection of common physical fitness measures, we examined changes in boys and girls from fourth to fifth grade. Subjects included 273 boys (age, 9.5 ± 0.6 years; height, 139.86 ± 7.52 cm; mass, 38.00 ± 9.55 kg) and 295 girls (age, 9.6 ± 0.5 years; height, 139.30 ± 7.19 cm; weight, 37.44 ± 9.35 kg). We compared anthropometrics, cardiorespiratory and local muscular endurance, flexibility, power, and strength. A mixed-method analysis of variance was used to compare boys and girls at the 2 time points. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to examine relationships between anthropometric and fitness measurements. Significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. Weight increased significantly (>10%) in both sexes, and girls became significantly taller than boys after growing 4.9% by fifth grade (vs. 3.5%). Both groups improved cardiorespiratory endurance and power, although boys performed better than girls at both time points. Boys were stronger in fourth grade, but girls improved more, leading to similar fifth-grade values. Girls were more flexible in fourth grade, but their significant decreases (∼32.4%) coupled with large improvements in boys (∼105%) resulted in similar fifth-grade scores. Body mass index (BMI) was positively correlated with run time regardless of grade or sex. Power was negatively correlated with BMI and run time in fourth grade. In conclusion, sex-specific differences in physical fitness are apparent before pubescence. Furthermore, this selection of measures reveals sexually dimorphic changes, which likely reflect the onset of puberty in girls. Coaches and teachers should account these developmental differences and their effects on anthropometrics and fitness in boys and girls.

Correlates of early versus later initiation into sex work in two Mexico-U.S. border cities.

PubMed

Loza, Oralia; Strathdee, Steffanie A; Lozada, Remedios; Staines, Hugo; Ojeda, Victoria D; Martínez, Gustavo A; Amaro, Hortensia; Patterson, Thomas L

2010-01-01

To examine correlates of early initiation into sex work in two Mexico-U.S. border cities. Female sex workers (FSWs) >/=18 years without known HIV infection living in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez who had recent unprotected sex with clients underwent baseline interviews. Correlates of initiation into sex work before age 18 were identified with logistic regression. Of 920 FSWs interviewed in Tijuana (N=474) and Ciudad Juarez (N=446), 9.8% (N=90) were early initiators (<18 years) into sex work. Median age of entry into sex work was 26 years (range: 6-58). After adjusting for age, compared to older initiators, early initiators were more likely to use inhalants (21.1% vs. 9.6%, p=.002), initiate sex work to pay for alcohol (36.7% vs. 18.4%, p < .001), report abuse as a child (42.2% vs. 18.7%, p<.0001), and they were less likely to be migrants (47.8% vs. 62.3%, p=.02). Factors independently associated with early initiation included inhalant use (adjOR=2.39), initiating sex work to pay for alcohol (adjOR=1.88) and history of child abuse (adjOR=2.92). Factors associated with later initiation included less education (adjOR=0.43 per 5-year increase), migration (adjOR=0.47), and initiating sex work for better pay (adjOR=0.44) or to support children (adjOR=0.03). Different pathways for entering sex work are apparent among younger versus older females in the Mexico-U.S. border region. Among girls, interventions are needed to prevent inhalant use and child abuse and to offer coping skills; among older initiators, income-generating strategies, childcare, and services for migrants may help to delay or prevent entry into sex work. Copyright 2010 Society for Adolescent Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Correlates of Early versus Later Initiation into Sex Work in Two Mexico–U.S. Border Cities

PubMed Central

Loza, Oralia; Strathdee, Steffanie A.; Lozada, Remedios; Staines, Hugo; Ojeda, Victoria D.; Martínez, Gustavo A.; Amaro, Hortensia; Patterson, Thomas L.

2009-01-01

Purpose To examine correlates of early initiation into sex work in two Mexico–U.S. border cities. Methods Female sex workers (FSWs) ≥18 years without known HIV infection living in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez who had recent unprotected sex with clients underwent baseline interviews. Correlates of initiation into sex work before age 18 were identified with logistic regression. Results Of 920 FSWs interviewed in Tijuana (N=474) and Ciudad Juarez (N=446), 9.8% (N=90) were early initiators (<18 years) into sex work. Median age of entry into sex work was 26 years (range: 6–58). After adjusting for age, compared to older initiators, early initiators were more likely to use inhalants (21.1% vs 9.6%, p=0.002), initiate sex work to pay for alcohol (36.7% vs 18.4%, p<.001), report abuse as a child (42.2% vs 18.7%, p<.0001), and they were less likely to be migrants (47.8% vs 62.3%, p=0.02). Factors independently associated with early initiation included inhalant use (adjOR=2.39), initiating sex work to pay for alcohol (adjOR=1.88) and history of child abuse (adjOR=2.92). Factors associated with later initiation included less education (adjOR=0.43 per 5-year increase), migration (adjOR=0.47), and initiating sex work for better pay (adjOR=0.44) or to support children (adjOR=0.03). Conclusions Different pathways for entering sex work are apparent among younger versus older females in the Mexico–U.S. border region. Among girls, interventions are needed to prevent inhalant use and child abuse and to offer coping skills; among older initiators, income-generating strategies, childcare, and services for migrants may help to delay or prevent entry into sex work. PMID:20123256

Does stress induce (para)sex? Implications for Candida albicans evolution.

PubMed

Berman, Judith; Hadany, Lilach

2012-05-01

Theory predicts that stress is a key factor in explaining the evolutionary role of sex in facultatively sexual organisms, including microorganisms. Organisms capable of reproducing both sexually and asexually are expected to mate more frequently when stressed, and such stress-induced mating is predicted to facilitate adaptation. Here, we propose that stress has an analogous effect on the parasexual cycle in Candida albicans, which involves alternation of generations between diploid and tetraploid cells. The parasexual cycle can generate high levels of diversity, including aneuploidy, yet it apparently occurs only rarely in nature. We review the evidence that stress facilitates four major steps in the parasexual cycle and suggest that parasex occurs much more frequently under stress conditions. This may explain both the evolutionary significance of parasex and its apparent rarity. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of sex sorting on stallion spermatozoa: Heterologous oocyte binding, tyrosine phosphorylation and acrosome reaction assay.

PubMed

Balao da Silva, C M; Spinaci, M; Bucci, D; Giaretta, E; Peña, F J; Mari, G; Galeati, G

2013-09-01

The interest on sex sorting by flow cytometry on the equine industry has been increasing over the years. In this work, three different tests were performed in order to evaluate the membrane status of sorted stallion spermatozoa: assessment of binding ability to porcine oocytes, evaluation of acrosome integrity after stimulation with A23187, and detection of tyrosine phosphorylation. These evaluations were made after incubation for 0h, 1.5h and 3h in a capacitating medium. Sorted stallion spermatozoa attached similarly to the porcine oocytes, when compared with control samples. Sorted spermatozoa were more prone to undergo acrosome reaction (P<0.05), at the beginning and after 1.5h and 3h of incubation, and also had higher tyrosine phosphorylation of the tail (P<0.001), only at the beginning of the incubation period. Apparently sex sorted stallion spermatozoa are in a more advanced status of membrane destabilization, which could be associated with capacitation, although similar binding ability to porcine oocytes is maintained. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Juvenile social relationships reflect adult patterns of behavior in wild geladas.

PubMed

Barale, Caitlin L; Rubenstein, Daniel I; Beehner, Jacinta C

2015-10-01

Unlike many mammals, primates spend much of their lives as reproductively-immature juveniles. During the juvenile period, they develop social relationships and physical skills that both facilitate survival to adulthood and impact adult fitness. In this study, we use 2 years of observational data to examine the development of these skills across the juvenile period in a wild cercopithecine primate, the gelada (Theropithecus gelada). As adults, male and female geladas require different skills to be successful; we therefore expected sex differences in social behavior and partner choice during the juvenile period to already reflect these sex-specific trajectories. For example, males, who disperse at puberty and ultimately must challenge other adult males for access to mates, should invest in high-energy play-fighting with other males to develop fighting and rival assessment skills. In contrast, philopatric females, who remain with their close kin throughout their lives, should invest more in forming less-physical and more-social bonds with other females within their group. As predicted, sex differences that foreshadowed sex-specific adult roles were apparent in play rates, the average number of play partners per individual, grooming partner types and social partner preferences. Males played more and had more play partners than same-age females. Males also groomed more often with individuals from outside their natal group than females, although no sex difference was observed in either grooming rates or number of grooming partners per individual. Females stopped playing earlier than males, and instead invested in grooming relationships with close relatives. Additionally, we found that individual play and grooming rates were temporally consistent for both males and females (i.e., from one year to the next year), suggesting that individuals exhibit stable behavioral phenotypes. We conclude by discussing how early life in geladas may shape adult behavior and reproductive strategies. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Bias analysis to improve monitoring an HIV epidemic and its response: approach and application to a survey of female sex workers in Iran.

PubMed

Mirzazadeh, Ali; Mansournia, Mohammad-Ali; Nedjat, Saharnaz; Navadeh, Soodabeh; McFarland, Willi; Haghdoost, Ali Akbar; Mohammad, Kazem

2013-10-01

We present probabilistic and Bayesian techniques to correct for bias in categorical and numerical measures and empirically apply them to a recent survey of female sex workers (FSW) conducted in Iran. We used bias parameters from a previous validation study to correct estimates of behaviours reported by FSW. Monte-Carlo Sensitivity Analysis and Bayesian bias analysis produced point and simulation intervals (SI). The apparent and corrected prevalence differed by a minimum of 1% for the number of 'non-condom use sexual acts' (36.8% vs 35.8%) to a maximum of 33% for 'ever associated with a venue to sell sex' (35.5% vs 68.0%). The negative predictive value of the questionnaire for 'history of STI' and 'ever associated with a venue to sell sex' was 36.3% (95% SI 4.2% to 69.1%) and 46.9% (95% SI 6.3% to 79.1%), respectively. Bias-adjusted numerical measures of behaviours increased by 0.1 year for 'age at first sex act for money' to 1.5 for 'number of sexual contacts in last 7 days'. The 'true' estimates of most behaviours are considerably higher than those reported and the related SIs are wider than conventional CIs. Our analysis indicates the need for and applicability of bias analysis in surveys, particularly in stigmatised settings.

Public views of the benefits and barriers to the consumption of a plant-based diet.

PubMed

Lea, E J; Crawford, D; Worsley, A

2006-07-01

The aim of this study was to examine consumers' perceived benefits and barriers to the consumption of a plant-based diet. Mail survey that included questions on perceived benefits and barriers to the consumption of a plant-based diet. Victoria, Australia. Four hundred and fifteen randomly selected Victorian adults. The main perceived barrier to adoption of a plant-based diet was a lack of information about plant-based diets (42% agreement). Sex, age and education differences were present in over a quarter of the barrier items. For example, non-university-educated respondents and older people were less willing to change their current eating pattern than were university educated and younger respondents. The main benefits associated with plant-based diets were health benefits, particularly decreased saturated fat intake (79% agreement), increased fibre intake (76%), and disease prevention (70%). Age, sex and education differences with regard to benefits were apparent, although sex differences were more important than age or education differences. The majority of respondents perceived there to be health benefits associated with the consumption of a plant-based diet. Compared with the proportion of respondents who agreed that there were particular benefits of eating a plant-based diet, perceived barriers were relatively low. An understanding of the perceived benefits and barriers of consuming a plant-based diet will help formulate strategies that aim to influence beliefs about plant foods, plant food consumption, and, ultimately, public health.

Women show a closer association between educational level and hypertension or diabetes mellitus than males: a secondary analysis from the Austrian HIS.

PubMed

Kautzky-Willer, Alexandra; Dorner, Thomas; Jensby, Ann; Rieder, Anita

2012-05-30

Lifestyle diseases and cardiovascular complications are dramatically increasing, but little is known about the impact of educational level and health behaviour in men and women in different populations. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between educational level (EL) and self-reported chronic diseases and health behaviour in both sexes. Data were derived from the Austrian Health Interview Surveys 2006/2007, which includes 13 558 persons (50.9% females). The associations between EL and the risk of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, myocardial infarction, stroke and anxiety disorders or depression, nutrition, exercise, and smoking were evaluated. University education served as the reference category (EL4), the lowest educational level was required schooling only (EL0). Only among women did the risk for diabetes mellitus and hypertension increase with decreasing educational level with the highest rates for EL0 OR [95% CI] adjusted for age, income, family status and lifestyle: 3.7 [1.7-8.0], and 2.5 [1.8-3.5], respectively. Only among the men, however, did the risk for stroke increase with decreasing educational level adjusted OR for EL0: 8.5 [1.7-42.7]. For anthropometric measures and lifestyle factors in both sexes the risk increased with decreasing EL. EL affects lifestyle, overweight and obesity in both sexes. The apparent sex-specific differences in the association between the prevalence of some chronic disease with EL call for further investigation.

Male-biased hermaphrodites in a gynodioecious shrub, Daphne jezoensis.

PubMed

Sinclair, J P; Kameyama, Y; Shibata, A; Kudo, G

2016-09-01

Gynodioecy, a state where female and hermaphrodite plants coexist in populations, has been widely proposed an intermediate stage in the evolutionary pathway from hermaphroditism to dioecy. In the gynodioecy-dioecy pathway, hermaphrodites may gain most of their fitness through male function once females invade populations. To test this prediction, comprehensive studies on sex ratio variation across populations and reproductive characteristics of hermaphrodite and female phenotypes are necessary. This study examined the variation in sex ratio, sex expression, flower and fruit production and sexual dimorphism of morphological traits in a gynodioecious shrub, Daphne jezoensis, over multiple populations and years. Population sex ratio (hermaphrodite:female) was close to 1:1 or slightly hermaphrodite-biased. Sex type of individual plants was largely fixed, but 15% of plants changed their sex during a 6-year census. Hermaphrodite plants produced larger flowers and invested 2.5 times more resources in flower production than female plants, but they exhibited remarkably low fruit set (proportion of flowers setting fruits). Female plants produced six times more fruits than hermaphrodite plants. Low fruiting ability of hermaphrodite plants was retained even when hand-pollination was performed. Fruit production of female plants was restricted by pollen limitation under natural conditions, irrespective of high potential fecundity, and this minimised the difference in resources allocated to reproduction between the sexes. Negative effects of previous flower and fruit production on current reproduction were not apparent in both sexes. This study suggests that gynodioecy in this species is functionally close to a dioecious mating system: smaller flower production with larger fruiting ability in female plants, and larger flower production with little fruiting ability in hermaphrodite plants. © 2016 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

The neuroanatomy of general intelligence: sex matters.

PubMed

Haier, Richard J; Jung, Rex E; Yeo, Ronald A; Head, Kevin; Alkire, Michael T

2005-03-01

We examined the relationship between structural brain variation and general intelligence using voxel-based morphometric analysis of MRI data in men and women with equivalent IQ scores. Compared to men, women show more white matter and fewer gray matter areas related to intelligence. In men IQ/gray matter correlations are strongest in frontal and parietal lobes (BA 8, 9, 39, 40), whereas the strongest correlations in women are in the frontal lobe (BA10) along with Broca's area. Men and women apparently achieve similar IQ results with different brain regions, suggesting that there is no singular underlying neuroanatomical structure to general intelligence and that different types of brain designs may manifest equivalent intellectual performance.

Suicide and the publicly exposed pedophile.

PubMed

Walter, Garry; Pridmore, Saxby

2012-10-01

Current clinical wisdom is that the vast majority of those who complete suicide suffer from a mental disorder. Uncritical adherence to this belief may limit our understanding and restrict the full range of prevention activities. We aimed to examine the public record for accounts of suicide by men who had been, or were about to be, investigated or apprehended for "sex only" child sex offences, with a view to presenting a collection of case histories, and identifying examples of suicide in the apparent absence of mental disorder other than pedophilia. The public record (hard and electronic copy) was examined. Twenty case histories were identified of men with no apparent mental disorder (other than pedophilia) who completed suicide shortly after exposure or threatened public exposure and/or early or potential legal punishment. This evidence strongly suggests that exposure or threatened public exposure of pedophilia and/or early or potential legal punishment creates a predicament, which may lead to completed suicide.

Adolescent growth and pubertal progression in the Silver-Russell syndrome.

PubMed Central

Davies, P S; Valley, R; Preece, M A

1988-01-01

The pattern of growth and development of 18 adolescent children with the Silver-Russell syndrome was studied. Mature height was about -3.6 standard deviation scores in both sexes. This is comparable to the height reduction at diagnosis, which has been reported previously. The pattern of puberty and adolescent growth was essentially normal and occurred at a marginally earlier time than normal, although in this small series the differences were not significant. In the girls there was a tendency to gain subcutaneous fat after puberty. This trend was not apparent in the boys. PMID:3348659

Coronary heart disease in relation to age, sex, and the menopause.

PubMed Central

Heller, R F; Jacobs, H S

1978-01-01

Examination of the Registrar General's mortality data suggested that women do not lose protection from coronary heart disease (CHD) after the menopause. Apparently, at around the age of 50 men begin to lose a factor that had previously put them at increased risk of developing CHD compared with women. Male sex hormones may be risk factors for CHD, and further studies are needed to clarify their role in the aetiology of CHD in men. PMID:626838

A 5-year-old boy with cryptorchidism and pubic hair: investigation and management of apparent male disorders of sex development in mid-childhood.

PubMed

Keir, L S; O'Toole, S; Robertson, A L; Wallace, A M; Ahmed, S F

2009-01-01

Late presentation of congenital adrenal hyperplasia as a 46,XX disorder of sex development due to 11-beta hydroxylase deficiency is uncommon. Such a case raises issues regarding appropriate investigation and management. A 5-year-old boy who had recently moved to the United Kingdom presented at the endocrinology clinic with recurrent abdominal pain. He was normotensive and had a history of ambiguous genitalia since birth, a relatively small penis, bilateral cryptorchidism and pubic hair. A systematic workup revealed low anti-Mullerian hormone levels for age and sex and elevated serum testosterone, androstenedione and deoxycortisol levels. A urinary steroid profile confirmed a diagnosis of 11-beta hydroxylase deficiency. The child's karyotype was 46,XX. Further genetic analysis revealed a compound heterozygote mutation in the CYP11B1 gene. Ultrasound scan showed evidence of Mullerian structures and accumulation of menstrual blood in the vagina (haematocolpos). Following discussion at a multidisciplinary clinic, the patient did not undergo sex reassignment and subsequently proceeded to surgery for removal of the Mullerian structures. This case emphasizes the importance of a systematic approach to investigation of older children presenting with apparent male undermasculinisation. It also raises important issues about gender reassignment in mid-childhood and the indications for removal of Mullerian organs in a 46,XX boy. Copyright 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Sex hormones, immune responses, and autoimmune diseases. Mechanisms of sex hormone action.

PubMed Central

Ansar Ahmed, S.; Penhale, W. J.; Talal, N.

1985-01-01

Immune reactivity is greater in females than in males. In both experimental animals and in man there is a greater preponderance of autoimmune diseases in females, compared with males. Studies in many experimental models have established that the underlying basis for this sex-related susceptibility is the marked effects of sex hormones. Sex hormones influence the onset and severity of immune-mediated pathologic conditions by modulating lymphocytes at all stages of life, prenatal, prepubertal, and postpubertal. However, despite extensive studies, the mechanisms of sex hormone action are not precisely understood. Earlier evidence suggested that the sex hormones acted via the thymus gland. In recent years it has become apparent that sex hormones can also influence the immune system by acting on several nonclassic target sites such as the immune system itself (nonthymic lymphoid organs), the central nervous system, the macrophage-macrocyte system, and the skeletal system. Immunoregulatory T cells appear to be most sensitive to sex hormone action among lymphoid cells. Several mechanisms of action of sex hormones are discussed in this review. The possibility of using sex hormone modulation of immune responses for the treatment of autoimmune disorders is a promising area for future investigation. Images Figure 1 PMID:3907369

Sex hormones, immune responses, and autoimmune diseases. Mechanisms of sex hormone action.

PubMed

Ansar Ahmed, S; Penhale, W J; Talal, N

1985-12-01

Immune reactivity is greater in females than in males. In both experimental animals and in man there is a greater preponderance of autoimmune diseases in females, compared with males. Studies in many experimental models have established that the underlying basis for this sex-related susceptibility is the marked effects of sex hormones. Sex hormones influence the onset and severity of immune-mediated pathologic conditions by modulating lymphocytes at all stages of life, prenatal, prepubertal, and postpubertal. However, despite extensive studies, the mechanisms of sex hormone action are not precisely understood. Earlier evidence suggested that the sex hormones acted via the thymus gland. In recent years it has become apparent that sex hormones can also influence the immune system by acting on several nonclassic target sites such as the immune system itself (nonthymic lymphoid organs), the central nervous system, the macrophage-macrocyte system, and the skeletal system. Immunoregulatory T cells appear to be most sensitive to sex hormone action among lymphoid cells. Several mechanisms of action of sex hormones are discussed in this review. The possibility of using sex hormone modulation of immune responses for the treatment of autoimmune disorders is a promising area for future investigation.

Sexually dimorphic patterns of space use throughout ontogeny in the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Boydston, E.E.; Kapheim, K.M.; Van Horn, R. C.; Smale, L.; Holekamp, K.E.

2005-01-01

Observational and telemetry data were used in a geographic information system database to document the ontogenetic development of sexually dimorphic patterns of space use among free-living spotted hyenas Crocuta crocuta in Kenya. No measures of space use were sexually dimorphic among den-dwelling cubs, nor were sex differences apparent among hyenas that had ceased using dens for shelter until these animals were c. 30 months of age. Significant sex differences emerged late in the third year of life, and persisted throughout the remainder of the life span; males were found farther from the geographic centre of the natal territory than were females, and the mean size of individual 95% utility distributions was larger for males than females. Most dispersal events by radio-collared males were preceded by a series of exploratory excursions outside the natal territory. All collared males dispersed, but no collared females did so. Most dispersing males moved only one or two home ranges away at dispersal, roughly 8-10 km distant from the natal territory, before settling in a new social group. ?? 2005 The Zoological Society of London.

Differential Gene Expression in Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Neurons of Male and Metestrous Female Mice.

PubMed

Vastagh, Csaba; Rodolosse, Annie; Solymosi, Norbert; Farkas, Imre; Auer, Herbert; Sárvári, Miklós; Liposits, Zsolt

2015-01-01

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons play a pivotal role in the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary gonadal axis in a sex-specific manner. We hypothesized that the differences seen in reproductive functions of males and females are associated with a sexually dimorphic gene expression profile of GnRH neurons. We compared the transcriptome of GnRH neurons obtained from intact metestrous female and male GnRH-green fluorescent protein transgenic mice. About 1,500 individual GnRH neurons from each sex were sampled with laser capture microdissection followed by whole-transcriptome amplification for gene expression profiling. Under stringent selection criteria (fold change >1.6, adjusted p value 0.01), Affymetrix Mouse Genome 430 PM array analysis identified 543 differentially expressed genes. Sexual dimorphism was most apparent in gene clusters associated with synaptic communication, signal transduction, cell adhesion, vesicular transport and cell metabolism. To validate microarray results, 57 genes were selected, and 91% of their differential expression was confirmed by real-time PCR. Similarly, 88% of microarray results were confirmed with PCR from independent samples obtained by patch pipette harvesting and pooling of 30 GnRH neurons from each sex. We found significant differences in the expression of genes involved in vesicle priming and docking (Syt1, Cplx1), GABAergic (Gabra3, Gabrb3, Gabrg2) and glutamatergic (Gria1, Grin1, Slc17a6) neurotransmission, peptide signaling (Sstr3, Npr2, Cxcr4) and the regulation of intracellular ion homeostasis (Cacna1, Cacnb1, Cacng5, Kcnq2, Kcnc1). The striking sexual dimorphism of the GnRH neuron transcriptome we report here contributes to a better understanding of the differences in cellular mechanisms of GnRH neurons in the two sexes. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Cortical language lateralization in right handed normal subjects using functional magnetic resonance imaging.

PubMed

Vikingstad, E M; George, K P; Johnson, A F; Cao, Y

2000-04-01

In 95% of right handed individuals the left hemisphere is dominant for speech and language function. The evidence for this is accumulated primarily from clinical populations. We investigated cortical topography of language function and lateralization in a sample of the right handed population using functional magnetic resonance imaging and two lexical-semantic paradigms. Activated cortical language networks were assessed topographically and quantitatively by using a lateralization index. As a group, we observed left hemispheric language dominance. Individually, the lateralization index varied continuously from left hemisphere dominant to bilateral representation. In males, language primarily lateralized to left, and in females, approximately half had left lateralization and the other half had bilateral representation. Our data indicate that a previous view of female bilateral hemispheric dominance for language (McGlone, 1980. Sex differences in human brain asymmetry: a critical survey. Behav Brain Sci 3:215-263; Shaywitz et al., 1995. Sex differences in the functional organization of the brain for language. Nature 373:607-609) simplifies the complexity of cortical language distribution in this population. Analysis of the distribution of the lateralization index in our study allowed us to make this difference in females apparent.

Are men better than women at acoustic size judgements?

PubMed

Charlton, Benjamin D; Taylor, Anna M; Reby, David

2013-08-23

Formants are important phonetic elements of human speech that are also used by humans and non-human mammals to assess the body size of potential mates and rivals. As a consequence, it has been suggested that formant perception, which is crucial for speech perception, may have evolved through sexual selection. Somewhat surprisingly, though, no previous studies have examined whether sexes differ in their ability to use formants for size evaluation. Here, we investigated whether men and women differ in their ability to use the formant frequency spacing of synthetic vocal stimuli to make auditory size judgements over a wide range of fundamental frequencies (the main determinant of vocal pitch). Our results reveal that men are significantly better than women at comparing the apparent size of stimuli, and that lower pitch improves the ability of both men and women to perform these acoustic size judgements. These findings constitute the first demonstration of a sex difference in formant perception, and lend support to the idea that acoustic size normalization, a crucial prerequisite for speech perception, may have been sexually selected through male competition. We also provide the first evidence that vocalizations with relatively low pitch improve the perception of size-related formant information.

Invited commentary: Natural versus unnatural sex ratios--a quandary of modern times.

PubMed

Wilcox, Allen J; Baird, Donna D

2011-12-15

The typical dilemma with sex-ratio findings is that when they are real, they aren't interesting, and when they are interesting, they aren't real. In this issue of the Journal, Fernández et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2011;174(12):1327-1331) describe a deviation of the sex ratio that is apparently both large and real. There was a temporary but distinct spike in the proportion of boys born in Cuba around the time of the collapse of the national economy during the 1990s. Although an excess of boys does not fit the prevailing biologic theory regarding maternal stress and the sex ratio, the data are consistent with results from the Dutch famine (where population-level deprivation was even more extreme). A new quandary arises in the modern era with interpretation of the sex ratio: If the decision to abort a pregnancy is influenced by the sex of the fetus, a change in the behavior of even a small proportion of women could influence the sex ratio at birth. The possible role of sex selection in the Cuban context is discussed.

Prevalence of traditional and novel markers of cardiovascular disease risk in Scottish adolescents: socioeconomic effects.

PubMed

Buchan, Duncan S; Ollis, Stewart; Thomas, Non-Eleri; Simpson, Alan; Young, John D; Cooper, Stephen-Mark; Malina, Robert M; Cockcroft, John R; Baker, Julien S

2012-10-01

Information on the health status and physical activity of Scottish adolescents is limited. This study examines the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in Scottish adolescents by socioeconomic status (SES). Participants were recruited from two high schools that differed in the SES of the students in attendance. The sample included 73 boys and 34 girls (16.4 ± 0.6 years). Variables included anthropometry, physical activity, physical fitness, blood pressure, diet, and 11 metabolic markers of CVD risk. Significant sex differences (P ≤ 0.01) were noted for stature, waist circumference, waist-hip ratio, physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular power, sprint speed, and several CVD risk factors: high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. Boys from a lower SES had significantly higher levels of glucose and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) but lower levels of adiponectin compared with boys from a higher SES. Girls from a lower SES had significantly (P ≤ 0.01) higher glucose and PAI-1 levels but lower levels of insulin and adiponectin than girls from a higher SES. High fat diets, low physical activity levels, and elevated CRP and total cholesterol levels were the CVD risk factors most commonly identified as being at-risk levels in this cohort, regardless of sex or SES. SES differences were not consistently apparent, but several CVD risk factors were identified as elevated in this sample of adolescents, regardless of sex or SES.

Sex-Specific Effects of Diets High in Unsaturated Fatty Acids on Spatial Learning and Memory in Guinea Pigs.

PubMed

Nemeth, Matthias; Millesi, Eva; Wagner, Karl-Heinz; Wallner, Bernard

2015-01-01

Unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs), including omega-3, omega-6 polyunsaturated and omega-9 monounsaturated fatty acids, are essential components and modulators of neuromembranes and may affect various aspects of physiology and cognition. UFAs are suggested to positively affect spatial learning and memory and also to diminish the negative consequences of physiological stress on cognitive abilities. Due to pronounced sex differences in neurophysiological functions, we hypothesize that these UFA-related effects might differ between male and female individuals. We therefore determined the effects of dietary UFAs on cognitive performances in a radial-Y-maze in male and female guinea pigs in relation to saliva cortisol concentrations, a marker for physiological stress. Animals were assigned to four treatment groups and maintained on diets enriched in either chia seeds (omega-3), walnuts (omega-6), or peanuts (omega-9), or a control diet. Female learning abilities throughout a three-day learning phase were positively affected by omega-3 and omega-9, as determined by a decreasing latency to pass the test and the number of conducted errors, while males generally showed distinct learning abilities, irrespective of the diet. A sex difference in learning performances was found in the control group, with males outperforming females, which was not detected in the UFA-supplemented groups. This was paralleled by significantly increased saliva cortisol concentrations in males throughout the cognition test compared to females. Three days after this learning phase, UFA-supplemented males and all females showed unchanged performances, while control males showed an increased latency and therefore an impaired performance. These results were corroborated by pronounced differences in the plasma UFA-status, corresponding to the different dietary treatments. Our findings indicate sex-specific effects of dietary UFAs, apparently enhancing spatial learning abilities only in females and protecting males from long-term memory impairment, while male learning abilities seem to be more strongly affected by an acute physiological stress response to the maze task.

Three-dimensional analysis of facial morphology.

PubMed

Liu, Yun; Kau, Chung How; Talbert, Leslie; Pan, Feng

2014-09-01

The objectives of this study were to evaluate sexual dimorphism for facial features within Chinese and African American populations and to compare the facial morphology by sex between these 2 populations. Three-dimensional facial images were acquired by using the portable 3dMDface System, which captured 189 subjects from 2 population groups of Chinese (n = 72) and African American (n = 117). Each population was categorized into male and female groups for evaluation. All subjects in the groups were aged between 18 and 30 years and had no apparent facial anomalies. A total of 23 anthropometric landmarks were identified on the three-dimensional faces of each subject. Twenty-one measurements in 4 regions, including 19 distances and 2 angles, were not only calculated but also compared within and between the Chinese and African American populations. The Student's t-test was used to analyze each data set obtained within each subgroup. Distinct facial differences were presented between the examined subgroups. When comparing the sex differences of facial morphology in the Chinese population, significant differences were noted in 71.43% of the parameters calculated, and the same proportion was found in the African American group. The facial morphologic differences between the Chinese and African American populations were evaluated by sex. The proportion of significant differences in the parameters calculated was 90.48% for females and 95.24% for males between the 2 populations. The African American population had a more convex profile and greater face width than those of the Chinese population. Sexual dimorphism for facial features was presented in both the Chinese and African American populations. In addition, there were significant differences in facial morphology between these 2 populations.

Aplastic Anemia in Two Patients with Sex Chromosome Aneuploidies.

PubMed

Rush, Eric T; Schaefer, G Bradley; Sanger, Warren G; Coccia, Peter F

2015-01-01

Sex chromosome aneuploidies range in incidence from rather common to exceedingly rare and have a variable phenotype. We report 2 patients with sex chromosome aneuploidies who developed severe aplastic anemia requiring treatment. The first patient had tetrasomy X (48,XXXX) and presented at 9 years of age, and the second patient had trisomy X (47,XXX) and presented at 5 years of age. Although aplastic anemia has been associated with other chromosomal abnormalities, sex chromosome abnormalities have not been traditionally considered a risk factor for this condition. A review of the literature reveals that at least one other patient with a sex chromosome aneuploidy (45,X) has suffered from aplastic anemia and that other autosomal chromosomal anomalies have been described. Despite the uncommon nature of each condition, it is possible that the apparent association is coincidental. A better understanding of the genetic causes of aplastic anemia remains important. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Benefits and barriers to the consumption of a vegetarian diet in Australia.

PubMed

Lea, Emma; Worsley, Anthony

2003-08-01

The aim of this study was to examine consumers' perceived benefits and barriers to the consumption of a vegetarian diet. Survey (written questionnaire) that included questions on perceived benefits and barriers to the consumption of a vegetarian diet. South Australia. Six hundred and one randomly selected South Australians. The main perceived barriers to adopting a vegetarian diet were enjoying eating meat and an unwillingness to alter eating habits. This was the case for men, women and all age groups, although there were sex and age differences present in over half of the barrier items. For example, family food preferences were a greater problem for women than for men, while the oldest group was more likely to agree that humans are 'meant' to eat meat than the younger groups. The main benefits associated with vegetarian diets were health benefits: increased fruit and vegetable intake, decreased saturated fat intake, weight control. Animal welfare-related benefits and disease prevention were also important. Age and sex differences were apparent, although age differences were more important than sex differences. The majority of respondents perceived there to be health benefits associated with the consumption of a vegetarian diet, but also, predictably, enjoyed eating meat. Given this, it is likely that interest in plant-based diets that contain some meat is higher than that in no-meat diets. An understanding of the perceived benefits and barriers of consuming a vegetarian diet will allow the implementation of strategies to influence meat and vegetarianism beliefs, dietary behaviour and, hence, public health.

A Comparison of Selective Pressures in Plant X-Linked and Autosomal Genes

PubMed Central

Krasovec, Marc; Filatov, Dmitry A.

2018-01-01

Selection is expected to work differently in autosomal and X-linked genes because of their ploidy difference and the exposure of recessive X-linked mutations to haploid selection in males. However, it is not clear whether these expectations apply to recently evolved sex chromosomes, where many genes retain functional X- and Y-linked gametologs. We took advantage of the recently evolved sex chromosomes in the plant Silene latifolia and its closely related species to compare the selective pressures between hemizygous and non-hemizygous X-linked genes as well as between X-linked genes and autosomal genes. Our analysis, based on over 1000 genes, demonstrated that, similar to animals, X-linked genes in Silene evolve significantly faster than autosomal genes—the so-called faster-X effect. Contrary to expectations, faster-X divergence was detectable only for non-hemizygous X-linked genes. Our phylogeny-based analyses of selection revealed no evidence for faster adaptation in X-linked genes compared to autosomal genes. On the other hand, partial relaxation of purifying selection was apparent on the X-chromosome compared to the autosomes, consistent with a smaller genetic diversity in S. latifolia X-linked genes (πx = 0.016; πaut = 0.023). Thus, the faster-X divergence in S. latifolia appears to be a consequence of the smaller effective population size rather than of a faster adaptive evolution on the X-chromosome. We argue that this may be a general feature of “young” sex chromosomes, where the majority of X-linked genes are not hemizygous, preventing haploid selection in heterogametic sex. PMID:29751495

A Comparison of Selective Pressures in Plant X-Linked and Autosomal Genes.

PubMed

Krasovec, Marc; Nevado, Bruno; Filatov, Dmitry A

2018-05-03

Selection is expected to work differently in autosomal and X-linked genes because of their ploidy difference and the exposure of recessive X-linked mutations to haploid selection in males. However, it is not clear whether these expectations apply to recently evolved sex chromosomes, where many genes retain functional X- and Y-linked gametologs. We took advantage of the recently evolved sex chromosomes in the plant Silene latifolia and its closely related species to compare the selective pressures between hemizygous and non-hemizygous X-linked genes as well as between X-linked genes and autosomal genes. Our analysis, based on over 1000 genes, demonstrated that, similar to animals, X-linked genes in Silene evolve significantly faster than autosomal genes—the so-called faster-X effect. Contrary to expectations, faster-X divergence was detectable only for non-hemizygous X-linked genes. Our phylogeny-based analyses of selection revealed no evidence for faster adaptation in X-linked genes compared to autosomal genes. On the other hand, partial relaxation of purifying selection was apparent on the X-chromosome compared to the autosomes, consistent with a smaller genetic diversity in S. latifolia X-linked genes (π x = 0.016; π aut = 0.023). Thus, the faster-X divergence in S. latifolia appears to be a consequence of the smaller effective population size rather than of a faster adaptive evolution on the X-chromosome. We argue that this may be a general feature of “young” sex chromosomes, where the majority of X-linked genes are not hemizygous, preventing haploid selection in heterogametic sex.

Chemical Immobilization of Sloth Bears (Melursus ursinus) with Ketamine Hydrochloride and Xylazine Hydrochloride: Hematology and Serum Biochemical Values

PubMed Central

Veeraselvam, M.; Sridhar, R.; Perumal, P.; Jayathangaraj, M. G.

2014-01-01

The present study was conducted to define the physiological responses of captive sloth bears immobilized with ketamine hydrochloride and xylazine hydrochloride and to determine and compare the values of hematology and serum biochemical parameters between sexes. A total of 15 sloth bears were immobilized using combination of ketamine hydrochloride and xylazine hydrochloride drugs at the dose rate of 5.0 milligram (mg) per kg body weight and 2.0 mg per kg body weight, respectively. The use of combination of these drugs was found satisfactory for the chemical immobilization of captive sloth bears. There were no significant differences observed in induction time and recovery time and physiological parameters such as heart rate, respiratory rate, and rectal temperature between sexes. Health related parameters comprising hematological values like packed cell volume (PCV), hemoglobin (Hb), red blood cell count (RBC), erythrocyte indices, and so forth and biochemical values like total protein, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, alkaline amino-transferase (ALT), aspartate amino-transferase (AST), and so forth were estimated in 11 (5 males and 6 females) apparently healthy bears. Comparison between sexes revealed significant difference in PCV (P < 0.05) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) (P < 0.05). The study might help to evaluate health profiles of sloth bears for appropriate line treatment. PMID:24876990

All giraffes have female-specific properties: influence of grammatical gender on deductive reasoning about sex-specific properties in German speakers.

PubMed

Imai, Mutsumi; Schalk, Lennart; Saalbach, Henrik; Okada, Hiroyuki

2014-04-01

Grammatical gender is independent of biological sex for the majority of animal names (e.g., any giraffe, be it male or female, is grammatically treated as feminine). However, there is apparent semantic motivation for grammatical gender classes, especially in mapping human terms to gender. This research investigated whether this motivation affects deductive inference in native German speakers. We compared German with Japanese speakers (a language without grammatical gender) when making inferences about sex-specific biological properties. We found that German speakers tended to erroneously draw inferences when the sex in the premise and grammatical gender of the target animal agreed. An over-generalization of the grammar-semantics mapping was found even when the sex of the target was explicitly indicated. However, these effects occurred only when gender-marking articles accompanied the nouns. These results suggest that German speakers project sex-specific biological properties onto gender-marking articles but not onto conceptual representations of animals per se. Copyright © 2013 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Ethnic differences in parental feeding behaviors in UK parents of preschoolers

PubMed Central

Cihang, Gu; Sarah, Warkentin; Amaral, Mais Laís; Susan, Carnell

2017-01-01

Childhood obesity is prevalent among ethnic minorities in the UK but little is known about parent feeding practices in these populations. We administered questionnaires assessing parental feeding behaviors and perceptions and concerns relating to child weight to White British (n=271), South Asian (n=59), and Black Afro-Caribbean (n=42) parents of UK 3–5 year-olds. Child BMI z-scores were determined from measured heights and weights. South Asian and Black Afro-Caribbean parents exhibited greater pressure to eat than White British parents. Black Afro-Caribbean parents additionally scored higher on instrumental feeding and lower on monitoring, while South Asian parents scored higher on emotional feeding. Black Afro-Caribbean parents reported the greatest concern about both child overweight and underweight. Ethnic differences were unchanged by controlling for perceptions and concerns relating to child weight, or for actual BMI z, parent education, or household income. Exploratory analyses suggested some evidence for sex differences within ethnic groups. For example, South Asian parents of daughters scored higher than White British parents of daughters on emotional feeding, with no ethnic differences apparent for parents of sons. Our findings support considering variation in parent feeding behaviors and weight-related attitudes by parental ethnicity and child sex when developing obesity interventions. PMID:28274650

Pharmacogenomics, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics: interaction with biological differences between men and women

PubMed Central

Franconi, Flavia; Campesi, Ilaria

2014-01-01

Pharmacological response depends on multiple factors and one of them is sex–gender. Data on the specific effects of sex–gender on pharmacokinetics, as well as the safety and efficacy of numerous medications, are beginning to emerge. Nevertheless, the recruitment of women for clinical research is inadequate, especially during the first phases. In general, pharmacokinetic differences between males and females are more numerous and consistent than disparities in pharmacodynamics. However, sex–gender pharmacodynamic differences are now increasingly being identified at the molecular level. It is now even becoming apparent that sex–gender influences pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics. Sex-related differences have been reported for several parameters, and it is consistently shown that women have a worse safety profile, with drug adverse reactions being more frequent and severe in women than in men. Overall, the pharmacological status of women is less well studied than that of men and deserves much more attention. The design of clinical and preclinical studies should have a sex–gender-based approach with the aim of tailoring therapies to an individual's needs and concerns. Linked Articles This article is part of a themed section on Biological Sex and Cardiovascular Pharmacology. To view the other articles in this section visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.2014.171.issue-3 PMID:23981051

Taint: an examination of the lived experiences of stigma and its lingering effects for eight sex industry experts.

PubMed

Bowen, Raven; Bungay, Vicky

2016-01-01

As part of a larger study examining the effects of the design of the off-street sex industry on sex worker's health and safety practices, eight sex work experts who had experience as sex workers and as advocates and service providers were interviewed to garner their community engagement expertise in shaping the research. During narrative interviews, these experts discussed how stigma influenced their personal lives and their social justice work among sex workers. Their insights into stigma are unique to the literature because our experts simultaneously confronted direct instances of stigma that were a part of their personal and professional lives, sometimes concealing their sex work histories during the course of their professional support and advocacy work. As a result of this concealment, and because of how sex workers are sometimes mistreated, experts experienced stigma vicariously (indirectly) when their own sex work histories were not apparent. As a result of these experiences, participants became proficient at managing discrediting information about themselves when in the presence of those they mistrusted. They supported sex workers through stigmatising ordeals by using knowledge gained from these intersecting direct and vicarious experiences stigma, continuously building capacity within themselves and among other sex workers to resist stigma.

Medical Surveillance Monthly Report,Volume 24, Number 3

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-01

annual incidence rates of TBI than group 3 females. The diver- gence in rates between the sexes was most apparent after 2004 (Figure 3). Between 2001...118,587 1,141.3 121,923 1,451.2 Sex Male 97,687 1,147.7 111,434 1,507.4 Female 20,900 1,112.3 10,489 1,039.3 Age group ង 21,557 1,504.2 624 2,499.2 20...by sex , active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2001–2016 0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500 20 01 20 02 20 03 20 04 20 05 20 06 20 07 20 08 20

Association of breakfast consumption with body mass index and prevalence of overweight/obesity in a nationally-representative survey of Canadian adults.

PubMed

Barr, Susan I; DiFrancesco, Loretta; Fulgoni, Victor L

2016-03-31

This study examined the association of breakfast consumption, and the type of breakfast consumed, with body mass index (BMI; kg/m(2)) and prevalence rates and odds ratios (OR) of overweight/obesity among Canadian adults. These associations were examined by age group and sex. We used data from non-pregnant, non-lactating participants aged ≥ 18 years (n = 12,377) in the Canadian Community Health Survey Cycle 2.2, a population-based, nationally-representative, cross-sectional study. Height and weight were measured, and BMI was calculated. Breakfast consumption was self-reported during a standardized 24-h recall; individuals were classified as breakfast non-consumers, consumers of breakfasts that included ready-to-eat cereal (RTEC) or as other breakfast consumers. Mean BMI and prevalence and OR of overweight/obesity (BMI ≥ 25) were compared among breakfast groups, with adjustment for sociodemographic variables (including age, sex, race, marital status, food security, language spoken at home, physical activity category, smoking, education level and supplement use). For the entire sample, mean BMI was significantly lower among RTEC-breakfast consumers than other breakfast consumers (mean ± SE 26.5 ± 0.2 vs. 27.1 ± 0.1 kg/m(2)), but neither group differed significantly from breakfast non-consumers (27.1 ± 0.3 kg/m(2)). Similar results were seen in women only, but BMI of men did not differ by breakfast category. Overweight/obesity prevalence and OR did not differ among breakfast groups for the entire sample or for all men and women separately. When examined by sex and age group, differences were inconsistent, but tended to be more apparent in women than men. Among Canadian adults, breakfast consumption was not consistently associated with differences in BMI or overweight/obesity prevalence.

Anthropometric study with emphasis on hand and foot measurements in the Prader-Willi syndrome: sex, age and chromosome effects.

PubMed

Butler, M G; Haynes, J L; Meaney, F J

1991-01-01

Age, sex and chromosome effects on weight, height, sitting height, three head dimensions, and five hand and three foot measurements were analyzed from 57 patients (35 males and 22 females) with the Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). No significant differences were observed in anthropometric data between PWS patients with the 15q chromosome deletion and those with normal chromosomes. Preschool children were found to have dolichocephaly, while hand and foot measurements, stature and sitting height were within normal range, although foot size was smaller than hand size in females when compared with PWS males. However, anthropometric measurements, excluding weight, head length and ankle breadth, were less than -2 SD in adult patients. Abnormal growth patterns apparently exist with significant negative correlations with age, particularly in PWS males, for height, sitting height, head circumference, and hand and foot measurements, but a significant positive correlation for weight was found in patients below 10 years of age.

Sex-dimorphism in Cardiac Nutrigenomics: effect of Trans fat and/or Monosodium Glutamate consumption

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background A paucity of information on biological sex-specific differences in cardiac gene expression in response to diet has prompted this present nutrigenomics investigation. Sexual dimorphism exists in the physiological and transcriptional response to diet, particularly in response to high-fat feeding. Consumption of Trans-fatty acids (TFA) has been linked to substantially increased risk of heart disease, in which sexual dimorphism is apparent, with males suffering a higher disease rate. Impairment of the cardiovascular system has been noted in animals exposed to Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) during the neonatal period, and sexual dimorphism in the growth axis of MSG-treated animals has previously been noted. Processed foods may contain both TFA and MSG. Methods We examined physiological differences and changes in gene expression in response to TFA and/or MSG consumption compared to a control diet, in male and female C57BL/6J mice. Results Heart and % body weight increases were greater in TFA-fed mice, who also exhibited dyslipidemia (P < 0.05). Hearts from MSG-fed females weighed less than males (P < 0.05). 2-factor ANOVA indicated that the TFA diet induced over twice as many cardiac differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in males compared to females (P < 0.001); and 4 times as many male DEGs were downregulated including Gata4, Mef2d and Srebf2. Enrichment of functional Gene Ontology (GO) categories were related to transcription, phosphorylation and anatomic structure (P < 0.01). A number of genes were upregulated in males and downregulated in females, including pro-apoptotic histone deacetylase-2 (HDAC2). Sexual dimorphism was also observed in cardiac transcription from MSG-fed animals, with both sexes upregulating approximately 100 DEGs exhibiting sex-specific differences in GO categories. A comparison of cardiac gene expression between all diet combinations together identified a subset of 111 DEGs significant only in males, 64 DEGs significant in females only, and 74 transcripts identified as differentially expressed in response to dietary manipulation in both sexes. Conclusion Our model identified major changes in the cardiac transcriptional profile of TFA and/or MSG-fed mice compared to controls, which was reflected by significant differences in the physiological profile within the 4 diet groups. Identification of sexual dimorphism in cardiac transcription may provide the basis for sex-specific medicine in the future. PMID:22078008

Suicide and the Publicly Exposed Pedophile

PubMed Central

Walter, Garry; Pridmore, Saxby

2012-01-01

Background: Current clinical wisdom is that the vast majority of those who complete suicide suffer from a mental disorder. Uncritical adherence to this belief may limit our understanding and restrict the full range of prevention activities. We aimed to examine the public record for accounts of suicide by men who had been, or were about to be, investigated or apprehended for “sex only” child sex offences, with a view to presenting a collection of case histories, and identifying examples of suicide in the apparent absence of mental disorder other than pedophilia. Methods: The public record (hard and electronic copy) was examined. Results: Twenty case histories were identified of men with no apparent mental disorder (other than pedophilia) who completed suicide shortly after exposure or threatened public exposure and/or early or potential legal punishment. Conclusion: This evidence strongly suggests that exposure or threatened public exposure of pedophilia and/or early or potential legal punishment creates a predicament, which may lead to completed suicide. PMID:23613648

Invited Commentary: Natural Versus Unnatural Sex Ratios—A Quandary of Modern Times

PubMed Central

Wilcox, Allen J.; Baird, Donna D.

2011-01-01

The typical dilemma with sex-ratio findings is that when they are real, they aren’t interesting, and when they are interesting, they aren’t real. In this issue of the Journal, Fernández et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2011;174(12):1327–1331) describe a deviation of the sex ratio that is apparently both large and real. There was a temporary but distinct spike in the proportion of boys born in Cuba around the time of the collapse of the national economy during the 1990s. Although an excess of boys does not fit the prevailing biologic theory regarding maternal stress and the sex ratio, the data are consistent with results from the Dutch famine (where population-level deprivation was even more extreme). A new quandary arises in the modern era with interpretation of the sex ratio: If the decision to abort a pregnancy is influenced by the sex of the fetus, a change in the behavior of even a small proportion of women could influence the sex ratio at birth. The possible role of sex selection in the Cuban context is discussed. PMID:22038103

Plumage polymorphism and fitness in Swainson's hawks.

PubMed

Briggs, C W; Collopy, M W; Woodbridge, B

2011-10-01

We examine the maintenance of a plumage polymorphism, variation in plumages among the same age and sex class within a population, in a population of Swainson's Hawks. We take advantage of 32 years of data to examine two prevalent hypotheses used to explain the persistence of morphs: apostatic selection and heterozygous advantage. We investigate differences in fitness among three morph classes of a melanistic trait in Swainson's Hawks: light (7% of the local breeding population), intermediate (57%) and dark (36%). Specifically, we examined morph differences in adult apparent survival, breeding success, annual number of fledglings produced, probability of offspring recruitment into the breeding population and lifetime reproductive success (LRS). If apostatic selection were a factor in maintaining morphs, we would expect that individuals with the least frequent morph would perform best in one or more of these fitness categories. Alternatively, if heterozygous advantage played a role in the maintenance of this polymorphism, we would expect heterozygotes (i.e. intermediate morphs) to have one or more increased rates in these categories. We found no difference in adult apparent survival between morph classes. Similarly, there were no differences in breeding success, nest productivity, LRS or probability of recruitment of offspring between parental morph. We conclude that neither apostatic selection nor heterozygous advantage appear to play a role in maintaining morphs in this population. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2011 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Moths behaving like butterflies. Evolutionary loss of long range attractant pheromones in castniid moths: a Paysandisia archon model.

PubMed

Sarto i Monteys, Víctor; Acín, Patricia; Rosell, Glòria; Quero, Carmen; Jiménez, Miquel A; Guerrero, Angel

2012-01-01

In the course of evolution butterflies and moths developed two different reproductive behaviors. Whereas butterflies rely on visual stimuli for mate location, moths use the 'female calling plus male seduction' system, in which females release long-range sex pheromones to attract conspecific males. There are few exceptions from this pattern but in all cases known female moths possess sex pheromone glands which apparently have been lost in female butterflies. In the day-flying moth family Castniidae ("butterfly-moths"), which includes some important crop pests, no pheromones have been found so far. Using a multidisciplinary approach we described the steps involved in the courtship of P. archon, showing that visual cues are the only ones used for mate location; showed that the morphology and fine structure of the antennae of this moth are strikingly similar to those of butterflies, with male sensilla apparently not suited to detect female-released long range pheromones; showed that its females lack pheromone-producing glands, and identified three compounds as putative male sex pheromone (MSP) components of P. archon, released from the proximal halves of male forewings and hindwings. This study provides evidence for the first time in Lepidoptera that females of a moth do not produce any pheromone to attract males, and that mate location is achieved only visually by patrolling males, which may release a pheromone at short distance, putatively a mixture of Z,E-farnesal, E,E-farnesal, and (E,Z)-2,13-octadecadienol. The outlined behavior, long thought to be unique to butterflies, is likely to be widespread in Castniidae implying a novel, unparalleled butterfly-like reproductive behavior in moths. This will also have practical implications in applied entomology since it signifies that the monitoring/control of castniid pests should not be based on the use of female-produced pheromones, as it is usually done in many moths.

The effects of perinatal testosterone exposure on the DNA methylome of the mouse brain are late-emerging

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The biological basis for sex differences in brain function and disease susceptibility is poorly understood. Examining the role of gonadal hormones in brain sexual differentiation may provide important information about sex differences in neural health and development. Permanent masculinization of brain structure, function, and disease is induced by testosterone prenatally in males, but the possible mediation of these effects by long-term changes in the epigenome is poorly understood. Methods We investigated the organizational effects of testosterone on the DNA methylome and transcriptome in two sexually dimorphic forebrain regions—the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis/preoptic area and the striatum. To study the contribution of testosterone to both the establishment and persistence of sex differences in DNA methylation, we performed genome-wide surveys in male, female, and female mice given testosterone on the day of birth. Methylation was assessed during the perinatal window for testosterone's organizational effects and in adulthood. Results The short-term effect of testosterone exposure was relatively modest. However, in adult animals the number of genes whose methylation was altered had increased by 20-fold. Furthermore, we found that in adulthood, methylation at a substantial number of sexually dimorphic CpG sites was masculinized in response to neonatal testosterone exposure. Consistent with this, testosterone's effect on gene expression in the striatum was more apparent in adulthood. Conclusion Taken together, our data imply that the organizational effects of testosterone on the brain methylome and transcriptome are dramatic and late-emerging. Our findings offer important insights into the long-term molecular effects of early-life hormonal exposure. PMID:24976947

The effect of excluding juveniles on apparent adult olive baboons (Papio anubis) social networks

PubMed Central

Fedurek, Piotr; Lehmann, Julia

2017-01-01

In recent years there has been much interest in investigating the social structure of group living animals using social network analysis. Many studies so far have focused on the social networks of adults, often excluding younger, immature group members. This potentially may lead to a biased view of group social structure as multiple recent studies have shown that younger group members can significantly contribute to group structure. As proof of the concept, we address this issue by investigating social network structure with and without juveniles in wild olive baboons (Papio anubis) at Gashaka Gumti National Park, Nigeria. Two social networks including all independently moving individuals (i.e., excluding dependent juveniles) were created based on aggressive and grooming behaviour. We used knockout simulations based on the random removal of individuals from the network in order to investigate to what extent the exclusion of juveniles affects the resulting network structure and our interpretation of age-sex specific social roles. We found that juvenile social patterns differed from those of adults and that the exclusion of juveniles from the network significantly altered the resulting overall network structure. Moreover, the removal of juveniles from the network affected individuals in specific age-sex classes differently: for example, including juveniles in the grooming network increased network centrality of adult females while decreasing centrality of adult males. These results suggest that excluding juveniles from the analysis may not only result in a distorted picture of the overall social structure but also may mask some of the social roles of individuals belonging to different age-sex classes. PMID:28323851

Moderators of neuropsychological mechanism in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

PubMed

Nikolas, Molly A; Nigg, Joel T

2015-02-01

Neuropsychological measures have been proposed as both a way to tap mechanisms and as endophenotypes for child ADHD. However, substantial evidence supporting heterogeneity in neuropsychological performance among youth with ADHD as well as apparent effect differences by sex, age, and comorbidity have slowed progress. To address this, it is important to understand sibling effects in relation to these moderators. 461 youth ages 6-17 years (54.8 % male, including 251 youth with ADHD, 107 of their unaffected biological siblings, and 103 non-ADHD controls) completed diagnostic interviews and a theoretically informed battery of neuropsychological functioning. A structural equation model was used to consolidate neuropsychological domains. Group differences between unaffected siblings of youth with ADHD and controls across each domain were first examined as the primary endophenotype test for ADHD. Moderation of these effects was evaluated via investigation of interactions between diagnostic group and both proband and individual level characteristics, including sex, age, and comorbidity status. Unaffected siblings performed worse than control youth in the domains of inhibition, response time variability, and temporal information processing. Individual age moderated these effects, such that differences between controls and unaffected siblings were pronounced among younger children (ages 6-10 years) but absent among older youth (ages 11-17 years). Evidence for moderation of effects by proband sex and comorbidity status produced more variable and smaller effects. Results support the utility of inhibition, response time variability, and temporal processing as useful endophenotypes for ADHD in future genetic associations studies of the disorder, but suggest this value will vary by age among unaffected family members.

The effect of excluding juveniles on apparent adult olive baboons (Papio anubis) social networks.

PubMed

Fedurek, Piotr; Lehmann, Julia

2017-01-01

In recent years there has been much interest in investigating the social structure of group living animals using social network analysis. Many studies so far have focused on the social networks of adults, often excluding younger, immature group members. This potentially may lead to a biased view of group social structure as multiple recent studies have shown that younger group members can significantly contribute to group structure. As proof of the concept, we address this issue by investigating social network structure with and without juveniles in wild olive baboons (Papio anubis) at Gashaka Gumti National Park, Nigeria. Two social networks including all independently moving individuals (i.e., excluding dependent juveniles) were created based on aggressive and grooming behaviour. We used knockout simulations based on the random removal of individuals from the network in order to investigate to what extent the exclusion of juveniles affects the resulting network structure and our interpretation of age-sex specific social roles. We found that juvenile social patterns differed from those of adults and that the exclusion of juveniles from the network significantly altered the resulting overall network structure. Moreover, the removal of juveniles from the network affected individuals in specific age-sex classes differently: for example, including juveniles in the grooming network increased network centrality of adult females while decreasing centrality of adult males. These results suggest that excluding juveniles from the analysis may not only result in a distorted picture of the overall social structure but also may mask some of the social roles of individuals belonging to different age-sex classes.

A Perspective on the Importance of Reproductive Mode in Astrobiology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Doninck, Karine; Schön, Isa; Martens, Koen

2003-12-01

Reproduction is a vital characteristic of life, and sex is the most common reproductive mode in the eukaryotic world. Sex and reproduction are not necessarily linked mechanisms: Sexuality without reproduction exists, while several forms of asexual reproduction are known. The occurrence of sexuality itself is paradoxical, as it is very costly in evolutionary terms. Most of the hypotheses (more than 20) attempting to explain the prevalence of sex fall into two categories: Sex either creates good gene combinations for adaptation to environments or eliminates bad gene combinations counteracting the accumulation of mutations. In spite of this apparent wealth of beneficial effects of sex, asexuality is not rare. Most eukaryotic, asexual lineages are short-lived and can only persist through the presence of sexual roots, but at least two animal groups, bdelloid rotifers and darwinulid ostracods, seem to claim the status of ancient asexuals. Research on (a)sexuality is relevant to astrobiology in a number of ways. First, strong relationships between the origin and persistence of life in extreme environments and reproductive mode are known. Second, the "habitability" of nonterrestrial environments to life greatly depends on reproductive mode. Whereas asexuals can do equally well or better in harsh environments, they fail to adapt fast enough to changing abiotic and biotic environments. Third, it has been shown that plants reproduce mainly asexually in space, and sperm production and motility in some vertebrates are hampered. Both findings indicate that extraterrestrial life under conditions different from Earth might be dominated by asexual reproduction. Finally, for exchange of biological material between planets, the choice of reproductive mode will be important.

Gender differences in associations of sexual and romantic stimuli: do young men really prefer sex over romance?

PubMed

Thompson, Ashley E; O'Sullivan, Lucia F

2012-08-01

Theory and research emphasize differences in men's and women's sexual and romantic attitudes, concluding that men have stronger preferences for sexual than romantic stimuli as compared to women. However, most of the research on gender differences have relied on self-reports, which are plagued by problems of social desirability bias. The current study assessed young men's and women's implicit attitudes toward sexual and romantic stimuli to test whether, in fact, men have a stronger preference for sexual over romantic stimuli compared to women. We also assessed associations between implicit and explicit attitudes, as well as sex role ideology and personality. College students (68 men and 114 women) completed an Implicit Association Test (IAT) that assessed strengths of associations of sexual and romantic stimuli to both pleasant and unpleasant conditions. Results revealed that both men and women more strongly associated romantic images to the pleasant condition than they associated the sexual images to the pleasant condition. However, as predicted, women had a stronger preference toward romantic versus sexual stimuli compared to men. Our study challenges a common assumption that men prefer sexual over romantic stimuli. The findings indicate that measures of implicit attitudes may tap preferences that are not apparent in studies relying on self-reported (explicit) attitudes.

Integration of Spectral Reflectance across the Plumage: Implications for Mating Patterns

PubMed Central

Laczi, Miklós; Török, János; Rosivall, Balázs; Hegyi, Gergely

2011-01-01

Background In complex sexual signaling systems such as plumage color, developmental or genetic links may occur among seemingly distinct traits. However, the interrelations of such traits and the functional significance of their integration rarely have been examined. Methodology/Principal Findings We investigated the parallel variation of two reflectance descriptors (brightness and UV chroma) across depigmented and melanized plumage areas of collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis), and the possible role of integrated color signals in mate acquisition. We found moderate integration in brightness and UV chroma across the plumage, with similar correlation structures in the two sexes despite the strong sexual dichromatism. Patterns of parallel color change across the plumage were largely unrelated to ornamental white patch sizes, but they all showed strong assortative mating between the sexes. Comparing different types of assortative mating patterns for individual spectral variables suggested a distinct role for plumage-level color axes in mate acquisition. Conclusions/Significance Our results indicate that the plumage-level, parallel variation of coloration might play a role in mate acquisition. This study underlines the importance of considering potential developmental and functional integration among apparently different ornaments in studies of sexual selection. PMID:21853088

Variable sexually dimorphic gene expression in laboratory strains of Drosophila melanogaster.

PubMed

Baker, Dean A; Meadows, Lisa A; Wang, Jing; Dow, Julian At; Russell, Steven

2007-12-10

Wild-type laboratory strains of model organisms are typically kept in isolation for many years, with the action of genetic drift and selection on mutational variation causing lineages to diverge with time. Natural populations from which such strains are established, show that gender-specific interactions in particular drive many aspects of sequence level and transcriptional level variation. Here, our goal was to identify genes that display transcriptional variation between laboratory strains of Drosophila melanogaster, and to explore evidence of gender-biased interactions underlying that variability. Transcriptional variation among the laboratory genotypes studied occurs more frequently in males than in females. Qualitative differences are also apparent to suggest that genes within particular functional classes disproportionately display variation in gene expression. Our analysis indicates that genes with reproductive functions are most often divergent between genotypes in both sexes, however a large proportion of female variation can also be attributed to genes without expression in the ovaries. The present study clearly shows that transcriptional variation between common laboratory strains of Drosophila can differ dramatically due to sexual dimorphism. Much of this variation reflects sex-specific challenges associated with divergent physiological trade-offs, morphology and regulatory pathways operating within males and females.

Sex dimorphism in seizure-controlling networks.

PubMed

Giorgi, Fillippo Sean; Galanopoulou, Aristea S; Moshé, Solomon L

2014-12-01

Males and females show a different predisposition to certain types of seizures in clinical studies. Animal studies have provided growing evidence for sexual dimorphism of certain brain regions, including those that control seizures. Seizures are modulated by networks involving subcortical structures, including thalamus, reticular formation nuclei, and structures belonging to the basal ganglia. In animal models, the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNR) is the best studied of these areas, given its relevant role in the expression and control of seizures throughout development in the rat. Studies with bilateral infusions of the GABA(A) receptor agonist muscimol have identified distinct roles of the anterior or posterior rat SNR in flurothyl seizure control, that follow sex-specific maturational patterns during development. These studies indicate that (a) the regional functional compartmentalization of the SNR appears only after the third week of life, (b) only the male SNR exhibits muscimol-sensitive proconvulsant effects which, in older animals, is confined to the posterior SNR, and (c) the expression of the muscimol-sensitive anticonvulsant effects become apparent earlier in females than in males. The first three postnatal days are crucial in determining the expression of the muscimol-sensitive proconvulsant effects of the immature male SNR, depending on the gonadal hormone setting. Activation of the androgen receptors during this early period seems to be important for the formation of this proconvulsant SNR region. We describe molecular/anatomical candidates underlying these age- and sex-related differences, as derived from in vitro and in vivo experiments, as well as by [(14)C]2-deoxyglucose autoradiography. These involve sex-specific patterns in the developmental changes in the structure or physiology or GABA(A) receptors or of other subcortical structures (e.g., locus coeruleus, hippocampus) that may affect the function of seizure-controlling networks. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Marriage patterns in a Mesoamerican peasant community are biologically adaptive.

PubMed

Little, Bertis B; Malina, Robert M

2010-12-01

Differential investment in offspring by parental and progeny gender has been discussed and periodically analyzed for the past 80 years as an evolutionary adaptive strategy. Parental investment theory suggests that parents in poor condition have offspring in poor condition. Conversely, parents in good condition give rise to offspring in good condition. As formalized in the Trivers-Willard hypothesis (TWH), investment in daughters will be greater under poor conditions while sons receive greater parental investment under good conditions. Condition is ultimately equated to offspring reproductive fitness, with parents apparently using a strategy to maximize their genetic contribution to future generations. Analyses of sex ratio have been used to support parental investment theory and in many instances, though not all, results provide support for TWH. In the present investigation, economic strategies were analyzed in the context of offspring sex ratio and survival to reproductive age in a Zapotec-speaking community in the Valley of Oaxaca, southern Mexico. Growth status of children, adult stature, and agricultural resources were analyzed as proxies for parental and progeny condition in present and prior generations. Traditional marriage practice in Mesoamerican peasant communities is patrilocal postnuptial residence with investments largely favoring sons. The alternative, practiced by ∼25% of parents, is matrilocal postnuptial residence which is an investment favoring daughters. Results indicated that sex ratio of offspring survival to reproductive age was related to economic strategy and differed significantly between the patrilocal and matrilocal strategies. Variance in sex ratio was affected by condition of parents and significant differences in survival to reproductive age were strongly associated with economic strategy. While the results strongly support TWH, further studies in traditional anthropological populations are needed.

Sex differences in circulating and renal angiotensins of hypertensive mRen(2).Lewis but not normotensive Lewis rats

PubMed Central

Pendergrass, Karl D.; Pirro, Nancy T.; Westwood, Brian M.; Ferrario, Carlos M.; Brosnihan, K. Bridget; Chappell, Mark C.

2008-01-01

Sex differences in blood pressure are evident in experimental models and human subjects, yet the mechanisms underlying this disparity remain equivocal. The current study sought to define the extent of male-female differences in the circulating and tissue renin-angiotensin aldosterone systems (RAASs) of congenic mRen(2).Lewis and control Lewis rats. Male congenics exhibited higher systolic blood pressure than females [200 ± 4 vs. 146 ± 7 mmHg, P < 0.01] or Lewis males and females [113 ± 2 vs. 112 ± 2 mmHg, P > 0.05]. Plasma ANG II levels were twofold higher in male congenics [47 ± 3 vs. 19 ± 3 pM, P < 0.01] and fivefold higher than in male or female Lewis rats [6 ± 1 vs. 6 ± 1 pM]. ANG I levels were also highest in the males; however, plasma ANG-(1-7) was higher in female congenics. Male congenics exhibited greater circulating renin and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activities, as well as angiotensinogen, than female littermates. Renal cortical and medullary ANG II levels were also higher in the male congenics versus all the other groups; ANG I was lower in the males. Cortical ACE2 activity was higher in male congenics, yet neprilysin activity and protein were greater in the females, which may contribute to reduced renal levels of ANG II. These data reveal that sex differences in both the circulating and renal RAAS are apparent primarily in the hypertensive group. The enhanced activity of the RAAS in male congenics may contribute to the higher pressure and tissue injury evident in the strain. PMID:18456730

Observation of a ZZW female in a natural population: implications for avian sex determination.

PubMed Central

Arit, D; Bensch, S; Hansson, B; Hasselquist, D; Westerdahl, H

2004-01-01

Avian sex determination is chromosomal; however, the underlying mechanisms are not yet understood. There is no conclusive evidence for either of two proposed mechanisms: a dominant genetic switch or a dosage mechanism. No dominant sex-determining gene on the female-specific W chromosome has been found. Birds lack inactivation of one of the Z chromosomes in males, but seem to compensate for a double dose of Z-linked genes by other mechanisms. Recent studies showing female-specific expression of two genes may support an active role of the W chromosome. To resolve the question of avian sex determination the investigation of birds with a 2A: ZZW or 2A: ZO genotype would be decisive. Here, we report the case of an apparent 2A: ZZW great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) female breeding in a natural population, which was detected using Z-linked microsatellites. Our data strongly suggest a role of W-linked genes in avian sex determination. PMID:15252998

Rapid quantification and sex determination of forensic evidence materials.

PubMed

Andréasson, Hanna; Allen, Marie

2003-11-01

DNA quantification of forensic evidence is very valuable for an optimal use of the available biological material. Moreover, sex determination is of great importance as additional information in criminal investigations as well as in identification of missing persons, no suspect cases, and ancient DNA studies. While routine forensic DNA analysis based on short tandem repeat markers includes a marker for sex determination, analysis of samples containing scarce amounts of DNA is often based on mitochondrial DNA, and sex determination is not performed. In order to allow quantification and simultaneous sex determination on minute amounts of DNA, an assay based on real-time PCR analysis of a marker within the human amelogenin gene has been developed. The sex determination is based on melting curve analysis, while an externally standardized kinetic analysis allows quantification of the nuclear DNA copy number in the sample. This real-time DNA quantification assay has proven to be highly sensitive, enabling quantification of single DNA copies. Although certain limitations were apparent, the system is a rapid, cost-effective, and flexible assay for analysis of forensic casework samples.

Masters change, slaves remain.

PubMed

Graham, Patricia; Penn, Jill K M; Schedl, Paul

2003-01-01

Sex determination offers an opportunity to address many classic questions of developmental biology. In addition, because sex determination evolves rapidly, it offers an opportunity to investigate the evolution of genetic hierarchies. Sex determination in Drosophila melanogaster is controlled by the master regulatory gene, Sex lethal (Sxl). DmSxl controls the alternative splicing of a downstream gene, transformer (tra), which acts with tra2 to control alternative splicing of doublesex (dsx). DmSxl also controls its own splicing, creating an autoregulatory feedback loop that ensures expression of Sxl in females, but not males. A recent paper has shown that in the dipteran Ceratitis capitata later (downstream) steps in the regulatory hierarchy are conserved, while earlier (upstream) steps are not. Cctra is regulated by alternative splicing and apparently controls the alternative splicing of Ccdsx. However, Cctra is not regulated by CcSxl. Instead it appears to autoregulate in a manner similar to the autoregulation seen with DmSxl. Copyright 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Sex-linked and autosomal microsatellites provide new insights into island populations of the tammar wallaby.

PubMed

MacDonald, A J; Fitzsimmons, N N; Chambers, B; Renfree, M B; Sarre, S D

2014-03-01

The emerging availability of microsatellite markers from mammalian sex chromosomes provides opportunities to investigate both male- and female-mediated gene flow in wild populations, identifying patterns not apparent from the analysis of autosomal markers alone. Tammar wallabies (Macropus eugenii), once spread over the southern mainland, have been isolated on several islands off the Western Australian and South Australian coastlines for between 10,000 and 13,000 years. Here, we combine analyses of autosomal, Y-linked and X-linked microsatellite loci to investigate genetic variation in populations of this species on two islands (Kangaroo Island, South Australia and Garden Island, Western Australia). All measures of diversity were higher for the larger Kangaroo Island population, in which genetic variation was lowest at Y-linked markers and highest at autosomal markers (θ=3.291, 1.208 and 0.627 for autosomal, X-linked and Y-linked data, respectively). Greater relatedness among females than males provides evidence for male-biased dispersal in this population, while sex-linked markers identified genetic lineages not apparent from autosomal data alone. Overall genetic diversity in the Garden Island population was low, especially on the Y chromosome where most males shared a common haplotype, and we observed high levels of inbreeding and relatedness among individuals. Our findings highlight the utility of this approach for management actions, such as the selection of animals for translocation or captive breeding, and the ecological insights that may be gained by combining analyses of microsatellite markers on sex chromosomes with those derived from autosomes.

Some Features of Human Adolescence Viewed in Evolutionary Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weisfeld, G. E.; Berger, J. M.

1983-01-01

Focuses on some apparently evolved features of human adolescence and their possible functions, including the pubertal growth spurt, sexual size dimorphism and bimaturism, the greater aggressiveness of males, heightened concern with one's social standing and the factors affecting it, intergenerational friction, same-sex aggregations and solidarity,…

Ethnic differences in parental feeding behaviors in UK parents of preschoolers.

PubMed

Gu, Cihang; Warkentin, Sarah; Mais, Laís Amaral; Carnell, Susan

2017-06-01

Childhood obesity is prevalent among ethnic minorities in the UK but little is known about parent feeding practices in these populations. We administered questionnaires assessing parental feeding behaviors and perceptions and concerns relating to child weight to White British (n = 271), South Asian (n = 59), and Black Afro-Caribbean (n = 42) parents of UK 3-5 year-olds. Child BMI z-scores were determined from measured heights and weights. South Asian and Black Afro-Caribbean parents exhibited greater pressure to eat than White British parents. Black Afro-Caribbean parents additionally scored higher on instrumental feeding and lower on monitoring, while South Asian parents scored higher on emotional feeding. Black Afro-Caribbean parents reported the greatest concern about both child overweight and underweight. Ethnic differences were unchanged by controlling for perceptions and concerns relating to child weight, or for actual BMI z, parent education, or household income. Exploratory analyses suggested some evidence for sex differences within ethnic groups. For example, South Asian parents of daughters scored higher than White British parents of daughters on emotional feeding, with no ethnic differences apparent for parents of sons. Our findings support considering variation in parent feeding behaviors and weight-related attitudes by parental ethnicity and child sex when developing obesity interventions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Getting to the height of the matter: the relationship between stature and adiposity in pre-pubertal children.

PubMed

Hanks, Lynae J; Newton, Anna L; Casazza, Krista

2013-01-01

Height has been inversely associated with cardiometabolic disease, with adiposity as the proposed contributor. Childhood represents a time when underlying metabolic pathways converge to determine growth. Although the extent to which influence is relevant, insulin, as a key growth signaling factor, likely provides key insight into mechanisms linking height and adiposity. Insulin concentration displays well-established sex and racial differences, with hyperinsulinemia more common among African Americans (AA) females relative to European Americans (EA). The objective of our study was to evaluate the relationship between height and adiposity in children. In addition, a secondary objective was to evaluate potential moderation by insulin concentration. Seventy-two pre-pubertal children aged 4-10 years (mu = 6.6 +/- .2) participated. Percent fat was assessed by DXA and fasting insulin by serum assay. Height was positively associated with percent fat in the overall sample (P = .04). When evaluated according to age, an association was identified at age seven years (P = .02). When evaluated by sex, a positive relationship was apparent only in AA girls (P = .05). Inclusion of insulin in the model attenuated all significant associations, barring marginal significance in those aged seven years (P = .08). A positive relationship between height and adiposity is apparent, particularly among those in younger years, which is contrary to what has been consistently reported in adults. Interestingly, age seven years was identified as a point of race-associated divergence in body composition. The degree to which growth-related processes in childhood underlie developmental origins of health disparities warrants further study.

Climate and the complexity of migratory phenology: sexes, migratory distance, and arrival distributions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macmynowski, Dena P.; Root, Terry L.

2007-05-01

The intra- and inter-season complexity of bird migration has received limited attention in climatic change research. Our phenological analysis of 22 species collected in Chicago, USA, (1979 2002) evaluates the relationship between multi-scalar climate variables and differences (1) in arrival timing between sexes, (2) in arrival distributions among species, and (3) between spring and fall migration. The early migratory period for earliest arriving species (i.e., short-distance migrants) and earliest arriving individuals of a species (i.e., males) most frequently correlate with climate variables. Compared to long-distance migrant species, four times as many short-distance migrants correlate with spring temperature, while 8 of 11 (73%) of long-distance migrant species’ arrival is correlated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). While migratory phenology has been correlated with NAO in Europe, we believe that this is the first documentation of a significant association in North America. Geographically proximate conditions apparently influence migratory timing for short-distance migrants while continental-scale climate (e.g., NAO) seemingly influences the phenology of Neotropical migrants. The preponderance of climate correlations is with the early migratory period, not the median of arrival, suggesting that early spring conditions constrain the onset or rate of migration for some species. The seasonal arrival distribution provides considerable information about migratory passage beyond what is apparent from statistical analyses of phenology. A relationship between climate and fall phenology is not detected at this location. Analysis of the within-season complexity of migration, including multiple metrics of arrival, is essential to detect species’ responses to changing climate as well as evaluate the underlying biological mechanisms.

Latent association between low urine pH and low body weight in an apparently healthy population.

PubMed

Nakajima, Kei; Oda, Eiji; Kanda, Eiichiro

2016-01-01

Low urine pH, a plausible predictor for chronic kidney disease and metabolic disorders, is often observed in obese individuals. However, the association between low urine pH and low body weight is equivocal. We examined clinical parameters including urine pH and body mass index (BMI) in a cross-sectional study of 3629 apparently healthy Japanese adults aged 25-80 years who underwent a health-screening check-up. Urine pH was lower and the prevalence of proteinuria was significantly higher in subjects with BMI of ≥ 27.0 kg/m(2) compared with those with BMI of 21.0-22.9 kg/m(2). By contrast, hematuria was more prevalent in subjects with BMI of ≤ 20.9 kg/m(2). Logistic regression analysis showed that BMI of ≥ 27.0 kg/m(2) was significantly associated with low urine pH (≤ 5.5), which remained significant after adjustment for relevant confounders including age, sex, proteinuria, estimated glomerular filtration rate, urine density, hematuria, smoking status, and daily alcohol drinking. However, the association disappeared after further adjustment for serum uric acid. In contrast, the association between low urine pH and BMI of ≤ 19.0 kg/m(2) was significant after adjustment for age and sex and rather strengthened by the further adjustment for serum uric acid. In conclusion, low urine pH may be independently associated with low BMI. However, the underlying mechanisms of low urine pH in low body weight may differ from those in high body weight.

Sex differentials in health.

PubMed Central

Verbrugge, L M

1982-01-01

Health status and health behavior of males and females in the United States are compared; the data employed in the analysis are from community studies and the surveys of the National Center for Health Statistics. Females generally show a higher incidence of acute conditions, higher prevalence of minor chronic conditions, more short-term restricted activity, and more use of health services (especially outpatient services) and medicines. By contrast, males have higher prevalence rates for life-threatening chronic conditions, higher incidence of injuries, more long-term disability, and after about age 50, higher rates of hospitalization. These sex differences appear at all ages, except for early childhood when boys have a worse health profile than girls. The following interpretations are consistent with the data; they are hypotheses rather than demonstrated facts. Women are more frequently ill than men, but with relatively mild problems. By contrast, men feel ill less often, but their illnesses and injuries are more serious. These morbidity differences help to explain sex differentials in health behavior; frequent symptoms lead to more restricted activity, physician and dentist visits, and drug use for women; severe symptoms lead to more permanent limitations and hospitalization for men. But attitudes about symptoms, medical care, drugs, and self-care are also extremely important. Males may be socialized to ignore physical discomforts; thus, they are unaware of symptoms that females feel keenly. Also, men may be less willing and able to seek medical care for perceived symptoms. When diagnosis and treatment are finally obtained, men's conditions are probably more advanced and less amenable to control. Finally, men may be less willing and able to restrict their activities when ill or injured. Four important factors than underlie sex differentials in health are discussed: inherited risks of illness, acquired risks of illness and injury, illness and prevention orientations, and health reporting behavior. Statistics show that women ultimately have lower mortality rates than men--despite women's more frequent morbidity and possibly because of more care for their illnesses and injuries. The apparent contradiction between sex differences in morbidity and mortality (females are sicker but males die sooner) is explored. PMID:6750677

HIV-related risk perception among female sex workers in Nigeria

PubMed Central

Ankomah, Augustine; Omoregie, Godpower; Akinyemi, Zacch; Anyanti, Jennifer; Ladipo, Olaronke; Adebayo, Samson

2011-01-01

Background Over one-third of sex workers in Nigeria are infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), yet there is a lack of understanding of sex workers’ own perception of sexual risk-taking. Applying the theory of cognitive dissonance, this paper examined the personal HIV risk perception of brothel-based sex workers. Methods The study is based on 24 focus group discussions held among brothel-based sex workers in four geographically and culturally dispersed cities in Nigeria. Results It was found that sex workers underestimated their risk of infection and rationalized, defended, or justified their behaviors, a typical psychological response to worry, threat, and anxiety arising from the apparent discrepancies between beliefs and behaviors. To reduce dissonance, many sex workers had a strong belief in fatalism, predestination, and faith-based invulnerability to HIV infection. Many believed that one will not die of acquired immune deficiency syndrome if it is not ordained by God. The sex workers also had a high level of HIV-related stigma. Conclusion From these findings, most sex workers considered risk reduction and in particular condom use as far beyond their control or even unnecessary, as a result of their strong beliefs in fatalism and predestination. Therefore, one critical area of intervention is the need to assist sex workers to develop accurate means of assessing their personal vulnerability and self-appraisal of HIV-related risk. PMID:22096411

Single-locus complementary sex determination in the inbreeding wasp Euodynerus foraminatus Saussure (Hymenoptera: Vespidae).

PubMed

Stahlhut, J K; Cowan, D P

2004-03-01

The Hymenoptera have arrhenotokous haplodiploidy in which males normally develop from unfertilized eggs and are haploid, while females develop from fertilized eggs and are diploid. Multiple sex determination systems are known to underlie haplodiploidy, and the best understood is single-locus complementary sex determination (sl-CSD) in which sex is determined at a single polymorphic locus. Individuals heterozygous at the sex locus develop as females; individuals that are hemizygous (haploid) or homozygous (diploid) at the sex locus develop as males. sl-CSD can be detected with inbreeding experiments that produce diploid males in predictable proportions as well as sex ratio shifts due to diploid male production. This sex determination system is considered incompatible with inbreeding because the ensuing increase in homozygosity increases the production of diploid males that are inviable or infertile, imposing a high cost on matings between close relatives. However, in the solitary hunting wasp Euodynerus foraminatus, a species suspected of having sl-CSD, inbreeding may be common due to a high incidence of sibling matings at natal nests. In laboratory crosses with E. foraminatus, we find that sex ratios and diploid male production (detected as microsatellite heterozygosity) are consistent with sl-CSD, but not with other sex determination systems. This is the first documented example of sl-CSD in a hymenopteran with an apparent natural history of inbreeding, and thus presents a paradox for our understanding of hymenopteran genetics.

Infants Prefer Female Body Phenotypes; Infant Girls Prefer They Have an Hourglass Shape

PubMed Central

Alexander, Gerianne M.; Hawkins, Laura B.; Wilcox, Teresa; Hirshkowitz, Amy

2016-01-01

Adolescents and adults show preferences for male and female body shapes consistent with evolutionary theories of reproductive fitness and mate selection. However, when these preferences for females with narrow waists (i.e., 0.7 waist-to-hip ratio) and men with broad shoulders (i.e., mesomorphic body shape) emerge during the lifespan is largely unknown. To address this knowledge gap, eye-movements were tracked in 146 infants (3–18 months of age) during computer presentation of three-dimensional human figures varying in body features thought relevant for reproductive success (e.g., secondary sex characteristics, waist-to-hip ratio). When presented with pairs of figures differing in apparent sex, male and female infants looked significantly longer at the female figure compared to the male figure, a new finding that extends previous research showing preferences for female faces in infancy. When presented with same-sex figures differing in characteristics associated with mate value, male and female infants looked longer at a low mate value male (i.e., an endomorphic body type) compared to a high mate value male (i.e., a mesomorphic body type), a finding that replicates the results of previous research. In addition, the novel use of high and low mate value female figures showed a sex difference in visual attention, such that female infants looked longer at the high mate value female figure compared to the low mate female figure whereas male infants showed the opposite pattern of results. In sum, these findings suggest that infants generally do not possess preferences for adult-defined attractive male body shapes. However, infant girls’ greater attention to a female figure with an adult-preferred waist-to-hip ratio raises the possibility that evolved preferences for 0.7 waist-to-hip ratio influence girls’ later preference for toys representing females with an hourglass shape, perhaps supporting elaboration of adult social behaviors that enhance reproductive success (e.g., cooperative breeding). PMID:27375509

Blood values of the canvasback duck by age, sex and season

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kocan, R.M.; Pitts, S.M.

1976-01-01

Blood samples were obtained from canvasback ducklings from Manitoba and Saskatchewan and from immature and adult canvasbacks on the Mississippi River near LaCrosse, Wisconsin and the Chesapeake Bay. These samples were used to determine baseline data on red cell counts, hematocrit, total protein, glucose, cholesterol, hemoglobin and distribution of plasma proteins. Calculations were also made to determine mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration. The major differences noted were between ducklings and adults. The former having higher total protein and lower hematocrit, glucose and cholesterol values. These hematologic values were collected in order to provide baseline information on apparently healthy canvasbacks, thereby providing disease investigators with a standard of comparison

Physical activity and BMI in a nationally representative sample of children and adolescents.

PubMed

Chung, Arlene E; Skinner, Asheley Cockrell; Steiner, Michael J; Perrin, Eliana M

2012-02-01

To examine objectively measured physical activity levels by age, sex, and BMI for children and adolescents in a nationally representative sample. Data were from the 2003-2004 and 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, which included physical activity assessment by accelerometer and measured height and weight. The authors calculated minutes of moderate and vigorous activity. Boys were more active than girls, and activity levels were lower at older ages. Younger children met daily recommendations for physical activity, whereas older children, especially girls, did not. Typically, weight status was inversely related to activity, though differences were less apparent among boys. Underweight children were not always more active than heavier peers.

Mineralocorticoid receptor haplotypes sex-dependently moderate depression susceptibility following childhood maltreatment.

PubMed

Vinkers, Christiaan H; Joëls, Marian; Milaneschi, Yuri; Gerritsen, Lotte; Kahn, René S; Penninx, Brenda W J H; Boks, Marco P M

2015-04-01

The MR is an important regulator of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and a prime target for corticosteroids. There is increasing evidence from both clinical and preclinical studies that the MR has different effects on behavior and mood in males and females. To investigate the hypothesis that the MR sex-dependently influences the relation between childhood maltreatment and depression, we investigated three common and functional MR haplotypes (GA, CA, and CG haplotype, based on rs5522 and rs2070951) in a population-based cohort (N = 665) and an independent clinical cohort from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA) (N = 1639). The CA haplotype sex-dependently moderated the relation between childhood maltreatment and depressive symptoms both in the population-based sample (sex × maltreatment × haplotype: β = -4.07, P = 0.029) and in the clinical sample (sex × maltreatment × haplotype, β = -2.40, P = 0.011). Specifically, female individuals in the population-based sample were protected (β = -4.58, P = 2.0 e(-5)), whereas males in the clinical sample were at increased risk (β = 2.54, P = 0.0022). In line with these results, female GA haplotype carriers displayed increased vulnerability in the population-based sample (β = 4.58, P = 7.5 e(-5)) whereas male CG-carriers showed increased resilience in the clinical sample (β = -2.71, P = 0.016). Consistently, we found a decreased lifetime MDD risk for male GA haplotype carriers following childhood maltreatment but an increased risk for male CA haplotype carriers in the clinical sample. In both samples, sex-dependent effects were observed for GA-GA diplotype carriers. In summary, sex plays an important role in determining whether functional genetic variation in MR is beneficial or detrimental, with an apparent female advantage for the CA haplotype but male advantage for the GA and CG haplotype. These sex-dependent effects of MR on depression susceptibility following childhood maltreatment are relevant in light of the increased prevalence of mood disorders in women and point to a sex-specific role of MR in the etiology of depression following childhood maltreatment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On the ecology of two sympatric flounders of the genus Paralichthys in the Bay of Coquimbo, Chile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acuña, Enzo; Cid, Luis

The ecology of two flounders belonging to the genus Paralichthys was studied in the Bay of Coquimbo (29°57'S), Chile. P. adspersus grows larger than P. microps. In both species, the females were significantly larger than the males. The species differed in their reproductive cycles as revealed by their gonadosomatic indices. This difference was also reflected in larval abundance and spatial distribution of the species. No significant changes were found in the abundances of juveniles and adults in the Bay of Coquimbo either throughout the year or interannually. However, when the analysis included the proportion of specimens between the two species and sex by season, the differences were apparent in most cases. The results show that the environmental characteristics of the marine system which the Bay of Coquimbo is a part of provide good feeding, spawning and nursery grounds for these two species of flounder.

Sex Differences in the Physiological and Behavioral Effects of Chronic Oral Methylphenidate Treatment in Rats

PubMed Central

Robison, Lisa S.; Michaelos, Michalis; Gandhi, Jason; Fricke, Dennis; Miao, Erick; Lam, Chiu-Yim; Mauceri, Anthony; Vitale, Melissa; Lee, Junho; Paeng, Soyeh; Komatsu, David E.; Hadjiargyrou, Michael; Thanos, Panayotis K.

2017-01-01

Methylphenidate (MP) is a psychostimulant prescribed for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Previously, we developed a dual bottle 8-h-limited-access-drinking-paradigm for oral MP treatment of rats that mimics the pharmacokinetic profile of treated patients. This study assessed sex differences in response to this treatment. Male and female Sprague Dawley rats were assigned to one of three treatment groups at 4 weeks of age (n = 12/group): Control (water), low dose (LD) MP, and high dose (HD) MP. Rats drank 4 mg/kg MP (LD) or 30 mg/kg MP (HD) during the first hour, and 10 mg/kg (LD) or 60 mg/kg MP (HD) for the remaining 7 h each day. Throughout 3 months of treatment, rats were monitored for body weight, food intake, and fluid intake; as well as tested for open field behavior, circadian activity, novel object recognition, and social interaction. Chronic MP treated rats exhibited reduced fluid intake during distinct treatment weeks to a greater extent in males, and reduced total fluid intake in males only. HD MP treatment decreased body weight in both sexes, while HD MP increased total food intake in females only, likely to offset energy deficits resulting from MP-induced hyperactivity. LD and HD MP increased locomotor activity in the open field, particularly in females and during later treatment weeks. MP dose-dependently increased activity during the dark cycle of circadian testing in females, while in males hyperactivity was only exhibited by HD rats. HD MP increased center activity to a greater extent in males, while MP increased rearing behavior in females only. MP had no effect on social behavior or novel object recognition in either sex. This study concludes that chronic oral MP treatment at clinically-relevant dosages has significant effects on food intake, body weight, open field behavior, and wake cycle activity. Particularly marked sex differences were apparent for locomotor activity, with females being significantly more sensitive to the hyperactivating effects of the drug. These findings suggest that chronic MP exposure beginning in adolescence can have significant behavioral effects that are both dose- and sex-dependent, and raise concerns regarding the reversibility of these effects post-discontinuation of treatment. PMID:28400722

Cancer incidence in urban, rural, and densely populated districts close to core cities in Bavaria, Germany.

PubMed

Radespiel-Tröger, M; Geiss, K; Twardella, D; Maier, W; Meyer, M

2018-02-01

An ecologic study on the level of districts was performed to evaluate the possible association between district type and risk of cancer in Bavaria, Southern Germany. Cancer incidence data for the years 2003-2012 were obtained from the population-based cancer registry Bavaria according to sex and cancer site. Data on district type, socio-economic area deprivation, particulate matter exposure, tobacco consumption, and alcohol consumption were obtained from publicly available sources. The possible association between district type and cancer risk adjusted for age, socio-economic area deprivation, particulate matter exposure, tobacco consumption, and alcohol consumption was evaluated using multivariable multi-level negative binomial regression. We found a significantly reduced cancer risk in densely populated districts close to core cities and/or rural districts compared to core cities with respect to the cancer sites mouth and pharynx (women only), liver (both sexes), larynx (both sexes), lung (both sexes), melanoma of the skin (both sexes), mesothelioma (men only), connective and soft tissue (both sexes), corpus uteri, other urinary tract (men only), urinary bladder (both sexes), and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (both sexes). Our findings require further monitoring. Since the apparently increased cancer risk in core cities may be related to lifestyle factors, preventive measures against lifestyle-related cancer could be specifically targeted at populations in deprived core cities.

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope enrichment in primate tissues

PubMed Central

Carter, Melinda L.; Karpanty, Sarah M.; Zihlman, Adrienne L.; Koch, Paul L.; Dominy, Nathaniel J.

2010-01-01

Isotopic studies of wild primates have used a wide range of tissues to infer diet and model the foraging ecologies of extinct species. The use of mismatched tissues for such comparisons can be problematic because differences in amino acid compositions can lead to small isotopic differences between tissues. Additionally, physiological and dietary differences among primate species could lead to variable offsets between apatite carbonate and collagen. To improve our understanding of the isotopic chemistry of primates, we explored the apparent enrichment (ε*) between bone collagen and muscle, collagen and fur or hair keratin, muscle and keratin, and collagen and bone carbonate across the primate order. We found that the mean ε* values of proteinaceous tissues were small (≤1‰), and uncorrelated with body size or phylogenetic relatedness. Additionally, ε* values did not vary by habitat, sex, age, or manner of death. The mean ε* value between bone carbonate and collagen (5.6 ± 1.2‰) was consistent with values reported for omnivorous mammals consuming monoisotopic diets. These primate-specific apparent enrichment values will be a valuable tool for cross-species comparisons. Additionally, they will facilitate dietary comparisons between living and fossil primates. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00442-010-1701-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. PMID:20628886

Female Genitalia Concealment Promotes Intimate Male Courtship in a Water Strider

PubMed Central

Han, Chang S.; Jablonski, Piotr G.

2009-01-01

Violent coercive mating initiation is typical for animals with sexual conflict over mating. In these species, the coevolutionary arms-race between female defenses against coercive mating and male counter-adaptations for increased mating success leads to coevolutionary chases of male and female traits that influence the mating. It has been controversial whether one of the sexes can evolve traits that allow them to “win” this arms race. Here, we use morphological analysis (traditional and scanning electron micrographs), laboratory experiments and comparative methods to show how females of a species characterized by typical coercive mating initiation appear to “win” a particular stage of the sexual conflict by evolving morphology to hide their genitalia from direct, forceful access by males. In an apparent response to the female morphological adaptation, males of this species added to their typically violent coercive mounting of the female new post-mounting, pre-copulatory courtship signals produced by tapping the water's surface with the mid-legs. These courtship signals are intimate in the sense that they are aimed at the female, on whom the male is already mounted. Females respond to the signals by exposing their hidden genitalia for copulatory intromission. Our results indicate that the apparent victory of coevolutionary arms race by one sex in terms of morphology may trigger evolution of a behavioral phenotype in the opposite sex. PMID:19516886

Physiological Comparison of Concentric and Eccentric Arm Cycling in Males and Females

PubMed Central

Beaven, C. Martyn; Willis, Sarah J.; Cook, Christian J.; Holmberg, Hans-Christer

2014-01-01

Lower body eccentric exercise is well known to elicit high levels of muscular force with relatively low cardiovascular and metabolic strain. As a result, eccentric exercise has been successfully utilised as an adaptive stressor to improve lower body muscle function in populations ranging from the frail and debilitated, to highly-trained individuals. Here we investigate the metabolic, cardiorespiratory, and energy costs of upper body eccentric exercise in a healthy population. Seven men and seven women performed 4-min efforts of eccentric (ECC) or concentric (CON) arm cycling on a novel arm ergometer at workloads corresponding to 40, 60, and 80% of their peak workload as assessed in an incremental concentric trial. The heart rate, ventilation, cardiac output, respiratory exchange ratio, and blood lactate concentrations were all clearly greater in CON condition at all of the relative workloads (all p<0.003). Effect size calculations demonstrated that the magnitude of the differences in VO2 and work economy between the ECC and CON exercise ranged from very large to extremely large; however, in no case did mechanical efficiency (ηMECH) differ between the conditions (all p>0.05). In contrast, delta efficiency (ηΔ), as previously defined by Coyle and colleagues in 1992, demonstrated a sex difference (men>women; p<0.05). Sex differences were also apparent in arteriovenous oxygen difference and heart rate during CON. Here, we reinforce the high-force, low cost attributes of eccentric exercise which can be generalised to the muscles of the upper body. Upper body eccentric exercise is likely to form a useful adjunct in debilitative, rehabilitative, and adaptive clinical exercise programs; however, reports of a shift towards an oxidative phenotype should be taken into consideration by power athletes. We suggest delta efficiency as a sensitive measure of efficiency that allowed the identification of sex differences. PMID:25372404

Aggression, conflict resolution, popularity, and attitude to school in Russian adolescents.

PubMed

Butovskaya, Marina L; Timentschik, Vera M; Burkova, Valentina N

2007-01-01

The objective of the present study was to examine the effects of aggression and conflict-managing skills on popularity and attitude to school in Russian adolescents. Three types of aggression (physical, verbal, and indirect), constructive conflict resolution, third-party intervention, withdrawal, and victimization were examined using the Peer-Estimated Conflict Behavior (PECOBE) inventory [Bjorkquist and Osterman, 1998]. Also, all respondents rated peer and self-popularity with same-sex classmates and personal attitude to school. The sample consisted of 212 Russian adolescents (101 boys, 111 girls) aged between 11 and 15 years. The findings attest to significant sex differences in aggression and conflict resolution patterns. Boys scored higher on physical and verbal aggression, and girls on indirect aggression. Girls were socially more skillful than boys in the use of peaceful means of conflict resolution (they scored higher on constructive conflict resolution and third-party intervention). The attributional discrepancy index (ADI) scores were negative for all three types of aggression in both sexes. Verbal aggression is apparently more condemned in boys than in girls. ADI scores were positive for constructive conflict resolution and third-party intervention in both genders, being higher in boys. In girls, verbal aggression was positively correlated with popularity. In both sexes, popularity showed a positive correlation with constructive conflict resolution and third-party intervention, and a negative correlation with withdrawal and victimization. Boys who liked school were popular with same-sex peers and scored higher on constructive conflict resolution. Girls who liked school were less aggressive according to peer rating. They also rated higher on conflict resolution and third-party intervention. Physical aggression was related to age. The results are discussed in a cross-cultural perspective. Copyright 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Use of female nest characteristics in the sexual behaviour of male sockeye salmon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hamon, T.R.; Foote, C.J.; Brown, G.S.

1999-01-01

On three island beaches in Iliamna Lake, Alaska, large numbers of male sockeye salmon gathered and spawned in artificial excavations that mimicked a female's nest immediately prior to spawning, while apparently ignoring the control site. The number of males attracted was correlated positively with changes in the operational sex ratio. In contrast, on the mainland beach examined, no reaction to the artificial nests was apparent. The results are discussed in terms of mate searching behaviour by males, the duration of the spawning period, and associated selection pressures on males to use characteristics of their environment that provide information on availability of females.

Thelytokous parthenogenesis in eusocial Hymenoptera.

PubMed

Rabeling, Christian; Kronauer, Daniel J C

2013-01-01

Female parthenogenesis, or thelytoky, is particularly common in solitary Hymenoptera. Only more recently has it become clear that many eusocial species also regularly reproduce thelytokously, and here we provide a comprehensive overview. Especially in ants, thelytoky underlies a variety of idiosyncratic life histories with unique evolutionary and ecological consequences. In all eusocial species studied, thelytoky probably has a nuclear genetic basis and the underlying cytological mechanism retains high levels of heterozygosity. This is in striking contrast to many solitary wasps, in which thelytoky is often induced by cytoplasmic bacteria and results in an immediate loss of heterozygosity. These differences are likely related to differences in haplodiploid sex determination mechanisms, which in eusocial species usually require heterozygosity for female development. At the same time, haplodiploidy might account for important preadaptations that can help explain the apparent ease with which Hymenoptera transition between sexual and asexual reproduction.

Distance and Sex Determine Host Plant Choice by Herbivorous Beetles

PubMed Central

Ballhorn, Daniel J.; Kautz, Stefanie; Heil, Martin

2013-01-01

Background Plants respond to herbivore damage with the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This indirect defense can cause ecological costs when herbivores themselves use VOCs as cues to localize suitable host plants. Can VOCs reliably indicate food plant quality to herbivores? Methodology We determined the choice behavior of herbivorous beetles (Chrysomelidae: Gynandrobrotica guerreroensis and Cerotoma ruficornis) when facing lima bean plants (Fabaceae: Phaseolus lunatus) with different cyanogenic potential, which is an important constitutive direct defense. Expression of inducible indirect defenses was experimentally manipulated by jasmonic acid treatment at different concentrations. The long-distance responses of male and female beetles to the resulting induced plant volatiles were investigated in olfactometer and free-flight experiments and compared to the short-distance decisions of the same beetles in feeding trials. Conclusion Female beetles of both species were repelled by VOCs released from all induced plants independent of the level of induction. In contrast, male beetles were repelled by strongly induced plants, showed no significant differences in choice behavior towards moderately induced plants, but responded positively to VOCs released from little induced plants. Thus, beetle sex and plant VOCs had a significant effect on host searching behavior. By contrast, feeding behavior of both sexes was strongly determined by the cyanogenic potential of leaves, although females again responded more sensitively than males. Apparently, VOCs mainly provide information to these beetles that are not directly related to food quality. Being induced by herbivory and involved in indirect plant defense, such VOCs might indicate the presence of competitors and predators to herbivores. We conclude that plant quality as a food source and finding a potentially enemy-free space is more important for female than for male insect herbivores, whereas the presence of a slightly damaged plant can help males to localize putative mating partners. PMID:23405176

Plasma esterases in the tegu lizard Tupinambis merianae (Reptilia, Teiidae): impact of developmental stage, sex, and organophosphorus in vitro exposure.

PubMed

Basso, Agustín; Attademo, Andrés M; Lajmanovich, Rafael C; Peltzer, Paola M; Junges, Celina; Cabagna, Mariana C; Fiorenza, Gabriela S; Sanchez-Hernandez, Juan Carlos

2012-01-01

In this study, we determined normal serum butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and carboxylesterase (CbE) activities in Tupinambis merianae in order to obtain reference values for organophosphorus pesticide monitoring. Forty-two T. merianae individuals were grouped by sex and size to identify potential differences in their enzyme levels to allow for proper representation of normal values for females, males, juveniles, and hatchlings. Mean CbE was determined using two model substrates: alpha-naphtylacetate (α-NA) and p-nitrophenyl valerate (4-NPV). BChE and CbE sensitivity to malaoxon (Mx) was also evaluated as well as the possibility of BChE reactivation with pyridine-2-aldoxime methochloride (2-PAM). Mean adult females' BChE was significantly higher than adult males, juveniles, and hatchlings. No significant differences were found between groups regarding CbE. CbE (4-NPV) activity showed slightly negative correlation with lizard snout-vent length, while BChE and CbE (α-NA) showed no correlation with body size. Apparent IC(50) values for BChE and CbE (α-NA) suggested different sensitivities among groups. CbE (4-NPV) could not be inhibited. All Mx-inhibited groups treated with 2-PAM in a final concentration of 2.8 mM showed clear signs of reactivation. In conclusion, the results demonstrate that (1) plasma esterase activity did not vary with age and sex, except for BChE activity, and (2) because biological and environmental variables could be confounding factors in the response of plasma cholinesterases, complementary biomarkers like CbE inhibition and oxime-induced reactivation of esterases are strongly recommended.

The interaction of assessment format and sex in assessing the knowledge structure coherence of middle school students' understanding of the concept of force

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schleigh, Sharon

This study focuses on the impact of assessment format on the identification of students' ideas surrounding the concept of force and the consistency with which students apply those ideas across contexts. It is in response to the debate in conceptual change literature regarding students' knowledge structure coherence. Empirical studies in this field typically rely on an interview assessment format. The current study examined the potential of a constructed response assessment format as another possible instrument for data collection involving larger sample populations. The current study specifically compared how the two assessment formats (constructed response and interview assessment) assessed 45 students in the ninth grade in a single school in Arizona. The analysis explored possible biases and interactions by sex, order of assessment, and preference for assessment format because the literature suggests that these factors may potentially affect the performance and coding of assessments. Although small differences between the two assessments were found, the differences were not statistically significant overall or for any subgroup. More specifically, there were no apparent significant biases in the two formats with regard to one another and student sex. However it was found that girls are more likely to express multiple-best match meanings than boys in both assessments. This may be an influence in the diversity found in previous studies concerning students' knowledge structures. These findings suggest that the constructed response format could be administered on a larger scale to assist in the identification of factors contributing to the differences in findings across prior studies in this field. Additionally, these results suggest the potential of this constructed response format for helping teachers conduct formative assessments to guide instructional decisions.

Sex-related differences in photoinhibition, photo-oxidative stress and photoprotection in stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.) exposed to drought and nutrient deficiency.

PubMed

Simancas, Bárbara; Juvany, Marta; Cotado, Alba; Munné-Bosch, Sergi

2016-03-01

Dimorphic plant species can show distinct nutrient needs due to sex-related differences in nutrient allocation to reproductive structures, which can potentially affect their sensitivity to photoinhibition and photo-oxidative stress. Here, we investigated sex-related differences in the extent of photo-oxidative stress in male and female individuals of U. dioica exposed to a combination of severe drought and nutrient starvation. Male and female individuals of U. dioica subject to severe drought stress were exposed to various levels of nutrient availability. First, a set of plants grown under field conditions and exposed to summer drought was used to test the effects of nutrient supply (given as NPK fertilizer). Secondly, the effects of various phosphate concentrations in the nutrient solution were tested in drought-stressed potted plants. The Fv/Fm ratio (maximum efficiency of PSII photochemistry), photoprotection capacity (levels of carotenoids, including the xanthophyll cycle, and vitamins C and E), and the extent of lipid peroxidation (hydroperoxide levels) were measured. Results showed that an application of the NPK fertilizer to the soil had a positive effect on drought-stressed plants, reducing the extent of lipid peroxidation in both males and females. P deficiency led to residual photoinhibition, as indicated by significant reductions in the Fv/Fm ratio, and enhanced lipid peroxidation in females, but not in males. We conclude that (i) increased nutrient availability in the soil can alleviate photo-oxidative stress in drought-stressed U. dioica plants, and (ii) U. dioica plants show sexual secondary dimorphism in terms of photoinhibition and photo-oxidative stress, but this is only apparent when stress infringed on plants is very severe. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Living on the edge: Daily, seasonal and annual body temperature patterns of Arabian oryx in Saudi Arabia.

PubMed

Streicher, S; Lutermann, H; Bennett, N C; Bertelsen, M F; Mohammed, O B; Manger, P R; Scantlebury, M; Ismael, K; Alagaili, A N

2017-01-01

Heterothermy, the ability to allow body temperature (Tb) to fluctuate, has been proposed as an adaptive mechanism that enables large ungulates to cope with the high environmental temperatures and lack of free water experienced in arid environments. By storing heat during the daytime and dissipating it during the night, arid-adapted ungulates may reduce evaporative water loss and conserve water. Adaptive heterothermy in large ungulates should be particularly pronounced in hot environments with severely limited access to free water. In the current study we investigated the effects of environmental temperature (ambient, Ta and soil, Ts) and water stress on the Tb of wild, free-ranging Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) in two different sites in Saudi Arabia, Mahazat as-Sayd (MS) and Uruq Bani Ma'arid (UBM). Using implanted data loggers wet took continuous Tb readings every 10 minutes for an entire calendar year and determined the Tb amplitude as well as the heterothermy index (HI). Both differed significantly between sites but contrary to our expectations they were greater in MS despite its lower environmental temperatures and higher rainfall. This may be partially attributable to a higher activity in an unfamiliar environment for translocated animals in UBM. As expected Tb amplitude and HI were greatest during summer. Only minor sex differences were apparent that may be attributable to sex-specific investment into reproduction (e.g. male-male competition) during rut. Our results suggest that the degree of heterothermy is not only driven by extrinsic factors (e.g. environmental temperatures and water availability), but may also be affected by intrinsic factors (e.g. sex and/or behaviour).

Living on the edge: Daily, seasonal and annual body temperature patterns of Arabian oryx in Saudi Arabia

PubMed Central

Lutermann, H.; Bennett, N. C.; Bertelsen, M. F.; Mohammed, O. B.; Manger, P. R.; Scantlebury, M.; Ismael, K.; Alagaili, A. N.

2017-01-01

Heterothermy, the ability to allow body temperature (Tb) to fluctuate, has been proposed as an adaptive mechanism that enables large ungulates to cope with the high environmental temperatures and lack of free water experienced in arid environments. By storing heat during the daytime and dissipating it during the night, arid-adapted ungulates may reduce evaporative water loss and conserve water. Adaptive heterothermy in large ungulates should be particularly pronounced in hot environments with severely limited access to free water. In the current study we investigated the effects of environmental temperature (ambient, Ta and soil, Ts) and water stress on the Tb of wild, free-ranging Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) in two different sites in Saudi Arabia, Mahazat as-Sayd (MS) and Uruq Bani Ma’arid (UBM). Using implanted data loggers wet took continuous Tb readings every 10 minutes for an entire calendar year and determined the Tb amplitude as well as the heterothermy index (HI). Both differed significantly between sites but contrary to our expectations they were greater in MS despite its lower environmental temperatures and higher rainfall. This may be partially attributable to a higher activity in an unfamiliar environment for translocated animals in UBM. As expected Tb amplitude and HI were greatest during summer. Only minor sex differences were apparent that may be attributable to sex-specific investment into reproduction (e.g. male-male competition) during rut. Our results suggest that the degree of heterothermy is not only driven by extrinsic factors (e.g. environmental temperatures and water availability), but may also be affected by intrinsic factors (e.g. sex and/or behaviour). PMID:28854247

Estimating the prevalence and intensity of Schistosoma mansoni infection among rural communities in Western Tanzania: The influence of sampling strategy and statistical approach

PubMed Central

Bakuza, Jared S.; Denwood, Matthew J.; Nkwengulila, Gamba

2017-01-01

Background Schistosoma mansoni is a parasite of major public health importance in developing countries, where it causes a neglected tropical disease known as intestinal schistosomiasis. However, the distribution of the parasite within many endemic regions is currently unknown, which hinders effective control. The purpose of this study was to characterize the prevalence and intensity of infection of S. mansoni in a remote area of western Tanzania. Methodology/Principal findings Stool samples were collected from 192 children and 147 adults residing in Gombe National Park and four nearby villages. Children were actively sampled in local schools, and adults were sampled passively by voluntary presentation at the local health clinics. The two datasets were therefore analysed separately. Faecal worm egg count (FWEC) data were analysed using negative binomial and zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB) models with explanatory variables of site, sex, and age. The ZINB models indicated that a substantial proportion of the observed zero FWEC reflected a failure to detect eggs in truly infected individuals, meaning that the estimated true prevalence was much higher than the apparent prevalence as calculated based on the simple proportion of non-zero FWEC. For the passively sampled data from adults, the data were consistent with close to 100% true prevalence of infection. Both the prevalence and intensity of infection differed significantly between sites, but there were no significant associations with sex or age. Conclusions/Significance Overall, our data suggest a more widespread distribution of S. mansoni in this part of Tanzania than was previously thought. The apparent prevalence estimates substantially under-estimated the true prevalence as determined by the ZINB models, and the two types of sampling strategies also resulted in differing conclusions regarding prevalence of infection. We therefore recommend that future surveillance programmes designed to assess risk factors should use active sampling whenever possible, in order to avoid the self-selection bias associated with passive sampling. PMID:28934206

Seasonal sexual segregation in two Thalassarche albatross species: competitive exclusion, reproductive role specialization or foraging niche divergence?

PubMed

Phillips, R A; Silk, J R D; Phalan, B; Catry, P; Croxall, J P

2004-06-22

Sexual segregation by micro- or macrohabitat is common in birds, and usually attributed to size-mediated dominance and exclusion of females by larger males, trophic niche divergence or reproductive role specialization. Our study of black-browed albatrosses, Thalassarche melanophrys, and grey-headed albatrosses, T. chrysostoma, revealed an exceptional degree of sexual segregation during incubation, with largely mutually exclusive core foraging ranges for each sex in both species. Spatial segregation was not apparent during brood-guard or post-guard chick rearing, when adults are constrained to feed close to colonies, providing no evidence for dominance-related competitive exclusion at the macrohabitat level. A comprehensive morphometric comparison indicated considerable species and sexual dimorphism in wing area and wing loading that corresponded, both within and between species, to broad-scale habitat preferences relating to wind strength. We suggest that seasonal sexual segregation in these two species is attributable to niche divergence mediated by differences in flight performance. Such sexual segregation may also have implications for conservation in relation to sex-specific overlap with commercial fisheries.

Studies on metatherian sex chromosomes. IX. Sex chromosomes of the greater glider (Marsupialia: Petauridae).

PubMed

Murray, J D; McKay, G M; Sharman, G B

1979-06-01

The greater glider, currently but incorrectly known as Schoinobates volans, is widely distributed in forested regions in eastern Australia. All animals studied from six different localities had 20 autosomes but there were four chromosomally distinct populations. At Royal National Park, N.S.W., all female greater gliders studied had 22 chromosomes including two large submetacentric X chromosomes with subterminal secondary constrictions in their longer arms. This form of X chromosome occurred also at Bondo State Forest, Myall Lakes and Coff's Harbour, N.S.W., and at Eidsvold, Qld. At Coomooboolaroo, Qld, the X chromosome was also a large submetacentric but a secondary constriction occurred in the shorter arm. Two chromosomally distinct types apparently occur in Royal National Park, one with XY males as in all other populations, and one with XY1Y2 males. Y or Y1, but not Y2, chromosomes were eliminated from the bone marrow in all populations but were present in spermatogonia, primary spermatocytes and cultured fibroblasts. Animals from Bondo State Forest had three or more acrocentric or metacentric supernumerary chromosomes.

Confounding by Pre-Morbid Functional Status in Studies of Apparent Sex Differences in Severity and Outcome of Stroke

PubMed Central

Coulombe, Janie; Li, Linxin; Ganesh, Aravind; Silver, Louise; Rothwell, Peter M.

2017-01-01

Background and Purpose— Several studies have reported unexplained worse outcomes after stroke in women but none included the full spectrum of symptomatic ischemic cerebrovascular events while adjusting for prior handicap. Methods— Using a prospective population-based incident cohort of all transient ischemic attack/stroke (OXVASC [Oxford Vascular Study]) recruited between April 2002 and March 2014, we compared pre-morbid and post-event modified Rankin Scale score (mRS) in women and men and change in mRS score 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years after stroke. Baseline stroke-related neurological impairment was measured with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale. Results— Among 2553 patients (50.6% women) with a first transient ischemic attack/ischemic stroke, women had a worse handicap 1 month after ischemic stroke (age-adjusted odds ratio for mRS score, 1.35; 95% confidence interval, 1.12–1.63). However, women also had a higher pre-morbid mRS score compared with men (age-adjusted odds ratio, 1.58; 95% confidence interval, 1.36–1.84). There was no difference in stroke severity when adjusting for age and pre-morbid mRS (odds ratio, 1.10; 95% confidence interval, 0.90–1.35) and no difference in the pre-/poststroke change in mRS at 1 month (age-adjusted odds ratio, 1.00; 95% confidence interval, 0.82–1.21), 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years. Women had a lower mortality rate, and there was no sex difference in risk of recurrent stroke. Conclusions— We found no evidence of a worse outcome of stroke in women when adjusting for age and pre-morbid mRS. Failure to account for sex differences in pre-morbid handicap could explain contradictory findings in previous studies. Properties of the mRS may also contribute to these inconsistencies. PMID:28798261

Confounding by Pre-Morbid Functional Status in Studies of Apparent Sex Differences in Severity and Outcome of Stroke.

PubMed

Renoux, Christel; Coulombe, Janie; Li, Linxin; Ganesh, Aravind; Silver, Louise; Rothwell, Peter M

2017-10-01

Several studies have reported unexplained worse outcomes after stroke in women but none included the full spectrum of symptomatic ischemic cerebrovascular events while adjusting for prior handicap. Using a prospective population-based incident cohort of all transient ischemic attack/stroke (OXVASC [Oxford Vascular Study]) recruited between April 2002 and March 2014, we compared pre-morbid and post-event modified Rankin Scale score (mRS) in women and men and change in mRS score 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years after stroke. Baseline stroke-related neurological impairment was measured with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale. Among 2553 patients (50.6% women) with a first transient ischemic attack/ischemic stroke, women had a worse handicap 1 month after ischemic stroke (age-adjusted odds ratio for mRS score, 1.35; 95% confidence interval, 1.12-1.63). However, women also had a higher pre-morbid mRS score compared with men (age-adjusted odds ratio, 1.58; 95% confidence interval, 1.36-1.84). There was no difference in stroke severity when adjusting for age and pre-morbid mRS (odds ratio, 1.10; 95% confidence interval, 0.90-1.35) and no difference in the pre-/poststroke change in mRS at 1 month (age-adjusted odds ratio, 1.00; 95% confidence interval, 0.82-1.21), 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years. Women had a lower mortality rate, and there was no sex difference in risk of recurrent stroke. We found no evidence of a worse outcome of stroke in women when adjusting for age and pre-morbid mRS. Failure to account for sex differences in pre-morbid handicap could explain contradictory findings in previous studies. Properties of the mRS may also contribute to these inconsistencies. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s).

Sex Chromosome Dosage Compensation in Heliconius Butterflies: Global yet Still Incomplete?

PubMed Central

Walters, James R.; Hardcastle, Thomas J.; Jiggins, Chris D.

2015-01-01

The evolution of heterogametic sex chromosomes is often—but not always—accompanied by the evolution of dosage compensating mechanisms that mitigate the impact of sex-specific gene dosage on levels of gene expression. One emerging view of this process is that such mechanisms may only evolve in male-heterogametic (XY) species but not in female-heterogametic (ZW) species, which will consequently exhibit “incomplete” sex chromosome dosage compensation. However, recent results suggest that at least some Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) may prove to be an exception to this prediction. Studies in bombycoid moths indicate the presence of a chromosome-wide epigenetic mechanism that effectively balances Z chromosome gene expression between the sexes by reducing Z-linked expression in males. In contrast, strong sex chromosome dosage effects without any reduction in male Z-linked expression were previously reported in a pyralid moth, suggesting a lack of any such dosage compensating mechanism. Here we report an analysis of sex chromosome dosage compensation in Heliconius butterflies, sampling multiple individuals for several different adult tissues (head, abdomen, leg, mouth, and antennae). Methodologically, we introduce a novel application of linear mixed-effects models to assess dosage compensation, offering a unified statistical framework that can estimate effects specific to chromosome, to sex, and their interactions (i.e., a dosage effect). Our results show substantially reduced Z-linked expression relative to autosomes in both sexes, as previously observed in bombycoid moths. This observation is consistent with an increasing body of evidence that some lepidopteran species possess an epigenetic dosage compensating mechanism that reduces Z chromosome expression in males to levels comparable with females. However, this mechanism appears to be imperfect in Heliconius, resulting in a modest dosage effect that produces an average 5–20% increase in male expression relative to females on the Z chromosome, depending on the tissue. Thus our results in Heliconius reflect a mixture of previous patterns reported for Lepidoptera. In Heliconius, a moderate pattern of incomplete dosage compensation persists apparently despite the presence of an epigenetic dosage compensating mechanism. The chromosomal distributions of sex-biased genes show an excess of male-biased and a dearth of female-biased genes on the Z chromosome relative to autosomes, consistent with predictions of sexually antagonistic evolution. PMID:26338190

Working memory is differentially affected by stress in men and women.

PubMed

Schoofs, Daniela; Pabst, Stephan; Brand, Matthias; Wolf, Oliver T

2013-03-15

Stress has been shown to influence working memory. However, sex differences and the potential impact of stimulus emotionality have not received much attention. In a first experiment the effects of stress on a neutral working memory (WM) paradigm were tested in male and female participants (Experiment 1). Experiment 2 employed the same paradigm but used emotional stimuli. For this purpose, healthy participants were exposed either to a stressful (Trierer Social Stress Test (TSST)) or to a non-stressful control condition. Subsequently, WM performance in an n-back task was assessed. In Experiment 1, single digits were used as stimuli, while in Experiment 2 neutral and negative pictures were additionally employed. Salivary cortisol and Alpha-Amylase (sAA) were measured before and three times after the treatment as a marker of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis- and sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity. In both experiments, stress caused a substantial cortisol and sAA increase. For WM performance (response time) a stress by sex interaction was apparent. Stress enhanced performance in men, while impairing it in women. In both experiments stress had no effect on response accuracy. No modulating effect of the emotional quality of stimuli on n-back performance was observed (study 2). The results indicate that the effect of acute stress on n-back performance differs between the sexes. In contrast to long-term memory, the influence of stress on WM appears not to be modulated by the emotionality of the employed stimuli if stimuli are potential targets as it is the case in the n-back task. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The influence of modulation of P-glycoprotein and /or cytochrome P450 3A on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of orally administered morphine in dogs.

PubMed

Gadeyne, C; Van der Heyden, S; Gasthuys, F; Croubels, S; Schauvliege, S; Polis, I

2011-10-01

The influence of pretreatment with ketoconazole [cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A) + P-glycoprotein (P-gp) inhibitor], elacridar (selective P-gp inhibitor) and rifampicin (CYP3A + P-gp inducer) on oral morphine pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics was investigated in experimental dogs. Seven beagles were used in a four-way crossover design. Morphine hydrochloride was administered orally (2.5 mg/kg) alone (control group CON) or after pretreatment with ketoconazole (group KETO), elacridar (group ELA) or rifampicin (group RIF). Morphine plasma concentrations were analysed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Sedation scores (none, mild, moderate or severe) were evaluated subjectively. Dogs were significantly (P < 0.05) more sedated after ketoconazole pretreatment. There were no significant differences between group CON and the other pretreatment groups in pharmacokinetic parameters taking both sexes into account. Sex differences were apparent in some pharmacokinetic parameters of morphine. The area under the plasma concentration time curve (AUC(0-∞) ) was significantly higher, and the total body clearance was significantly lower in male compared to female dogs in all treatment groups. Ketoconazole, rifampicin and elacridar pretreatment had no significant effects on morphine pharmacokinetics, although dogs in the ketoconazole group showed higher sedation scores. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

CHARACTERIZATION of SEX-BASED DIFFERENCES IN THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF HUMAN FINGER GLABROUS TISSUE USING A FIBEROPTIC SENSOR

PubMed Central

Venkatesan, Lalit; Barlow, Steven M.

2014-01-01

TAC-Cell is a custom-built somatosensory stimulator that delivers pneumatic cutaneous tactile inputs to virtually any skin target on the body and by virtue of its non-ferrous materials is compatible with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) brain scanners. In this study, we describe the method to measure apparent skin displacement induced by TAC-Cell stimulation of the glabrous surface of the distal phalanx of the index finger. Specifically, we studied the effect of four servo controller input voltages (0.4V to 1.0V) on resultant skin displacement among eighteen, neurotypical adult male and female participants. A fiberoptic displacement sensor, commonly used in industrial applications, was coupled to the TAC-Cell to measure the glabrous skin’s kinematic response to different stimulus amplitudes. Skin displacement was significantly dependent on stimulus amplitudes and sex (p< 0.0001). Power spectrum and kinematic analysis of skin displacement showed that the pneumatic TAC-Cell stimulus consists of a spectrally rich, high velocity signal. In related work, we have shown that this dynamic pneumocutaneous stimulus is highly effective in evoking a cortical brain response for neurodiagnostic applications and somatosensory pathway analysis in health and disease. PMID:24856834

Characterization of sex-based differences in the mechanical properties of human finger glabrous tissue using a fiberoptic sensor.

PubMed

Venkatesan, Lalit; Barlow, Steven M

2014-07-18

TAC-Cell is a custom-built somatosensory stimulator that delivers pneumatic cutaneous tactile inputs to virtually any skin target on the body and by virtue of its non-ferrous materials is compatible with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) brain scanners. In this study, we describe the method to measure apparent skin displacement induced by TAC-Cell stimulation of the glabrous surface of the distal phalanx of the index finger. Specifically, we studied the effect of four servo controller input voltages (0.4V-1.0 V) on resultant skin displacement among eighteen, neurotypical adult male and female participants. A fiberoptic displacement sensor, commonly used in industrial applications, was coupled to the TAC-Cell to measure the glabrous skin׳s kinematic response to different stimulus amplitudes. Skin displacement was significantly dependent on stimulus amplitudes and sex (p<0.0001). Power spectrum and kinematic analysis of skin displacement showed that the pneumatic TAC-Cell stimulus consists of a spectrally rich, high velocity signal. In related work, we have shown that this dynamic pneumocutaneous stimulus is highly effective in evoking a cortical brain response for neurodiagnostic applications and somatosensory pathway analysis in health and disease. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Potential of Eucalyptus Oil as Repellent against House Rat, Rattus rattus

PubMed Central

Thind, Ramandeep Kaur; Mahal, Amrit Kaur

2014-01-01

Rodent repellents are chemicals which by taste or odour or possibly by both will prevent animal from feeding or gnawing. Such substances may be used in protecting an area from rodent infestation or in protecting packaged food, packing materials, electric cables, and other important vulnerable materials. Mature and healthy house rat, Rattus rattus of both sexes, was exposed to 5, 10, and 20% eucalyptus oil applied as spray in laboratory pens in bichoice tests. Each concentration was applied through three different modes of application, that is, daily, once, and alternatively in a week. Repellent effect of the oil was assessed based on food consumption from treated and untreated sides for four days. In overall, food consumption was significantly (P < 0.0001) low from treatment side compared to the untreated side indicating significant repellent effect of the oil at all the three concentrations tested. Repellent effect of the oil was, however, not found to differ significantly between the two sexes. Percent repellency in both male and female rats was apparently more with daily application of 5 and 10% eucalyptus oil. Present studies reveal the potential of eucalyptus oil in repelling away R. rattus; however, further studies may be conducted to enhance the persistence of repellent effect for longer period of time. PMID:24523633

The environmental chemical tributyltin chloride (TBT) shows both estrogenic and adipogenic activities in mice which might depend on the exposure dose.

PubMed

Penza, M; Jeremic, M; Marrazzo, E; Maggi, A; Ciana, P; Rando, G; Grigolato, P G; Di Lorenzo, D

2011-08-15

Exposure during early development to chemicals with hormonal action may be associated with weight gain during adulthood because of altered body homeostasis. It is known that organotins affect adipose mass when exposure occurs during fetal development, although no knowledge of effects are available for exposures after birth. Here we show that the environmental organotin tributyltin chloride (TBT) exerts adipogenic action when peripubertal and sexually mature mice are exposed to the chemical. The duration and extent of these effects depend on the sex and on the dose of the compound, and the effects are relevant at doses close to the estimated human intake (0.5μg/kg). At higher doses (50-500μg/kg), TBT also activated estrogen receptors (ERs) in adipose cells in vitro and in vivo, based on results from acute and longitudinal studies in ERE/luciferase reporter mice. In 3T3-L1 cells (which have no ERs), transiently transfected with the ERE-dependent reporter plus or minus ERα or ERβ, TBT (in a dose range of 1-100nM) directly targets each ER subtype in a receptor-specific manner through a direct mechanism mediated by ERα in undifferentiated preadipocytic cells and by ERβ in differentiating adipocytes. The ER antagonist ICI-182,780 inhibits this effect. In summary, the results of this work suggest that TBT is adipogenic at all ages and in both sexes and that it might be an ER activator in fat cells. These findings might help to resolve the apparent paradox of an adipogenic chemical being also an estrogen receptor activator by showing that the two apparently opposite actions are separated by the different doses to which the organism is exposed. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

FDG-PET/CT and diffusion-weighted imaging for resected lung cancer: correlation of maximum standardized uptake value and apparent diffusion coefficient value with prognostic factors.

PubMed

Usuda, Katsuo; Funasaki, Aika; Sekimura, Atsushi; Motono, Nozomu; Matoba, Munetaka; Doai, Mariko; Yamada, Sohsuke; Ueda, Yoshimichi; Uramoto, Hidetaka

2018-04-09

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) is useful for detecting malignant tumors and the assessment of lymph nodes, as FDG-PET/CT is. But it is not clear how DWI influences the prognosis of lung cancer patients. The focus of this study is to evaluate the correlations between maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of FDG-PET/CT and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value of DWI with known prognostic factors in resected lung cancer. A total of 227 patients with resected lung cancers were enrolled in this study. FEG-PET/CT and DWI were performed in each patient before surgery. There were 168 patients with adenocarcinoma, 44 patients with squamous cell carcinoma, and 15 patients with other cell types. SUVmax was a factor that was correlated to T factor, N factor, or cell differentiation. ADC of lung cancer was a factor that was not correlated to T factor, or N factor. There was a significantly weak inverse relationship between SUVmax and ADC (Correlation coefficient r = - 0.227). In analysis of survival, there were significant differences between the categories of sex, age, pT factor, pN factor, cell differentiation, cell type, and SUVmax. Univariate analysis revealed that SUVmax, pN factor, age, cell differentiation, cell type, sex, and pT factor were significant factors. Multivariate analysis revealed that SUVmax and pN factor were independent significant prognostic factors. SUVmax was a significant prognostic factor that is correlated to T factor, N factor, or cell differentiation, but ADC was not. SUVmax may be more useful for predicting the prognosis of lung cancer than ADC values.

Fall in new HIV diagnoses among men who have sex with men (MSM) at selected London sexual health clinics since early 2015: testing or treatment or pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)?

PubMed Central

Brown, Alison E; Mohammed, Hamish; Ogaz, Dana; Kirwan, Peter D; Yung, Mandy; Nash, Sophie G; Furegato, Martina; Hughes, Gwenda; Connor, Nicky; Delpech, Valerie C; Gill, O Noel

2017-01-01

Since October 2015 up to September 2016, HIV diagnoses fell by 32% compared with October 2014–September 2015 among men who have sex with men (MSM) attending selected London sexual health clinics. This coincided with high HIV testing volumes and rapid initiation of treatment on diagnosis. The fall was most apparent in new HIV testers. Intensified testing of high-risk populations, combined with immediately received anti-retroviral therapy and a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) programme, may make elimination of HIV achievable. PMID:28662762

Relationships between maturity status, physical activity, and physical self-perceptions in primary school children.

PubMed

Fairclough, Stuart J; Ridgers, Nicola D

2010-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of maturity status on primary school children's physical activity and physical self-perceptions. Altogether, 175 children (97 girls, 78 boys) aged 10.6 +/- 0.3 years completed the Children and Youth Physical Self-Perception Profile and wore an ActiGraph accelerometer for five consecutive days to assess moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Anthropometric measures were completed to estimate maturity status. A two-level, multi-level analysis was used to assess the influence of maturity status on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and physical self-perceptions. Boys performed more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity than girls (P < 0.0001), but when the effect of maturity status was controlled the difference was reduced (P = 0.02). Significant differences between the sexes were also observed for physical self-perception sub-domains (boys > girls, P = 0.02 to 0.0001). When maturity status was added to the model, significant differences were no longer apparent for each sub-domain, with the exception of perceived strength. Significant interactions between gender and maturity status revealed that boys' physical self-perceptions improved with more advanced maturity status, whereas girls' self-perceptions decreased (P = 0.07 to 0.002). Significant differences between the sexes in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and some domains of physical self-perceptions were reduced or no longer evident when the effect of maturity status was controlled. Maturity status may differentially influence boys' and girls' physical self-perceptions.

Seasonal Influence of Nutrients on the Physiology and Behavior of Captive Canvasbacks (Aythya valisineria)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Perry, M.C.

1985-01-01

Captive canvasbacks (Aythya valisineria) were maintained ad libitum on five diets during the winters of 1978-79 and 1979-80 to evaluate the effects of varying protein and energy levels on feed intake and condition. Diets were formulated to simulate either a natural diet high in invertebrates or one high in vegetation. Two diets low in protein and energy simulated stress diets. Feed intake during the 1979-80 winter, when diets varied the most, was 30% higher for canvasbacks fed the low energy (1543 kcal/kg) diet than for canvasbacks fed the high energy (3638 kcal/kg) diet. Body weight of males and females did not differ between groups fed different diets, but there were seasonal differences (P(O.05) for both sexes aggregated across diets. Feed intake and body weights were greatest in November and April and least in January and February. Canvasbacks lost weight and ate less during the most stressful periods despite ad libitum feed supplies. No differences could be detected in the behavior of captive canvasbacks as a result of the diets they received. Differences due to season and sex were observed for some behaviors. Inactivity increased (P(0.05) during the winter apparently as a mechanism to conserve energy. Overall, captive canvasbacks were able to maintain themselves during winter on diets with as little as 10% protein and 1543 kcal/kg provided adequate quantities of food were available. Availability of low energy food (e.g. clams) may be the limiting factor in regard to winter survival of wild canvasbacks. The distribution and abundance of canvasbacks in some wintering areas ultimately has been influenced by the quantity and probably the quality of available nutrients. Data from this study indicate that canvasbacks are unable to adjust intake rates to compensate for low energy foods and may subsequently store less fat or modify behavior and microclimate. However, decreased weight, feed intake, and activity of ducks fed ad libitum rations occurred in mid-winter irrespective of diet quality and appeared to be an endogenous component of their annual cycle which persists in captivity. These changes apparently have a selective advantage of increasing the probability of survival in ducks by decreasing energy expenditure during periods of winter stress.

Seasonal influence of nutrients on the physiology and behavior of captive canvasbacks (Aythya valisineria)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Perry, M.C.

1986-01-01

Captive canvasbacks (Aythya valisineria) were maintained ad libitum on five diets during the winters of 1978-79 and 1979-80 to evaluate the effects of varying protein and energy levels on feed intake and condition. Diets were formulated to simulate either a natural diet high in invertebrates or one high in vegetation. Two diets low in protein and energy simulated stress diets. Feed intake during the 1979-80 winter, when diets varied the most, was 30% higher for canvasbacks fed the low energy (1543 kcal/kg) diet than for canvasbacks fed the high energy (3638 kcal/kg) diet. Body weight of males and females did not differ between groups fed different diets, but there were seasonal differences (P < 0.05) for both sexes aggregated across diets. Feed intake and body weights were greatest in November and April and least in January and February. Convasbacks lost weight and ate less during the most stressful periods despite ad libitum feed supplies. No differences could be detected in the behavior of captive canvasbacks as a result of the diets they received. Differences due to season and sex were observed for some behaviors. Inactivity increased (P < 0.05) during the winter apparently as a mechanism to conserve energy.Overall, captive canvasbacks were able to maintain themselves during winter on diets with as little as 10% protein and 1543 kcal/kg provided adequate quantities of food were available. Availability of low energy food (e.g. clams) may be the limiting factor in regard to winter survival of wild canvasbacks. The distribution and abundance of canvasbacks in some wintering areas ultimately has been influenced by the quantity and probably the quality of available nutrients.Data from this study indicate that canvasbacks are unable to adjust intake rates to compensate for low energy foods and may subsequently store less fat or modify behavior and microclimate. However, decreased weight, feed intake, and activity of ducks fed ad libitum rations occurred in mid-winter irrespective of diet quality and appeared to be an endogenous component of their annual cycle which persists in captivity. These changes apparently have a selective advantage of increasing the probability of survival in ducks by decreasing energy expenditure during periods of winter stress.

Studies on immunocompetence status in two turkey varieties in India.

PubMed

Singh, N S; Kumar, S; Majumdar, S; Sivaraman, G K; Shivakumar, B M

2004-10-01

(1) Two hundred and twenty-seven adult turkeys of both sexes, of two varieties (104 Black and 123 White) were used to evaluate their immunocompetence status and body weights. (2) Response to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) (humoral immunity) was measured by Haemagglutination (HA) test 5 days post immunisation (dpi) and expressed as log2 values. Mercaptoethanol resistant (MER) antibodies representing IgG were determined by Mercaptoethanol HA test and Mercaptoethanol sensitive (MES) antibodies, representing IgM as the difference in total HA titre and IgG. Serum lysozyme concentrations were estimated by 'Lysoplate assay' and expressed in log2 values. (3) Least squares analysis of variance revealed that the White variety had higher adult body weight (4.788 +/- 0.040 kg) than the Black (3.774 +/- 0.044 kg). Sexual dimorphism was apparent and meals were heavier than females in both varieties. The interaction effect of variety and sex on body weight was also significant. (4) Least squares means for immunological traits, namely, total anti-SRBC antibodies, MER, MES titres and serum lysozyme were 7.161 +/- 0.189, 0.801 +/- 0.071, 6.362 +/- 0.160 and 1.766 +/- 0.043 microg/ml, respectively. The Black variety had a higher MES antibody titre than the White. (5) Sex had an effect on all the immunological traits except on MER titres. Females generally had higher anti-SRBC, MER and MES titres and serum lysozyme. The variety x sex interaction effect was significant for MES titres and serum lysozyme. White males had the lowest MES titres.

Evolutionary relationships among pollinators and repeated pollinator sharing in sexually deceptive orchids.

PubMed

Phillips, R D; Brown, G R; Dixon, K W; Hayes, C; Linde, C C; Peakall, R

2017-09-01

The mechanism of pollinator attraction is predicted to strongly influence both plant diversification and the extent of pollinator sharing between species. Sexually deceptive orchids rely on mimicry of species-specific sex pheromones to attract their insect pollinators. Given that sex pheromones tend to be conserved among related species, we predicted that in sexually deceptive orchids, (i) pollinator sharing is rare, (ii) closely related orchids use closely related pollinators and (iii) there is strong bias in the wasp lineages exploited by orchids. We focused on species that are pollinated by sexual deception of thynnine wasps in the distantly related genera Caladenia and Drakaea, including new field observations for 45 species of Caladenia. Specialization was extreme with most orchids using a single pollinator species. Unexpectedly, seven cases of pollinator sharing were found, including two between Caladenia and Drakaea, which exhibit strikingly different floral morphology. Phylogenetic analysis of pollinators using four nuclear sequence loci demonstrated that although orchids within major clades primarily use closely related pollinator species, up to 17% of orchids within these clades are pollinated by a member of a phylogenetically distant wasp genus. Further, compared to the total diversity of thynnine wasps within the study region, orchids show a strong bias towards exploiting certain genera. Although these patterns may arise through conservatism in the chemical classes used in sex pheromones, apparent switches between wasp clades suggest unexpected flexibility in floral semiochemical production. Alternatively, wasp sex pheromones within lineages may exhibit greater chemical diversity than currently appreciated. © 2017 European Society For Evolutionary Biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2017 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Percentage body fat in apparently healthy school children from northern India.

PubMed

Khadgawat, R; Marwaha, R K; Tandon, N; Mehan, N; Upadhyay, A D; Sastry, A; Bhadra, K

2013-09-01

Increased prevalence of obesity in childhood and adolescence, defined by the use of body mass index (BMI), has drawn attention towards direct measurement of body fat. To develop age-and sex-specific reference distribution of body fat in apparently healthy North-Indian children in the age group of 7-17 years and to assess agreement between obesity (defined by BMI) and excess body fat. Study subjects for this cross sectional study included 1640 apparently healthy school children (825 boys; 815 girls) aged 7-17 years. Total body fat was measured by dual energy X-rays absorptiometry (DXA). The excess body fat by DXA was defined by two methods, prevalence matching and with the use of 85th and 95th centile cutoffs. The mean ± SD, 3rd, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th and 97th centile values of percentage body fat (PBF) are presented. PBF was highly correlated with BMI in both boys and girls (all boys: r=0.76, P<0.0001; all girls r=0.81, P<0.0001). There was no significant difference noted in PBF between boys and girls at the age of 7-8 years. From 9 years onwards, girls had significantly higher PBF than boys. Moderate degree of agreement was observed between BMI and PBF by DXA by both methods. Smoothened reference distribution of PBF for North-Indian children and adolescents in Delhi are provided. Indian children accumulate more body fat during peri-pubertal years in comparison with US children.

Plasma homovanillic acid in untreated schizophrenia--relationship with symptomatology and sex.

PubMed

Zhang, Z J; Peet, M; Ramchand, C N; Shah, S; Reynolds, G P

2001-01-01

Plasma homovanillic acid (pHVA) concentrations are considered to reflect, in part, central dopamine metabolism and thus may be of value in assessing the role of dopamine neurotransmission in schizophrenia. Furthermore, some recent studies have suggested a relationship of pHVA with symptomatology. We have undertaken a study of pHVA in a large cohort of unmedicated DSM-IV schizophrenic patients in order to assess the relationship of pHVA to various clinical parameters. pHVA in 58 drug-free patients (10.11+/-0.52 ng/ml) was significantly elevated in comparison with 62 matched control subjects (8.77+/-0.39 ng/ml). pHVA was found to be higher in patients with a more negative syndrome. No significant correlation of pHVA with overall SAPS or SANS scores was apparent in the patients although, within the SANS subscales, a significant relationship to anhedonia-asociality was apparent. Interestingly, the male drug-free patients showed a correlation of pHVA with negative symptoms defined by SANS and several SANS subscales, while females showed no significant relationship with any SANS subscales. The results may suggest that an increased dopaminergic turnover is apparent in (male) schizophrenic patients with predominantly negative symptoms, providing some support for reports that this change in neuronal activity may be related to the neuropathological abnormalities seen in the disease, which may themselves differ between males and females. Such neuronal deficits of developmental or degenerative origin may thus result in an elevation/disinhibition of central dopamine metabolism in schizophrenia.

The concentrations of methaemoglogin, carboxyhaemoglobin and some haematological parameters in tobacco snuff addicts in Igbo of Nigeria.

PubMed

Ureme, S O; Ibeagha, I D; Maduka, I G; Ibeagbulam, O G

2007-01-01

Methaemoglobin, carboxyhaemoglobin concentrations and some haematological parameters were studied in fifty tobacco snuff addicts (40 males and 10 females) in some villages of Anambra State, Nigeria. The aim was to investigate possible adverse effects of tobacco snuff in addicts in Igbos of Anambra State. Fifty apparently healthy persons (25 males and 25 females) who do not inhale snuff were used as controls. The age range of tests and control subjects was 25-65 years. The results showed no statistically significant difference when the tests group was compared with the control group. A comparison of the results on the basis of sex, age and period of exposure, showed no significant differences. Blood picture in test and control groups was normocytic and normochromic. The results suggest that tobacco snuff may not have any adverse effect on haemoglobin metabolism and erythropoiesis.

Learning During Stressful Times

PubMed Central

Shors, Tracey J.

2012-01-01

Stressful life events can have profound effects on our cognitive and motor abilities, from those that could be construed as adaptive to those not so. In this review, I discuss the general notion that acute stressful experience necessarily impairs our abilities to learn and remember. The effects of stress on operant conditioning, that is, learned helplessness, as well as those on classical conditioning procedures are discussed in the context of performance and adaptation. Studies indicating sex differences in learning during stressful times are discussed, as are those attributing different responses to the existence of multiple memory systems and nonlinear relationships. The intent of this review is to highlight the apparent plasticity of the stress response, how it might have evolved to affect both performance and learning processes, and the potential problems with interpreting stress effects on learning as either good or bad. An appreciation for its plasticity may provide new avenues for investigating its underlying neuronal mechanisms. PMID:15054128

Sex-specific association between obesity and self-reported falls and injuries among community-dwelling Canadians aged 65 years and older.

PubMed

Handrigan, G A; Maltais, N; Gagné, M; Lamontagne, P; Hamel, D; Teasdale, N; Hue, O; Corbeil, P; Brown, J P; Jean, S

2017-02-01

This study investigated the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and falls among community-dwelling elderly. Results indicate that obesity is associated with increased falls and there appears to be a sex-specific difference with obese men at higher risk of falling. Obesity is identified as a risk factor for falls in men. The prevalence of falls, fall-related injuries, and obesity has increased over the last decade. The objectives of this study were to investigate sex-specific association and dose-response relationship between BMI and falls (and related injuries) among community-dwelling elderly. Our study sample consisted of 15,860 adults aged 65 years or older (6399 men and 9461 women) from the 2008-2009 Canadian Community Health Survey-Healthy Aging (CCHS-HA). Falls, fall-related injuries, and BMI measures were self-reported. For both sex, dose-response curves presenting the relationship between BMI, falls, and fall-related injuries were first examined. Thereafter, multivariate logistic regression analyses were also performed to investigate these relationships after adjustment for potentially confounding variables. Of women, 21.7 % reported a fall and 16.9 % of men. The dose-response relationship between BMI and prevalence of falls showed that underweight and obese individuals reported falling more than normal and overweight individuals; this being more apparent in men than women. Finally, the dose relationship between BMI and prevalence of fall-related injuries showed that only obese men seem more likely to have sustained a fall-related injury. Results from the multivariate analysis showed that obesity in men was significantly associated with higher odds of falling odds ratio (OR) 1.33 (1.04-1.70) and was not significantly associated with higher odds of fall-related injuries OR 1.10 (0.66-1.84) over a 12-month period compared to normal weight men. For women, obesity was not significantly associated with higher fall prevalence OR 0.99 (0.79-1.25) and fall-related injuries OR 0.71 (0.51-1.00). Obesity is associated with self-reported falls, and there appears to be a sex-specific difference in elderly persons.

Demographic, migration status, and work-related changes in Asian female sex workers surveyed in Sydney, 1993 and 2003.

PubMed

Pell, C; Dabbhadatta, J; Harcourt, C; Tribe, K; O'Connor, C

2006-04-01

To compare demography, sexual health awareness, migration and workplace conditions of Asian female sex workers in Sydney in 1993 and 2003. A Chinese interpreter and a Thai-speaking health education officer (HEO) were used to administer a questionnaire survey to Thai- and Chinese-speaking sex workers attending sexual health clinics in 1993. A follow-up survey, which included some women contacted at work as well as clinic attenders, was administered by Thai- and Chinese-speaking HEOs in 2003. Ninety-one female sex workers were surveyed in 1993 and 165 in 2003. Median age increased (26 years vs. 33 years, p=0.000), as did numbers of Chinese- versus Thai-speakers (1993, 25.3% Chinese vs. 2003, 58.2% Chinese, p=0.000). In 2003, the women reported more years of schooling and better English skills. Fewer reported previous sex work (48.4% vs. 17.6%, p=0.000). Numbers currently or ever on a contract decreased sharply (27.5% vs. 9.1%, p=0.000) and the majority were apparently working legally. Condom use at work for vaginal (51.6% vs. 84.8%) and oral sex (39.6% vs. 66.1%) increased significantly (p=0.001). Chinese-speaking sex workers were less informed about HIV transmission and safer sex practices than were Thai sex workers. Drug and alcohol use was low. Positive changes have occurred in the conditions of Asian female sex workers surveyed over 10 years in Sydney. Maintaining current levels of health service delivery will ensure continued improvements in health and workplace conditions and address inequalities between language groups.

Female street sex workers in Hong Kong: moving beyond sexual health.

PubMed

Wong, William C W; Holroyd, Eleanor A; Gray, Ann; Ling, Davina C

2006-05-01

For many years, the sex industry in Hong Kong has appeared to be an integral and ever-expanding component of the city's sociocultural and economic structure. Accordingly, the physical and psychological health of sex workers is becoming an increasing concern for the workers themselves, the public, and government policy. A cross-sectional survey on the quality of life (World Health Organization Quality of Life [WHOQOL]) of female sex workers (FSWs) in Hong Kong was used to investigate the physical and psychological well-being of street FSWs, and the results were compared with those of non-sex-working Hong Kong women after adjusting for age, educational level, marital status, and health status. The 89 FSWs surveyed scored significantly lower on QOL--WHOQOL-BREF (HK)--measures compared with the non-sex-working women. One common aspect among these sex workers was their negative view of themselves and of life. Many sex workers were at risk of being abused while at work, and many women worked without legal protection. Most of the women surveyed engaged in sex work to support their families. Because their income was often insufficient, some of their needs, especially those concerning health, were often neglected. The low WHOQOL-BREF (HK) scores in FSWs indicate feelings of helplessness and entrapment, which may well result in detrimental effects on sex workers' health, self-esteem, and confidence when asserting their basic rights, such as access to healthcare and safety. The conclusion highlights the vulnerability of this population to apparent weaknesses in Hong Kong's current healthcare system.

Sex Differences in the Association of Childhood Socioeconomic Status with Adult Blood Pressure Change: The CARDIA Study

PubMed Central

Janicki-Deverts, Denise; Cohen, Sheldon; Matthews, Karen A.; Jacobs, David R.

2012-01-01

Objective To examine sex differences in the relation of childhood socioeconomic status (CSES) to systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure trajectories during 15-years spanning young (30 ± 3 years) and middle (45±3 years) adulthood, independent of adult SES. Method 4077 adult participants reported father’s and mother’s educational attainments at study enrollment (Year 0), and own educational attainment at enrollment and at all follow-up exams. Resting BP also was measured at all exams. Data from exam Years 5 (when participant mean age=30± 3 years), 7, 10, 15, and 20 are examined here. Associations of own adult [Year 5], mother’s, and father’s educations with 15-year BP trajectories were examined in separate multilevel models. Fully controlled models included time-invariant covariates (age, sex, race, recruitment center), and time-varying covariates that were measured at each exam (marital status, body mass, cholesterol, oral contraceptives/hormones, antihypertensives). Parental education analyses controlled for own education. Results When examined without covariates, higher education -- own (SBP γ=−0.03, DBP γ= −0.03), mother’s (SBP γ= −0.02, DBP γ= −0.02), and father’s (SBP γ= −0.02, DBP γ= −0.01) -- were associated with attenuated 15-year increases in BP (p<0.001). Associations of own (but not either parent’s) education with BP trajectories remained independent of standard controls. Sex moderated the apparent null effects of parental education, such that higher parental education–especially mother’s, predicted attenuated BP trajectories independent of standard covariates among women (SBP γ= −.02, p=.02; DBP γ= −.01, p=0.04) but not men (SBP γ=0.02, p=0.06; DBP γ=0.005, p=0.47; p-interaction SBP<0.001, p-interaction DBP=0.01). Conclusion CSES may influence women’s health independent of their own adult status. PMID:22822232

Sex differences in the association of childhood socioeconomic status with adult blood pressure change: the CARDIA study.

PubMed

Janicki-Deverts, Denise; Cohen, Sheldon; Matthews, Karen A; Jacobs, David R

2012-09-01

To examine sex differences in the relation of childhood socioeconomic status (CSES) to systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) trajectories during 15 years, spanning young (mean [M] [standard deviation {SD}] = 30 [3] years) and middle (M [SD] = 45 [3] years) adulthood, independent of adult SES. A total of 4077 adult participants reported father's and mother's educational attainments at study enrollment (Year 0) and own educational attainment at enrollment and at all follow-up examinations. Resting BP also was measured at all examinations. Data from examination Years 5 (when participant M [SD] age = 30 [3] years), 7, 10, 15, and 20 are examined here. Associations of own adult (Year 5), mother's, and father's educations with 15-year BP trajectories were examined in separate multilevel models. Fully controlled models included time-invariant covariates (age, sex, race, recruitment center) and time-varying covariates that were measured at each examination (marital status, body mass, cholesterol, oral contraceptives/hormones, and antihypertensive drugs). Analyses of parental education controlled for own education. When examined without covariates, higher education - own (SBP γ = -0.03, DBP γ = -0.03), mother's (SBP γ = -0.02, DBP γ = -0.02), and father's (SBP γ = -0.02, DBP γ = -0.01) - were associated with attenuated 15-year increases in BP (p < .001). Associations of own (but not either parent's) education with BP trajectories remained independent of standard controls. Sex moderated the apparent null effects of parental education, such that higher parental education-especially mother's, predicted attenuated BP trajectories independent of standard covariates among women (SBP γ = -0.02, p = .02; DBP γ = -0.01, p = .04) but not men (SBP γ = 0.02, p = .06; DBP γ = 0.005, p = .47; p interaction SBP < .001, p interaction DBP = .01). Childhood socioeconomic status may influence women's health independent of their own adult status.

Density-dependent sex ratio and sex-specific preference for host traits in parasitic bat flies.

PubMed

Szentiványi, Tamara; Vincze, Orsolya; Estók, Péter

2017-08-29

Deviation of sex ratios from unity in wild animal populations has recently been demonstrated to be far more prevalent than previously thought. Ectoparasites are prominent examples of this bias, given that their sex ratios vary from strongly female- to strongly male-biased both among hosts and at the metapopulation level. To date our knowledge is very limited on how and why these biased sex ratios develop. It was suggested that sex ratio and sex-specific aggregation of ectoparasites might be shaped by the ecology, behaviour and physiology of both hosts and their parasites. Here we investigate a highly specialised, hematophagous bat fly species with strong potential to move between hosts, arguably limited inbreeding effects, off-host developmental stages and extended parental care. We collected a total of 796 Nycteribia kolenatii bat flies from 147 individual bats using fumigation and subsequently determined their sex. We report a balanced sex ratio at the metapopulation level and a highly variable sex ratio among infrapopulations ranging from 100% male to 100% female. We show that infrapopulation sex ratio is not random and is highly correlated with infrapopulation size. Sex ratio is highly male biased in small and highly female biased in large infrapopulations. We show that this pattern is most probably the result of sex-specific preference in bat flies for host traits, most likely combined with a higher mobility of males. We demonstrate that female bat flies exert a strong preference for high host body condition and female hosts, while the distribution of males is more even. Our results suggest that locally biased sex ratios can develop due to sex-specific habitat preference of parasites. Moreover, it is apparent that the sex of both hosts and parasites need to be accounted for when a better understanding of host-parasite systems is targeted.

[Comparison between manual acupuncture and electroacupuncture for hot flashes and sex hormone of perimenopausal syndrome].

PubMed

Cao, Zhiliang; Tang, Jian; Xue, Yuting; Wang, Qiong; Li, Saiqun; Zhou, Youjun; Zhang, Wei

2017-03-12

To compare the effect and differences sex the influence of hormone levels of perimenopau-sal syndrome patients between manual acupuncture and electroacupuncture (EA). A total of 50 cases with perimenopausal syndrome were randomly assigned into an manual acupuncture group (27 cases) and an EA group (23 cases), and 1 case dropped in the EA group. The acupoints in the two groups were Guanyuan (CV 4), Zigong (EX-CA 1), Tianshu (ST 25), and Sanyinjiao (SP 6). Acupuncture with 3-time small and even manipulation of lifting, thrusting and twirling was used in the acupuncture group, once 10 min. EA with sparse-dense wave and 10 Hz/50 Hz was applied in the EA group for 30 min. The treatments in the two groups were for continuous 8 weeks (24 times in total), once the other day, 3 times a week. The scores of 24-hour hot flashes even, menopausal rating scale (MRS) and menopause-specific quality of life questionnaire (MENQOL) were recorded before treatment and after 4-week and 8-week treatment, as well as 12 and 24 weeks after treatment. Serum sex hormone levels were tested before and after 8-week treatment as well as 12 weeks after treatment, including serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and estracliol (E 2 ). Compared with those before treatment, the 24-hour hot flashes even score, MRS and MENQOL scores were significantly lower after 4-week and 8-week treatments, 12 and 24 weeks after treatment (all P <0.05). All the above scores after 8-week treatment were lower than those after 4-week treatment (all P <0.05); and the scores 12 and 24 weeks after treatment were lower than those after 4-week and 8-week treatments (all P <0.05); all the scores after treatment were not significantly different at any time between the two groups (all P >0.05). Compared with those before treatment, serum FSH and E 2 apparently improved in the two groups after 8-week treatment and 12 weeks after treatment (all P <0.05). LH levels did not significantly change in the two groups (all P >0.05). All the serum sex hormone levels showed no significant difference between the two groups (all P >0.05). Both acupuncture and EA can improve perimenopausal symptoms and serum sex hormone. The effects are similar.

Evaluating the apparent diffusion coefficient in MRI studies as a means of determining paediatric brain tumour stages.

PubMed

Domínguez-Pinilla, N; Martínez de Aragón, A; Diéguez Tapias, S; Toldos, O; Hinojosa Bernal, J; Rigal Andrés, M; González-Granado, L I

2016-09-01

The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in MRI seems to be related to cellularity in brain tumours. Its utility as a tool for distinguishing between histological types and tumour stages remains controversial. We retrospectively evaluated children diagnosed with CNS tumours between January 2008 and December 2013. Data collected were age, sex, histological diagnosis, and location of the tumour. We evaluated the ADC and ADC ratio and correlated those values with histological diagnoses. The study included 55 patients with a median age of 6 years. Histological diagnoses were pilocytic astrocytoma (40%), anaplastic ependymoma (16.4%), ganglioglioma (10.9%), glioblastoma (7.3%), medulloblastoma (5.5%), and other (20%). Tumours could also be classified as low-grade (64%) or high-grade (36%). Mean ADC was 1.3 for low-grade tumours and 0.9 for high-grade tumours (p=.004). Mean ADC ratios were 1.5 and 1.2 for low and high-grade tumours respectively (p=.025). There were no significant differences in ADC/ADC ratio between different histological types. ADC and ADC ratio may be useful in imaging-study based differential diagnosis of low and high-grade tumours, but they are not a substitute for an anatomical pathology study. Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tar, A.; Ion, A.; Gyoervari, B.

A de novo apparently balanced translocation involving chromosomes 8 and 20 was found in a 14-year-old boy with minor anomalies, mild skeletal abnormalities and ambiguous external genitalia including perineoscrotal hypospadias, rudimentary fused labioscrotal folds, bilateral cryptorchidism, and small penis. The karyotype was 46,XY, t(8;20)(q22.3-23;p13). No signs of other conditions known to be associated with structural anomalies of either chromosome 8 or 20 were present and incomplete masculinisation of the external genitalia appears to be the main component of the phenotype. Clinical and biological studies showed apparently normal testicular function in utero and after birth. Examinations excluded 5{alpha}-reductase deficiency or amore » block in any enzymatic steps of testosterone, glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid biosynthesis. Coding sequences of the sex-determining gene (SRY) and androgen receptor gene (AR) were found to be identical to those of a normal male excluding their role in the cause of the present condition. Since several other reports describe the association of hypospadias and hypertelorism with deletions or translocations involving 8q, we suggest that a locus necessary for male sex differentiation is located at distal 8q. 24 refs., 3 figs.« less

Relation between sex hormones and hepatocellular carcinoma.

PubMed

El Mahdy Korah, T; Abd Elfatah Badr, E; Mohamed Emara, M; Ahmed Samy Kohla, M; Gamal Saad Michael, G

2016-11-01

Males have higher incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) than females. Sex hormones may be a risk factor. The aim was to determine the levels of sex hormones in male and female patients with HCC and cirrhosis versus controls and its possible relationship with HCC. This study was conducted on 90 subjects divided into 40 patients with HCC, 30 patients with liver cirrhosis and 20 apparently healthy subjects complete blood picture, liver function tests. Determination of AFP levels and hormonal assay of oestrogen, progesterone, total testosterone, prolactin, FSH and LH were performed on all subjects. Total testosterone levels were significantly decreased in the two patients groups compared with controls. While oestrogen levels were significantly decreased in the HCC group in comparison with other two groups, prolactin levels were significantly decreased in the HCC group compared with the liver cirrhosis group and increased in the liver cirrhosis group when compared to controls. FSH and LH levels were significantly increased in the HCC group when compared to controls. There is no significant correlation between sex hormones assay and both the size of HCC and degree of cirrhosis in both patient groups. It is concluded that there is no strong relation between sex hormones and HCC when the study was carried out on the levels of sex hormones in patients with HCC. © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Evolution of Drosophila sex comb length illustrates the inextricable interplay between selection and variation.

PubMed

Malagón, Juan N; Ahuja, Abha; Sivapatham, Gabilan; Hung, Julian; Lee, Jiwon; Muñoz-Gómez, Sergio A; Atallah, Joel; Singh, Rama S; Larsen, Ellen

2014-09-30

In spite of the diversity of possible biological forms observed in nature, a limited range of morphospace is frequently occupied for a given trait. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain this bias in the distribution of phenotypes including selection, drift, and developmental constraints. Despite extensive work on phenotypic bias, the underlying developmental mechanisms explaining why particular regions of morphological space remain unoccupied are poorly understood. To address this issue, we studied the sex comb, a group of modified bristles used in courtship that shows marked morphological diversity among Drosophila species. In many Drosophila species including Drosophila melanogaster, the sex comb rotates 90° to a vertical position during development. Here we analyze the effect of changing D. melanogaster sex comb length on the process of rotation. We find that artificial selection changes the number of bristles per comb without a proportional change in the space available for rotation. As a result, when increasing sex comb length, rather than displaying a similar straight vertical shape observed in other Drosophila species, long sex combs bend because rotation is blocked by a neighboring row of bristles. Our results show ways in which morphologies that would be favored by natural selection are apparently impossible to achieve developmentally. These findings highlight the potential role of development in modifying selectable variation in the evolution of Drosophila sex comb length.

Evolution of Drosophila sex comb length illustrates the inextricable interplay between selection and variation

PubMed Central

Malagón, Juan N.; Ahuja, Abha; Sivapatham, Gabilan; Hung, Julian; Lee, Jiwon; Muñoz-Gómez, Sergio A.; Atallah, Joel; Singh, Rama S.; Larsen, Ellen

2014-01-01

In spite of the diversity of possible biological forms observed in nature, a limited range of morphospace is frequently occupied for a given trait. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain this bias in the distribution of phenotypes including selection, drift, and developmental constraints. Despite extensive work on phenotypic bias, the underlying developmental mechanisms explaining why particular regions of morphological space remain unoccupied are poorly understood. To address this issue, we studied the sex comb, a group of modified bristles used in courtship that shows marked morphological diversity among Drosophila species. In many Drosophila species including Drosophila melanogaster, the sex comb rotates 90° to a vertical position during development. Here we analyze the effect of changing D. melanogaster sex comb length on the process of rotation. We find that artificial selection changes the number of bristles per comb without a proportional change in the space available for rotation. As a result, when increasing sex comb length, rather than displaying a similar straight vertical shape observed in other Drosophila species, long sex combs bend because rotation is blocked by a neighboring row of bristles. Our results show ways in which morphologies that would be favored by natural selection are apparently impossible to achieve developmentally. These findings highlight the potential role of development in modifying selectable variation in the evolution of Drosophila sex comb length. PMID:25197080

Assigning sex and reproductive stage to adult Lake Sturgeon using ultrasonography and common morphological measurements

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chiotti, Justin A.; Boase, James C.; Hondorp, Darryl W.; Briggs, Andrew S.

2016-01-01

Sex determination of fish species is difficult to assess when sexual dimorphism and gametes are not apparent. For threatened and endangered fish species, noninvasive techniques are needed when determining sex to minimize stress and the potential for mortality. We evaluated the use of a portable ultrasound unit to determine sex of Lake Sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens in the field. Ultrasound images were collected from 9 yellow-egg (F2, F3), 32 black-egg (F4, F5), and 107 fully developed male (M2) Lake Sturgeon. Two readers accurately assigned sex to 88–96% of fish, but accuracy varied in relation to maturity stage. Black-egg females and fully developed males were correctly identified for 89–100% of the fish sampled, while these two readers identified yellow-egg females only 33% and 67% of the time. Time spent collecting images ranged between 2 and 3 min once the user was comfortable with operating procedures. Discriminant analysis revealed the total length : girth ratio was a strong predictor of sex and maturity, correctly classifying 81% of black-egg females and 97% of the fully developed males. However, yellow-egg females were incorrectly classified on all occasions. This study shows the utility of using ultrasonography and a total length : girth ratio for sex determination of Lake Sturgeon in later reproductive stages around the spawning season.

Sex prevalence of pediatric kidney stone disease in the United States: an epidemiologic investigation.

PubMed

Novak, Thomas E; Lakshmanan, Yegappan; Trock, Bruce J; Gearhart, John P; Matlaga, Brian R

2009-07-01

To define the sex prevalence of inpatient hospital discharges for pediatric patients diagnosed with upper urinary tract stone disease. The study examined inpatient admissions for pediatric urolithiasis in 2003, using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kids' Inpatient Database. We used the International Classification of Disease, 9th edition, Clinical Modification codes, to identify patients with a principal diagnosis of renal (592.0) or ureteral (592.1) calculi. Sex prevalence was assessed, and the results were stratified by age group. In the 2003 Kids' Inpatient Database, the sex distribution among pediatric patients with stone formation varied significantly by age. In the first decade of age, a male predominance was found that had shifted to a female predominance in the second decade. Overall, however, girls in the pediatric population were more commonly affected by stones than were boys. In this nationally representative sample, the sex distribution of pediatric urolithiasis varied with age, with boys more commonly affected in the first decade of age and girls in the second decade. Although the reason for this unique epidemiologic finding is not readily apparent, additional studies can build on this hypothesis-generating work.

Search for the sex-determining switch in monotremes: mapping WT1, SF1, LHX1, LHX2, FGF9, WNT4, RSPO1 and GATA4 in platypus.

PubMed

Grafodatskaya, Daria; Rens, Willem; Wallis, Mary C; Trifonov, Vladimir; O'Brien, Patricia C M; Clarke, Oliver; Graves, Jennifer A M; Ferguson-Smith, Malcolm A

2007-01-01

The duck-billed platypus has five pairs of sex chromosomes, but there is no information about the primary sex-determining switch in this species. As there is no apparent SRY orthologue in platypus, another gene must acquire the function of a key regulator of the gonadal male or female fate. SOX9 was ruled out from being this key regulator as it maps to an autosome in platypus. To check whether other genes in mammalian gonadogenesis could be the primary switch in monotremes, we have mapped a number of candidates in platypus. We report here the autosomal location of WT1, SF1, LHX1, LHX9, FGF9, WNT4 and RSPO1 in platypus, thus excluding these from being key regulators of sex determination in this species. We found that GATA4 maps to sex chromosomes Y1 and X2; however, it lies in the pairing region shown by chromosome painting to be homologous, so is unlikely to be either male-specific or differentially dosed in male and female.

Commercial sexual practices before and after legalization in Australia.

PubMed

Seib, Charrlotte; Dunne, Michael P; Fischer, Jane; Najman, Jackob M

2010-08-01

The nature of sex work changes over time for many reasons. In recent decades around the world, there has been movement toward legalization and control of sex economies. Studies of the possible impact of legalization mainly have focused on sexually transmitted infections and violence, with little attention to change in the diversity of sexual services provided. This study examined the practices of sex workers before and after legalization of prostitution. Cross-sectional surveys of comparable samples of female sex workers were conducted in 1991 (N = 200, aged 16-46 years) and 2003 (N = 247, aged 18-57 years) in Queensland, Australia, spanning a period of major change in regulation of the local industry. In 2003, male clients at brothels and private sole operators (N = 161; aged 19-72 years) were also interviewed. Over time, there was a clear increase in the provision of "exotic" sexual services, including bondage and discipline, submission, fantasy, use of sex toys, golden showers, fisting, and lesbian double acts, while "traditional" services mostly remained at similar levels (with substantial decrease in oral sex without a condom). Based on comparisons of self-reports of clients and workers, the demand for anal intercourse, anal play, and urination during sex apparently exceeded supply, especially in licensed brothels. Within this population, legalization of sex work coincided with a substantial increase in diversity of services, but it appears that in the regulated working environments, clients who prefer high risk practices might not dictate what is available to them.

Online security and cyberbystander relations in mobilizing sex abuse intervention.

PubMed

Palasinski, Marek

2012-10-01

Two studies examined men's interventions in a virtual reality situation involving child grooming. In Study 1, 92 men observed an online encounter between an apparent minor and a sex offender. The results suggest that the bystander effect was stronger under computerized rather than user-assisted surveillance, and when the fellow cyberbystander was unknown rather than known. In Study 2, where 100 men observed the same encounter, the effect also emerged under computerized surveillance as long as the number unknown cyberbystanders was increased. Thus, vesting more responsibility for security in the average netizen rather than just in the automated abuse-detection technology is cautiously suggested, the relevance of which lies in increasing minors' health and safety.

Fall in new HIV diagnoses among men who have sex with men (MSM) at selected London sexual health clinics since early 2015: testing or treatment or pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)?

PubMed

Brown, Alison E; Mohammed, Hamish; Ogaz, Dana; Kirwan, Peter D; Yung, Mandy; Nash, Sophie G; Furegato, Martina; Hughes, Gwenda; Connor, Nicky; Delpech, Valerie C; Gill, O Noel

2017-06-22

Since October 2015 up to September 2016, HIV diagnoses fell by 32% compared with October 2014-September 2015 among men who have sex with men (MSM) attending selected London sexual health clinics. This coincided with high HIV testing volumes and rapid initiation of treatment on diagnosis. The fall was most apparent in new HIV testers. Intensified testing of high-risk populations, combined with immediately received anti-retroviral therapy and a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) programme, may make elimination of HIV achievable. This article is copyright of The Authors, 2017.

Cigarette Smoking in Same-Sex and Different-Sex Unions: The Role of Socioeconomic and Psychological Factors

PubMed Central

Liu, Hui; Brown, Dustin

2014-01-01

Cigarette smoking has long been a target of public health intervention because it substantially contributes to morbidity and mortality. Individuals in different-sex marriages have lower smoking risk (i.e., prevalence and frequency) than different-sex cohabiters. However, little is known about the smoking risk of individuals in same-sex cohabiting unions. We compare the smoking risk of individuals in different-sex marriages, same-sex cohabiting unions, and different-sex cohabiting unions using pooled cross-sectional data from the 1997–2010 National Health Interview Surveys (N = 168,514). We further examine the role of socioeconomic status (SES) and psychological distress in the relationship between union status and smoking. Estimates from multinomial logistic regression models reveal that same-sex and different-sex cohabiters experience similar smoking risk when compared to one another, and higher smoking risk when compared to the different-sex married. Results suggest that SES and psychological distress factors cannot fully explain smoking differences between the different-sex married and same-sex and different-sex cohabiting groups. Moreover, without same-sex cohabiter’s education advantage, same-sex cohabiters would experience even greater smoking risk relative to the different-sex married. Policy recommendations to reduce smoking disparities among same-sex and different-sex cohabiters are discussed. PMID:25346559

Australian black field crickets show changes in neural gene expression associated with socially-induced morphological, life-history, and behavioral plasticity.

PubMed

Kasumovic, Michael M; Chen, Zhiliang; Wilkins, Marc R

2016-10-24

Ecological and evolutionary model organisms have provided extensive insight into the ecological triggers, adaptive benefits, and evolution of life-history driven developmental plasticity. Despite this, we still have a poor understanding of the underlying genetic changes that occur during shifts towards different developmental trajectories. The goal of this study is to determine whether we can identify underlying gene expression patterns that can describe the different life-history trajectories individuals follow in response to social cues of competition. To do this, we use the Australian black field cricket (Teleogryllus commodus), a species with sex-specific developmental trajectories moderated by the density and quality of calls heard during immaturity. In this study, we manipulated the social information males and females could hear by rearing individuals in either calling or silent treatments. We next used RNA-Seq to develop a reference transcriptome to study changes in brain gene expression at two points prior to sexual maturation. We show accelerated development in both sexes when exposed to calling; changes were also seen in growth, lifespan, and reproductive effort. Functional relationships between genes and phenotypes were apparent from ontological enrichment analysis. We demonstrate that increased investment towards traits such as growth and reproductive effort were often associated with the expression of a greater number of genes with similar effect, thus providing a suite of candidate genes for future research in this and other invertebrate organisms. Our results provide interesting insight into the genomic underpinnings of developmental plasticity and highlight the potential of a genomic exploration of other evolutionary theories such as condition dependence and sex-specific developmental strategies.

Verbal and spatial working memory among drug-using HIV-infected men and women.

PubMed

Martin, Eileen; Keutmann, M K; Fogel, J S; Maki, P M; Gonzalez, R; Vassileva, J; Rubin, L H; Hardy, D

2018-04-23

Working memory (WM) is a critical component of many neurocognitive functions. The literature has demonstrated consistently that WM impairment is more frequent and severe among substance-dependent individuals (SDIs) infected with HIV compared with uninfected SDIs; however, the SDIs who participated in these previous studies were primarily male. There are few published data on WM performance among HIV+ women with or without substance use disorders, and essentially no direct comparisons of WM performance between HIV+ men and women, regardless of substance use. We investigated potential sex and serostatus effects on WM among a sample of 360 SDIs (114 with HIV; 66% female) verified abstinent from alcohol and drugs of abuse at testing and generally comparable on substance use and comorbid characteristics. Participants were tested with the n-back task, a well-established WM measure that is sensitive to HIV-associated cognitive impairment. HIV+ men and women performed spatial and verbal versions of the n-back significantly less accurately compared with HIV- participants. Women showed slower response times compared with men on both versions, regardless of HIV serostatus. Individuals dependent on cocaine showed faster RTs compared with non-dependent users, but this effect was not apparent among opioid- or alcohol-dependent groups. Findings on n-back accuracy are consistent with our previous proposal that WM impairment represents a signature deficit among HIV+ SDIs; however, WM impairment appears less common among HIV+ women without a substance use history. The pattern of sex differences in response speed but serostatus effects on response accuracy is comparable to a recent report by our group of sex differences in learning speed but serostatus effects on delayed recall.

Chemical differences between voided and bladder urine in the aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis): implications for olfactory communication studies.

PubMed

Delbarco-Trillo, Javier; Harelimana, Innocent H; Goodwin, Thomas E; Drea, Christine M

2013-07-01

Urine serves a communicative function in many mammalian species. In some species, the signaling function of urine can be enhanced by the addition of chemical compounds from glands along the distal portion of the urogenital tract. Although urine marking is the main mode of chemical communication in many primate species, there has been no study of the contribution of urogenital secretions to the chemical complexity of primate urine. Here, we compared the chemical composition of bladder urine versus voided urine in the aye-aye, Daubentonia madagascariensis, a strepsirrhine primate that relies on urine in intraspecific communication. Both types of urine, collected from each of 11 aye-ayes representing both sexes of varying adult ages, underwent headspace analysis via gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Although the average number of compounds was similar in bladder and voided urine, 17% of the compounds detected occurred exclusively in voided urine (but only in a subset of individuals). An overall measure of chemical complexity (using a nonmetric multidimensional scaling analysis) showed that both types of urine were chemically different at the individual level. There was no apparent sex or age differences in the chemical components found in aye-aye urine. Nonetheless, the individual dissimilarities between bladder urine and voided urine indicate chemical contributions from structures along the urogenital tract and offer further support for the relevance of urinary communication in the aye-aye. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Haematological and biochemical reference intervals for free-ranging brown bears (Ursus arctos) in Sweden

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Establishment of haematological and biochemical reference intervals is important to assess health of animals on individual and population level. Reference intervals for 13 haematological and 34 biochemical variables were established based on 88 apparently healthy free-ranging brown bears (39 males and 49 females) in Sweden. The animals were chemically immobilised by darting from a helicopter with a combination of medetomidine, tiletamine and zolazepam in April and May 2006–2012 in the county of Dalarna, Sweden. Venous blood samples were collected during anaesthesia for radio collaring and marking for ecological studies. For each of the variables, the reference interval was described based on the 95% confidence interval, and differences due to host characteristics sex and age were included if detected. To our knowledge, this is the first report of reference intervals for free-ranging brown bears in Sweden. Results The following variables were not affected by host characteristics: red blood cell, white blood cell, monocyte and platelet count, alanine transaminase, amylase, bilirubin, free fatty acids, glucose, calcium, chloride, potassium, and cortisol. Age differences were seen for the majority of the haematological variables, whereas sex influenced only mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration, aspartate aminotransferase, lipase, lactate dehydrogenase, β-globulin, bile acids, triglycerides and sodium. Conclusions The biochemical and haematological reference intervals provided and the differences due to host factors age and gender can be useful for evaluation of health status in free-ranging European brown bears. PMID:25139149

Early visual processing is enhanced in the midluteal phase of the menstrual cycle.

PubMed

Lusk, Bethany R; Carr, Andrea R; Ranson, Valerie A; Bryant, Richard A; Felmingham, Kim L

2015-12-01

Event-related potential (ERP) studies have revealed an early attentional bias in processing unpleasant emotional images in women. Recent neuroimaging data suggests there are significant differences in cortical emotional processing according to menstrual phase. This study examined the impact of menstrual phase on visual emotional processing in women compared to men. ERPs were recorded from 28 early follicular women, 29 midluteal women, and 27 men while they completed a passive viewing task of neutral and low- and high- arousing pleasant and unpleasant images. There was a significant effect of menstrual phase in early visual processing, as midluteal women displayed significantly greater P1 amplitude at occipital regions to all visual images compared to men. Both midluteal and early follicular women displayed larger N1 amplitudes than men (although this only reached significance for the midluteal group) to the visual images. No sex or menstrual phase differences were apparent in later N2, P3, or LPP. A condition effect demonstrated greater P3 and LPP amplitude to highly-arousing unpleasant images relative to all other stimuli conditions. These results indicate that women have greater early automatic visual processing compared to men, and suggests that this effect is particularly strong in women in the midluteal phase at the earliest stage of visual attention processing. Our findings highlight the importance of considering menstrual phase when examining sex differences in the cortical processing of visual stimuli. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Status and trends in demography of northern spotted owls, 1985-2003

USGS Publications Warehouse

Anthony, R.G.; Forsman, E.D.; Franklin, A.B.; Anderson, D.R.; Burnham, K.P.; White, Gary C.; Schwarz, C.J.; Nichols, J.D.; Hines, J.E.; Olson, G.S.; Ackers, S.H.; Andrews, L.S.; Biswell, B.L.; Carlson, P.C.; Diller, L.V.; Dugger, K.M.; Fehring, K.E.; Fleming, T.L.; Gerhardt, R.P.; Gremel, S.A.; Gutierrez, R.J.; Happe, P.J.; Herter, D.R.; Higley, J.M.; Horn, R.B.; Irwin, L.L.; Loschl, P.J.; Reid, J.A.; Sovern, S.G.; Krausman, P.R.

2006-01-01

We analyzed demographic data from northern spotted owls (Strix occidentalis caurina) from 14 study areas in Washington, Oregon, and California for 1985-2003. The purpose of our analyses was to provide an assessment of the status and trends of northern spotted owl populations throughout most of their geographic range. The 14 study areas made up approximately 12% of the range of the subspecies and included federal, tribal, private, and mixed federal and private lands. The study areas also included all the major forest types that the subspecies inhabits. The analyses followed rigorous protocols that were developed a priori and were the result of extensive discussions and consensus among the authors. Our primary objectives were to estimate fecundity, apparent survival (??), and annual rate of population change (??) and to determine if there were any temporal trends in these population parameters. In addition to analyses of data from individual study areas, we conducted 2 meta-analyses on each demographic parameter. One meta-analysis was conducted on all 14 areas, and the other was restricted to the 8 areas that constituted the Effectiveness Monitoring Plan for northern spotted owls under the Northwest Forest Plan. The average number of years of reproductive data per study area was 14 (range = 5-19), and the average number of recapture occasions per study area was 13 (range = 4-18). Only 1 study area had 1 year old. We found no differences in apparent survival rates between sexes except for 1 area (Marin), which had only 6 years of data. Estimates of apparent survival from individual study areas indicated that there were differences among age classes with adults generally having higher survival than 1- and 2-year-olds. Apparent survival rates ranged from 0.750 (SE=0.026) to 0.886 (SE=0.010) for adults, 0.626 (SE=0.073) to 0.886 (SE=0.010) for 2-year-olds, and 0.415 (SE=0.111) to 0.860 (SE=0.017) for 1-year-olds. These estimates were comparable to survival rates from previous studies on the subspecies. We found evidence for negative time trends in survival rate

The age, growth, and feeding habits of the whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis (Mitchell), of Lake Champlain

USGS Publications Warehouse

Van Oosten, John; Deason, Hilary J.

1939-01-01

This study is based on 120 whitefish collected in northern Lake Champlain (Missisquoi Bay) in 1930 and on 175 whitefish taken in southern Lake Champlain in 1931. Since the whitefish population had not been exploited commercially after 1912 in United States waters and after 1915 in Canadian waters, its study should be of interest in showing the characteristics of a population practically untouched by man. Data have been presented on length frequencies, age composition, growth, coefficient of condition, sex ratio, standard length-total length relationship, and feeding habits. The data indicated that the Missisquoi Bay population was disturbed (probably by the early fall seining of 1930) before our samples were taken so that the original length distributions no longer existed. The southern Lake Champlain material, however, showed a consistency which indicated that the population had not been exploited to any extensive degree, if at all. When the northern population was compared with the southern the former was found to differ from the latter in the following respects, which differences pointed to some disturbance of the northern stock in the lake 1. By possession of lower modes and smaller grand averages of length. 2. By absence of very old individuals. 3. By absence of a series of equally abundant age groups or, in other words, by the presence of a decided dominance of one or two age groups. 4. By a radical disagreement between the sexes in their age-frequency distribution. 5. By a disagreement between the sexes with respect to maximum lengths attained. All of the differences between the two collections could, however, not be attributed to exploitation. The following characteristics indicated the presence of two distinct populations in the lake 1. Presence of a spawning ground at each end of the lake. 2. Differences in calculated lengths and increments of length (growth rates). 3. Differences in the actual lengths and weights of corresponding age groups at capture. 4. Differences in the coefficient of condition and the length-weight relationship. The discovery of the presence of apparently two separate populations of whitefish in Lake Champlain was wholly unexpected by us.

Exposure to gemfibrozil and atorvastatin affects cholesterol metabolism and steroid production in zebrafish (Danio rerio).

PubMed

Al-Habsi, Aziz A; Massarsky, Andrey; Moon, Thomas W

2016-09-01

The commonly used lipid-lowering pharmaceuticals gemfibrozil (GEM) and atorvastatin (ATV) are detected in the aquatic environment; however, their potential effects on non-target fish species are yet to be fully understood. This study examined the effects of GEM and/or ATV on female and male adult zebrafish after a 30d dietary exposure. The exposure led to changes in several biochemical parameters, including reduction in cholesterol, triglycerides, cortisol, testosterone, and estradiol. Changes in cholesterol and triglycerides were also associated with changes in transcript levels of key genes involved with cholesterol and lipid regulation, including SREBP2, HMGCR1, PPARα, and SREBP1. We also noted higher CYP3A65 and atrogin1 mRNA levels in drug-treated male fish. Sex differences were apparent in some of the examined parameters at both biochemical and molecular levels. This study supports these drugs affecting cholesterol metabolism and steroid production in adult zebrafish. We conclude that the reduction in cortisol may impair the ability of these fish to mount a suitable stress response, whereas the reduction of sex steroids may negatively affect reproduction. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Open sepulchers and closed boundaries? Biodistance analysis of cemetery structure and postmarital residence in the late prehispanic Andes.

PubMed

Velasco, Matthew C

2018-05-16

In the Late Intermediate Period Andes (AD 1100-1450), the proliferation of above-ground sepulchers reconfigured social boundaries within and between communities engaged in protracted conflict. However, the biosocial dimensions of these mortuary practices, and their implications for conflict and alliance formation, remain unexplored. This study examines patterns of phenotypic variation to: (1) evaluate if open sepulchers were organized on the basis of biological relatedness, and (2) explore if sex-specific phenotypic variability conforms to models of postmarital residence. Cranial nonmetric traits were recorded in five skeletal samples from two cemeteries in the Colca Valley, Peru. Biological distances between burial groups were calculated using the Mean Measure of Divergence (MMD) statistic. Postmarital residence was explored by calculating and bootstrapping the ratio of male-to-female mean pairwise differences (MPD) at the within-group level. The MMD analysis yields greater than expected between-group distances for burial groups with a minimum sample size of 20 individuals. In contrast, a prevailing pattern of sex-specific, within-group phenotypic variability is not apparent from the analysis of MPD. The use of 12 or 24 dichotomous traits produces similar results. Greater than expected biological distances suggest that above-ground mortuary practices reinforced biosocial boundaries between corporate household groups. Intracemetery heterogeneity persisted even as cranial vault modification, a correlate of social identity, became more homogenous, revealing how corporate group organization was negotiated at multiple scales. Sex-specific variation does not conform to traditional migration models. If migration occurred, it did not have a homogenizing effect on phenotypic variation. These results should be viewed with caution in light of the smaller sample sizes of sex-specific groupings. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Incidence of hypertension and non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus and associated risk factors in a rapidly developing Caribbean community: the St James survey, Trinidad.

PubMed Central

Miller, G J; Maude, G H; Beckles, G L

1996-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To compare the incidence rates of hypertension and non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus in relation to ethnicity and other characteristics in a rapidly developing community. DESIGN: Prospective surveillance of a total community for five years. SUBJECTS: Cohort of 2491 men and women aged 35 to 69 years (79% response), of African, Indian and "other' (mainly Afro-European) descent. RESULTS: During surveillance, secular increases occurred in fasting blood glucose concentrations in both sexes and in body mass index (BMI) in men, with apparent secular reductions in systolic blood pressure in both sexes. Incidence rates of hypertension did not differ significantly with ethnicity, ranging between 33 and 41 per 1000 person-years in men and between 27 and 32 per 1000 person-years in women. In men, the incidence of diabetes (per 1000 person-years) in Indians (24) was significantly higher than in Africans (13) and others (11). In women, the diabetic incidence was similar to that for men in Indians (23) and Africans (14), but in others was twice that in men (21). In both sexes, weight gain was an important risk factor for hypertension, whereas risk of diabetes increased with BMI at baseline. The increased risk of diabetes in Indians among men was independent of baseline BMI and blood glucose. CONCLUSION: Apart from the increased risk of diabetes in Indians, ethnicity had no significant influence on incidence rates of hypertension and diabetes in Trinidad. Secular increases in blood glucose in both sexes and in BMI in men probably contributed to the concurrent increase in mortality from coronary heart disease in this community. PMID:8944854

Developmental constraints and convergent evolution in Drosophila sex comb formation.

PubMed

Atallah, Joel; Liu, Nana Hou; Dennis, Peter; Hon, Andy; Larsen, Ellen W

2009-01-01

The most complex and diverse secondary sexual character in Drosophila is the sex comb (SC), an arrangement of modified bristles on the forelegs of a subclade of male fruit flies. We examined SC formation in six representative nonmodel fruit fly species, in an effort to understand how the variation in comb patterning arises. We first compared SC development in two species with relatively small combs, Drosophila takahashii, where the SCs remain approximately transverse, and Drosophila biarmipes, where two rows of SC teeth rotate and move in an anterior direction relative to other bristle landmarks. We then analyzed comb ontogeny in species with prominent extended SCs parallel to the proximodistal axis, including Drosophila ficusphila and species of the montium subgroup. Our study allowed us to identify two general methods of generating longitudinal combs on the tarsus, and we showed that a montium subgroup species (Drosophila nikananu) with a comb convergently similar in size, orientation and position to the model organism Drosophila melanogaster, forms its SC through a different developmental mechanism. We also found that the protein product of the leg patterning gene, dachshund (dac), is strongly reduced in the SC in all species, but not in other bristles. Our results suggest that an apparent constraint on SC position in the adult may be attributable to at least two different lineage-specific developmental processes, although external forces could also play a role.

Sex differences but no evidence of quantitative honesty in the warning signals of six-spot burnet moths (Zygaena filipendulae L.).

PubMed

Briolat, Emmanuelle Sophie; Zagrobelny, Mika; Olsen, Carl Erik; Blount, Jonathan D; Stevens, Martin

2018-05-16

The distinctive black and red wing pattern of six-spot burnet moths (Zygaena filipendulae, L.) is a classic example of aposematism, advertising their potent cyanide-based defences. While such warning signals provide a qualitatively honest signal of unprofitability, the evidence for quantitative honesty, whereby variation in visual traits could provide accurate estimates of individual toxicity, is more equivocal. Combining measures of cyanogenic glucoside content and wing colour from the perspective of avian predators, we investigate the relationship between coloration and defences in Z. filipendulae, to test signal honesty both within and across populations. There were no significant relationships between mean cyanogenic glucoside concentration and metrics of wing coloration across populations in males, yet in females higher cyanogenic glucoside levels were associated with smaller and lighter red forewing markings. Trends within populations were similarly inconsistent with quantitative honesty, and persistent differences between the sexes were apparent: larger females, carrying a greater total cyanogenic glucoside load, displayed larger but less conspicuous markings than smaller males, according to several colour metrics. The overall high aversiveness of cyanogenic glucosides and fluctuations in colour and toxin levels during an individual's lifetime may contribute to these results, highlighting generally important reasons why signal honesty should not always be expected in aposematic species. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Cytogenetic analysis of three species of Pseudacteon (Diptera, Phoridae) parasitoids of the fire ants using standard and molecular techniques

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Pseudacteon flies, parasitoids of worker ants, are being intensively studied as potentially effective agents in the biological control of the invasive pest fire ant genus Solenopsis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). This is the first attempt to describe the karyotype of P. curvatus Borgmeier, P. nocens Borgmeier and P. tricuspis Borgmeier. The three species possess 2n = 6; chromosomes I and II were metacentric in the three species, but chromosome pair III was subtelocentric in P. curvatus and P. tricuspis, and telocentric in P. nocens. All three species possess a C positive band in chromosome II, lack C positive heterochromatin on chromosome I, and are mostly differentiated with respect to chromosome III. P. curvatus and P. tricuspis possess a C positive band, but at different locations, whereas this band is absent in P. nocens. Heterochromatic bands are neither AT nor GC rich as revealed by fluorescent banding. In situ hybridization with an 18S rDNA probe revealed a signal on chromosome II in a similar location to the C positive band in the three species. The apparent lack of morphologically distinct sex chromosomes is consistent with proposals of environmental sex determination in the genus. Small differences detected in chromosome length and morphology suggests that chromosomes have been highly conserved during the evolutionary radiation of Pseudacteon. Possible mechanisms of karyotype evolution in the three species are suggested. PMID:21637448

Sex differences of anthropometric indices of obesity by age among Iranian adults in northern Iran: A predictive regression model.

PubMed

Hajian-Tilaki, Karimollah; Heidari, Behzad

2015-01-01

The biological variation of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) with age may vary by gender. The objective of this study was to investigate the functional relationship of anthropometric measures with age and sex. The data were collected from a population-based cross-sectional study of 1800 men and 1800 women aged 20-70 years in northern Iran. The linear and quadratic pattern of age on weight, height, BMI and WC and WHR were tested statistically and the interaction effect of age and gender was also formally tested. The quadratic model (age(2)) provided a significantly better fit than simple linear model for weight, BMI and WC. BMI, WC and weight explained a greater variance using quadratic form for women compared with men (for BMI, R(2)=0.18, p<0.001 vs R(2)=0.059, p<0.001 and for WC, R(2)=0.17, p<0.001 vs R(2)=0.047, p<0.001). For height, there is an inverse linear relationship while for WHR, a positive linear association was apparent by aging, the quadratic form did not add to better fit. These findings indicate the different patterns of weight gain, fat accumulation for visceral adiposity and loss of muscle mass between men and women in the early and middle adulthood.

Gender Differences in Skeletal Muscle Substrate Metabolism – Molecular Mechanisms and Insulin Sensitivity

PubMed Central

Lundsgaard, Anne-Marie; Kiens, Bente

2014-01-01

It has become increasingly apparent that substrate metabolism is subject to gender-specific regulation, and the aim of this review is to outline the available evidence of molecular gender differences in glucose and lipid metabolism of skeletal muscle. Female sex has been suggested to have a favorable effect on glucose homeostasis, and the available evidence from hyperinsulinemic–euglycemic clamp studies is summarized to delineate whether there is a gender difference in whole-body insulin sensitivity and in particular insulin-stimulated glucose uptake of skeletal muscle. Whether an eventual higher insulin sensitivity of female skeletal muscle can be related to gender-specific regulation of molecular metabolism will be topic for discussion. Gender differences in muscle fiber type distribution and substrate availability to and in skeletal muscle are highly relevant for substrate metabolism in men and women. In particular, the molecular machinery for glucose and fatty acid oxidative and storage capacities in skeletal muscle and its implications for substrate utilization during metabolic situations of daily living are discussed, emphasizing their relevance for substrate choice in the fed and fasted state, and during periods of physical activity and recovery. Together, handling of carbohydrate and lipids and regulation of their utilization in skeletal muscle have implications for whole-body glucose homeostasis in men and women. 17-β estradiol is the most important female sex hormone, and the identification of estradiol receptors in skeletal muscle has opened for a role in regulation of substrate metabolism. Also, higher levels of circulating adipokines as adiponectin and leptin in women and their implications for muscle metabolism will be considered. PMID:25431568

Dmrt1 is necessary for male sexual development in zebrafish

PubMed Central

Webster, Kaitlyn A.; Schach, Ursula; Ordaz, Angel; Steinfeld, Jocelyn S.; Draper, Bruce W.; Siegfried, Kellee R.

2018-01-01

The dmrt1 (doublesex and mab-3 related transcription factor 1) gene is a key regulator of sex determination and/or gonadal sex differentiation across metazoan animals. This is unusual given that sex determination genes are typically not well conserved. The mechanisms by which zebrafish sex is determined have remained elusive due to the lack of sex chromosomes and the complex polygenic nature of sex determination in domesticated strains. To investigate the role of dmrt1 in zebrafish sex determination and gonad development, we isolated mutations disrupting this gene. We found that the majority of dmrt1 mutant fish develop as fertile females suggesting a complete male-to-female sex reversal in mutant animals that would have otherwise developed as males. A small percentage of mutant animals became males, but were sterile and displayed testicular dysgenesis. Therefore zebrafish dmrt1 functions in male sex determination and testis development. Mutant males had aberrant gonadal development at the onset of gonadal sex-differentiation, displaying reduced oocyte apoptosis followed by development of intersex gonads and failed testis morphogenesis and spermatogenesis. By contrast, female ovaries developed normally. We found that Dmrt1 is necessary for normal transcriptional regulation of the amh (anti-Müllerian hormone) and foxl2 (forkhead box L2) genes, which are thought to be important for male or female sexual development respectively. Interestingly, we identified one dmrt1 mutant allele that cooperates with a linked segregation distorter locus to generate an apparent XY sex determination mechanism. We conclude that dmrt1 is dispensable for ovary development but necessary for testis development in zebrafish, and that dmrt1 promotes male development by transcriptionally regulating male and female genes as has been described in other animals. Furthermore, the strong sex-ratio bias caused by dmrt1 reduction-of-function points to potential mechanisms through which sex chromosomes may evolve. PMID:27940159

A missense mutation in the human cytochrome b5 gene causes 46,XY disorder of sex development due to true isolated 17,20 lyase deficiency.

PubMed

Idkowiak, Jan; Randell, Tabitha; Dhir, Vivek; Patel, Pushpa; Shackleton, Cedric H L; Taylor, Norman F; Krone, Nils; Arlt, Wiebke

2012-03-01

Isolated 17,20 lyase deficiency is commonly defined by apparently normal 17α-hydroxylase activity but severely reduced 17,20 lyase activity of the bifunctional enzyme cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzyme 17A1 (CYP17A1), resulting in sex steroid deficiency but normal glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid reserve. Cytochrome b5 (CYB5A) is thought to selectively enhance 17,20 lyase activity by facilitating the allosteric interaction of CYP17A1 with its electron donor P450 oxidoreductase (POR). We investigated a large consanguineous family including three siblings with 46,XY disorder of sex development (DSD) presenting with isolated 17,20 lyase deficiency. We investigated the clinical and biochemical phenotype, conducted genetic analyses, and functionally characterized the identified CYB5A mutation in cell-based CYP17A1 coexpression assays. All three siblings presented with 46,XY DSD, sex steroid deficiency, normal mineralocorticoids and glucocorticoids, and a urine steroid metabolome suggestive of isolated 17,20 lyase deficiency. CYP17A1 and POR sequences were normal, but we detected a homozygous CYB5A missense mutation (g.28,400A→T; p.H44L). Functional in vitro analysis revealed normal CYP17A1 17α-hydroxylase activity but severely impaired 17,20 lyase activity. In silico analysis suggested the disruption of CYB5A heme binding by p.H44L. We have identified the first human CYB5A missense mutation as the cause of isolated 17,20 lyase deficiency in three individuals with 46,XY DSD. Detailed review of previously reported cases with apparently isolated 17,20 lyase deficiency due to mutant CYP17A1 and POR reveals impaired 17α-hydroxylase activity as assessed by steroid metabolome analysis and short cosyntropin testing. This suggests that truly isolated 17,20 lyase deficiency is observed only in individuals with inactivating CYB5A mutations.

Sex-dependent effects of larval food stress on adult performance under semi-natural conditions: only a matter of size?

PubMed

Rosa, Elena; Saastamoinen, Marjo

2017-07-01

Organisms with complex life-cycles acquire essential nutrients as juveniles, and hence even a short-term food stress during development can impose serious fitness costs apparent in adults. We used the Glanville fritillary butterfly to investigate the effects of larval food stress on adult performance under semi-natural conditions in a population enclosure. We were specifically interested in whether the negative effects observed were due to body mass reduction only or whether additional effects unrelated to pupal mass were evident. The two sexes responded differently to the larval food stress. In females, larval food stress reduced pupal mass and reproductive performance. The reduced reproductive performance was partially mediated by pupal mass reduction. Food stressed females also had reduced within-patch mobility, and this effect was not dependent on pupal mass. Conversely, food stress had no effect on male pupal mass, suggesting a full compensation via prolonged development time. Nonetheless, food stressed males were less likely to sire any eggs, potentially due to changes in their territorial behavior, as indicated by food stress also increasing male within-patch mobility (i.e., patrolling behavior). When males did sire eggs, the offspring number and viability were unaffected by male food stress treatment. Viability was in general higher for offspring sired by lighter males. Our study highlights how compensatory mechanisms after larval food stress can act in a sex-specific manner and that the alteration in body mass is only partially responsible for the reduced adult performance observed.

Vitamin C impacts anxiety-like behavior and stress-induced anorexia relative to social environment in SMP30/GNL knockout mice.

PubMed

Koizumi, Miwako; Kondo, Yoshitaka; Isaka, Ayumi; Ishigami, Akihito; Suzuki, Emiko

2016-12-01

The role of endogenous vitamin C (VC) in emotion and psychiatric measures has long been uncertain. We aimed to investigate how an individual's VC status impacts his or her mental health. Our hypothesis is that body VC levels modulate anxiety, anorexia, and depressive phenotypes under the influence of psychosocial rearing environments and sex. The VC status of senescence marker protein-30/gluconolactonase knockout mice, which lack the ability to synthesize VC, were continuously shifted from adequate (VC+) to depleted (VC-) by providing a water with or without VC. Despite weight loss in both sexes, suppressed feeding was specifically seen in males only during the VC- phase. Anxiety responses in the novelty-suppressed feeding paradigm were worse during the VC-, especially in females. Sensitivity to the forced swim test as determined by the initial latency was significantly shorter in the socially stable animals compared with socially unstable animals during the VC+ condition. The stress coping underlying depressive phenotypes was assessed by immobility duration in a series of forced swim tests. No significant differences were apparent between contrasting VC status. Homeostatic symptoms following stressful behavioral tests consisted of a great loss of appetite during the VC-. It should be noted that anorexia is extremely serious for the females. We conclude that endogenous VC status is critical for determining vulnerability to anxiety and anorexia in a sex-specific manner. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Variation in hematologic and serum biochemical values of belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) under managed care.

PubMed

Norman, Stephanie A; Beckett, Laurel A; Miller, Woutrina A; St Leger, Judy; Hobbs, Roderick C

2013-06-01

Blood analytes are critical for evaluating the general health of cetacean populations, so it is important to understand the intrinsic variability of hematology and serum chemistry values. Previous studies have reported data for follow-up periods of several years in managed and wild populations, but studies over long periods of time (> 20 yr) have not been reported. The study objective was to identify the influences of partitioning characteristics on hematology and serum chemistry analytes of apparently healthy managed beluga (Delphinapterus leucas). Blood values from 31 managed belugas, at three facilities, collected over 22 yr, were assessed for seasonal variation and aging trends, and evaluated for biologic variation among and within individuals. Linear mixed effects models assessed the relationship between the analytes and sex, age, season, facility location, ambient air temperature, and photoperiod. Sex differences in analytes and associations with increasing age were observed. Seasonal variation was observed for hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, monocytes, alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, cholesterol, and triglycerides. Facilities were associated with larger effects on analyte values compared to other covariates, whereas age, sex, and ambient temperature had smaller effects compared to facility and season. Present findings provide important baseline information for future health monitoring efforts. Interpretation of blood analytes and animal health in managed and wild populations over time is aided by having available typical levels for the species and reference intervals for the degree to which individual animals vary from the species average and from their own baseline levels during long-term monitoring.

Establishing reference values for central blood pressure and its amplification in a general healthy population and according to cardiovascular risk factors.

PubMed

Herbert, Annie; Cruickshank, John Kennedy; Laurent, Stéphane; Boutouyrie, Pierre

2014-11-21

Estimated central systolic blood pressure (cSBP) and amplification (Brachial SBP-cSBP) are non-invasive measures potentially prognostic of cardiovascular (CV) disease. No worldwide, multiple-device reference values are available. We aimed to establish reference values for a worldwide general population standardizing between the different available methods of measurement. How these values were significantly altered by cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) was then investigated. Existing data from population surveys and clinical trials were combined, whether published or not. Reference values of cSBP and amplification were calculated as percentiles for 'Normal' (no CVRFs) and 'Reference' (any CVRFs) populations. We included 45,436 subjects out of 82,930 that were gathered from 77 studies of 53 centres. Included subjects were apparently healthy, not treated for hypertension or dyslipidaemia, and free from overt CV disease and diabetes. Values of cSBP and amplification were stratified by brachial blood pressure categories and age decade in turn, both being stratified by sex. Amplification decreased with age and more so in males than in females. Sex was the most powerful factor associated with amplification with 6.6 mmHg (5.8-7.4) higher amplification in males than in females. Amplification was marginally but significantly influenced by CVRFs, with smoking and dyslipidaemia decreasing amplification, but increased with increasing levels of blood glucose. Typical values of cSBP and amplification in a healthy population and a population free of traditional CVRFs are now available according to age, sex, and brachial BP, providing values included from different devices with a wide geographical representation. Amplification is significantly influenced by CVRFs, but differently in men and women. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2014. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Sport Injuries in Elite Paralympic Swimmers With Visual Impairment

PubMed Central

Silva, Marilia Magno e; Bilzon, James; Duarte, Edison; Gorla, Jose; Vital, Roberto

2013-01-01

Context: Visually impaired athletes sustain overuse injuries in the lower limbs, but the pattern of injuries may vary according to the sport. The characteristics of sports injuries in visually impaired swimmers are unknown. Objective: To determine the characteristics and epidemiologic measures (prevalence, clinical incidence, and incidence rate) of sports injuries in visually impaired elite national swimmers and to assess differences among visual classes and between sexes. Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Setting: International Paralympic competitions held between 2004 and 2008. Patients or Other Participants: Twenty-eight elite, visually impaired swimmers (19 males, 9 females) from the Brazilian Paralympic Team participated in this study. Twelve were visual class S11 (blind swimmers), 12 were S12 (low-vision swimmers), and 4 were S13 (low-vision swimmers). Intervention(s): A standardized report form was used to collect data during 5 competitions. This was endorsed by 2 Brazilian sports governing bodies. Main Outcome Measures: The characteristics, prevalence, clinical incidence, and incidence rate of injuries were calculated. Results: Eighteen athletes reported 41 sports injuries, with a prevalence of 64%, clinical incidence of 1.5 injuries per athlete, and an incidence rate of 0.3 injuries per athlete per competition. Overuse injuries (80%) were more frequent than traumatic injuries (20%). The clinical incidence and prevalence varied according to sex and visual class, but no statistical differences were observed (P > .05). The highest proportion of injuries was in the trunk (46.34%), followed by the upper limbs (34.15%). The shoulders (29.27%) were most affected, followed by the thoracic (21.95%) and lumbar spine (17.07%). Spasm (36.59%) was the most frequent diagnosis, followed by tendinopathy (26.83%). Conclusions: Visually impaired swimmers had a relatively high proportion of overuse injuries, predominantly associated with muscle spasm in the spine and tendinopathy in the shoulders. No differences were apparent in injury prevalence and clinical incidence among visual classes or between sexes. PMID:23768122

Chromosome banding in Amphibia. XXVI. Coexistence of homomorphic XY sex chromosomes and a derived Y-autosome translocation in Eleutherodactylus maussi (Anura, Leptodactylidae).

PubMed

Schmid, M; Feichtinger, W; Steinlein, C; Haaf, T; Schartl, M; Visbal García, R; Manzanilla Pupo, J; Fernández Badillo, A

2002-01-01

A 15-year cytogenetic survey on one population of the leaf litter frog Eleutherodactylus maussi in northern Venezuela confirmed the existence of multiple XXAA male symbol /XAA(Y) female symbol sex chromosomes which originated by a centric (Robertsonian) fusion between the original Y chromosome and an autosome. 95% of the male individuals in this population are carriers of this Y-autosome fusion. In male meiosis the XAA(Y) sex chromosomes pair in the expected trivalent configuration. In the same population, 5% of the male animals still possess the original, free XY sex chromosomes. In a second population of E. maussi analyzed, all male specimens are characterized by these ancestral XY chromosomes which form normal bivalents in meiosis. E. maussi apparently represents the first vertebrate species discovered in which a derived Y-autosome fusion still coexists with the ancestral free XY sex chromosomes. The free XY sex chromosomes, as well as the multiple XA(Y) sex chromosomes are still in a very primitive (homomorphic) stage of differentiation. With no banding technique applied it is possible to distinguish the Y from the X. DNA flow cytometric measurements show that the genome of E. maussi is among the largest in the anuran family Leptodactylidae. The present study also supplies further data on differential chromosome banding and fluorescence in situ hybridization experiments in this amphibian species. Copyright 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel

46,XX T testicular disorder of sex development. Case report.

PubMed

Pastor Guzmán, José María; Pastor Navarro, Hector; Quintanilla Mata, María Luisa; Carrión López, Pedro; Martínez Ruíz, Jesús; Martínez Sanchiz, Carlos; Perán Teruel, Miguel; Virseda Rodríguez, Julio Antonio

2011-06-01

We present a case of X-Y translocation with male phenotype (46,XX testicular disorder of sex development) and review the literature. Disorders of sex development with mismatch of genetic, gonadal and phenotypic sex are quite rare, and some are due to genetic or chromosomal abnormalities. The karyotype was investigated by a cytogenetic study of peripheral blood (phytohemagglutinin-timulated lymphocyte culture over 72 hours). G-banding analysis of 25 metaphases showed a 46,XX chromosome constitution (46 chromosomes with XX sexual composition). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis with probes for X centromeres and the sex-determining region of the Y chromosome (SRY) (testis-determining factor gene) showed two X chromosomes. The analysis also showed the SRY signal in the telomeric region of the short arm of one of the chromosomes. In recent years, a number of other genes involved in disorders of sex development in animals and humans have also been identified. Genetic defects in the peptide hormone receptors, members of the steroid receptor superfamily, and other transcription factors, as well as any of a series of enzymes and cofactors involved in steroid biosynthesis can cause abnormal determination and differentiation. Although chromosomal abnormalities are rarely present in patients with apparently normal external genitalia, they should be considered in urology consultations by adolescents and adults, particularly in the investigation of gynecomastia or infertility.

Timing sexual differentiation: full functional sex reversal achieved through silencing of a single insulin-like gene in the prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii.

PubMed

Ventura, Tomer; Manor, Rivka; Aflalo, Eliahu D; Weil, Simy; Rosen, Ohad; Sagi, Amir

2012-03-01

In Crustacea, an early evolutionary group (∼50 000 species) inhabiting most ecological niches, sex differentiation is regulated by a male-specific androgenic gland (AG). The identification of AG-specific insulin-like factors (IAGs) and genomic sex markers offers an opportunity for a deeper understanding of the sexual differentiation mechanism in crustaceans and other arthropods. Here, we report, to our knowledge, the first full and functional sex reversal of male freshwater prawns (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) through the silencing of a single IAG-encoding gene. These "neofemales" produced all-male progeny, as proven by sex-specific genomic markers. This finding offers an insight regarding the biology and evolution of sex differentiation regulation, with a novel perspective for the evolution of insulin-like peptides. Our results demonstrate how temporal intervention with a key regulating gene induces a determinative, extreme phenotypic shift. Our results also carry tremendous ecological and commercial implications. Invasive and pest crustacean species represent genuine concerns worldwide without an apparent solution. Such efforts might, therefore, benefit from sexual manipulations, as has been successfully realized with other arthropods. Commercially, such manipulation would be significant in sexually dimorphic cultured species, allowing the use of nonbreeding, monosex populations while dramatically increasing yield and possibly minimizing the invasion of exotic cultured species into the environment.

Analysis of the golden proportion and width/height ratios of maxillary anterior teeth in Arab and Kurdish populations.

PubMed

Al-Kaisy, Neda; Garib, Balkees Taha

2017-11-15

Dentists providing anterior restorations are guided by the principles of anatomic tooth dimension. Dental biometrics should consider ethnicity to produce a more comprehensive evaluation. The purpose of this clinical study was to analyze the anatomic crowns of maxillary central incisors (CI), lateral incisors (LI), and canines (C) with respect to the golden proportion (GP) and width/height (W/H) ratio in Kurdish and Arab populations. Maxillary gypsum casts were obtained from 100 participants (50 from a Kurdish and 50 from an Arab population). Standardized digital photographs of each cast were recorded. The apparent and actual anterior tooth dimensions were determined by ImageJ software for the calculation of the GP and W/H ratio. Data were statistically analyzed using ANOVA to investigate ethnic, sex, and arch side differences. The chi-square test was used to explore the GP, and the 1-sample t test was used to test the ideal W/H ratio (α=.05). The GP was found in both the Kurdish and Arab groups in the LI/CI mean (0.62, 0.63), but not in the C/LI mean (0.69, 0.73). No difference due to sex was detected in the LI/CI in either ethnic group, but Kurdish men had significantly larger C/LI than women (0.73, 0.66, P=.006) and larger right-side LI/CI than left (0.63, 0.60, P=.049). The W/H ratio was higher than the predicted ideal ratio of 80% (range, 88% to 90%). The LI W/H ratio in Arabs was significantly larger than in Kurds (90.3% versus 82.7%, respectively; P<.001). The GP was found to exist between the apparent widths of maxillary anterior teeth LI/CI for the both populations in both men and women but not for C/LI. No ideal ratio was detected for the W/H ratios. Specific population characteristics must be taken into consideration, especially when applying the proportions to Kurdish individuals. Copyright © 2017 Editorial Council for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The relationship between habitat characteristics and demographic performance of northern spotted owls in southern Oregon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dugger, Katie M.; Wagner, Frank; Anthony, Robert G.; Olson, Gail S.

2005-01-01

We used data from Northern Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) territories to model the effects of habitat (particularly intermediate-aged forest stand types), climate, and nonhabitat covariates (i.e., age, sex) on owl reproductive rate and apparent survival in southwestern Oregon. Our best model for reproductive rate included an interaction between a cyclic, annual time trend and male breeding experience, with higher reproductive rates in even years compared to odd, particularly for males with previous breeding experience. Reproductive rate was also negatively related to the amount of winter precipitation and positively related to the proportion of old-growth forest near the owl territory center. Apparent survival was not associated with age, sex, climate or any of the intermediate-aged forest types, but was positively associated with the proportion of older forest near the territory center in a pseudothreshold pattern. The quadratic structure of the proportion of nonhabitat farther from the nest or primary roost site was also part of our best survival model. Survival decreased dramatically when the amount of nonhabitat exceeded ∼50%. Habitat fitness potential estimates (λ̂h) for 97 owl territories ranged from 0.29–1.09, with a mean of 0.86 ± 0.02. Owl territories with habitat fitness potentials <1.0 were generally characterized by <40%–50% old forest habitat near the territory center. Our results indicate that both apparent survival and reproductive rate are positively associated with older forest types close to the nest or primary roost site. We found no support for either a positive or negative direct effect of intermediate-aged forests on either survival or reproductive rate.

Effects of Vomeronasal Organ Removal on Olfactory Sex Discrimination and Odor Preferences of Female Ferrets

PubMed Central

Woodley, S.K.; Cloe, A.L.; Waters, P.; Baum, M.J.

2005-01-01

Previous research suggests that body odorants, including anal scents and urinary odors, contribute to sex discrimination and mate identification in European ferrets of both sexes. We assessed the possible role of the vomeronasal organ (VNO) in these functions by surgically removing the organ bilaterally in sexually experienced female ferrets. Lesioned (VNOx) and sham-operated control (VNOi) females reliably discriminated between male- and female-derived anal scent gland as well as fresh urinary odors in habituation/dishabituation tests. However, VNOi females spent significantly more time than VNOx subjects investigating male urinary odors in these tests. Also, VNOi females, but not VNOx subjects, preferred to investigate day-old male versus female urine spots as well as wooden blocks that had previously been soiled by male versus female ferrets. Both groups of female ferrets preferred to approach volatile odors from a breeding male instead of an estrous female in Y-maze tests and both groups showed similar levels of receptive sexual behavior in response to a male’s neck grip. The VNO is apparently not required for olfactory sex discrimination or mate recognition in this carnivore, but instead may play a role in promoting continued contact with nonvolatile body odors previously deposited by opposite-sex conspecifics during territorial scent marking. PMID:15466811

A Population-Based Study of Alcohol Use in Same-Sex and Different-Sex Unions

PubMed Central

Reczek, Corinne; Liu, Hui; Spiker, Russell

2014-01-01

The present study advances research on union status and health by providing a first look at alcohol use differentials among different-sex and same-sex married and cohabiting individuals using nationally representative population-based data (National Health Interview Surveys 1997–2011, N = 181,581). The results showed that both same-sex and different-sex married groups reported lower alcohol use than both same-sex and different-sex cohabiting groups. The results further revealed that same-sex and different-sex married individuals reported similar levels of alcohol use, whereas same-sex and different-sex cohabiting individuals reported similar levels of alcohol use. Drawing on marital advantage and minority stress approaches, the findings suggest that it is cohabitation status—not same-sex status—that is associated with elevated alcohol rates. PMID:24860195

Women Favour Dyadic Relationships, but Men Prefer Clubs: Cross-Cultural Evidence from Social Networking

PubMed Central

David-Barrett, Tamas; Rotkirch, Anna; Carney, James; Behncke Izquierdo, Isabel; Krems, Jaimie A.; Townley, Dylan; McDaniell, Elinor; Byrne-Smith, Anna; Dunbar, Robin I. M.

2015-01-01

The ability to create lasting, trust-based friendships makes it possible for humans to form large and coherent groups. The recent literature on the evolution of sociality and on the network dynamics of human societies suggests that large human groups have a layered structure generated by emotionally supported social relationships. There are also gender differences in adult social style which may involve different trade-offs between the quantity and quality of friendships. Although many have suggested that females tend to focus on intimate relations with a few other females, while males build larger, more hierarchical coalitions, the existence of such gender differences is disputed and data from adults is scarce. Here, we present cross-cultural evidence for gender differences in the preference for close friendships. We use a sample of ∼112,000 profile pictures from nine world regions posted on a popular social networking site to show that, in self-selected displays of social relationships, women favour dyadic relations, whereas men favour larger, all-male cliques. These apparently different solutions to quality-quantity trade-offs suggest a universal and fundamental difference in the function of close friendships for the two sexes. PMID:25775258

Women favour dyadic relationships, but men prefer clubs: cross-cultural evidence from social networking.

PubMed

David-Barrett, Tamas; Rotkirch, Anna; Carney, James; Behncke Izquierdo, Isabel; Krems, Jaimie A; Townley, Dylan; McDaniell, Elinor; Byrne-Smith, Anna; Dunbar, Robin I M

2015-01-01

The ability to create lasting, trust-based friendships makes it possible for humans to form large and coherent groups. The recent literature on the evolution of sociality and on the network dynamics of human societies suggests that large human groups have a layered structure generated by emotionally supported social relationships. There are also gender differences in adult social style which may involve different trade-offs between the quantity and quality of friendships. Although many have suggested that females tend to focus on intimate relations with a few other females, while males build larger, more hierarchical coalitions, the existence of such gender differences is disputed and data from adults is scarce. Here, we present cross-cultural evidence for gender differences in the preference for close friendships. We use a sample of ∼112,000 profile pictures from nine world regions posted on a popular social networking site to show that, in self-selected displays of social relationships, women favour dyadic relations, whereas men favour larger, all-male cliques. These apparently different solutions to quality-quantity trade-offs suggest a universal and fundamental difference in the function of close friendships for the two sexes.

Sex Differences and Sex Steroids in Lung Health and Disease

PubMed Central

Townsend, Elizabeth A.; Miller, Virginia M.

2012-01-01

Sex differences in the biology of different organ systems and the influence of sex hormones in modulating health and disease are increasingly relevant in clinical and research areas. Although work has focused on sex differences and sex hormones in cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and neuronal systems, there is now increasing clinical evidence for sex differences in incidence, morbidity, and mortality of lung diseases including allergic diseases (such as asthma), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary fibrosis, lung cancer, as well as pulmonary hypertension. Whether such differences are inherent and/or whether sex steroids play a role in modulating these differences is currently under investigation. The purpose of this review is to define sex differences in lung structure/function under normal and specific disease states, with exploration of whether and how sex hormone signaling mechanisms may explain these clinical observations. Focusing on adult age groups, the review addresses the following: 1) inherent sex differences in lung anatomy and physiology; 2) the importance of certain time points in life such as puberty, pregnancy, menopause, and aging; 3) expression and signaling of sex steroid receptors under normal vs. disease states; 4) potential interplay between different sex steroids; 5) the question of whether sex steroids are beneficial or detrimental to the lung; and 6) the potential use of sex steroid signaling as biomarkers and therapeutic avenues in lung diseases. The importance of focusing on sex differences and sex steroids in the lung lies in the increasing incidence of lung diseases in women and the need to address lung diseases across the life span. PMID:22240244

The environmental chemical tributyltin chloride (TBT) shows both estrogenic and adipogenic activities in mice which might depend on the exposure dose

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Penza, M.; Jeremic, M.; Marrazzo, E.

2011-08-15

Exposure during early development to chemicals with hormonal action may be associated with weight gain during adulthood because of altered body homeostasis. It is known that organotins affect adipose mass when exposure occurs during fetal development, although no knowledge of effects are available for exposures after birth. Here we show that the environmental organotin tributyltin chloride (TBT) exerts adipogenic action when peripubertal and sexually mature mice are exposed to the chemical. The duration and extent of these effects depend on the sex and on the dose of the compound, and the effects are relevant at doses close to the estimatedmore » human intake (0.5 {mu}g/kg). At higher doses (50-500 {mu}g/kg), TBT also activated estrogen receptors (ERs) in adipose cells in vitro and in vivo, based on results from acute and longitudinal studies in ERE/luciferase reporter mice. In 3T3-L1 cells (which have no ERs), transiently transfected with the ERE-dependent reporter plus or minus ER{alpha} or ER{beta}, TBT (in a dose range of 1-100 nM) directly targets each ER subtype in a receptor-specific manner through a direct mechanism mediated by ER{alpha} in undifferentiated preadipocytic cells and by ER{beta} in differentiating adipocytes. The ER antagonist ICI-182,780 inhibits this effect. In summary, the results of this work suggest that TBT is adipogenic at all ages and in both sexes and that it might be an ER activator in fat cells. These findings might help to resolve the apparent paradox of an adipogenic chemical being also an estrogen receptor activator by showing that the two apparently opposite actions are separated by the different doses to which the organism is exposed. - Research Highlights: > The environmental organotin tributyltin chloride shows dose-dependent estrogenic and adipogenic activities in mice. > The duration and extent of these effects depend on the sex and the dose of the compound. > The estrogenic and adipogenic effects of TBT occur at doses closed to the estimated human intake. > TBT activates the estrogen receptors (ER{alpha} and ER{beta}) in 3T3-L1 cells at nM concentrations.« less

[Effect of estradiol on the prolactin content in the adenohypophysis of sexually mature and immature rats].

PubMed

Arse, Kh A

1979-01-01

Gel electrophoresis was used in a comparative study of prolactin content in the hypophysis of rats of different age and sex, and at various stages of the estral cycle. The hormone level in the pubertal rats was twice or thrice greater than in the immature ones; it was by 16% less at the diestrus than at the estrus stage. There was no change in the hypophysis prolactin content in male rats at puberty. Ovariectomy was accompained by a sharp reduction of prolactin in the hypophysis. Replacing estradiol therapy increased the amount of prolactin in the hypophysis, without bringing it, however, to the level characteristic of intact rats. Estrogens are responsible for the maintenance of prolactin level, but apparently other factors influencing its content in the hypophysis also exist.

Beyond Pink and Blue: The Complexity of Early Androgen Effects on Gender Development.

PubMed

Berenbaum, Sheri A

2018-03-01

Why do girls and women differ from boys and men? Gender development is typically considered to result from socialization, but sex hormones present during sensitive periods of development, particularly prenatal androgens, play an important role. Data from natural experiments, especially from females with congenital adrenal hyperplasia, show the complexity of the effects of androgens on behavior: Prenatal androgens apparently have large effects on interests and engagement in gendered activities; moderate effects on spatial abilities; and relatively small or no effects on gender identity, gender cognitions, and gendered peer involvement. These differential effects provide an opportunity to move beyond identifying sources of variation in behavior to understanding developmental processes. These processes include links among gendered characteristics, psychological and neural mechanisms underlying development, and the joint effects of biological predispositions and social experiences.

Allergy and high trait anxiety are related to increases in heart rate variability: results of naturalistic long-term design study.

PubMed

Rajcani, J; Solarikova, P; Brezina, I

2018-01-01

A number of studies report heart rate variability (HRV) changes in allergic as well as high trait anxious people, and associations between allergic inflammation and trait anxiety. This study investigated HRV of 20 low anxious allergic, 19 healthy high trait anxious and 18 healthy low anxious, in naturalistic setting. On arranged research days, subjects performed measurements using portable ECG device and subjective self-assessment of perceived stress. Five repeated measurements data from each subject have shown increases in overall HRV, as well as HRV on respiratory frequencies in both allergy and high trait anxiety. Subject's sex was an important factor, because HRV increases in allergy were only apparent in women. Data from self-assessment show no differences in experienced stress attributable to allergy, only to trait anxiety.

High Cryptosporidium prevalences in healthy Aymara children from the northern Bolivian Altiplano.

PubMed

Esteban, J G; Aguirre, C; Flores, A; Strauss, W; Angles, R; Mas-Coma, S

1998-01-01

The prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection was determined in four Aymara communities in the Bolivian Altiplano, between the city of La Paz and Lake Titicaca, at an altitude of 3,800-4,200 meters. Single stool specimens were randomly collected from 377 5-19-year-old students, all apparently asymptomatic. The total prevalence (31.6%) is possibly the highest reported among healthy humans (a maximum of 9.8% and 2.0% in coprologic surveys in underdeveloped and developed countries, respectively) and one of the highest even in symptomatic subjects. No significant age and sex differences were observed. Such an infection prevalence is probably related to the poor sanitation conditions, contaminated water supplies, overcrowding, and close contact with domestic animals. Continuous exposure to the parasite could be associated with protection against parasite-related symptoms in the children examined.

Same-Sex and Different-Sex Cohabiting Couple Relationship Stability.

PubMed

Manning, Wendy D; Brown, Susan L; Stykes, J Bart

2016-08-01

Relationship stability is a key indicator of well-being, but most U.S.-based research has been limited to different-sex couples. The 2008 panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) provides an untapped data resource to analyze relationship stability of same-sex cohabiting, different-sex cohabiting, and different-sex married couples (n = 5,701). The advantages of the SIPP data include the recent, nationally representative, and longitudinal data collection; a large sample of same-sex cohabitors; respondent and partner socioeconomic characteristics; and identification of a state-level indicator of a policy stating that marriage is between one man and one woman (i.e., DOMA). We tested competing hypotheses about the stability of same-sex versus different-sex cohabiting couples that were guided by incomplete institutionalization, minority stress, relationship investments, and couple homogamy perspectives (predicting that same-sex couples would be less stable) as well as economic resources (predicting that same-sex couples would be more stable). In fact, neither expectation was supported: results indicated that same-sex cohabiting couples typically experience levels of stability that are similar to those of different-sex cohabiting couples. We also found evidence of contextual effects: living in a state with a constitutional ban against same-sex marriage was significantly associated with higher levels of instability for same- and different-sex cohabiting couples. The level of stability in both same-sex and different-sex cohabiting couples is not on par with that of different-sex married couples. The findings contribute to a growing literature on health and well-being of same-sex couples and provide a broader understanding of family life.

Sex and tissue specific gene expression patterns identified following de novo transcriptomic analysis of the Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus.

PubMed

Rotllant, Guiomar; Nguyen, Tuan Viet; Sbragaglia, Valerio; Rahi, Lifat; Dudley, Kevin J; Hurwood, David; Ventura, Tomer; Company, Joan B; Chand, Vincent; Aguzzi, Jacopo; Mather, Peter B

2017-08-16

The Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus, is economically important in European fisheries and is a key organism in local marine ecosystems. Despite multi-faceted scientific interest in this species, our current knowledge of genetic resources in this species remains very limited. Here, we generated a reference de novo transcriptome for N. norvegicus from multiple tissues in both sexes. Bioinformatic analyses were conducted to detect transcripts that were expressed exclusively in either males or females. Patterns were validated via RT-PCR. Sixteen N. norvegicus libraries were sequenced from immature and mature ovary, testis and vas deferens (including the masculinizing androgenic gland). In addition, eyestalk, brain, thoracic ganglia and hepatopancreas tissues were screened in males and both immature and mature females. RNA-Sequencing resulted in >600 million reads. De novo assembly that combined the current dataset with two previously published libraries from eyestalk tissue, yielded a reference transcriptome of 333,225 transcripts with an average size of 708 base pairs (bp), with an N50 of 1272 bp. Sex-specific transcripts were detected primarily in gonads followed by hepatopancreas, brain, thoracic ganglia, and eyestalk, respectively. Candidate transcripts that were expressed exclusively either in males or females were highlighted and the 10 most abundant ones were validated via RT-PCR. Among the most highly expressed genes were Serine threonine protein kinase in testis and Vitellogenin in female hepatopancreas. These results align closely with gene annotation results. Moreover, a differential expression heatmap showed that the majority of differentially expressed transcripts were identified in gonad and eyestalk tissues. Results indicate that sex-specific gene expression patterns in Norway lobster are controlled by differences in gene regulation pattern between males and females in somatic tissues. The current study presents the first multi-tissue reference transcriptome for the Norway lobster that can be applied to future biological, wild restocking and fisheries studies. Sex-specific markers were mainly expressed in males implying that males may experience stronger selection than females. It is apparent that differential expression is due to sex-specific gene regulatory pathways that are present in somatic tissues and not from effects of genes located on heterogametic sex chromosomes. The N. norvegicus data provide a foundation for future gene-based reproductive studies.

Serum aminotransferase changes with significant weight loss: sex and age effects.

PubMed

Suzuki, Ayako; Binks, Martin; Sha, Ronald; Wachholtz, Amy; Eisenson, Howard; Diehl, Anna Mae

2010-02-01

In obese subjects, the liver may be differentially affected by significant weight loss depending on as yet unknown factors. We explored clinical factors associated with serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) changes during significant weight loss in a residential weight loss program. Clinical data from 362 adults who received a comprehensive weight loss intervention (ie, diets, physical fitness, and behavioral modification) in the program were analyzed. Serum ALT was used as a surrogate marker of liver injury. The ALT changes during the program were calculated to create study outcome categories (improvement, no change, or deterioration of ALT during significant weight loss). Variables of demography, lifestyle, and comorbidities at baseline, and total/rate of weight change during the program were explored for associations with the ALT change categories using multiple logistic regression models. Variation by sex was apparent among predictors of ALT deterioration; men with rapid weight loss and women with higher initial body mass index were more likely to experience ALT deterioration, whereas men with prior alcohol consumption were less likely to experience ALT deterioration even after adjusting for baseline ALT (Ps < .03). Variation by age was apparent among predictors of ALT improvement; younger patients with current smoking and older patients with rapid weight loss, diabetes or impaired fasting glucose, or sleep apnea or who followed a reduced-carbohydrate diet were less likely to experience ALT improvement (Ps < .05). A number of clinical factors influence ALT changes during weight loss in sex- and age-specific manners. The patterns that we detected may have pathophysiologic significance beyond the practical implications of our findings in clinical practice related to underlying changes in fat metabolism. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Population Pharmacokinetics and Exposure Response Assessment of CC-292, a Potent BTK Inhibitor, in Patients With Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

PubMed

Li, Yan; Ramírez-Valle, Francisco; Xue, Yongjun; Ventura, Judith I; Gouedard, Olivier; Mei, Jay; Takeshita, Kenichi; Palmisano, Maria; Zhou, Simon

2017-10-01

CC-292, a potent Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is under development for the treatment of B-cell malignancies. An analysis was performed to develop a population pharmacokinetic model of CC-292 and assess the influence of demographics and disease-related covariates on CC-292 exposure and to assess the exposure-response (overall response rate) relationship in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Population pharmacokinetic analysis was based on a 2-compartment base model conducted in NONMEM. Categorical exposure-response analysis was performed using logistic regression in SAS. The population pharmacokinetic analysis results indicated that CC-292 pharmacokinetic disposition is similar between healthy subjects and patients. CC-292 showed a larger central compartment volume of distribution than the peripheral compartment volume of distribution (158 L and 72 L, respectively) and a faster clearance than intercompartmental clearance (134 L/h and 18.7 L/h, respectively), indicating that for CC-292, clearance from blood occurs faster than distribution into deep tissues and organs. CC-292 clearance is not affected by demographics or baseline clinical lab factors, except for sex. Although sex significantly reduced variation of apparent clearance, the sex effect on apparent clearance is unlikely to be clinically relevant. The exposure-response analysis suggested that higher drug exposure is linearly correlated with higher overall response rate. A twice-daily dose regimen showed higher overall response rate as compared to once-daily dosing, consistent with a threshold concentration of approximately 300 ng/mL, above which the probability of overall response rate significantly increases. © 2017, The Authors. The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American College of Clinical Pharmacology.

Time, Memory, and Consciousness a View from the Brain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Markowitsch, Hans J.

2005-10-01

Memory can be defined as mental time traveling. Seen in this way, memory provides the glue which combines different time episodes and leads to a coherent view of one's own person. The importance of time becomes apparent in a neuroscientific comparison of animals and human beings. All kinds of animals have biorhythms -- times when they sleep, prefer or avoid sex, or move to warmer places. Mammalian brains have a number of time sensitive structures damage to which alters a subject's behavior to his or her environment. For human beings, damage to certain brain regions may alter the sense of time and consciousness of time in quite different ways. Furthermore, brain damage, drugs, or psychiatric disturbances may lead to an impaired perception of time, sometimes leading to major positive or negative accelerations in time perception. An impaired time perception alters consciousness and awareness of oneself. A proper synchronized action of time perception, brain activation, memory processing, and autonoetic (self-aware) consciousness provides the bases of an integrated personality.

Birth cohort and the specialization gap between same-sex and different-sex couples.

PubMed

Giddings, Lisa; Nunley, John M; Schneebaum, Alyssa; Zietz, Joachim

2014-04-01

We examine differences in household specialization between same-sex and different-sex couples within and across three birth cohorts: Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y. Using three measures of household specialization, we find that same-sex couples are less likely than their different-sex counterparts to exhibit a high degree of specialization. However, the "specialization gap" between same-sex and different-sex couples narrows across birth cohorts. These findings are indicative of a cohort effect. Our results are largely robust to the inclusion of a control for the presence of children and for subsets of couples with and without children. We provide three potential explanations for why the specialization gap narrows across cohorts. First, different-sex couples from more recent birth cohorts may have become more like same-sex couples in terms of household specialization. Second, social and legal changes may have prompted a greater degree of specialization within same-sex couples relative to different-sex couples. Last, the advent of reproductive technologies, which made having children easier for same-sex couples from more recent birth cohorts, could result in more specialization in such couples relative to different-sex couples.

Neonatal brain structure on MRI and diffusion tensor imaging, sex, and neurodevelopment in very-low-birthweight preterm children.

PubMed

Rose, Jessica; Butler, Erin E; Lamont, Lauren E; Barnes, Patrick D; Atlas, Scott W; Stevenson, David K

2009-07-01

The neurological basis of an increased incidence of cerebral palsy (CP) in preterm males is unknown. This study examined neonatal brain structure on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) at term-equivalent age, sex, and neurodevelopment at 1 year 6 months on the basis of the Amiel-Tison neurological examination, Gross Motor Function Classification System, and Bayley Scales of Infant Development in 78 very-low-birthweight preterm children (41 males, 37 females; mean gestational age 27.6 wks, SD 2.5; mean birthweight 1021 g, SD 339). Brain abnormalities on MRI and DTI were not different between males and females except in the splenium of the corpus callosum, where males had lower DTI fractional anisotropy (p=0.025) and a higher apparent diffusion coefficient (p=0.013), indicating delayed splenium development. In the 26 infants who were at higher risk on the basis of DTI, males had more abnormalities on MRI (p=0.034) and had lower fractional anisotropy and a higher apparent diffusion coefficient in the splenium (p=0.049; p=0.025) and right posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC; p=0.003; p=0.033). Abnormal neurodevelopment was more common in males (n=9) than in females (n=2; p=0.036). Children with abnormal neurodevelopment had more abnormalities on MRI (p=0.014) and reduced splenium and right PLIC fractional anisotropy (p=0.001; p=0.035). In children with abnormal neurodevelopment, right PLIC fractional anisotropy was lower than left (p=0.035), whereas in those with normal neurodevelopment right PLIC fractional anisotropy was higher than left (p=0.001). Right PLIC fractional anisotropy correlated to neurodevelopment (rho=0.371, p=0.002). Logistic regression predicted neurodevelopment with 94% accuracy; only right PLIC fractional anisotropy was a significant logistic coefficient. Results indicate that the higher incidence of abnormal neurodevelopment in preterm males relates to greater incidence and severity of brain abnormalities, including reduced PLIC and splenium development.

Behavioral tactics of male sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) under varying operating sex ratios

USGS Publications Warehouse

Quinn, Thomas P.; Adkison, Milo D.; Ward, Michael B.

1996-01-01

Previous studies have demonstrated several reproductive-behavior patterns in male salmon, including competitive and sneaking tactics, the formation of hierarchies, and non-hierarchical aggregations around ripe females. Through behavioral observations at varying spatial and temporal scales, we examined the hypothesis that operational sex ratio (OSR) determines male sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) distribution and breeding tactics. Patterns of male distribution and behavior varied over both coarse and fine scales, associated with apparent shifts in reproductive opportunities, the physical characteristics of the breeding sites, and the deterioration of the fish as they approached death. Females spawned completely within a few days of arriving on the spawning grounds, whereas males courted the available ripe females from the date of their arrival on the spawning ground until their death. This difference in reproductive lifespans tended to elevate late-season OSRs but was partially counterbalanced by male departures and the arrival of other ripe females. The proportion of males able to dominate access to ripe females decreased and the number of large courting groups increased over the course of the season, apparently related to both increasing OSR and the deteriorating physical condition of males. However, great variation in OSR was observed within the spawning sites on a given day. OSRs were generally higher in shallow than in deep water, perhaps because larger females or more desirable breeding sites were concentrated in shallow water. The aggregations of males courting females were not stable (i.e. many arrivals and departures took place) and male aggression varied with group size. Aggression was most frequent at low OSRs and in groups of intermediate size (2–4 males per female), and much less frequent in larger groups, consistent with the needs of maximizing reproductive opportunities while minimizing unproductive energy expenditure. These results indicate that, while OSR strongly influences male distribution and behavior, other factors such as physical condition, limited movement and habitat choice may also affect male reproductive opportunities.

Winter Is Coming: Seasonal Variation in Resting Metabolic Rate of the European Badger (Meles meles)

PubMed Central

McClune, David W.; Kostka, Berit; Delahay, Richard J.; Montgomery, W. Ian; Marks, Nikki J.; Scantlebury, David M.

2015-01-01

Resting metabolic rate (RMR) is a measure of the minimum energy requirements of an animal at rest, and can give an indication of the costs of somatic maintenance. We measured RMR of free-ranging European badgers (Meles meles) to determine whether differences were related to sex, age and season. Badgers were captured in live-traps and placed individually within a metabolic chamber maintained at 20 ± 1°C. Resting metabolic rate was determined using an open-circuit respirometry system. Season was significantly correlated with RMR, but no effects of age or sex were detected. Summer RMR values were significantly higher than winter values (mass-adjusted mean ± standard error: 2366 ± 70 kJ⋅d−1; 1845 ± 109 kJ⋅d−1, respectively), with the percentage difference being 24.7%. While under the influence of anaesthesia, RMR was estimated to be 25.5% lower than the combined average value before administration, and after recovery from anaesthesia. Resting metabolic rate during the autumn and winter was not significantly different to allometric predictions of basal metabolic rate for mustelid species weighing 1 kg or greater, but badgers measured in the summer had values that were higher than predicted. Results suggest that a seasonal reduction in RMR coincides with apparent reductions in physical activity and body temperature as part of the overwintering strategy (‘winter lethargy’) in badgers. This study contributes to an expanding dataset on the ecophysiology of medium-sized carnivores, and emphasises the importance of considering season when making predictions of metabolic rate. PMID:26352150

Effects of fat reserves on annual apparent survival of blackbirds Turdus merula

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miller, M.W.; Aradis, A.; Landucci, G.

2003-01-01

1. Fat reserves are stored energy that may help birds survive periods of harsh winter weather. This hypothesis predicts that annual apparent survival is higher for birds with large fat reserves than for birds with few or no fat reserves in winter. 2. Blackbirds (Turdus merula Linnaeus) were ringed in central Italy from 16 November to 20 February during 1990-2001. Fat scores were recorded for each bird. We used these capture-mark-recapture data for 1703 blackbirds to estimate the effect of large fat reserves on annual apparent survival, while controlling for transients, using computer programs surviv and mark. Probability of birds retaining large fat reserves, or retaining few fat reserves, over 2 successive years was also estimated. 3. Birds with large fat reserves did not have higher estimated annual apparent survival than birds with few fat reserves, inconsistent with our prediction. No effects of age, sex or year were detected on annual apparent survival. Birds with few fat reserves in any given year tended to have few fat reserves the following year. Birds with large fat reserves in any given year were unlikely to have large fat reserves the next year. 4. Large fat reserves may not increase annual survival of blackbirds wintering in central Italy. Winter weather in our study area may be too mild to effect survival. Alternatively, increased predation risk associated with large fat reserves may counteract any benefits of reduced starvation risk.

The development of sex reassignment surgery in Thailand: a social perspective.

PubMed

Chokrungvaranont, Prayuth; Selvaggi, Gennaro; Jindarak, Sirachai; Angspatt, Apichai; Pungrasmi, Pornthep; Suwajo, Poonpismai; Tiewtranon, Preecha

2014-01-01

This paper reviews the development of gender reassignment in Thailand during the period of 1975-2012, in terms of social attitude, epidemiology, surgical patients' profile, law and regulation, religion, and patients' path from psychiatric assessment to surgery. Thailand healthcare for transsexual patients is described. Figures related to the number of sex reassignment surgeries performed in Thailand over the past 30 years are reported. Transsexual individuals are only apparently integrated within the Thail society: the law system of Thailand in fact, does not guarantee to transsexuals the same rights as in other Western countries; the governmental healthcare does not offer free treatments for transsexual patients. In favor of the transsexual healthcare, instead, the Medical Council of Thailand recently published a policy entitled "Criteria for the treatment of sex change, Census 2009." The goal of this policy was to improve the care of transsexual patients in Thailand, by implementing the Standards of Care of the World Professional Association of Transgender Health. Currently, in Thailand, there are 6 major private groups performing sex reassignment surgery, and mostly performing surgery to patients coming from abroad. Particularly, the largest of these (Preecha's group) has performed nearly 3000 vaginoplasties for male-to-female transsexuals in the last 30 years.

Modification of COMT-dependent pain sensitivity by psychological stress and sex.

PubMed

Meloto, Carolina B; Bortsov, Andrey V; Bair, Eric; Helgeson, Erika; Ostrom, Cara; Smith, Shad B; Dubner, Ronald; Slade, Gary D; Fillingim, Roger B; Greenspan, Joel D; Ohrbach, Richard; Maixner, William; McLean, Samuel A; Diatchenko, Luda

2016-04-01

Catecholamine-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is a polymorphic gene whose variants affect enzymatic activity and pain sensitivity via adrenergic pathways. Although COMT represents one of the most studied genes in human pain genetics, findings regarding its association with pain phenotypes are not always replicated. Here, we investigated if interactions among functional COMT haplotypes, stress, and sex can modify the effect of COMT genetic variants on pain sensitivity. We tested these interactions in a cross-sectional study, including 2 cohorts, one of 2972 subjects tested for thermal pain sensitivity (Orofacial Pain: Prospective Evaluation and Risk Assessment) and one of 948 subjects with clinical acute pain after motor vehicle collision (post-motor vehicle collision). In both cohorts, the COMT high-pain sensitivity (HPS) haplotype showed robust interaction with stress and number of copies of the HPS haplotype was positively associated with pain sensitivity in nonstressed individuals, but not in stressed individuals. In the post-motor vehicle collision cohort, there was additional modification by sex: the HPS-stress interaction was apparent in males, but not in females. In summary, our findings indicate that stress and sex should be evaluated in association studies aiming to investigate the effect of COMT genetic variants on pain sensitivity.

Sex differences in circadian food anticipatory activity are not altered by individual manipulations of sex hormones or sex chromosome copy number in mice

PubMed Central

Huddy, Timothy F.; Ogawa-Okada, Maya; Adkins, Jamie L.

2018-01-01

Recent studies in mice have demonstrated a sexual dimorphism in circadian entrainment to scheduled feeding. On a time restricted diet, males tend to develop food anticipatory activity (FAA) sooner than females and with a higher amplitude of activity. The underlying cause of this sex difference remains unknown. One study suggests that sex hormones, both androgens and estrogens, modulate food anticipatory activity in mice. Here we present results suggesting that the sex difference in FAA is unrelated to gonadal sex hormones. While a sex difference between males and females in FAA on a timed, calorie restricted diet was observed there were no differences between intact and gonadectomized mice in the onset or magnitude of FAA. To test other sources of the sex difference in circadian entrainment to scheduled feeding, we used sex chromosome copy number mutants, but there was no difference in FAA when comparing XX, XY-, XY-;Sry Tg, and XX;Sry Tg mice, demonstrating that gene dosage of sex chromosomes does not mediate the sex difference in FAA. Next, we masculinized female mice by treating them with 17-beta estradiol during the neonatal period; yet again, we saw no difference in FAA between control and masculinized females. Finally, we observed that there was no longer a sex difference in FAA for older mice, suggesting that the sex difference in FAA is age-dependent. Thus, our study demonstrates that singular manipulations of gonadal hormones, sex chromosomes, or developmental patterning are not able to explain the difference in FAA between young male and female mice. PMID:29385171

Sex differences in circadian food anticipatory activity are not altered by individual manipulations of sex hormones or sex chromosome copy number in mice.

PubMed

Aguayo, Antonio; Martin, Camille S; Huddy, Timothy F; Ogawa-Okada, Maya; Adkins, Jamie L; Steele, Andrew D

2018-01-01

Recent studies in mice have demonstrated a sexual dimorphism in circadian entrainment to scheduled feeding. On a time restricted diet, males tend to develop food anticipatory activity (FAA) sooner than females and with a higher amplitude of activity. The underlying cause of this sex difference remains unknown. One study suggests that sex hormones, both androgens and estrogens, modulate food anticipatory activity in mice. Here we present results suggesting that the sex difference in FAA is unrelated to gonadal sex hormones. While a sex difference between males and females in FAA on a timed, calorie restricted diet was observed there were no differences between intact and gonadectomized mice in the onset or magnitude of FAA. To test other sources of the sex difference in circadian entrainment to scheduled feeding, we used sex chromosome copy number mutants, but there was no difference in FAA when comparing XX, XY-, XY-;Sry Tg, and XX;Sry Tg mice, demonstrating that gene dosage of sex chromosomes does not mediate the sex difference in FAA. Next, we masculinized female mice by treating them with 17-beta estradiol during the neonatal period; yet again, we saw no difference in FAA between control and masculinized females. Finally, we observed that there was no longer a sex difference in FAA for older mice, suggesting that the sex difference in FAA is age-dependent. Thus, our study demonstrates that singular manipulations of gonadal hormones, sex chromosomes, or developmental patterning are not able to explain the difference in FAA between young male and female mice.

Same-Sex and Different-Sex Cohabiting Couple Relationship Stability

PubMed Central

Manning, Wendy; Brown, Susan; Stykes, Bart

2016-01-01

Relationship stability is a key indicator of well-being, but most U.S.-based research has been limited to different-sex couples. The 2008 panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) provides an untapped data resource to analyze relationship stability of same-sex cohabiting, different-sex cohabiting, and different-sex married couples (n = 5,701). The advantages of the SIPP data include the recent, nationally representative, and longitudinal data collection; a large sample of same-sex cohabitors; respondent and partner socioeconomic characteristics; and identification of a state-level indicator of a policy stating that marriage is between one man and one woman (i.e., DOMA). We tested competing hypotheses about the stability of same-sex versus different-sex cohabiting couples that were guided by incomplete institutionalization, minority stress, relationship investments, and couple homogamy perspectives (predicting that same-sex couples would be less stable) as well as economic resources (predicting that same-sex couples would be more stable). In fact, neither expectation was supported: results indicated that same-sex cohabiting couples typically experience levels of stability that are similar to those of different-sex cohabiting couples. We also found evidence of contextual effects: living in a state with a constitutional ban against same-sex marriage was significantly associated with higher levels of instability for same- and different-sex cohabiting couples. The level of stability in both same-sex and different-sex cohabiting couples is not on par with that of different-sex married couples. The findings contribute to a growing literature on health and well-being of same-sex couples and provide a broader understanding of family life. PMID:27383844

A reproductive threat-based model of evolved sex differences in jealousy.

PubMed

Sagarin, Brad J; Becker, D Vaughn; Guadagno, Rosanna E; Wilkinson, Wayne W; Nicastle, Lionel D

2012-08-10

Although heterosexual women and men consistently demonstrate sex differences in jealousy, these differences disappear among lesbians and gay men as well as among heterosexual women and men contemplating same-sex infidelities (infidelities in which the partner and rival are the same sex). Synthesizing these past findings, the present paper offers a reproductive threat-based model of evolved sex differences in jealousy that predicts that the sexes will differ only when the jealous perceivers' reproductive outcomes are differentially at risk. This model is supported by data from a web-based study in which lesbians, gay men, bisexual women and men, and heterosexual women and men responded to a hypothetical infidelity scenario with the sex of the rival randomly determined. After reading the scenario, participants indicated which type of infidelity (sexual versus emotional) would cause greater distress. Consistent with predictions, heterosexual women and men showed a sex difference when contemplating opposite-sex infidelities but not when contemplating same-sex infidelities, whereas lesbians and gay men showed no sex difference regardless of whether the infidelity was opposite-sex or same-sex.

Primary hepatic carcinoid tumor: case report and literature review

PubMed Central

Camargo, Éden Sartor; Viveiros, Marcelo de Melo; Corrêa, Isaac José Felippe; Robles, Laercio; Rezende, Marcelo Bruno

2014-01-01

Primary hepatic carcinoid tumors are extremely rare neoplasms derived from hormone-producing neuroendocrine cells. It is difficult to make their diagnosis before biopsy, surgical resection or necropsy. A recent publication described only 94 cases of these tumors. There is no sex predilection and apparently it has no association with cirrhosis or preexisting hepatic disease. The most effective treatment is hepatectomy, and resection is determined by size and location of the lesions. PMID:25628206

Changing Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Heavy Drinking Trajectories Through Young Adulthood: A Comparative Cohort Study.

PubMed

Williams, Edwina; Mulia, Nina; Karriker-Jaffe, Katherine J; Lui, Camillia K

2018-01-01

There is evidence of racial/ethnic differences in the age at which young adults age out of heavy drinking. Some studies have found Black and Hispanic drinkers engage in more frequent heavy drinking than White people beyond adulthood. Yet, the alcohol-related disparities literature has produced contradictory findings on whether an age-crossover effect is evident among racial/ethnic groups; that is, whether racial/ethnic minorities' drinking levels or trajectories are lower than White people at young ages but later exceed (or crossover) those of White people. This study extends this scant literature by assessing whether racial/ethnic differences in heavy drinking have changed over time (possibly accounting for mixed findings from prior research); and tests for an age-crossover effect in heavy drinking using longitudinal data from 2 cohorts born 20 years apart. Data are from the 1979 (n = 10,963) and 1997 (n = 8,852) cohorts of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). Generalized estimating equations were used to model trajectories of heavy drinking frequency from ages 17 to 31. Racial/ethnic differences were determined using sex-stratified models and 3-way interactions of race/ethnicity with age, age-squared, and cohort. Racial/ethnic differences in heavy drinking trajectories have changed over time in men and women. In the older NLSY cohort, Hispanic men and Black women surpassed White men's and women's heavy drinking frequency by age 31. This crossover was absent in the younger cohort, where trajectories of all racial-sex groups converged by age 31. Normative trajectories have changed in Hispanics and White people of both sexes, with a delay in age of peak frequency, and greater levels of heavy drinking in the younger cohort of women. Changes in heavy drinking trajectories over time suggest the need for targeted interventions during young adulthood. While disparities in young adult heavy drinking were no longer apparent in the more recent birth cohort, continued monitoring is important. Copyright © 2017 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

Uncinaria hamiltoni (Nematoda: Ancylostomatidae) in South American sea lions, Otaria flavescens, from northern Patagonia, Argentina.

PubMed

Berón-Vera, B; Crespo, E A; Raga, J A; Pedraza, S N

2004-08-01

Thirty-one South American sea lion pups (Otaria flavescens) found dead in Punta León, Argentina, during the summer of 2002, were examined for hookworms (Uncinaria hamiltoni). Parasite parameters were analyzed in 2 locations of the rookery, i.e., a traditional, well-structured breeding area and an expanding area with juveniles and a lax social structure. Prevalence of hookworms was 50% in both localities, and no difference was observed in prevalence between pup sexes (P > 0.05). Hookworms were concentrated in the small intestine. Transmammary transmission is assumed because only adult hookworms were found in the pups. The mean intensity of hookworms per pup was 135; the mean intensity in females (92.78) was significantly different (P < 0.05) from that of males (230.25). No difference (P > 0.05) in intensity was found between the 2 breeding areas, although prevalence was higher in the traditional breeding area than in the other area. Location was the only factor affecting hookworm prevalence (P log-linear model: 0.9552; chi2: 1.5629). No apparent trend between body condition and intensity of hookworms was observed.

A Theoretical Analysis of Sex Differences In Same-Sex Friendships.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barth, Robert J.; Kinder, Bill N.

1988-01-01

Investigates sex differences in same-sex friendships of 312 undergraduate students in terms of the intersection and social penetration model of relationship development, and Bem's theory of sex role orientation. Finds significant sex-related differences in depth, duration, and involvement. (FMW)

Gender differences in dietary intake among adults of Hindu communities in lowland Nepal: assessment of portion sizes and food consumption frequencies.

PubMed

Sudo, N; Sekiyama, M; Maharjan, M; Ohtsuka, R

2006-04-01

To elucidate gender differences in dietary intake among adults in lowland Nepalese communities. For 122 male and 195 female subjects aged 20 years and over from 94 randomly selected households, interviews using a 19-item food frequency questionnaire were conducted. To determine the portion sizes of these foods, the samples consumed by 56 subjects in a full 1-day period were weighed. Energy expenditure was estimated by time spent on daily activities. Gender differences in per-day energy and protein intakes were related to sex differences in body size and energy expenditure. Apparent gender differences in the crude intakes disappeared when they were expressed by nutrient density (mg or microg/MJ) since micronutrient intakes were significantly correlated with energy intake. However, males' iron intake was larger even after adjustment for energy intake, attributing to their larger portion sizes of commonly consumed staple foods and higher frequencies of consuming luxury foods (fish and tea). The intrahousehold unequal distribution of food incurs risk of iron deficiency among female subjects. This study was financially supported by the Ajinomoto Foundation for Dietary Culture and the Alliance for Global Sustainability Program.

What a difference an X or Y makes: sex chromosomes, gene dose, and epigenetics in sexual differentiation

PubMed Central

Arnold, Arthur P.; Chen, Xuqi; Itoh, Yuichiro

2014-01-01

Summary A modern general theory of sex determination and sexual differentiation identifies the factors that cause sexual bias in gene networks, leading to sex differences in physiology and disease. The primary sex-biasing factors are those encoded on the sex chromosomes that are inherently different in the male and female zygote. These factors, and downstream factors such as gonadal hormones, act directly on tissues to produce sex differences, and to antagonize each other to reduce sex differences. Recent study of mouse models such as the Four Core Genotypes has begun to distinguish between direct effects of sex chromosome complement (XX vs. XY) and hormonal effects. Several lines of evidence implicate epigenetic processes in the control of sex differences, although a great deal of more information is needed about sex differences in the epigenome. PMID:23027446

Food availability and offspring sex in a monogamous seabird: insights from an experimental approach

USGS Publications Warehouse

Merkling, Thomas; Leclaire, Sarah; Danchin, Etienne; Lhuillier, Emeline; Wagner, Richard H.; White, Joël; Hatch, Scott A.; Blanchard, Pierrick

2012-01-01

Sex allocation theory predicts that parents should favor offspring of the sex that provides the greatest fitness return. Despite growing evidence suggesting that vertebrates are able to overcome the constraint of chromosomal sex determination, the general pattern remains equivocal, indicating a need for experimental investigations. We used an experimental feeding design to study sex allocation during 3 years in black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla). Intense male–male competition for securing a breeding site is common in this species in which males are heavier and larger than females. Hence, we hypothesized that parents producing fledglings in better than average condition, as supplementarily fed pairs do, would increase their fitness return by producing sons. Conversely, producing daughters would be a better tactic for Unfed parents. Hence, we predicted that Fed parents produce more sons than Unfed parents. This prediction is particularly expected if sexual dimorphism arises as early as during chick rearing, suggesting strong selective pressures for optimal male development. Our results showed that 1) males were heavier and larger than females prior to fledging and that 2) Fed parents produced relatively more male hatchlings than Unfed parents. We interpret this result in terms of a Trivers–Willard-type process. Furthermore, our data revealed that Unfed parents significantly overproduced female hatchlings, whereas offspring sex ratio was balanced among Fed parents. Because the 3 reproductive seasons we considered were particularly poor food years, Unfed parents may have overproduced daughters to avoid the apparent higher reproductive costs of raising sons.

Blood mineral concentrations in manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris and Trichechus manatus manatus)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Siegal-Willott, J.; Harr, Kendal E.; Hall, Jeffery O.; Hayek, Lee-Ann C.; Auil-Gomez, Nicole; Powell, James A.; Bonde, Robert K.; Heard, Darryl

2013-01-01

Limited information is available regarding the role of minerals and heavy metals in the morbidity and mortality of manatees. Whole-blood and serum mineral concentrations were evaluated in apparently healthy, free-ranging Florida (Trichechus manatus latirostris, n = 31) and Belize (Trichechus manatus manatus, n = 14) manatees. Toxicologic statuses of the animals and of their environment had not been previously determined. Mean mineral whole-blood (WB) and serum values in Florida (FL) and Belize (BZ) manatees were determined, and evaluated for differences with respect to geographic location, relative age, and sex. Mean WB and serum silver, boron, cobalt, magnesium, molybdenum, and WB cadmium concentrations were significantly higher in BZ versus FL manatees (P ≤ 0.05). Mean WB aluminum, calcium, manganese, sodium, phosphorus, vanadium, and serum zinc concentrations were significantly lower in BZ versus FL manatees. Adult manatees had significant and higher mean WB aluminum, manganese, sodium, antimony, vanadium, and serum manganese and zinc concentrations compared to juvenile animals. Significant and lower mean WB and serum silver, boron, cobalt, and serum copper and strontium concentrations were present in adults compared to juveniles (P ≤ 0.05). Females had significant and higher mean WB nickel and serum barium compared to males (P ≤ 0.05). Mean WB arsenic and zinc, and mean serum iron, magnesium, and zinc concentrations fell within toxic ranges reported for domestic species. Results reveal manatee blood mineral concentrations differ with location, age, and sex. Influence from diet, sediment, water, and anthropogenic sources on manatee mineral concentration warrant further investigation.

Comparing behavioral and physiological measures of combination tones: Sex and race differences

PubMed Central

McFadden, Dennis; Pasanen, Edward G.; Leshikar, Erin M.; Hsieh, Michelle D.; Maloney, Mindy M.

2012-01-01

Both distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) and performance in an auditory-masking task involving combination tones were measured in the same frequency region in the same ears. In the behavioral task, a signal of 3.6 kHz (duration 300 ms, rise/fall time 20 ms) was masked by a 3.0-kHz tone (62 dB SPL, continuously presented). These two frequencies can produce a combination tone at 2.4 kHz. When a narrowband noise (2.0–2.8 kHz, 17 dB spectrum level) was added as a second masker, detection of the 3.6-kHz signal worsened by 6–9 dB (the Greenwood effect), revealing that listeners had been using the combination tone at 2.4 kHz as a cue for detection at 3.6 kHz. Several outcomes differed markedly by sex and racial background. The Greenwood effect was substantially larger in females than in males, but only for the White group. When the magnitude of the Greenwood effect was compared with the magnitude of the DPOAE measured in the 2.4 kHz region, the correlations typically were modest, but were high for Non-White males. For many subjects, then, most of the DPOAE measured in the ear canal apparently is not related to the combination-tone cue that is masked by the narrowband noise. PMID:22894218

Blood mineral concentrations in manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris and Trichechus manatus manatus).

PubMed

Siegal-Willott, Jessica L; Harr, Kendal E; Hall, Jeffery O; Hayek, Lee-Ann C; Auil-Gomez, Nicole; Powell, James A; Bonde, Robert K; Heard, Darryl

2013-06-01

Limited information is available regarding the role of minerals and heavy metals in the morbidity and mortality of manatees. Whole-blood and serum mineral concentrations were evaluated in apparently healthy, free-ranging Florida (Trichechus manatus latirostris, n = 31) and Belize (Trichechus manatus manatus, n = 14) manatees. Toxicologic statuses of the animals and of their environment had not been previously determined. Mean mineral whole-blood (WB) and serum values in Florida (FL) and Belize (BZ) manatees were determined, and evaluated for differences with respect to geographic location, relative age, and sex. Mean WB and serum silver, boron, cobalt, magnesium, molybdenum, and WB cadmium concentrations were significantly higher in BZ versus FL manatees (P < 0.05). Mean WB aluminum, calcium, manganese, sodium, phosphorus, vanadium, and serum zinc concentrations were significantly lower in BZ versus FL manatees. Adult manatees had significant and higher mean WB aluminum, manganese, sodium, antimony, vanadium, and serum manganese and zinc concentrations compared to juvenile animals. Significant and lower mean WB and serum silver, boron, cobalt, and serum copper and strontium concentrations were present in adults compared to juveniles (P < or = 0.05). Females had significant and higher mean WB nickel and serum barium compared to males (P < or = 0.05). Mean WB arsenic and zinc, and mean serum iron, magnesium, and zinc concentrations fell within toxic ranges reported for domestic species. Results reveal manatee blood mineral concentrations differ with location, age, and sex. Influence from diet, sediment, water, and anthropogenic sources on manatee mineral concentration warrant further investigation.

Sex Roles and Gender Differences in the Experience of Depression.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chevron, Eve S.; And Others

1978-01-01

Sex differences and sex role correlates of depressive experiences were studied in 87 female and 41 male college students. The sex differences and intrasex correlations found indicate that experiences of depression are associated with different facets of sex role stereotypes. (Author)

Sex differences in parent-infant interaction during free play, departure, and separation.

PubMed

Weinraub, M; Frankel, J

1977-12-01

20 18-month-olds were observed with their mothers and 20 with their fathers in laboratory free-play, departure, and separation situations. Parent and infant behaviors were allowed to vary naturally. Although there were no parent sex or infant sex differences in infants' free-play behavior, there were parent sex X infant sex differences in parental free-play behaviors. Parents talked to, sat on the floor more with, and tended to share play more with same-sexed than opposite-sexed infants, and the patterning of free-play behaviors was different for mothers and fathers. During departure, fathers talked to the infants more than mothers. Infants were more distressed in the absence of same-sexed than opposite-sexed parents. There were infant sex X parent sex differences in the relationships between separation distress and parental free-play and departure behaviors. The implications of these findings for understanding differential roles of mothers and fathers, the development of sex differences, and the determinants of separation distress are discussed.

Sex differences in same-sex direct aggression and sociosexuality: the role of risky impulsivity.

PubMed

Cross, Catharine P

2010-12-23

Sex differences in same-sex direct aggression and sociosexuality are among the most robust in the literature. The present article evaluated the hypothesis that both can be explained by a sex difference in the willingness to take impulsive risks. Self-report data were gathered from 3,775 respondents (1,514 female) on same-sex aggression, sociosexuality, and risky impulsivity. Risky impulsivity was higher for men than for women (d = .34) and path analysis showed it to be a common cause of same-sex aggression and sociosexuality for both sexes. However, it did not completely mediate the sex differences in same-sex aggression and sociosexuality. The results suggest that same-sex aggression and sociosexual behavior share a common psychological mechanism, but that fully explaining sex differences in aggression requires a more sensitive assay of impulsive risk and a consideration of dyadic processes.

Allele Sharing and Evidence for Sexuality in a Mitochondrial Clade of Bdelloid Rotifers

PubMed Central

Signorovitch, Ana; Hur, Jae; Gladyshev, Eugene; Meselson, Matthew

2015-01-01

Rotifers of Class Bdelloidea are common freshwater invertebrates of ancient origin whose apparent asexuality has posed a challenge to the view that sexual reproduction is essential for long-term evolutionary success in eukaryotes and to hypotheses for the advantage of sex. The possibility nevertheless exists that bdelloids reproduce sexually under unknown or inadequately investigated conditions. Although certain methods of population genetics offer definitive means for detecting infrequent or atypical sex, they have not previously been applied to bdelloid rotifers. We conducted such a test with bdelloids belonging to a mitochondrial clade of Macrotrachela quadricornifera. This revealed a striking pattern of allele sharing consistent with sexual reproduction and with meiosis of an atypical sort, in which segregation occurs without requiring homologous chromosome pairs. PMID:25977472

A General Theory of Sexual Differentiation

PubMed Central

Arnold, Arthur P.

2016-01-01

A general theory of mammalian sexual differentiation is proposed. All biological sex differences are the result of the inequality in effects of the sex chromosomes, which are the only factors that differ in XX vs. XY zygotes. This inequality leads to male-specific effects of the Y chromosome, including expression of the testis-determining gene Sry that causes differentiation of testes. Thus, Sry sets up lifelong sex differences in effects of gonadal hormones. Y genes also act outside of the gonads to cause male-specific effects. Differences in the number of X chromosomes between XX and XY cells causes sex differences in expression (1) of Xist, (2) of X genes that escape inactivation, and (2) of parentally imprinted X genes. Sex differences in phenotype are ultimately the result of multiple, independent sex-biasing factors, hormonal and sex chromosomal. These factors act in parallel and in combination to induce sex differences. They can also can offset each other to reduce sex differences. Other mechanisms, operating at the level of populations, cause groups of males to differ on average from groups of females. The theory has advantages for directing attention to inherent sex-biasing factors that operate in many tissues to cause sex differences, to cause sex-biased protection from disease, and to frame questions for further study. PMID:27870435

A general theory of sexual differentiation.

PubMed

Arnold, Arthur P

2017-01-02

A general theory of mammalian sexual differentiation is proposed. All biological sex differences are the result of the inequality in effects of the sex chromosomes, which are the only factors that differ in XX vs. XY zygotes. This inequality leads to male-specific effects of the Y chromosome, including expression of the testis-determining gene Sry that causes differentiation of testes. Thus, Sry sets up lifelong sex differences in effects of gonadal hormones. Y genes also act outside of the gonads to cause male-specific effects. Differences in the number of X chromosomes between XX and XY cells cause sex differences in expression (1) of Xist, (2) of X genes that escape inactivation, and (3) of parentally imprinted X genes. Sex differences in phenotype are ultimately the result of multiple, independent sex-biasing factors, hormonal and sex chromosomal. These factors act in parallel and in combination to induce sex differences. They also can offset each other to reduce sex differences. Other mechanisms, operating at the level of populations, cause groups of males to differ on average from groups of females. The theory frames questions for further study, and directs attention to inherent sex-biasing factors that operate in many tissues to cause sex differences, and to cause sex-biased protection from disease. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Sex Differences in Mathematics and Reading Achievement Are Inversely Related: Within- and Across-Nation Assessment of 10 Years of PISA Data

PubMed Central

Stoet, Gijsbert; Geary, David C.

2013-01-01

We analyzed one decade of data collected by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), including the mathematics and reading performance of nearly 1.5 million 15 year olds in 75 countries. Across nations, boys scored higher than girls in mathematics, but lower than girls in reading. The sex difference in reading was three times as large as in mathematics. There was considerable variation in the extent of the sex differences between nations. There are countries without a sex difference in mathematics performance, and in some countries girls scored higher than boys. Boys scored lower in reading in all nations in all four PISA assessments (2000, 2003, 2006, 2009). Contrary to several previous studies, we found no evidence that the sex differences were related to nations’ gender equality indicators. Further, paradoxically, sex differences in mathematics were consistently and strongly inversely correlated with sex differences in reading: Countries with a smaller sex difference in mathematics had a larger sex difference in reading and vice versa. We demonstrate that this was not merely a between-nation, but also a within-nation effect. This effect is related to relative changes in these sex differences across the performance continuum: We did not find a sex difference in mathematics among the lowest performing students, but this is where the sex difference in reading was largest. In contrast, the sex difference in mathematics was largest among the higher performing students, and this is where the sex difference in reading was smallest. The implication is that if policy makers decide that changes in these sex differences are desired, different approaches will be needed to achieve this for reading and mathematics. Interventions that focus on high-achieving girls in mathematics and on low achieving boys in reading are likely to yield the strongest educational benefits. PMID:23516422

Sex differences in mathematics and reading achievement are inversely related: within- and across-nation assessment of 10 years of PISA data.

PubMed

Stoet, Gijsbert; Geary, David C

2013-01-01

We analyzed one decade of data collected by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), including the mathematics and reading performance of nearly 1.5 million 15 year olds in 75 countries. Across nations, boys scored higher than girls in mathematics, but lower than girls in reading. The sex difference in reading was three times as large as in mathematics. There was considerable variation in the extent of the sex differences between nations. There are countries without a sex difference in mathematics performance, and in some countries girls scored higher than boys. Boys scored lower in reading in all nations in all four PISA assessments (2000, 2003, 2006, 2009). Contrary to several previous studies, we found no evidence that the sex differences were related to nations' gender equality indicators. Further, paradoxically, sex differences in mathematics were consistently and strongly inversely correlated with sex differences in reading: Countries with a smaller sex difference in mathematics had a larger sex difference in reading and vice versa. We demonstrate that this was not merely a between-nation, but also a within-nation effect. This effect is related to relative changes in these sex differences across the performance continuum: We did not find a sex difference in mathematics among the lowest performing students, but this is where the sex difference in reading was largest. In contrast, the sex difference in mathematics was largest among the higher performing students, and this is where the sex difference in reading was smallest. The implication is that if policy makers decide that changes in these sex differences are desired, different approaches will be needed to achieve this for reading and mathematics. Interventions that focus on high-achieving girls in mathematics and on low achieving boys in reading are likely to yield the strongest educational benefits.

The Stability of Same-Sex Cohabitation, Different-Sex Cohabitation, and Marriage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lau, Charles Q.

2012-01-01

This study contributes to the emerging demographic literature on same-sex couples by comparing the level and correlates of union stability among 4 types of couples: (a) male same-sex cohabitation, (b) female same-sex cohabitation, (c) different-sex cohabitation, and (d) different-sex marriage. The author analyzed data from 2 British birth cohort…

Testis development, fertility, and survival in Ethanolamine kinase 2-deficient mice.

PubMed

Gustin, Sonja E; Western, Patrick S; McClive, Peter J; Harley, Vincent R; Koopman, Peter A; Sinclair, Andrew H

2008-12-01

Ethanolamine kinase 2 (Eki2) was previously isolated from a differential expression screen designed to identify candidate genes involved in testis development and differentiation. In mouse, Eki2 is specifically up-regulated in Sertoli cells of the developing testis at the time of sex determination. Based on this expression profile, Eki2 was considered a good candidate testis-determining gene. To investigate a possible role of Eki2 in testis development, we have generated a mouse with targeted disruption of the Eki2 gene by using an EGFP replacement strategy. No abnormalities were detected in the Eki2-deficient mice with regard to embryonic and adult testis morphology, differentiation, function, or fertility. Furthermore, no significant differences were observed in litter sizes, pup mortality rates, or distribution of the sexes among the offspring. Ethanolamine kinases are involved in the biosynthesis of phosphatidylethanolamine, a major membrane phospholipid. Expression analysis indicates that the absence of an apparent phenotype in the Eki2-deficient mice may be due to compensation by Eki2-family members or the activation of an alternative pathway to generate phosphatidylethanolamine. Expression of EGFP in this mouse model enabled the isolation of gonad cell populations, providing a useful resource from which to obtain relatively pure early steroidogenic cells for further studies.

Transcript levels of ten caste-related genes in adult diploid males of Melipona quadrifasciata (Hymenoptera, Apidae) - A comparison with haploid males, queens and workers.

PubMed

Borges, Andreia A; Humann, Fernanda C; Oliveira Campos, Lucio A; Tavares, Mara G; Hartfelder, Klaus

2011-10-01

In Hymenoptera, homozygosity at the sex locus results in the production of diploid males. In social species, these pose a double burden by having low fitness and drawing resources normally spent for increasing the work force of a colony. Yet, diploid males are of academic interest as they can elucidate effects of ploidy (normal males are haploid, whereas the female castes, the queens and workers, are diploid) on morphology and life history. Herein we investigated expression levels of ten caste-related genes in the stingless bee Melipona quadrifasciata, comparing newly emerged and 5-day-old diploid males with haploid males, queens and workers. In diploid males, transcript levels for dunce and paramyosin were increased during the first five days of adult life, while those for diacylglycerol kinase and the transcriptional co-repressor groucho diminished. Two general trends were apparent, (i) gene expression patterns in diploid males were overall more similar to haploid ones and workers than to queens, and (ii) in queens and workers, more genes were up-regulated after emergence until day five, whereas in diploid and especially so in haploid males more genes were down-regulated. This difference between the sexes may be related to longevity, which is much longer in females than in males.

Chemically mediated species recognition in closely related Podarcis wall lizards.

PubMed

Barbosa, Diana; Font, Enrique; Desfilis, Ester; Carretero, Miguel A

2006-07-01

In many animals, chemical signals play an important role in species recognition and may contribute to reproductive isolation and speciation. The Iberian lizards of the genus Podarcis, with up to nine currently recognized lineages that are often sympatric, are highly chemosensory and provide an excellent model for the study of chemically mediated species recognition in closely related taxa. In this study, we tested the ability of male and female lizards of two sister species with widely overlapping distribution ranges (Podarcis bocagei and P. hispanica type 1) to discriminate between conspecific and heterospecific mates by using only substrate-borne chemical cues. We scored the number of tongue flicks directed at the paper substrate by each individual in a terrarium previously occupied by a conspecific or a heterospecific lizard of the opposite sex. Results show that males of P. bocagei and P. hispanica type 1 are capable of discriminating chemically between conspecifics and heterospecifics of the opposite sex, but females are not. These results suggest that differences in female, but not male, chemical cues may underlie species recognition and contribute to reproductive isolation in these species. The apparent inability of females to discriminate conspecific from heterospecific males, which is not because of reduced baseline exploration rates, is discussed in the context of sexual selection theory and species discrimination.

The development of sex role stereotypes in the third year: relationships to gender labeling, gender identity, sex-typed toy preference, and family characteristics.

PubMed

Weinraub, M; Clemens, L P; Sockloff, A; Ethridge, T; Gracely, E; Myers, B

1984-08-01

The onset and development of preschoolers' awareness of sex role stereotypes, gender labeling, gender identity, and sex-typed toy preference were explored in 26-, 31-, and 36-month-old children. Gender labeling, gender identity, sex-typed toy preferences, and awareness of adult sex role differences were observed in significantly more 26-month-old children than would have been expected by chance. Verbal gender labeling was observed in a majority of 26-month-olds, while verbal and nonverbal gender identity were observed in a majority of 31-month-olds. Nonverbal gender labeling and awareness of adult sex role differences were observed in a majority of children by 36 months. No evidence of awareness of sex differences in children's toys was found in the majority of children at any age. Awareness of sex role differences in children's toys was not related to awareness of adult sex role differences. Brighter children were more aware of adult sex role differences. Sex-typed toy preference was not related to awareness of sex role differences but was related to gender identity. Predictors of sex role development included the mothers' employment, and the father's personality traits, attitudes toward women, and sex-typed activities in the home. Implications for theories of early sex role development are discussed.

Sex-specific strategy use and global-local processing: a perspective toward integrating sex differences in cognition.

PubMed

Pletzer, Belinda

2014-01-01

This article reviews the literature on sex-specific strategy use in cognitive tasks with the aim to carve out a link between sex differences in different cognitive tasks. I conclude that male strategies are commonly holistic and oriented toward global stimulus aspects, while female strategies are commonly decomposed and oriented toward local stimulus aspects. Thus, the strategies observed in different tasks, may depend on sex differences in attentional focus and hence sex differences in global-local processing. I hypothesize that strategy use may be sex hormone dependent and hence subject to change over the menstrual cycle as evidenced by findings in global-local processing and emotional memory. Furthermore, I propose sex hormonal modulation of hemispheric asymmetries as one possible neural substrate for this theory, thereby building on older theories, emphasizing the importance of sex differences in brain lateralization. The ideas described in the current article represent a perspective toward a unifying approach to the study of sex differences in cognition and their neural correlates.

Sex and Gender Differences Research Design for Basic, Clinical and Population Studies: Essentials for Investigators.

PubMed

Rich-Edwards, Janet W; Kaiser, Ursula B; Chen, Grace L; Manson, JoAnn E; Goldstein, Jill

2018-04-12

A sex and gender-informed perspective increases rigor, promotes discovery, and expands the relevance of biomedical research. In the current era of accountability to present data for males and females, thoughtful and deliberate methodology can improve study design and inference in sex and gender differences research. We address issues of motivation, subject selection, sample size, data collection, analysis, and interpretation, considering implications for basic, clinical, and population research. In particular, we focus on methods to test sex/gender differences as effect modification or interaction, and discuss why some inferences from sex-stratified data should be viewed with caution. Without careful methodology, the pursuit of sex difference research, despite a mandate from funding agencies, will result in a literature of contradiction. However, given the historic lack of attention to sex differences, the absence of evidence for sex differences is not necessarily evidence of the absence of sex differences. Thoughtfully conceived and conducted sex and gender differences research is needed to drive scientific and therapeutic discovery for all sexes and genders.

Population Pharmacokinetics of Oral Baclofen in Pediatric Patients with Cerebral Palsy

PubMed Central

He, Yang; Brunstrom-Hernandez, Janice E.; Thio, Liu Lin; Lackey, Shellie; Gaebler-Spira, Deborah; Kuroda, Maxine M.; Stashinko, Elaine; Hoon, Alexander H.; Vargus-Adams, Jilda; Stevenson, Richard D.; Lowenhaupt, Stephanie; McLaughlin, John F.; Christensen, Ana; Dosa, Nienke P.; Butler, Maureen; Schwabe, Aloysia; Lopez, Christina; Roge, Desiree; Kennedy, Diane; Tilton, Ann; Krach, Linda E.; Lewandowski, Andrew; Dai, Hongying; Gaedigk, Andrea; Leeder, J. Steven; Jusko, William J.

2014-01-01

Objective To characterize the population pharmacokinetics (PK) of oral baclofen and assess impact of patient-specific covariates in children with cerebral palsy (CP) in order to support its clinical use. Subjects design Children (2-17 years of age) with CP received a dose of titrated oral baclofen from 2.5 mg 3 times a day to a maximum tolerated dose of up to 20 mg 4 times a day. PK sampling followed titration of 10-12 weeks. Serial R- and S-baclofen plasma concentrations were measured for up to 16 hours in 49 subjects. Population PK modeling was performed using NONMEM 7.1 (ICON PLC; Ellicott City, Maryland). Results R- and S-baclofen showed identical concentration-time profiles. Both baclofen enantiomers exhibited linear and dose/kg-proportional PK, and no sex differences were observed. Average baclofen terminal half-life was 4.5 hours. A 2-compartment PK model with linear elimination and transit absorption steps adequately described concentration-time profiles of both baclofen enantiomers. The mean population estimate of apparent clearance/F was 0.273 L/h/kg with 33.4% inter-individual variability (IIV), and the apparent volume of distribution (Vss/F) was 1.16 L/kg with 43.9% IIV. Delayed absorption was expressed by a mean transit time of 0.389 hours with 83.7% IIV. Body weight, a possible genetic factor, and age were determinants of apparent clearance in these children. Conclusion The PK of oral baclofen exhibited dose-proportionality and were adequately described by a 2-compartment model. Our population PK findings suggest that baclofen dosage can be based on body weight (2 mg/kg per day) and the current baclofen dose escalation strategy is appropriate in the treatment of children with CP older than 2 years of age. PMID:24607242

Lip colour affects perceived sex typicality and attractiveness of human faces.

PubMed

Stephen, Ian D; McKeegan, Angela M

2010-01-01

The luminance contrast between facial features and facial skin is greater in women than in men, and women's use of make-up enhances this contrast. In black-and-white photographs, increased luminance contrast enhances femininity and attractiveness in women's faces, but reduces masculinity and attractiveness in men's faces. In Caucasians, much of the contrast between the lips and facial skin is in redness. Red lips have been considered attractive in women in geographically and temporally diverse cultures, possibly because they mimic vasodilation associated with sexual arousal. Here, we investigate the effects of lip luminance and colour contrast on the attractiveness and sex typicality (masculinity/femininity) of human faces. In a Caucasian sample, we allowed participants to manipulate the colour of the lips in colour-calibrated face photographs along CIELab L* (light--dark), a* (red--green), and b* (yellow--blue) axes to enhance apparent attractiveness and sex typicality. Participants increased redness contrast to enhance femininity and attractiveness of female faces, but reduced redness contrast to enhance masculinity of men's faces. Lip blueness was reduced more in female than male faces. Increased lightness contrast enhanced the attractiveness of both sexes, and had little effect on perceptions of sex typicality. The association between lip colour contrast and attractiveness in women's faces may be attributable to its association with oxygenated blood perfusion indicating oestrogen levels, sexual arousal, and cardiac and respiratory health.

Sample Errors Call Into Question Conclusions Regarding Same-Sex Married Parents: A Comment on "Family Structure and Child Health: Does the Sex Composition of Parents Matter?"

PubMed

Paul Sullins, D

2017-12-01

Because of classification errors reported by the National Center for Health Statistics, an estimated 42 % of the same-sex married partners in the sample for this study are misclassified different-sex married partners, thus calling into question findings regarding same-sex married parents. Including biological parentage as a control variable suppresses same-sex/different-sex differences, thus obscuring the data error. Parentage is not appropriate as a control because it correlates nearly perfectly (+.97, gamma) with the same-sex/different-sex distinction and is invariant for the category of joint biological parents.

Explaining sex differences in reactions to relationship infidelities: comparisons of the roles of sex, gender, beliefs, attachment, and sociosexual orientation.

PubMed

Brase, Gary L; Adair, Lora; Monk, Kale

2014-02-04

To the extent that sex differences are mediated by mechanisms such as sex-roles and beliefs, individual differences in these more proximate traits should account for significant portions of relevant sex differences. Differences between women and men in reactions to sexual and emotional infidelity were assessed in a large sample of participants (n = 477), and these target reactions were evaluated as a function of many potential proximate mediators (infidelity implications beliefs, gender-role beliefs, interpersonal trust, attachment style, sociosexuality, and culture of honor beliefs) and as a function of participant sex. Results found a consistent sex difference that was not mediated by any other variables, although a handful of other variables were related to male, but not female, individual differences. These findings suggest particularly promising directions for future research on integrating evolutionarily based sex differences and proximate individual differences.

Sex Differences in Human and Animal Toxicology.

PubMed

Gochfeld, Michael

2017-01-01

Sex, the states of being female or male, potentially interacts with all xenobiotic exposures, both inadvertent and deliberate, and influences their toxicokinetics (TK), toxicodynamics, and outcomes. Sex differences occur in behavior, exposure, anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, and genetics, accounting for female-male differences in responses to environmental chemicals, diet, and pharmaceuticals, including adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Often viewed as an annoying confounder, researchers have studied only one sex, adjusted for sex, or ignored it. Occupational epidemiology, the basis for understanding many toxic effects in humans, usually excluded women. Likewise, Food and Drug Administration rules excluded women of childbearing age from drug studies for many years. Aside from sex-specific organs, sex differences and sex × age interactions occur for a wide range of disease states as well as hormone-influenced conditions and drug distribution. Women have more ADRs than men; the classic sex hormone paradigm (gonadectomy and replacement) reveals significant interaction of sex and TK including absorption, distribution, metabolisms, and elimination. Studies should be designed to detect sex differences, describe the mechanisms, and interpret these in a broad social, clinical, and evolutionary context with phenomena that do not differ. Sex matters, but how much of a difference is needed to matter remains challenging.

Sex Differences in Human and Animal Toxicology: Toxicokinetics

PubMed Central

Gochfeld, Michael

2016-01-01

Sex, the states of being female or male, potentially interacts with all xenobiotic exposures, both inadvertent and deliberate, and influences their toxicokinetics, toxicodynamics, and outcomes. Sex differences occur in behavior, exposure, anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, and genetics, accounting for female-male differences in responses to environmental chemicals, diet, and pharmaceuticals, including adverse drug reactions. Often viewed as an annoying confounder, researchers have studied only one sex, adjusted for sex, or ignored it. Occupational epidemiology, the basis for understanding many toxic effects in humans, usually excluded women. Likewise FDA rules excluded women of child-bearing age from drug studies for many years. Aside from sex-specific organs, sex differences and sex × age interactions occur for a wide range of disease states as well as hormone-influenced conditions and drug distribution. Women have more adverse drug reactions than men, The Classic Sex Hormone Paradigm (gonadectomy and replacement) reveals significant interaction of sex and toxicokinetics including absorption, distribution, metabolisms and elimination. Studies should be designed to detect sex differences, describe the mechanisms, and interpret these in a broad social, clinical and evolutionary context with phenomena that do not differ. Sex matters, but how much of a difference is needed to matter remains challenging. PMID:27895264

A systematic literature review of sex differences in childhood language and brain development.

PubMed

Etchell, Andrew; Adhikari, Aditi; Weinberg, Lauren S; Choo, Ai Leen; Garnett, Emily O; Chow, Ho Ming; Chang, Soo-Eun

2018-06-01

The extent of sex differences in childhood language development is unclear. We conducted a systematic literature review synthesizing results from studies examining sex differences in brain structure and function relevant to language development during childhood. We searched PubMed and Scopus databases, and this returned a total of 46 published studies meeting criteria for inclusion that directly examined sex differences in brain development relevant to language function in children. The results indicate that: (a) sex differences in brain structure or function do not necessarily lead to differences in language task performance; (b) evidence for sex differences in brain and language development are limited; (c) when present, sex differences often interact with a variety of factors such as age and task. Overall, the magnitude of sexual dimorphism of brain developmental trajectories associated with language is not as significant as previously thought. Sex differences were found, however, in studies employing tighter age ranges. This suggests that sex differences may be more prominent during certain developmental stages but are negligible in other stages, likely due to different rates of maturation between the sexes. More research is needed to improve our understanding of how sex differences may arise due to the influence of sex hormones and developmental stages, and how these differences may lead to differences in various language task performance. These studies are expected to provide normative information that may be used in studies examining neurodevelopmental disorders that frequently affect more males than females, and also often affect language development. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The role of siblings in identity development in adolescence and emerging adulthood.

PubMed

Wong, Thessa M L; Branje, Susan J T; VanderValk, Inge E; Hawk, Skyler T; Meeus, Wim H J

2010-10-01

This study examined the role of siblings on identity formation in adolescence and emerging adulthood, using a three-wave longitudinal design. Measures of identity formation were filled out by 498 sibling dyads. Sibling effects differed as a function of age and gender configuration within the dyads. Controlled for age, earlier-born siblings reported the most advanced levels of identity formation, and later-born siblings the lowest. Positive relations between siblings' identity and changes in identity of respondents provided support for modeling processes between siblings. The identity of earlier-born same-sex siblings, in particular, tends to be important in influencing identity formation. Contrary to the expectations, differentiation processes between siblings did not appear to influence identity formation. It is apparent from this study that both the gender and birth order of siblings affect whether their own identity formation processes influence those of adolescents and emerging adults.

Methodological decisions and the evaluation of possible effects of different family structures on children: The new family structures survey (NFSS).

PubMed

Schumm, Walter R

2012-11-01

Every social science researcher must make a number of methodological decisions when planning and implementing research projects. Each such decision carries with it both advantages and limitations. The decisions faced and made by Regnerus (2012) are discussed here in the wider context of social science literature regarding same-sex parenting. Even though the apparent outcomes of Regnerus's study were unpopular, the methodological decisions he made in the design and implementation of the New Family Structures Survey were not uncommon among social scientists, including many progressive, gay and lesbian scholars. These decisions and the research they produced deserve considerable and continued discussion, but criticisms of the underlying ethics and professionalism are misplaced because nearly every methodological decision that was made has ample precedents in research published by many other credible and distinguished scholars. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gastrointestinal parasites of the colobus monkeys of Uganda.

PubMed

Gillespie, Thomas R; Greiner, Ellis C; Chapman, Colin A

2005-06-01

From August 1997 to July 2003, we collected 2,103 fecal samples from free-ranging individuals of the 3 colobus monkey species of Uganda-the endangered red colobus (Piliocolobus tephrosceles), the eastern black-and-white colobus (Colobus guereza), and the Angolan black-and-white colobus (C. angolensis)--to identify and determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites. Helminth eggs, larvae, and protozoan cysts were isolated by sodium nitrate flotation and fecal sedimentation. Coprocultures facilitated identification of helminths. Seven nematodes (Strongyloides fulleborni, S. stercoralis, Oesophagostomum sp., an unidentified strongyle, Trichuris sp., Ascaris sp., and Colobenterobius sp.), 1 cestode (Bertiella sp.), 1 trematode (Dicrocoeliidae), and 3 protozoans (Entamoeba coli, E. histolytica, and Giardia lamblia) were detected. Seasonal patterns of infection were not apparent for any parasite species infecting colobus monkeys. Prevalence of S. fulleborni was higher in adult male compared to adult female red colobus, but prevalence did not differ for any other shared parasite species between age and sex classes.

Germline Stem Cells

PubMed Central

Spradling, Allan; Fuller, Margaret T.; Braun, Robert E.; Yoshida, Shosei

2011-01-01

Sperm and egg production requires a robust stem cell system that balances self-renewal with differentiation. Self-renewal at the expense of differentiation can cause tumorigenesis, whereas differentiation at the expense of self-renewal can cause germ cell depletion and infertility. In most organisms, and sometimes in both sexes, germline stem cells (GSCs) often reside in a defined anatomical niche. Factors within the niche regulate a balance between GSC self-renewal and differentiation. Asymmetric division of the germline stem cell to form daughter cells with alternative fates is common. The exception to both these tendencies is the mammalian testis where there does not appear to be an obvious anatomical niche and where GSC homeostasis is likely accomplished by a stochastic balance of self-renewal and differentiation and not by regulated asymmetric cell division. Despite these apparent differences, GSCs in all organisms share many common mechanisms, although not necessarily molecules, to guarantee survival of the germline. PMID:21791699

Multiple Weather Factors Affect Apparent Survival of European Passerine Birds

PubMed Central

Salewski, Volker; Hochachka, Wesley M.; Fiedler, Wolfgang

2013-01-01

Weather affects the demography of animals and thus climate change will cause local changes in demographic rates. In birds numerous studies have correlated demographic factors with weather but few of those examined variation in the impacts of weather in different seasons and, in the case of migrants, in different regions. Using capture-recapture models we correlated weather with apparent survival of seven passerine bird species with different migration strategies to assess the importance of selected facets of weather throughout the year on apparent survival. Contrary to our expectations weather experienced during the breeding season did not affect apparent survival of the target species. However, measures for winter severity were associated with apparent survival of a resident species, two short-distance/partial migrants and a long-distance migrant. Apparent survival of two short distance migrants as well as two long-distance migrants was further correlated with conditions experienced during the non-breeding season in Spain. Conditions in Africa had statistically significant but relatively minor effects on the apparent survival of the two long-distance migrants but also of a presumably short-distance migrant and a short-distance/partial migrant. In general several weather effects independently explained similar amounts of variation in apparent survival for the majority of species and single factors explained only relatively low amounts of temporal variation of apparent survival. Although the directions of the effects on apparent survival mostly met our expectations and there are clear predictions for effects of future climate we caution against simple extrapolations of present conditions to predict future population dynamics. Not only did weather explains limited amounts of variation in apparent survival, but future demographics will likely be affected by changing interspecific interactions, opposing effects of weather in different seasons, and the potential for phenotypic and microevolutionary adaptations. PMID:23593131

Sex Hormones and Sex Chromosomes Cause Sex Differences in the Development of Cardiovascular Diseases.

PubMed

Arnold, Arthur P; Cassis, Lisa A; Eghbali, Mansoureh; Reue, Karen; Sandberg, Kathryn

2017-05-01

This review summarizes recent evidence concerning hormonal and sex chromosome effects in obesity, atherosclerosis, aneurysms, ischemia/reperfusion injury, and hypertension. Cardiovascular diseases occur and progress differently in the 2 sexes, because biological factors differing between the sexes have sex-specific protective and harmful effects. By comparing the 2 sexes directly, and breaking down sex into its component parts, one can discover sex-biasing protective mechanisms that might be targeted in the clinic. Gonadal hormones, especially estrogens and androgens, have long been found to account for some sex differences in cardiovascular diseases, and molecular mechanisms mediating these effects have recently been elucidated. More recently, the inherent sexual inequalities in effects of sex chromosome genes have also been implicated as contributors in animal models of cardiovascular diseases, especially a deleterious effect of the second X chromosome found in females but not in males. Hormonal and sex chromosome mechanisms interact in the sex-specific control of certain diseases, sometimes by opposing the action of the other. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

Physical Fitness Measures as Potential Markers of Low Cognitive Function in Japanese Community-Dwelling Older Adults without Apparent Cognitive Problems.

PubMed

Narazaki, Kenji; Matsuo, Eri; Honda, Takanori; Nofuji, Yu; Yonemoto, Koji; Kumagai, Shuzo

2014-09-01

Detecting signs of cognitive impairment as early as possible is one of the most urgent challenges in preventive care of dementia. It has still been unclear whether physical fitness measures can serve as markers of low cognitive function, a sign of cognitive impairment, in older people free from dementia. The aim of the present study was to examine an association between each of five physical fitness measures and global cognition in Japanese community-dwelling older adults without apparent cognitive problems. The baseline research of the Sasaguri Genkimon Study was conducted from May to August 2011 in Sasaguri town, Fukuoka, Japan. Of the 2,629 baseline subjects who were aged 65 years or older and not certified as individuals requiring nursing care by the town, 1,552 participants without apparent cognitive problems (Mini-Mental State Examination score ≥24) were involved in the present study (59.0% of the baseline subjects, median age: 72 years, men: 40.1%). Global cognitive function was measured by the Japanese version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Handgrip strength, leg strength, sit-to-stand rate, gait speed, and one-leg stand time were examined as physical fitness measures. In multiple linear regression analyses, each of the five physical fitness measures was positively associated with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment score after adjusting for age and sex (p < 0.001). These associations were preserved after additional adjustment for years of formal education, body mass index, and other confounding factors (p < 0.001). The present study first demonstrated the associations between multiple aspects of physical fitness and global cognitive function in Japanese community-dwelling older people without apparent cognitive problems. These results suggest that each of the physical fitness measures has a potential as a single marker of low cognitive function in older populations free from dementia and thereby can be useful in community-based preventive care of dementia. Key pointsThere is a great need for identifying lifestyle-related markers which help detect subtle cognitive impairment in the preclinical or earlier phase of dementia.In the present study, each of the five physical fitness measures employed was linearly and positively associated with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment score in the present older adults without apparent cognitive problems, after adjusting for age, sex, education, body mass index, and other confounding factors.The results suggest the potential of each physical fitness measure as a single lifestyle-related marker of low cognitive function in the population, which can be useful in community-based preventive care of dementia.

Same-sex cohabiting elders versus different-sex cohabiting and married elders: effects of relationship status and sex of partner on economic and health outcomes.

PubMed

Baumle, Amanda K

2014-01-01

In this article, I use pooled data from the 2008-2010 American Community Surveys to examine outcomes for different-sex married, different-sex cohabiting, and same-sex cohabiting elders across several key economic and health indicators, as well as other demographic characteristics. The findings suggest that elders in same-sex cohabiting partnerships differ from those in different-sex marriages and different-sex cohabiting relationships in terms of both financial and health outcomes, and that women in same-sex cohabiting partnerships fare worse than men or women in other couple types. The results indicate that financial implications related to the sex of one's partner might be more predictive of economic and health outcomes in old age, rather than solely access to legal marriage. Nonetheless, findings suggest that individuals in same-sex cohabiting partnerships might experience worse outcomes in old age as a result of cumulative effects across the life course from both the sex of their partner (in the case of female couples) as well as their lack of access to benefits associated with marriage. Accordingly, these findings demonstrate that persons in same-sex cohabiting partnerships require unique policy considerations to address health and economic concerns in old age. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Epidemiological studies on Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Egyptian sheep.

PubMed

Kamel, Mohammed; Abo El-Hassan, Diea G; El-Sayed, Amr

2015-08-01

In the present work, the epidemiological role of apparently healthy sheep in transmission of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in different seasons was investigated. Fecal samples (convenience sampling) of apparently healthy farmed sheep (three farms, n = 70) and from 15 wandering flocks fed on city wastes (n = 80) in the Giza governorate were examined. The samples were collected in spring under mild weather conditions and during hot summer to be compared. Out of the 150 animals, 13 (8.7%) were E. coli O157 shedders. The 13 ovine sorbitol-negative E. coli O157 were characterized by different PCR sets. The eae gene was detected in 11 isolate (85%), stx1 in 3 isolates (23%), stx2 in 8 isolates (62%), and finally the hlyA in 11 isolate (85%). Among the 13 isolates, 2 strains (15%) were positive for eae, stx1, stx2, and hlyA as gene combination, one isolate (8%) for eae, stx1, and hlyA, 5 isolates (38%) for eae, stx2, and hlyA, 1 isolate (8%) for eae and stx2, 2 isolates (15%) contained eae and hlyA, 1 isolate (8%) contained hlyA only, and finally, 1 isolate (8%) did not contain any of these genes. None of the isolates showed the gene combination eae stx1, stx1 hlyA, or stx2 hlyA. The results indicated significant association of unfavorable weather and management conditions on O157:H7 shedding while the age or sex did not play any role in this process.

Tissue distribution and excretion kinetics of orally administered silica nanoparticles in rats

PubMed Central

Lee, Jeong-A; Kim, Mi-Kyung; Paek, Hee-Jeong; Kim, Yu-Ri; Kim, Meyoung-Kon; Lee, Jong-Kwon; Jeong, Jayoung; Choi, Soo-Jin

2014-01-01

Purpose The effects of particle size on the tissue distribution and excretion kinetics of silica nanoparticles and their biological fates were investigated following a single oral administration to male and female rats. Methods Silica nanoparticles of two different sizes (20 nm and 100 nm) were orally administered to male and female rats, respectively. Tissue distribution kinetics, excretion profiles, and fates in tissues were analyzed using elemental analysis and transmission electron microscopy. Results The differently sized silica nanoparticles mainly distributed to kidneys and liver for 3 days post-administration and, to some extent, to lungs and spleen for 2 days post-administration, regardless of particle size or sex. Transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy studies in tissues demonstrated almost intact particles in liver, but partially decomposed particles with an irregular morphology were found in kidneys, especially in rats that had been administered 20 nm nanoparticles. Size-dependent excretion kinetics were apparent and the smaller 20 nm particles were found to be more rapidly eliminated than the larger 100 nm particles. Elimination profiles showed 7%–8% of silica nanoparticles were excreted via urine, but most nanoparticles were excreted via feces, regardless of particle size or sex. Conclusion The kidneys, liver, lungs, and spleen were found to be the target organs of orally-administered silica nanoparticles in rats, and this organ distribution was not affected by particle size or animal sex. In vivo, silica nanoparticles were found to retain their particulate form, although more decomposition was observed in kidneys, especially for 20 nm particles. Urinary and fecal excretion pathways were determined to play roles in the elimination of silica nanoparticles, but 20 nm particles were secreted more rapidly, presumably because they are more easily decomposed. These findings will be of interest to those seeking to predict potential toxicological effects of silica nanoparticles on target organs. PMID:25565843

Sexual Size Dimorphism and Body Condition in the Australasian Gannet

PubMed Central

Angel, Lauren P.; Wells, Melanie R.; Rodríguez-Malagón, Marlenne A.; Tew, Emma; Speakman, John R.; Arnould, John P. Y.

2015-01-01

Sexual size dimorphism is widespread throughout seabird taxa and several drivers leading to its evolution have been hypothesised. While the Australasian Gannet (Morus serrator) has previously been considered nominally monomorphic, recent studies have documented sexual segregation in diet and foraging areas, traits often associated with size dimorphism. The present study investigated the sex differences in body mass and structural size of this species at two colonies (Pope’s Eye, PE; Point Danger, PD) in northern Bass Strait, south-eastern Australia. Females were found to be 3.1% and 7.3% heavier (2.74 ± 0.03, n = 92; 2.67 ± 0.03 kg, n = 43) than males (2.66 ± 0.03, n = 92; 2.48 ± 0.03 kg, n = 43) at PE and PD, respectively. Females were also larger in wing ulna length (0.8% both colonies) but smaller in bill depth (PE: 2.2%; PD: 1.7%) than males. Despite this dimorphism, a discriminant function provided only mild accuracy in determining sex. A similar degree of dimorphism was also found within breeding pairs, however assortative mating was not apparent at either colony (R 2 < 0.04). Using hydrogen isotope dilution, a body condition index was developed from morphometrics to estimate total body fat (TBF) stores, where TBF(%) = 24.43+1.94*(body mass/wing ulna length) – 0.58*tarsus length (r 2 = 0.84, n = 15). This index was used to estimate body composition in all sampled individuals. There was no significant difference in TBF(%) between the sexes for any stage of breeding or in any year of the study at either colony suggesting that, despite a greater body mass, females were not in a better condition than males. While the driving mechanism for sexual dimorphism in this species is currently unknown, studies of other Sulids indicate segregation in foraging behaviour, habitat and diet may be a contributing factor. PMID:26637116

Educational inequalities in smoking among Japanese adults aged 25-94 years: Nationally representative sex- and age-specific statistics.

PubMed

Tabuchi, Takahiro; Kondo, Naoki

2017-04-01

Few studies have investigated differences in age- and gender-specific educational gradients in tobacco smoking among the whole range of adult age groups. We examined educational inequality in smoking among Japanese adults aged 25-94 years. Using a large nationally representative sample (167,925 men and 186,588 women) in 2010, prevalence of current smoking and heavy smoking among daily smokers and their inequalities attributable to educational attainment were analyzed according to sex and age groups. Among men aged 25-34 years, junior high school graduates had the highest current smoking prevalence at 68.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 66.0%-70.6%), and graduate school graduates had the lowest at 19.4% (95% CI, 17.2%-21.9%). High school graduates had the second highest current smoking prevalence (e.g., 55.9%; 95% CI, 54.9%-56.8% in men aged 25-34 years). Among men aged 75-94 years, the difference in current smoking across educational categories was small. A similar but steeper educational gradient in current smoking was observed among women. Among women aged 25-34 years, junior high school graduates had the highest current smoking prevalence at 49.3% (95% CI, 46.3%-52.3%), and graduate school graduates had the lowest at 4.8% (95% CI, 2.9%-7.4%). Compared with older age groups, such as 65-94 years, younger age groups, such as 25-54 years, had higher estimates of inequality indicators for educational inequality in both current and heavy smoking in both sexes. Educational inequalities in current and heavy smoking were apparent and large in the young population compared with older generations. The current study provides basic data on educational inequalities in smoking among Japanese adults. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

To signal or not to signal? Chemical communication by urine-borne signals mirrors sexual conflict in crayfish

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Sexual selection theory predicts that females, being the limiting sex, invest less in courtship signals than males. However, when chemical signals are involved it is often the female that initiates mating by producing stimuli that inform about sex and/or receptivity. This apparent contradiction has been discussed in the literature as 'the female pheromone fallacy'. Because the release of chemical stimuli may not have evolved to elicit the male's courtship response, whether these female stimuli represent signals remains an open question. Using techniques to visualise and block release of urine, we studied the role of urine signals during fighting and mating interactions of crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus). Test individuals were blindfolded to exclude visual disturbance from dye release and artificial urine introduction. Results Staged female-male pairings during the reproductive season often resulted in male mating attempts. Blocking female urine release in such pairings prevented any male courtship behaviour. Artificial introduction of female urine re-established male mating attempts. Urine visualisation showed that female urine release coincides with aggressive behaviours but not with female submissive behaviour in reproductive interactions as well as in intersexual and intrasexual fights. In reproductive interactions, females predominately released urine during precopulatory aggression; males subsequently released significantly less urine during mating than in fights. Conclusions Urine-blocking experiments demonstrate that female urine contains sex-specific components that elicit male mating behaviour. The coincidence of chemical signalling and aggressive behaviour in both females and males suggests that urine release has evolved as an aggressive signal in both sexes of crayfish. By limiting urine release to aggressive behaviours in reproductive interactions females challenge their potential mating partners at the same time as they trigger a sexual response. These double messages should favour stronger males that are able to overcome the resistance of the female. We conclude that the difference between the sexes in disclosing urine-borne information reflects their conflicting interests in reproduction. Males discontinue aggressive urine signalling in order to increase their chances of mating. Females resume urine signalling in connection with aggressive behaviour, potentially repelling low quality or sexually inactive males while favouring reproduction with high quality males. PMID:20353555

Positive selection of deleterious alleles through interaction with a sex-ratio suppressor gene in African Buffalo: a plausible new mechanism for a high frequency anomaly.

PubMed

van Hooft, Pim; Greyling, Ben J; Getz, Wayne M; van Helden, Paul D; Zwaan, Bas J; Bastos, Armanda D S

2014-01-01

Although generally rare, deleterious alleles can become common through genetic drift, hitchhiking or reductions in selective constraints. Here we present a possible new mechanism that explains the attainment of high frequencies of deleterious alleles in the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) population of Kruger National Park, through positive selection of these alleles that is ultimately driven by a sex-ratio suppressor. We have previously shown that one in four Kruger buffalo has a Y-chromosome profile that, despite being associated with low body condition, appears to impart a relative reproductive advantage, and which is stably maintained through a sex-ratio suppressor. Apparently, this sex-ratio suppressor prevents fertility reduction that generally accompanies sex-ratio distortion. We hypothesize that this body-condition-associated reproductive advantage increases the fitness of alleles that negatively affect male body condition, causing genome-wide positive selection of these alleles. To investigate this we genotyped 459 buffalo using 17 autosomal microsatellites. By correlating heterozygosity with body condition (heterozygosity-fitness correlations), we found that most microsatellites were associated with one of two gene types: one with elevated frequencies of deleterious alleles that have a negative effect on body condition, irrespective of sex; the other with elevated frequencies of sexually antagonistic alleles that are negative for male body condition but positive for female body condition. Positive selection and a direct association with a Y-chromosomal sex-ratio suppressor are indicated, respectively, by allele clines and by relatively high numbers of homozygous deleterious alleles among sex-ratio suppressor carriers. This study, which employs novel statistical techniques to analyse heterozygosity-fitness correlations, is the first to demonstrate the abundance of sexually-antagonistic genes in a natural mammal population. It also has important implications for our understanding not only of the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of sex-ratio distorters and suppressors, but also of the functioning of deleterious and sexually-antagonistic alleles, and their impact on population viability.

Maternal provision of transformer-2 is required for female development and embryo viability in the wasp Nasonia vitripennis.

PubMed

Geuverink, Elzemiek; Rensink, Anna H; Rondeel, Inge; Beukeboom, Leo W; van de Zande, Louis; Verhulst, Eveline C

2017-11-01

In insect sex determination a primary signal starts the genetic sex determination cascade that, in most insect orders, is subsequently transduced down the cascade by a transformer (tra) ortholog. Only a female-specifically spliced tra mRNA yields a functional TRA-protein that forms a complex with TRA2, encoded by a transformer-2 (tra2) ortholog, to act as a sex specific splicing regulator of the downstream transcription factors doublesex (dsx) and fruitless (fru). Here, we identify the tra2 ortholog of the haplodiploid parasitoid wasp N. vitripennis (Nv-tra2) and confirm its function in N. vitripennis sex determination. Knock down of Nv-tra2 by parental RNA interference (pRNAi) results in complete sex reversal of diploid offspring from female to male, indicating the requirement of Nv-tra2 for female sex determination. As Nv-tra2 pRNAi leads to frequent lethality in early developmental stages, maternal provision of Nv-tra2 transcripts is apparently also required for another, non-sex determining function during embryogenesis. In addition, lethality following Nv-tra2 pRNAi appears more pronounced in diploid than in haploid offspring. This diploid lethal effect was also observed following Nv-tra pRNAi, which served as a positive control in our experiments. As diploid embryos from fertilized eggs have a paternal chromosome set in addition to the maternal one, this suggests that either the presence of this paternal chromosome set or the dosage effect resulting from the diploid state is incompatible with the induced male development in N. vitripennis caused by either Nv-tra2 or Nv-tra pRNAi. The role of Nv-tra2 in activating the female sex determination pathway yields more insight into the sex determination mechanism of Nasonia. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

School Progress Among Children of Same-Sex Couples.

PubMed

Watkins, Caleb S

2018-06-01

This study uses logit regressions on a pooled sample of children from the 2012, 2013, and 2014 American Community Survey to perform a nationally representative analysis of school progress for a large sample of 4,430 children who reside with same-sex couples. Odds ratios from regressions that compare children between different-sex married couples and same-sex couples fail to show significant differences in normal school progress between households across a variety of sample compositions. Likewise, marginal effects from regressions that compare children with similar family dynamics between different-sex married couples and same-sex couples fail to predict significantly higher probabilities of grade retention for children of same-sex couples. Significantly lower grade retention rates are sometimes predicted for children of same-sex couples than for different-sex married couples, but these differences are sensitive to sample exclusions and do not indicate causal benefits to same-sex parenting.

Family Structure and Child Health: Does the Sex Composition of Parents Matter?

PubMed Central

Reczek, Corinne; Spiker, Russell; Liu, Hui; Crosnoe, Robert

2016-01-01

The children of different-sex married couples appear to be advantaged on a range of outcomes relative to the children of different-sex cohabiting couples. Despite the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States, whether and how this general pattern extends to the children of same-sex married and cohabiting couples is unknown. This study examines this question with nationally representative data from the 2004–2013 pooled National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Results reveal that children in cohabiting households have poorer health outcomes than children in married households regardless of the sex composition of their parents. Children in same-sex and different-sex married households are relatively similar to each other on health outcomes, as are children in same-sex and different-sex cohabiting households. These patterns are not fully explained by socioeconomic differences among the four different types of families. This evidence can inform general debates about family structure and child health as well as and policy interventions aiming to reduce child health disparities. PMID:27553617

Family Structure and Child Health: Does the Sex Composition of Parents Matter?

PubMed

Reczek, Corinne; Spiker, Russell; Liu, Hui; Crosnoe, Robert

2016-10-01

The children of different-sex married couples appear to be advantaged on a range of outcomes relative to the children of different-sex cohabiting couples. Despite the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States, whether and how this general pattern extends to the children of same-sex married and cohabiting couples is unknown. This study examines this question with nationally representative data from the 2004-2013 pooled National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Results reveal that children in cohabiting households have poorer health outcomes than children in married households regardless of the sex composition of their parents. Children in same-sex and different-sex married households are relatively similar to each other on health outcomes, as are children in same-sex and different-sex cohabiting households. These patterns are not fully explained by socioeconomic differences among the four different types of families. This evidence can inform general debates about family structure and child health as well as policy interventions aiming to reduce child health disparities.

Sequence diversity patterns suggesting balancing selection in partially sex-linked genes of the plant Silene latifolia are not generated by demographic history or gene flow.

PubMed

Guirao-Rico, Sara; Sánchez-Gracia, Alejandro; Charlesworth, Deborah

2017-03-01

DNA sequence diversity in genes in the partially sex-linked pseudoautosomal region (PAR) of the sex chromosomes of the plant Silene latifolia is higher than expected from within-species diversity of other genes. This could be the footprint of sexually antagonistic (SA) alleles that are maintained by balancing selection in a PAR gene (or genes) and affect polymorphism in linked genome regions. SA selection is predicted to occur during sex chromosome evolution, but it is important to test whether the unexpectedly high sequence polymorphism could be explained without it, purely by the combined effects of partial linkage with the sex-determining region and the population's demographic history, including possible introgression from Silene dioica. To test this, we applied approximate Bayesian computation-based model choice to autosomal sequence diversity data, to find the most plausible scenario for the recent history of S. latifolia and then to estimate the posterior density of the most relevant parameters. We then used these densities to simulate variation to be expected at PAR genes. We conclude that an excess of variants at high frequencies at PAR genes should arise in S. latifolia populations only for genes with strong associations with fully sex-linked genes, which requires closer linkage with the fully sex-linked region than that estimated for the PAR genes where apparent deviations from neutrality were observed. These results support the need to invoke selection to explain the S. latifolia PAR gene diversity, and encourage further work to test the possibility of balancing selection due to sexual antagonism. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Obstetric attending physician characteristics and their impact on vacuum and forceps delivery rates: University of California at San Francisco experience from 1977 to 1999.

PubMed

Chang, Anne Lynn S; Noah, Melinda Scully; Laros, Russell K

2002-06-01

The objective of our study was to determine the impact of obstetric attending physician characteristics (eg, region of previous residency training, sex, year of graduation from residency) on the rates of vacuum and forceps delivery at our institution. The analysis was based on 19,897 vaginal deliveries that were performed by 171 attending physicians and 160 resident physicians between 1977 and 1999 at the University of California at San Francisco Medical Center. Z -tests and multivariate logistic regression were performed on a perinatal database that contained standard obstetric variables. Male attending physicians had a higher percentage of forceps deliveries compared with female attending physicians (11.1% vs 6.6%; P <.001); female attending physicians had a higher percentage of vacuum deliveries compared with male attending physicians (9.8% vs 5.1%; P <.001). However, multivariate regression analysis revealed that only the year in which the procedure was performed affected both the forceps and vacuum delivery rates (P <.041). The region of previous residency training of the attending physician affected the vacuum delivery rate (P <.0001) but not the forceps delivery rate (P >.06) in multivariate logistic regression analysis. Factors such as the sex of the obstetric attending physician, the sex of the resident, and the year of graduation from residency for the obstetric attending physician did not have a significant impact on the forceps or vacuum delivery rates (all P >.05). Our study is the first to report that the apparent gender differences in forceps and vacuum delivery rates among obstetric attending physicians was due to the year in which the procedure was performed and not due to sex per se. We also found that the region of previous residency training for the obstetric attending physician significantly influenced the vacuum delivery rate.

Sex-based differences in brain alterations across chronic pain conditions

PubMed Central

Gupta, Arpana; Mayer, Emeran A; Fling, Connor; Labus, Jennifer S; Naliboff, Bruce D; Hong, Jui-Yang; Kilpatrick, Lisa A

2016-01-01

Common brain mechanisms are thought to play a significant role across a multitude of chronic pain syndromes. In addition, there is strong evidence for the existence of sex differences in the prevalence of chronic pain and in the neurobiology of pain. Thus, it is important to consider sex when developing general principals of pain neurobiology. The goal of the current review is to evaluate what is known about sex-specific brain alterations across multiple chronic pain populations. A total of 15 sex difference and 143 single-sex manuscripts were identified out of 412 chronic pain neuroimaging manuscripts. Results from sex difference studies indicate more prominent primary sensorimotor structural and functional alterations in female chronic pain patients compared to male chronic pain patients; differences in the nature and degree of insula alterations, with greater insula reactivity in male patients; differences in the degree of anterior cingulate structural alterations; and differences in emotional-arousal reactivity. Qualitative comparisons of male-specific and female-specific studies appear to be consistent with the results from sex difference studies. Given these differences, mixed-sex studies of chronic pain risk creating biased data or missing important information and single-sex studies have limited generalizability. The advent of large scale neuroimaging databases will likely aid in building a more comprehensive understanding of sex differences and commonalities in brain mechanisms underlying chronic pain. PMID:27870423

Sex-based differences in brain alterations across chronic pain conditions.

PubMed

Gupta, Arpana; Mayer, Emeran A; Fling, Connor; Labus, Jennifer S; Naliboff, Bruce D; Hong, Jui-Yang; Kilpatrick, Lisa A

2017-01-02

Common brain mechanisms are thought to play a significant role across a multitude of chronic pain syndromes. In addition, there is strong evidence for the existence of sex differences in the prevalence of chronic pain and in the neurobiology of pain. Thus, it is important to consider sex when developing general principals of pain neurobiology. The goal of the current Mini-Review is to evaluate what is known about sex-specific brain alterations across multiple chronic pain populations. A total of 15 sex difference and 143 single-sex articles were identified from among 412 chronic pain neuroimaging articles. Results from sex difference studies indicate more prominent primary sensorimotor structural and functional alterations in female chronic pain patients compared with male chronic pain patients: differences in the nature and degree of insula alterations, with greater insula reactivity in male patients; differences in the degree of anterior cingulate structural alterations; and differences in emotional-arousal reactivity. Qualitative comparisons of male-specific and female-specific studies appear to be consistent with the results from sex difference studies. Given these differences, mixed-sex studies of chronic pain risk creating biased data or missing important information and single-sex studies have limited generalizability. The advent of large-scale neuroimaging databases will likely aid in building a more comprehensive understanding of sex differences and commonalities in brain mechanisms underlying chronic pain. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Same-sex cohabitors and health: the role of race-ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status.

PubMed

Liu, Hui; Reczek, Corinne; Brown, Dustin

2013-03-01

A legacy of research finds that marriage is associated with good health. Yet same-sex cohabitors cannot marry in most states in the United States and therefore may not receive the health benefits associated with marriage. We use pooled data from the 1997 to 2009 National Health Interview Surveys to compare the self-rated health of same-sex cohabiting men (n = 1,659) and same-sex cohabiting women (n = 1,634) with that of their different-sex married, different-sex cohabiting, and unpartnered divorced, widowed, and never-married counterparts. Results from logistic regression models show that same-sex cohabitors report poorer health than their different-sex married counterparts at the same levels of socioeconomic status. Additionally, same-sex cohabitors report better health than their different-sex cohabiting and single counterparts, but these differences are fully explained by socioeconomic status. Without their socioeconomic advantages, same-sex cohabitors would report similar health to nonmarried groups. Analyses further reveal important racial-ethnic and gender variations.

Mouse model systems to study sex chromosome genes and behavior: relevance to humans

PubMed Central

Cox, Kimberly H.; Bonthuis, Paul J.; Rissman, Emilie F.

2014-01-01

Sex chromosome genes directly influence sex differences in behavior. The discovery of the Sry gene on the Y chromosome (Gubbay et al., 1990; Koopman et al., 1990) substantiated the sex chromosome mechanistic link to sex differences. Moreover, the pronounced connection between X chromosome gene mutations and mental illness produces a strong sex bias in these diseases. Yet, the dominant explanation for sex differences continues to be the gonadal hormones. Here we review progress made on behavioral differences in mouse models that uncouple sex chromosome complement from gonadal sex. We conclude that many social and cognitive behaviors are modified by sex chromosome complement, and discuss the implications for human research. Future directions need to include identification of the genes involved and interactions with these genes and gonadal hormones. PMID:24388960

The Role of Sex in Memory Function: Considerations and Recommendations in the Context of Exercise.

PubMed

Loprinzi, Paul D; Frith, Emily

2018-05-31

There is evidence to suggest that biological sex plays a critical role in memory function, with sex differentially influencing memory type. In this review, we detail the current evidence evaluating sex-specific effects on various memory types. We also discuss potential mechanisms that explain these sex-specific effects, which include sex differences in neuroanatomy, neurochemical differences, biological differences, and cognitive and affect-related differences. Central to this review, we also highlight that, despite the established sex differences in memory, there is little work directly comparing whether males and females have a differential exercise-induced effect on memory function. As discussed herein, such a differential effect is plausible given the clear sex-specific effects on memory, exercise response, and molecular mediators of memory. We emphasize that future work should be carefully powered to detect sex differences. Future research should also examine these potential exercise-related sex-specific effects for various memory types and exercise intensities and modalities. This will help enhance our understanding of whether sex indeed moderates the effects of exercise and memory function, and as such, will improve our understanding of whether sex-specific, memory-enhancing interventions should be developed, implemented, and evaluated.

Genes, Environments, and Sex Differences in Alcohol Research.

PubMed

Salvatore, Jessica E; Cho, Seung Bin; Dick, Danielle M

2017-07-01

The study of sex differences has been identified as one way to enhance scientific reproducibility, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have implemented a new policy to encourage the explicit examination of sex differences. Our goal here is to address sex differences in behavioral genetic research on alcohol outcomes. We review sex differences for alcohol outcomes and whether the source and magnitude of genetic influences on alcohol consumption and alcohol use disorder (AUD) are the same across sexes; describe common research designs for studying sex-specific gene-by-environment interaction (G × E) effects; and discuss the role of statistical power and theory when testing sex-specific genetic effects. There are robust sex differences for many alcohol outcomes. The weight of evidence suggests that the source and magnitude of genetic influences on alcohol consumption and AUD are the same across sexes. Whether there are sex-specific G × E effects has received less attention to date. The new NIH policy necessitates a systematic approach for studying sex-specific genetic effects in alcohol research. Researchers are encouraged to report power for tests of these effects and to use theory to develop testable hypotheses, especially for studies of G × E.

Sex Differences in Magical Ideation: A Community-Based Twin Study

PubMed Central

Karcher, Nicole R.; Slutske, Wendy S.; Kerns, John G.; Piasecki, Thomas M.; Martin, Nicholas G.

2014-01-01

Two questions regarding sex differences in magical ideation were investigated in this study: (1) whether there are mean level sex differences on the Magical Ideation Scale (MIS), and (2) whether there are quantitative and/or qualitative sex differences in the genetic contributions to variation on this scale. These questions were evaluated using data obtained from a large community sample of adult Australian twins (N=4,355) that included opposite-sex pairs. Participants completed a modified 15-item version of the MIS within a larger assessment battery. Women reported both higher means and variability on the MIS than men; this was also observed within families (in opposite-sex twin pairs). Biometric modeling indicated that the proportion of variation in MIS scores due to genetic influences (indicating quantitative sex differences) and the specific latent genetic contributions to this variation (indicating qualitative sex differences) were the same in men and women. These findings clarify the nature of sex differences in magical ideation and point to avenues for future research. PMID:24364500

Hematologic and serum biochemical profile of the northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris): variation with age, sex, and season.

PubMed

Yochem, Pamela K; Stewart, Brent S; Mazet, Jonna A K; Boyce, Walter M

2008-10-01

The foraging success, and thus the survival and reproductive success, of deep-diving pinnipeds such as the northern elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris, depends on the ability to withstand repetitive breath-hold dives. Health parameters can be incorporated as potential explanatory variables for differences observed in diving and migratory performance of individual seals. Furthermore, biomedical samples from apparently healthy individuals can provide valuable baseline data for evaluating effects of natural or anthropogenic threats to individuals and populations. We evaluated 42 blood parameters in 134 northern elephant seals during the breeding and molting seasons (1992-1999) to test for age, sex, and seasonal differences and to develop reference ranges. Adult males sampled during the breeding season differed from all other adult groups for a suite of parameters often associated with inflammation, infection, or other stressors: lower hematocrit, higher white blood cell count, higher band neutrophils, higher neutrophil count, lower albumin, and lower serum iron. Adult females during the breeding season differed from all other adult categories for two parameters (lower platelet counts, lower alanine aminotransferase activity). Molting males had higher blood urea nitrogen than all other classes; creatinine did not differ between breeding and molting adult males, but was higher in males than in females in both seasons. We found significant differences among age classes for 24 of 42 parameters measured, including higher levels of triglycerides, total protein, calcium, and iron in pups than we found in juveniles or adults. Unlike other mammals which undergo substantial decreases in energy expenditure during prolonged fasting (e.g., hibernation), northern elephant seals defend territories, give birth and suckle large offspring, mate, and molt during their bi-annual fasts. Nonetheless, many studies have described physiologic homeostasis during fasting in elephant seals. The genus Mirounga is superbly adapted to going without feeding for extended periods, and this is reflected in our hematologic and serum biochemical profiles.

Sex differences in personality traits and gender-related occupational preferences across 53 nations: testing evolutionary and social-environmental theories.

PubMed

Lippa, Richard A

2010-06-01

Using data from over 200,000 participants from 53 nations, I examined the cross-cultural consistency of sex differences for four traits: extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism, and male-versus-female-typical occupational preferences. Across nations, men and women differed significantly on all four traits (mean ds = -.15, -.56, -.41, and 1.40, respectively, with negative values indicating women scoring higher). The strongest evidence for sex differences in SDs was for extraversion (women more variable) and for agreeableness (men more variable). United Nations indices of gender equality and economic development were associated with larger sex differences in agreeableness, but not with sex differences in other traits. Gender equality and economic development were negatively associated with mean national levels of neuroticism, suggesting that economic stress was associated with higher neuroticism. Regression analyses explored the power of sex, gender equality, and their interaction to predict men's and women's 106 national trait means for each of the four traits. Only sex predicted means for all four traits, and sex predicted trait means much more strongly than did gender equality or the interaction between sex and gender equality. These results suggest that biological factors may contribute to sex differences in personality and that culture plays a negligible to small role in moderating sex differences in personality.

Confidence mediates the sex difference in mental rotation performance.

PubMed

Estes, Zachary; Felker, Sydney

2012-06-01

On tasks that require the mental rotation of 3-dimensional figures, males typically exhibit higher accuracy than females. Using the most common measure of mental rotation (i.e., the Mental Rotations Test), we investigated whether individual variability in confidence mediates this sex difference in mental rotation performance. In each of four experiments, the sex difference was reliably elicited and eliminated by controlling or manipulating participants' confidence. Specifically, confidence predicted performance within and between sexes (Experiment 1), rendering confidence irrelevant to the task reliably eliminated the sex difference in performance (Experiments 2 and 3), and manipulating confidence significantly affected performance (Experiment 4). Thus, confidence mediates the sex difference in mental rotation performance and hence the sex difference appears to be a difference of performance rather than ability. Results are discussed in relation to other potential mediators and mechanisms, such as gender roles, sex stereotypes, spatial experience, rotation strategies, working memory, and spatial attention.

WHY WE SHOULD CONSIDER SEX (AND STUDY SEX DIFFERENCES) IN ADDICTION RESEARCH

PubMed Central

Sanchis-Segura, Carla; Becker, Jill

2017-01-01

Among mammals, every cell has a biological sex, and the sex of an individual pervades its body and brain. In this review we describe the processes through which mammals become phenotypically male or female by organizational and activational influences of genes and hormones throughout development. We emphasized that the molecular and cellular changes triggered by sex chromosomes and steroid hormones may generate sex differences in overt physiological functions and behavior, but they may alternatively promote end-point convergences between males and females. Clinical and preclinical evidence suggest that sex and gender differences modulate drug consumption as well as of the transition towards drug-promoted pathological states such as dependence and addiction. Additionally, sex differences in drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics will also influence dependence and addiction as well as side effects of drugs. These effects will further interact with socially gendered factors to result in sex differences in the access to, engagement in, and efficacy of any therapeutic attempt. Finally, we maintain that “sex-sameness” is as important as “sex differences” when building a complete understanding of biology for both males and females and provide a framework with which to classify and guide investigation into the mechanisms mediating sex differences and sex-sameness. PMID:27029841

Effect of air gap on apparent temperature of body wearing various sizes of T-shirt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takatera, M.; Uchiyama, E.; Zhu, C.; Kim, KO; Ishizawa, H.

2017-10-01

We investigated the effect of air gap on the apparent temperature. Using the developed thermocouple fabric and a thermal manikin, we measured temperature distribution of the measuring garments due to the change of T-shirt sizes. We were able to measure the apparent temperature distribution at points near a body while wearing different sizes of T-shirts. It was observed that the temperature distribution depending on different air gap between clothing and body. The apparent temperature depends on garment size and place. The effect of air gap on apparent temperature of body was experimentally confirmed.

Evidence for sex differences in cardiovascular aging and adaptive responses to physical activity.

PubMed

Parker, Beth A; Kalasky, Martha J; Proctor, David N

2010-09-01

There are considerable data addressing sex-related differences in cardiovascular system aging and disease risk/progression. Sex differences in cardiovascular aging are evident during resting conditions, exercise, and other acute physiological challenges (e.g., orthostasis). In conjunction with these sex-related differences-or perhaps even as an underlying cause-the impact of cardiorespiratory fitness and/or physical activity on the aging cardiovascular system also appears to be sex-specific. Potential mechanisms contributing to sex-related differences in cardiovascular aging and adaptability include changes in sex hormones with age as well as sex differences in baseline fitness and the dose of activity needed to elicit cardiovascular adaptations. The purpose of the present paper is thus to review the primary research regarding sex-specific plasticity of the cardiovascular system to fitness and physical activity in older adults. Specifically, the paper will (1) briefly review known sex differences in cardiovascular aging, (2) detail emerging evidence regarding observed cardiovascular outcomes in investigations of exercise and physical activity in older men versus women, (3) explore mechanisms underlying the differing adaptations to exercise and habitual activity in men versus women, and (4) discuss implications of these findings with respect to chronic disease risk and exercise prescription.

A Population-Based Comparison of Female and Male Same-Sex Parent and Different-Sex Parent Households.

PubMed

Bos, Henny M W; Kuyper, Lisette; Gartrell, Nanette K

2018-03-01

This investigation compared Dutch same-sex parent and different-sex parent households on children's psychological well-being, parenting stress, and support in child rearing. It was also assessed whether associations among children's well-being, parenting stress, and support in child rearing were different in the two household types. Data were based on a nationally representative survey (N = 25,250). Matching was used to enhance similarity in background characteristics between both types of families. Parental and child characteristics were matched for 43 female same-sex parent, 52 male same-sex parent, and 95 different-sex parent households with offspring between 5 and 18 years old. No significant differences were found on children's well-being, problems in the parent-child relationship, being worried about the child, or the use of formal and informal support between mothers in same-sex and different-sex parent households or for fathers in same-sex and different-sex parent households. Regarding perceived confidence in child rearing, fathers in same-sex parent households and mothers in different-sex parent households felt less competent than their counterparts. Neither the associations between children's well-being and the predictors (parenting stress variables) nor those between support and the predictors (parenting stress and children's well-being) differed along household type. In this population-based study, the similarity in child outcomes regardless of household type confirms the results of prior investigations based on convenience samples. These findings are pertinent to family therapists, practitioners, court officials, and policymakers who seek information on parenting experiences and child outcomes in female and male same-sex parent families. © 2017 Family Process Institute.

Sex Differences in Mental and Behavioral Traits.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garai, Josef E.; Scheinfeld, Amram

1968-01-01

This review of research conducted on sex differences attempts to answer the following questions: (1) Do the sexes differ in their basic capacities for specific types of mental performance and occupational achievement? (2) If such differences exist, to what extent are they genetically determined? (3) Are sex differences in abilities, interests, and…

Sex Differences in the Presentation of Chronic Low Back Pain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheffer, Christine E.; Cassisi, Jeffrey E.; Ferraresi, Laurette M.; Lofland, Kenneth R.; McCracken, Lance M.

2002-01-01

Sex differences in 351 patients with chronic low back pain were examined. Biological, psychological, and psychosocial factors were considered. Sex differences in adaptive functioning were consistent with traditional gender roles. Significant interactions were found for sex and employment status, and sex and marital status. Retired women reported…

An investigation of genital ulcers in Jackson, Mississippi, with use of a multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay: high prevalence of chancroid and human immunodeficiency virus infection.

PubMed

Mertz, K J; Weiss, J B; Webb, R M; Levine, W C; Lewis, J S; Orle, K A; Totten, P A; Overbaugh, J; Morse, S A; Currier, M M; Fishbein, M; St Louis, M E

1998-10-01

In 1994, an apparent outbreak of atypical genital ulcers was noted by clinicians at the sexually transmitted disease clinic in Jackson, Mississippi. Of 143 patients with ulcers tested with a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, 56 (39%) were positive for Haemophilus ducreyi, 44 (31%) for herpes simplex virus, and 27 (19%) for Treponema pallidum; 12 (8%) were positive for > 1 organism. Of 136 patients tested for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) by serology, 14 (10%) were HIV-seropositive, compared with none of 200 patients without ulcers (P < .001). HIV-1 DNA was detected by PCR in ulcers of 6 (50%) of 12 HIV-positive patients. Multivariate analysis indicated that men with chancroid were significantly more likely than male patients without ulcers to report sex with a crack cocaine user, exchange of money or drugs for sex, and multiple sex partners. The strong association between genital ulcers and HIV infection in this population highlights the urgency of preventing genital ulcers in the southern United States.

[Interepidemic transmission of dengue in the city of Colima, Mexico].

PubMed

Espinoza-Gómez, Francisco; Hernández-Suárez, Carlos Moisés; Rendón-Ramírez, Ruth; Carrillo-Alvarez, Mayra Lizet; Flores-González, Juan Carlos

2003-01-01

To determine the occurrence of interepidemic dengue in a community infested with Aedes aegypti and to analyze its epidemiologic characteristics. A longitudinal probabilistic study was carried out in Colima City between 2001 and 2002. The sample population consisted of 245 subjects. The following were recorded for each subject: sex, age, socio-economic level and dengue fever symptoms, testing for serum IgG and IgM antidengue, using quick immunochromatography as well as ELISA tests, in a seven-month follow-up period. Twelve individuals showed recent dengue infection (incidence: 1.77%; 95%: confidence interval 0.9-3.1%). Of these, eight had recent clinical symptoms (chi 2 = 19.6; p < 0.0001, odss ratio 19.6). Poisson regression analysis showed no evidence of correlation between recent infection and sex, age, or socioeconomic level. Communities infested with A. aegypti, like Colima, may continually exhibit dengue infection with no apparent epidemic. Such infections are seemingly not associated with age, sex, or socioeconomic level, but with clinical symptoms. This situation could be considered an early indicator of interepidemic transmission.

Sexual orientation of male mouse offspring prenatally exposed to ethanol.

PubMed

Watabe, T; Endo, A

1994-01-01

Pregnant mice were intubated with either low (2 g/kg) or high (4 g/kg) dose of ethanol twice daily throughout the last third of the gestational period (from dg14 to dg18: gestational day; plug positive = dg 0). Ninety days after birth, the sexual orientation test was conducted on male offspring. This test was designed to observe a two-choice preference for either male or female partners in a setting in which the test animal could move freely between the two incentive compartments within which a stud male and an estrous female had been placed. We found that young adult males that had been exposed to ethanol prenatally have a decreased preference for the opposite sex and an increased preference for the same sex as a partner, although their physical development was apparently unaffected.

Allele Sharing and Evidence for Sexuality in a Mitochondrial Clade of Bdelloid Rotifers.

PubMed

Signorovitch, Ana; Hur, Jae; Gladyshev, Eugene; Meselson, Matthew

2015-06-01

Rotifers of Class Bdelloidea are common freshwater invertebrates of ancient origin whose apparent asexuality has posed a challenge to the view that sexual reproduction is essential for long-term evolutionary success in eukaryotes and to hypotheses for the advantage of sex. The possibility nevertheless exists that bdelloids reproduce sexually under unknown or inadequately investigated conditions. Although certain methods of population genetics offer definitive means for detecting infrequent or atypical sex, they have not previously been applied to bdelloid rotifers. We conducted such a test with bdelloids belonging to a mitochondrial clade of Macrotrachela quadricornifera. This revealed a striking pattern of allele sharing consistent with sexual reproduction and with meiosis of an atypical sort, in which segregation occurs without requiring homologous chromosome pairs. Copyright © 2015 by the Genetics Society of America.

Concurrent Van der Woude syndrome and Turner syndrome: A case report.

PubMed

Los, Evan; Baines, Hayley; Guttmann-Bauman, Ines

2017-01-01

Most cases of Van der Woude syndrome are caused by a mutation to interferon regulatory factor 6 on chromosome 1. Turner syndrome is caused by complete or partial absence of the second sex chromosome in girls. We describe a unique case of the two syndromes occurring concurrently though apparently independently in a girl with Van der Woude syndrome diagnosed at birth and Turner syndrome at 14 years 9 months. Short stature was initially misattributed to Van der Woude syndrome and pituitary insufficiency associated with clefts before correctly diagnosing Turner syndrome. We discuss the prevalence of delayed diagnosis of Turner syndrome, the rarity of reports of concurrent autosomal chromosome mutation and sex chromosome deletion, as well as the need to consider the diagnosis of Turner syndrome in all girls with short stature regardless of prior medical history.

Barely legal: is attraction and estimated age of young female faces disrupted by alcohol use, make up, and the sex of the observer?

PubMed

Egan, Vincent; Cordan, Giray

2009-05-01

One 'reasonable ground' for unlawful sex with a minor is mistaken age. Alcohol consumption and make-up are often deemed further influences on impaired perception. Two hundred and forty persons in bars and cafes rated the attractiveness of composite faces of immature and mature females with and without additional makeup, alcohol users having their concurrent blood-alcohol level measured using a breathalyser. A non-sex-specific preference for immature faces over sexually mature faces was found. Alcohol and make-up did not inflate attractiveness ratings in immature faces. While alcohol consumption significantly inflated attractiveness ratings for participants viewing made-up sexually mature faces, greater alcohol consumption itself did not lead to overestimation of age. Although alcohol limited the processing of maturity cues in female observers, it had no effect on the age perceptions of males viewing female faces, suggesting male mate preferences are not easily disrupted. Participants consistently overestimated the age of sexually immature- and sexually mature-faces by an average of 3.5 years. Our study suggests that even heavy alcohol consumption does not interfere with age-perception tasks in men, so is not of itself an excuse for apparent mistaken age in cases of unlawful sex with a minor.

The Development of Sex Reassignment Surgery in Thailand: A Social Perspective

PubMed Central

Chokrungvaranont, Prayuth; Jindarak, Sirachai; Angspatt, Apichai; Pungrasmi, Pornthep; Suwajo, Poonpismai; Tiewtranon, Preecha

2014-01-01

This paper reviews the development of gender reassignment in Thailand during the period of 1975–2012, in terms of social attitude, epidemiology, surgical patients' profile, law and regulation, religion, and patients' path from psychiatric assessment to surgery. Thailand healthcare for transsexual patients is described. Figures related to the number of sex reassignment surgeries performed in Thailand over the past 30 years are reported. Transsexual individuals are only apparently integrated within the Thail society: the law system of Thailand in fact, does not guarantee to transsexuals the same rights as in other Western countries; the governmental healthcare does not offer free treatments for transsexual patients. In favor of the transsexual healthcare, instead, the Medical Council of Thailand recently published a policy entitled “Criteria for the treatment of sex change, Census 2009.” The goal of this policy was to improve the care of transsexual patients in Thailand, by implementing the Standards of Care of the World Professional Association of Transgender Health. Currently, in Thailand, there are 6 major private groups performing sex reassignment surgery, and mostly performing surgery to patients coming from abroad. Particularly, the largest of these (Preecha's group) has performed nearly 3000 vaginoplasties for male-to-female transsexuals in the last 30 years. PMID:24772010

Establishment, sex structure and breeding system of an exotic riparian willow, Salix X rubens

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shafroth, Patrick B.; Scott, Michael L.; Friedman, Jonathan M.; Laven, Richard D.

1994-01-01

Several Eurasian tree willows (Salix spp.) have become naturalized in riparian areas outside of their native range. Salix x rubens is a Eurasian willow that is conspicuous along streams in the high plains of Colorado. We examined establishment of seedlings and cuttings, the sex structure and the breeding system of S. x rubens. An experiment was conducted on establishment and growth of seedlings and cuttings under a range of hydrologic conditions. Seedlings became established under all conditions except when flooded, although many fewer seedlings became established where soil surface conditions were relatively dry. Cuttings became established under all experimental conditions, but most frequently where soil moisture was highest. The sex structure of S. x rubens was determined along several streams in the Colorado high plains. Of 2175 trees surveyed, >99% (2172) were female. Salix x rubens produce viable seed apparently as a result of hybridization with another Eurasian willow, S. alba var. vitellina. Salix x rubens often reproduces vegetatively, which, combined with low hybrid seedling survival in the field, may explain the unusual sex structure. Salix x rubens will likely continue to spread vegetatively in high plains riparian areas, and the potential for spread through hybridization could increase if males of compatible Salix spp. are planted near extant S. x rubens.

Impact of X/Y genes and sex hormones on mouse neuroanatomy.

PubMed

Vousden, Dulcie A; Corre, Christina; Spring, Shoshana; Qiu, Lily R; Metcalf, Ariane; Cox, Elizabeth; Lerch, Jason P; Palmert, Mark R

2018-06-01

Biological sex influences brain anatomy across many species. Sex differences in brain anatomy have classically been attributed to differences in sex chromosome complement (XX versus XY) and/or in levels of gonadal sex steroids released from ovaries and testes. Using the four core genotype (4CG) mouse model in which gonadal sex and sex chromosome complement are decoupled, we previously found that sex hormones and chromosomes influence the volume of distinct brain regions. However, recent studies suggest there may be more complex interactions between hormones and chromosomes, and that circulating steroids can compensate for and/or mask underlying chromosomal effects. Moreover, the impact of pre vs post-pubertal sex hormone exposure on this sex hormone/sex chromosome interplay is not well understood. Thus, we used whole brain high-resolution ex-vivo MRI of intact and pre-pubertally gonadectomized 4CG mice to investigate two questions: 1) Do circulating steroids mask sex differences in brain anatomy driven by sex chromosome complement? And 2) What is the contribution of pre- versus post-pubertal hormones to sex-hormone-dependent differences in brain anatomy? We found evidence of both cooperative and compensatory interactions between sex chromosomes and sex hormones in several brain regions, but the interaction effects were of low magnitude. Additionally, most brain regions affected by sex hormones were sensitive to both pre- and post-pubertal hormones. This data provides further insight into the biological origins of sex differences in brain anatomy. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gender Differences in Empathic Sadness towards Persons of the Same- versus Other-sex during Adolescence.

PubMed

Stuijfzand, Suzannah; De Wied, Minet; Kempes, Maaike; Van de Graaff, Jolien; Branje, Susan; Meeus, Wim

Although gender differences in affective empathy are well established, evidence of gender differences in the development of affective empathy is inconsistent. Consideration of same-sex versus other-sex affective empathy may assist in elucidating these inconsistencies. Gender differences were investigated in the experience of empathic sadness towards same- versus other-sex targets. The relationships were studied cross-sectionally ( N  = 730) and longitudinally ( N  = 318) with Dutch adolescents using the empathic sadness scale of the Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents (IECA; Bryant 1982). In both studies, female adolescents reported more empathic sadness than did male adolescents. Female targets also received more affective empathy than did male targets, and, more importantly, gender differences were observed in same-sex versus other-sex affective empathy. Specifically, in both studies male adolescents reported less empathic sadness towards same-sex than towards other-sex targets. In contrast, female adolescents reported more empathic sadness towards same-sex than towards other-sex targets in the cross-sectional study, and equal levels of empathic sadness towards both types of targets in the longitudinal study. Findings highlight the importance of considering same-sex versus other-sex affective empathy. Gender differences in same-sex and other-sex affective empathy have implications for assisting adolescents in social conflict resolution and interventions for bullying and aggressive behaviour in adolescence using empathy training.

Persistent organic pollutants in the blood of free-ranging sea otters (Enhydra lutris ssp.) in Alaska and California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jessup, David A.; Johnson, Christine K.; Estes, James A.; Carlson-Bremer, Daphne; Jarman, Walter M.; Reese, Stacey; Dodd, Erin; Tinker, M. Tim; Ziccardi, Michael H.

2010-01-01

As part of tagging and ecologic research efforts in 1997 and 1998, apparently healthy sea otters of four age-sex classes in six locations in Alaska and three in California were sampled for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and other chemicals of ecologic or environmental concern (COECs). Published techniques for the detection of POPs (specifically Σpolychlorinated biphenyls [PCBs], ΣDDTs, Σhexachlorocyclohexanes [HCHs], Σpolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [PAHs], Σchlordanes [CHLs], hexachlorobenzene [HCB], dieldrin, and mirex) in the tissue of dead otters were modified for use with serum from live sea otters. Toxic equivalencies (TEQs) were calculated for POPs with proven bioactivity. Strong location effects were seen for most POPs and COECs; sea otters in California generally showed higher mean concentrations than those in Alaska. Differences in contaminant concentrations were detected among age and sex classes, with high levels frequently observed in subadults. Very high levels of ΣDDT were detected in male sea otters in Elkhorn Slough, California, where strong freshwater outflow from agricultural areas occurs seasonally. All contaminants except mirex differed among Alaskan locations; only ΣDDT, HCB, and chlorpyrifos differed within California. High levels of ΣPCB (particularly larger, more persistent congeners) were detected at two locations in Alaska where associations between elevated PCBs and military activity have been established, while higher PCB levels were found at all three locations in California where no point source of PCBs has been identified. Although POP and COEC concentrations in blood may be less likely to reflect total body burden, concentrations in blood of healthy animals may be more biologically relevant and less influenced by state of nutrition or perimortem factors than other tissues routinely sampled.

A Tale of Two Runners: A Case Report of Athletes' Experiences with Eating Disorders in College.

PubMed

Quatromoni, Paula A

2017-01-01

Athletes are at higher risk than the general population for eating disorders, and risk is heightened for athletes in thin-build sports, including track. Collegiate athletes are particularly vulnerable to disordered eating when the transition from home to the college environment adds to the stress of performance pressures and the high demands of the sport environment. Male and female athletes who develop eating disorders share some common characteristics, yet their experiences can be quite different, in part as a consequence of their sex and how eating disorders develop, and are recognized, acknowledged, and treated, within the culture of sports. This case report describes the experiences of two track athletes, one male and one female, who were recruited to the same Division 1 collegiate track program. Both were elite athletes, freshmen in the same year, experiencing the same urban college environment, and experiencing an eating disorder characterized by restrictive eating, significant weight loss, injury, and compromised performance in sport. Both received treatment from a multidisciplinary team of professionals. Both athletes achieved weight restoration, recovery from the disorder, and success in their sport. In spite of the similarities, striking differences were apparent in clinical presentation, predisposing features, onset of symptoms, entry points to treatment, interventions received, and clinical courses through treatment that depict sex differences in how eating disorders present in athletes and are addressed in the sport environment. Findings endorse the need for research and inform prevention strategies, risk assessment, and intervention approaches for nutrition and sports medicine professionals and collegiate athletic departments. Copyright © 2017 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Coffee Intake and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: The Multiethnic Cohort

PubMed Central

Doo, Taisha; Morimoto, Yukiko; Steinbrecher, Astrid; Kolonel, Laurence N.; Maskarinec, Gertraud

2014-01-01

Objective We evaluated the influence of coffee consumption on diabetes incidence among the Hawaii component of the Multiethnic Cohort (MEC). Design Prospective cohort. Setting Population-based sample residing in Hawaii. Subjects After exclusions, 75,140 men and women of Caucasian, Japanese American, and Native Hawaiian ancestry aged 45–75 were part of this analysis. All participants provided information on diet and lifestyle through a food frequency questionnaire. After 14 years of follow-up 8,582 incident diabetes cases were identified using self-reports, medication questionnaires, and health plan linkages. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were calculated using Cox regression while adjusting for known covariates. Results The risk for diabetes associated with total coffee consumption differed by sex (Pinteraction<0.0001). Women consuming ≥3 cups/day of any type of coffee had a significantly lower risk (HR: 0.66; 95%CI: 0.58, 0.77; Ptrend<0.0001) than those reporting <1 cup, whereas the relation in men was borderline (HR: 0.89; 95%CI: 0.80, 0.99; Ptrend=0.09). The same difference by sex was seen for regular coffee with HRs of 0.65 (95%CI: 0.54, 0.78; Ptrend<0.0001) and 0.86 (95%CI: 0.75, 0.98; Ptrend=0.09) in men and women, respectively. No significant association with diabetes was apparent for decaffeinated coffee in women (HR: 0.85; 95%CI: 0.72, 1.01; Ptrend=0.73) or men (HR: 1.07; 95%CI: 0.93, 1.23; Ptrend=0.71). Despite small differences by ethnicity, the interaction terms between coffee intake and ethnicity were not significant. Conclusions In this multiethnic population, regular, but not decaffeinated, coffee intake was much more protective against diabetes in women of all ethnic groups than in men. PMID:23442347

Plasma clot lysis time and its association with cardiovascular risk factors in black Africans.

PubMed

de Lange, Zelda; Pieters, Marlien; Jerling, Johann C; Kruger, Annamarie; Rijken, Dingeman C

2012-01-01

Studies in populations of European descent show longer plasma clot lysis times (CLT) in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) than in controls. No data are available on the association between CVD risk factors and fibrinolytic potential in black Africans, a group undergoing rapid urbanisation with increased CVD prevalence. We investigated associations between known CVD risk factors and CLT in black Africans and whether CLTs differ between rural and urban participants in light of differences in CVD risk.Data from 1000 rural and 1000 urban apparently healthy black South Africans (35-60 years) were cross-sectionally analysed.Increased PAI-1(act), BMI, HbA1c, triglycerides, the metabolic syndrome, fibrinogen concentration, CRP, female sex and positive HIV status were associated with increased CLTs, while habitual alcohol consumption associated with decreased CLT. No differences in CLT were found between age and smoking categories, contraceptive use or hyper- and normotensive participants. Urban women had longer CLT than rural women while no differences were observed for men.CLT was associated with many known CVD risk factors in black Africans. Differences were however observed, compared to data from populations of European descent available in the literature, suggesting possible ethnic differences. The effect of urbanisation on CLT is influenced by traditional CVD risk factors and their prevalence in urban and rural communities.

The Pattern of Sexual Interest of Female-to-Male Transsexual Persons With Gender Identity Disorder Does Not Resemble That of Biological Men: An Eye-Tracking Study.

PubMed

Tsujimura, Akira; Kiuchi, Hiroshi; Soda, Tetsuji; Takezawa, Kentaro; Fukuhara, Shinichiro; Takao, Tetsuya; Sekiguchi, Yuki; Iwasa, Atsushi; Nonomura, Norio; Miyagawa, Yasushi

2017-09-01

Very little has been elucidated about sexual interest in female-to-male (FtM) transsexual persons. To investigate the sexual interest of FtM transsexual persons vs that of men using an eye-tracking system. The study included 15 men and 13 FtM transsexual subjects who viewed three sexual videos (clip 1: sexy clothed young woman kissing the region of the male genitals covered by underwear; clip 2: naked actor and actress kissing and touching each other; and clip 3: heterosexual intercourse between a naked actor and actress) in which several regions were designated for eye-gaze analysis in each frame. The designation of each region was not visible to the participants. Visual attention was measured across each designated region according to gaze duration. For clip 1, there was a statistically significant sex difference in the viewing pattern between men and FtM transsexual subjects. Longest gaze time was for the eyes of the actress in men, whereas it was for non-human regions in FtM transsexual subjects. For clip 2, there also was a statistically significant sex difference. Longest gaze time was for the face of the actress in men, whereas it was for non-human regions in FtM transsexual subjects, and there was a significant difference between regions with longest gaze time. The most apparent difference was in the gaze time for the body of the actor: the percentage of time spent gazing at the body of the actor was 8.35% in FtM transsexual subjects, whereas it was only 0.03% in men. For clip 3, there were no statistically significant differences in viewing patterns between men and FtM transsexual subjects, although longest gaze time was for the face of the actress in men, whereas it was for non-human regions in FtM transsexual subjects. We suggest that the characteristics of sexual interest of FtM transsexual persons are not the same as those of biological men. Tsujimura A, Kiuchi H, Soda T, et al. The Pattern of Sexual Interest of Female-to-Male Transsexual Persons With Gender Identity Disorder Does Not Resemble That of Biological Men: An Eye-Tracking Study. Sex Med 2017;5:e169-e174. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

The Relationship Between Metabolic Risk Factors and Incident Cardiovascular Disease in Europeans, South Asians, and African Caribbeans

PubMed Central

Tillin, Therese; Hughes, Alun D.; Mayet, Jamil; Whincup, Peter; Sattar, Naveed; Forouhi, Nita G.; McKeigue, Paul M.; Chaturvedi, Nish

2013-01-01

Objectives This study sought to determine whether ethnic differences in diabetes, dyslipidemia, and ectopic fat deposition account for ethnic differences in incident cardiovascular disease. Background Coronary heart disease risks are elevated in South Asians and are lower in African Caribbeans compared with Europeans. These ethnic differences map to lipid patterns and ectopic fat deposition. Methods Cardiovascular risk factors were assessed in 2,049 Europeans, 1,517 South Asians, and 630 African Caribbeans from 1988 through 1991 (mean age: 52.4 ± 6.9 years). Fatal and nonfatal events were captured over a median 20.5-year follow-up. Subhazard ratios (SHR) were calculated using competing risks regression. Results Baseline diabetes prevalence was more than 3 times greater in South Asians and African Caribbeans than in Europeans. South Asians were more and African Caribbeans were less centrally obese and dyslipidemic than Europeans. Compared with Europeans, coronary heart disease incidence was greater in South Asians and less in African Caribbeans. The age- and sex-adjusted South Asian versus European SHR was 1.70 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.52 to 1.91, p < 0.001) and remained significant (1.45, 95% CI: 1.28 to 1.64, p < 0.001) when adjusted for waist-to-hip ratio. The African Caribbean versus European age- and sex-adjusted SHR of 0.64 (95% CI: 0.52 to 0.79, p < 0.001) remained significant when adjusted for high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (0.74, 95% CI: 0.60 to 0.92, p = 0.008). Compared with Europeans, South Asians and African Caribbeans experienced more strokes (age- and sex-adjusted SHR: 1.45 [95% CI: 1.17 to 1.80, p = 0.001] and 1.50 [95% CI: 1.13 to 2.00, p = 0.005], respectively), and this differential was more marked in those with diabetes (age-adjusted SHR: 1.97 [95% CI: 1.16 to 3.35, p = 0.038 for interaction] and 2.21 [95% CI: 1.14 to 4.30, p = 0.019 for interaction]). Conclusions Ethnic differences in measured metabolic risk factors did not explain differences in coronary heart disease incidence. The apparently greater association between diabetes and stroke risk in South Asians and African Caribbeans compared with Europeans merits further study. PMID:23500273

Sex Role Typing in the Preschool Years: An Overview.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vroegh, Karen; Handrich, Millicent

Sex role typing in the preschool child is the subject of this research report. Specific topics considered are sex differences, awareness of sex differences, sex role preferences, parent preferences, sex role identification, and family variables related to sex role typing. This summary of research studies in the field reports experimental and…

Genotype diversity in the honey bee parasite Nosema ceranae: multi-strain isolates, cryptic sex or both?

PubMed

Sagastume, Soledad; Martín-Hernández, Raquel; Higes, Mariano; Henriques-Gil, Nuno

2016-10-18

There is great controversy as to whether Microsporidia undergo a sexual cycle. In the paradigmatic case of Nosema ceranae, although there is no morphological evidence of sex, some meiosis-specific genes are present in its reduced genome and there is also high intraspecific variability, with incongruent phylogenies having been systematically obtained. The possibility of sexual recombination is important from an epidemiological standpoint, particularly as N. ceranae is considered to be a major factor in the current disquieting epidemic of widespread bee colony losses. This parasite apparently originated in oriental honey bees, spreading out of Asia and Australia to infect honey bees worldwide. This study had three main objectives: i) to obtain genetic markers that are not part of known multi-copy arrays for strain determination; ii) to shed light on the intraspecific variability and recombination of N. ceranae; and iii) to assess the variability in N. ceranae populations. The answers to these questions are critical to understand the capacity of adaptation of microsporidia. Biallelic polymorphisms were detected at a number of specific points in the five coding loci analyzed from European and Australian isolates of N. ceranae. Heterozygous genotypes were abundant and cloning experiments demonstrate that they reflect the existence of multiple alternative sequences in each isolate. The comparisons of different clones and genotypes clearly indicate that new haplotypes are generated by homologous recombination. The N. ceranae isolates from honey bees correspond to genotypically distinct populations, revealing that individual honey bees may not be infected by a particular clone but rather, a pool of different strains. Homologous recombination implies the existence of a cryptic sex cycle yet to be described in N. ceranae. There are no diagnostic alleles associated with Australian or European origins, nor are there differences between the two hosts, A. cerana and A. mellifera, supporting the absence of biological barriers for N. ceranae transmission. Diversity is high among microsporidia of both these origins, and the maintenance of a high heterozygosis in the recently invaded European populations, could hypothetically underlie the stronger virulence of N. ceranae observed in A. mellifera.

Changes in aerobic capacity and glycaemic control in response to reduced-exertion high-intensity interval training (REHIT) are not different between sedentary men and women.

PubMed

Metcalfe, Richard S; Tardif, Nicolas; Thompson, Dylan; Vollaard, Niels B J

2016-11-01

Previously it has been reported that reduced-exertion high-intensity interval training (REHIT; total training time of 3 × 10 min per week) improves maximal aerobic capacity in both sedentary men and women, but improves insulin sensitivity in men only. The aim of the present study was to determine whether there is a true sex difference in response to REHIT, or that these findings can be explained by the large interindividual variability in response inherent to all exercise training. Thirty-five sedentary participants (18 women; mean ± SD age for men and women, respectively: age, 33 ± 9 and 36 ± 9 years; body mass index, 25.1 ± 2.1 and 24.1 ± 3.5 kg·m -2 ; maximal aerobic capacity, 38.6 ± 8.3 and 31.6 ± 4.6 mL·kg -1 ·min -1 ) completed a 6-week REHIT programme consisting of eighteen 10-min unloaded cycling sessions with 1 (first session) or 2 (all other sessions) "all-out" 10-20-s sprints against a resistance of 5% of body mass. Maximal aerobic capacity and oral glucose tolerance test-derived insulin sensitivity were determined before and after training. REHIT was associated with an increase in maximal aerobic capacity (2.54 ± 0.65 vs. 2.78 ± 0.68 L·min -1 , main effect of time: p < 0.01), a trend toward reduced plasma insulin area-under-the-curve (AUC; 6.7 ± 4.8 vs. 6.1 ± 4.0 IU·min -1 ·mL -1 , p = 0.096), but no significant change in plasma glucose AUC or the Cederholm index of insulin sensitivity. Substantial interindividual variability in response to REHIT was observed for all variables, but there was no significant effect of sex. In conclusion, REHIT improves the key health marker of aerobic capacity within a minimal total training time-commitment. There is large interindividual variability in responses to REHIT, but sex differences in the responses are not apparent.

The opportunistic Sarcoptes scabiei: a new episode from giraffe in the drought-suffering Kenya.

PubMed

Alasaad, S; Ndeereh, D; Rossi, L; Bornstein, S; Permunian, R; Soriguer, R C; Gakuya, F

2012-04-30

The ubiquitous Sarcoptes mite is unexplainable emerging and re-emerging parasite, threatening biodiversity and human health. When a new outbreak occurs, it is not clear if it is a genuine emergence resulting from a new incidence or apparent emergence resulting from increased detection. In this paper we report, for the first time to our knowledge, an outbreak of sarcoptic mange in giraffes in the wild. Three decaying carcasses and five free-ranging subadult reticulated giraffes were observed to have mange-like lesions in the drought-suffering Wajir Region in North Eastern Kenya, while apparently all sympatric wild and domestic animals were mange-free. Affected giraffes were captured and successfully treated. The possible relations between this outbreak and annual seasons, animal age-classes and sex, and spatial distribution are discussed. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Explaining the sex difference in dyslexia.

PubMed

Arnett, Anne B; Pennington, Bruce F; Peterson, Robin L; Willcutt, Erik G; DeFries, John C; Olson, Richard K

2017-06-01

Males are diagnosed with dyslexia more frequently than females, even in epidemiological samples. This may be explained by greater variance in males' reading performance. We expand on previous research by rigorously testing the variance difference theory, and testing for mediation of the sex difference by cognitive correlates. We developed an analytic framework that can be applied to group differences in any psychiatric disorder. Males' overrepresentation in the low performance tail of the reading distribution was accounted for by mean and variance differences across sex. There was no sex difference at the high performance tail. Processing speed (PS) and inhibitory control partially mediated the sex difference. Verbal reasoning emerged as a strength in males. Our results complement a previous finding that PS partially mediates the sex difference in symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and helps explain the sex difference in both dyslexia and ADHD and their comorbidity. © 2017 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Sexual abuse in Chinese children in Hong Kong: a review of 134 cases.

PubMed

Ho, T P; Mak, F L

1992-12-01

This is a retrospective study of 134 cases of sexual abuse in Chinese children aged 16 years or under in Hong Kong. The data with respect to the victim's age, sex, severity and type (intra- or extrafamilial) of abuse, perpetrator's characteristics and family disturbances were analysed. The overall profile is similar to that reported in the West. The reasons for the apparently low prevalence, younger age of victim and low proportion of male victims are discussed.

Parameters: US Army War College Quarterly. Volume 19, Number 4, December 1989

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-12-01

olive drab. Rule one of this kiss-and-tell genre projects retail sales in proportion to the nastiness of the author’s judgments about former colleagues...his own golden parachute at the expense of his soldiers. "I needed a grubstake and I needed it fast," he explains. To get it, Hackworth gambled with...in an alcoholic stupor apparently suffices to excuse miscon- duct. (And why not? As Hackworth asserts elsewhere, drinking was like sex: "the more you

Sex pheromone source location by garter snakes: : A mechanism for detection of direction in nonvolatile trails.

PubMed

Ford, N B; Low, J R

1984-08-01

Male plains garter snakes,Thamnophis radix, tested in a 240-cm-long arena can detect directional information from a female pheromone trail only when the female is allowed to push against pegs while laying the trail. The female's normal locomotor activity apparently deposits pheromone on the anterolateral surfaces of vertical structures in her environment. The male sensorily assays the sides of these objects and from this information determines the female's direction of travel.

Sex differences in stress responses: a critical role for corticotropin-releasing factor.

PubMed

Bangasser, Debra A; Wiersielis, Kimberly R

2018-03-01

Rates of post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, and major depression are higher in women than in men. Another shared feature of these disorders is that dysregulation of the stress neuropeptide, corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), is thought to contribute to their pathophysiology. Therefore, sex differences in responses to CRF could contribute to this sex bias in disease prevalence. Here, we review emerging data from non-human animal models that reveal extensive sex differences in CRF functions ranging from its presynaptic regulation to its postsynaptic efficacy. Specifically, detailed are sex differences in the regulation of CRF-containing neurons and the amount of CRF that they produce. We also describe sex differences in CRF receptor expression, distribution, trafficking, and signaling. Finally, we highlight sex differences in the processes that mitigate the effects of CRF. In most cases, the identified sex differences can lead to increased stress sensitivity in females. Thus, the relevance of these differences for the increased risk of depression and anxiety disorders in women compared to men is also discussed.

Moderate Effects of Same-Sex Legislation on Dependent Employer-Based Insurance Coverage among Sexual Minorities

PubMed Central

Tran, Linda Diem

2016-01-01

A difference-in-difference approach was used to compare the effects of same-sex domestic partnership, civil union, and marriage policies on same- and different-sex partners who could have benefitted from their partners’ employer-based insurance (EBI) coverage. Same-sex partners had 78% lower odds (ME=-21%) of having EBI compared to different-sex partners, adjusting for socioeconomic and health-related factors. Same-sex partners living in states that recognized same-sex marriage or domestic partnership had 89% greater odds of having EBI compared to those in states that did not recognize same-sex unions (ME=5%). The impact of same-sex legislation on increasing take-up of dependent EBI coverage among lesbians, gay men, and bisexual individuals (LGBs) was modest, and domestic partnership legislation was equally as effective as same-sex marriage in increasing same-sex partner EBI coverage. Extending dependent EBI coverage to same-sex partners can mitigate gaps in coverage for a segment of the LGB population but will not eliminate them. PMID:26762647

The end of gonad-centric sex determination in mammals

PubMed Central

Arnold, Arthur P.

2011-01-01

The 20th century theory of mammalian sex determination states that the embryo is sexually indifferent until the differentiation of gonads, after which sex differences in phenotype are caused by differential effects of gonadal hormones. That theory is inadequate because some sex differences precede differentiation of the gonads and/or are determined by non-gonadal effects of the sexual inequality in number and type of sex chromosomes. A general theory of sex determination is proposed, which recognizes multiple parallel primary sex-determining pathways initiated by genes or factors encoded by the sex chromosomes. The separate sex-specific pathways interact to synergize with or antagonize each other, enhancing or reducing sex differences in phenotype. PMID:22078126

Cognitive sex differences are not magnified as a function of age, sex hormones, or puberty development during early adolescence.

PubMed

Herlitz, Agneta; Reuterskiöld, Lena; Lovén, Johanna; Thilers, Petra P; Rehnman, Jenny

2013-01-01

Are cognitive sex differences magnified by individual differences in age, sex hormones, or puberty development? Cross-sectional samples of 12- to 14-year-old boys (n = 85) and girls (n = 102) completed tasks assessing episodic memory, face recognition, verbal fluency, and mental rotations. Blood estradiol, free testosterone, and self-rated puberty scores were obtained. Sex differences were found on all cognitive measures. However, the magnitude was not larger for older children, hormones and cognitive performance were not associated, and early maturers did not perform better than late maturers. Thus, cognitive sex differences were not associated with age, levels of sex hormones, or puberty development.

A predictive relationship between population and genetic sex ratios in clonal species

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McLetchie, D. Nicholas; García-Ramos, Gisela

2017-04-01

Sexual reproduction depends on mate availability that is reflected by local sex ratios. In species where both sexes can clonally expand, the population sex ratio describes the proportion of males, including clonally derived individuals (ramets) in addition to sexually produced individuals (genets). In contrast to population sex ratio that accounts for the overall abundance of the sexes, the genetic sex ratio reflects the relative abundance of genetically unique mates, which is critical in predicting effective population size but is difficult to estimate in the field. While an intuitive positive relationship between population (ramet) sex ratio and genetic (genet) sex ratio is expected, an explicit relationship is unknown. In this study, we determined a mathematical expression in the form of a hyperbola that encompasses a linear to a nonlinear positive relationship between ramet and genet sex ratios. As expected when both sexes clonally have equal number of ramets per genet both sex ratios are identical, and thus ramet sex ratio becomes a linear function of genet sex ratio. Conversely, if sex differences in ramet number occur, this mathematical relationship becomes nonlinear and a discrepancy between the sex ratios amplifies from extreme sex ratios values towards intermediate values. We evaluated our predictions with empirical data that simultaneously quantified ramet and genet sex ratios in populations of several species. We found that the data support the predicted positive nonlinear relationship, indicating sex differences in ramet number across populations. However, some data may also fit the null model, which suggests that sex differences in ramet number were not extensive, or the number of populations was too small to capture the curvature of the nonlinear relationship. Data with lack of fit suggest the presence of factors capable of weakening the positive relationship between the sex ratios. Advantages of this model include predicting genet sex ratio using population sex ratios given known sex differences in ramet number, and detecting sex differences in ramet number among populations.

Mental rotation does not account for sex differences in left-right confusion.

PubMed

Ocklenburg, Sebastian; Hirnstein, Marco; Ohmann, Hanno Andreas; Hausmann, Markus

2011-06-01

Several studies have demonstrated that women believe they are more prone to left-right confusion (LRC) than men. However, while some studies report that there is also a sex difference in LRC tasks favouring men, others report that men and women perform equally well. Recently, it was suggested that sex differences only emerge in LRC tasks when they involve mental rotation. That is, sex differences that are reported for some LRC tasks are strongly affected by the well-documented male advantage in mental rotation. To test this assumption, 91 participants were investigated on two LRC tasks: The Left-Right Commands Task and the Bergen Left-Right Discrimination Test. Additionally, participants were asked to complete an LRC self-rating questionnaire. To rule out the possibility that sex differences in LRC are confounded by sex differences in mental rotation, male and female participants were matched for mental rotation performance, resulting in a sample of 46 matched participants. These matched participants showed robust sex differences in favour of men in all LRC measurements. This suggests that pronounced sex differences in LRC are a genuine phenomenon that exists independently of sex differences in mental rotation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Research Note on Time With Children in Different- and Same-Sex Two-Parent Families.

PubMed

Prickett, Kate C; Martin-Storey, Alexa; Crosnoe, Robert

2015-06-01

Public debate on same-sex marriage often focuses on the disadvantages that children raised by same-sex couples may face. On one hand, little evidence suggests any difference in the outcomes of children raised by same-sex parents and different-sex parents. On the other hand, most studies are limited by problems of sample selection and size, and few directly measure the parenting practices thought to influence child development. This research note demonstrates how the 2003-2013 American Time Use Survey (n=44,188) may help to address these limitations. Two-tier Cragg's Tobit alternative models estimated the amount of time that parents in different-sex and same-sex couples engaged in child-focused time. Women in same-sex couples were more likely than either women or men in different-sex couples to spend such time with children. Overall, women (regardless of the gender of their partners) and men coupled with other men spent significantly more time with children than men coupled with women, conditional on spending any child-focused time. These results support prior research that different-sex couples do not invest in children at appreciably different levels than same-sex couples. We highlight the potential for existing nationally representative data sets to provide preliminary insights into the developmental experiences of children in nontraditional families.

Evidence for sex differences in cardiovascular aging and adaptive responses to physical activity

PubMed Central

Parker, Beth A.; Kalasky, Martha J.; Proctor, David N.

2010-01-01

There are considerable data addressing sex-related differences in cardiovascular system aging and disease risk/progression. Sex differences in cardiovascular aging are evident during resting conditions, exercise, and other acute physiological challenges (e.g., orthostasis). In conjunction with these sex-related differences—or perhaps even as an underlying cause—the impact of cardiorespiratory fitness and/or physical activity on the aging cardiovascular system also appears to be sex-specific. Potential mechanisms contributing to sex-related differences in cardiovascular aging and adaptability include changes in sex hormones with age as well as sex differences in baseline fitness and the dose of activity needed to elicit cardiovascular adaptations. The purpose of the present paper is thus to review the primary research regarding sex-specific plasticity of the cardiovascular system to fitness and physical activity in older adults. Specifically, the paper will (1) briefly review known sex differences in cardiovascular aging, (2) detail emerging evidence regarding observed cardiovascular outcomes in investigations of exercise and physical activity in older men versus women, (3) explore mechanisms underlying the differing adaptations to exercise and habitual activity in men versus women, and (4) discuss implications of these findings with respect to chronic disease risk and exercise prescription. PMID:20480371

Sex Differences in Technical Communication: A Perspective from Social Role Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Isabelle

2004-01-01

This article interprets technical communication research about sex differences according to social role theory, which argues that sex differences are enculturated through experiences associated with social positions in the family and the workplace. It reevaluates technical communication research about sex differences in communicative and…

Sex differences in the human brain and the impact of sex chromosomes and sex hormones.

PubMed

Lentini, E; Kasahara, M; Arver, S; Savic, I

2013-10-01

While there has been increasing support for the existence of cerebral sex differences, the mechanisms underlying these differences are unclear. Based on animal data, it has long been believed that sexual differentiation of the brain is primarily linked to organizational effects of fetal testosterone. This view is, however, in question as more recent data show the presence of sex differences before the onset of testosterone production. The present study focuses on the impact that sex chromosomes might have on these differences. Utilizing the inherent differences in sex and X-chromosome dosage among XXY males, XY males, and XX females, comparative voxel-based morphometry was conducted using sex hormones and sex chromosomes as covariates. Sex differences in the cerebellar and precentral gray matter volumes (GMV) were found to be related to X-chromosome dosage, whereas sex differences in the amygdala, the parahippocamus, and the occipital cortex were linked to testosterone levels. An increased number of sex chromosomes was associated with reduced GMV in the amygdala, caudate, and the temporal and insular cortices, with increased parietal GMV and reduced frontotemporal white matter volume. No selective, testosterone independent, effect of the Y-chromosome was detected. Based on these observations, it was hypothesized that programming of the motor cortex and parts of cerebellum is mediated by processes linked to X-escapee genes, which do not have Y-chromosome homologs, and that programming of certain limbic structures involves testosterone and X-chromosome escapee genes with Y-homologs.

Same-Sex and Different-Sex Parent Households and Child Health Outcomes: Findings from the National Survey of Children's Health.

PubMed

Bos, Henny M W; Knox, Justin R; van Rijn-van Gelderen, Loes; Gartrell, Nanette K

2016-04-01

Using the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children's Health data set, we compared spouse/partner relationships and parent-child relationships (family relationships), parenting stress, and children's general health, emotional difficulties, coping behavior, and learning behavior (child outcomes) in households of same-sex (female) versus different-sex continuously coupled parents with biological offspring. We assessed whether associations among family relationships, parenting stress, and child outcomes were different in the 2 household types. Parental and child characteristics were matched for 95 female same-sex parent and 95 different-sex parent households with children 6 to 17 years old. One parent per household was interviewed by telephone. Multivariate analyses of variance and multiple linear regressions were conducted. No differences were observed between household types on family relationships or any child outcomes. Same-sex parent households scored higher on parenting stress (95% confidence interval = 2.03-2.30) than different-sex parent households (95% confidence interval = 1.76-2.03), p = .006. No significant interactions between household type and family relationships or household type and parenting stress were found for any child outcomes. Children with female same-sex parents and different-sex parents demonstrated no differences in outcomes, despite female same-sex parents reporting more parenting stress. Future studies may reveal the sources of this parenting stress.

Sex differences in learning processes of classical and operant conditioning

PubMed Central

Dalla, Christina; Shors, Tracey J.

2009-01-01

Males and females learn and remember differently at different times in their lives. These differences occur in most species, from invertebrates to humans. We review here sex differences as they occur in laboratory rodent species. We focus on classical and operant conditioning paradigms, including classical eyeblink conditioning, fear conditioning, active avoidance and conditioned taste aversion. Sex differences have been reported during acquisition, retention and extinction in most of these paradigms. In general, females perform better than males in the classical eyeblink conditioning, in fear-potentiated startle and in most operant conditioning tasks, such as the active avoidance test. However, in the classical fear conditioning paradigm, in certain lever-pressing paradigms and in the conditioned taste aversion males outperform females or are more resistant to extinction. Most sex differences in conditioning are dependent on organizational effects of gonadal hormones during early development of the brain, in addition to modulation by activational effects during puberty and adulthood. Critically, sex differences in performance account for some of the reported effects on learning and these are discussed throughout the review. Because so many mental disorders are more prevalent on one sex than the other, it is important to consider sex differences in learning when applying animal models of learning for these disorders. Finally, we discuss how sex differences in learning continue to alter the brain throughout the lifespan. Thus, sex differences in learning are not only mediated by sex differences in the brain, but also contribute to them. PMID:19272397

Sex differences in learning processes of classical and operant conditioning.

PubMed

Dalla, Christina; Shors, Tracey J

2009-05-25

Males and females learn and remember differently at different times in their lives. These differences occur in most species, from invertebrates to humans. We review here sex differences as they occur in laboratory rodent species. We focus on classical and operant conditioning paradigms, including classical eyeblink conditioning, fear-conditioning, active avoidance and conditioned taste aversion. Sex differences have been reported during acquisition, retention and extinction in most of these paradigms. In general, females perform better than males in the classical eyeblink conditioning, in fear-potentiated startle and in most operant conditioning tasks, such as the active avoidance test. However, in the classical fear-conditioning paradigm, in certain lever-pressing paradigms and in the conditioned taste aversion, males outperform females or are more resistant to extinction. Most sex differences in conditioning are dependent on organizational effects of gonadal hormones during early development of the brain, in addition to modulation by activational effects during puberty and adulthood. Critically, sex differences in performance account for some of the reported effects on learning and these are discussed throughout the review. Because so many mental disorders are more prevalent in one sex than the other, it is important to consider sex differences in learning when applying animal models of learning for these disorders. Finally, we discuss how sex differences in learning continue to alter the brain throughout the lifespan. Thus, sex differences in learning are not only mediated by sex differences in the brain, but also contribute to them.

An Association Mapping Framework To Account for Potential Sex Difference in Genetic Architectures.

PubMed

Kang, Eun Yong; Lee, Cue Hyunkyu; Furlotte, Nicholas A; Joo, Jong Wha J; Kostem, Emrah; Zaitlen, Noah; Eskin, Eleazar; Han, Buhm

2018-05-11

Over the past few years, genome-wide association studies have identified many trait-associated loci that have different effects on females and males, which increased attention to the genetic architecture differences between the sexes. The between-sex differences in genetic architectures can cause a variety of phenomena such as differences in the effect sizes at trait-associated loci, differences in the magnitudes of polygenic background effects, and differences in the phenotypic variances. However, current association testing approaches for dealing with sex, such as including sex as a covariate, cannot fully account for these phenomena and can be suboptimal in statistical power. We present a novel association mapping framework, MetaSex, that can comprehensively account for the genetic architecture differences between the sexes. Through simulations and applications to real data, we show that our framework has superior performance than previous approaches in association mapping. Copyright © 2018, Genetics.

Comment on "The effect of same-sex marriage laws on different-sex marriage: evidence from the Netherlands".

PubMed

Dinno, Alexis

2014-12-01

In the recent Demography article titled "The Effect of Same-Sex Marriage Laws on Different-Sex Marriage: Evidence From the Netherlands," Trandafir attempted to answer the question, Are rates of opposite sex marriage affected by legal recognition of same-sex marriages? The results of his approach to statistical inference-looking for evidence of a difference in rates of opposite-sex marriage-provide an absence of evidence of such effects. However, the validity of his conclusion of no causal relationship between same-sex marriage laws and rates of opposite-sex marriage is threatened by the fact that Trandafir did not also look for equivalence in rates of opposite-sex marriage in order to provide evidence of an absence of such an effect. Equivalence tests in combination with difference tests are introduced and presented in this article as a more valid inferential approach to the substantive question Trandafir attempted to answer.

Sibling configuration predicts individual and descendant socioeconomic success in a modern post-industrial society.

PubMed

Lawson, David W; Makoli, Arijeta; Goodman, Anna

2013-01-01

Growing up with many siblings, at least in the context of modern post-industrial low fertility, low mortality societies, is predictive of relatively poor performance on school tests in childhood, lower levels of educational attainment, and lower income throughout adulthood. Recent studies further indicate these relationships hold across generations, so that the descendants of those who grow up with many siblings are also at an apparent socioeconomic disadvantage. In this paper we add to this literature by considering whether such relationships interact with the sex and relative age of siblings. To do this we utilise a unique Swedish multigenerational birth cohort study that provides sibling configuration data on over 10,000 individuals born in 1915-1929, plus all their direct genetic descendants to the present day. Adjusting for parental and birth characteristics, we find that the 'socioeconomic cost' of growing up in a large family is independent of both the sex of siblings and the sex of the individual. However, growing up with several older as opposed to several younger siblings is predictive of relatively poor performance on school tests and a lower likelihood of progression to tertiary education. This later-born disadvantage also holds across generations, with the children of those with many older siblings achieving lower levels of educational attainment. Despite these differences, we find that while individual and descendant income is negatively related to the number of siblings, it is not influenced by the relative age of siblings. Thus, our findings imply that the educational disadvantage of later-born children, demonstrated here and in numerous other studies, does not necessarily translate into reduced earnings in adulthood. We discuss potential explanations for this pattern of results, and consider some important directions for future research into sibling configuration and wellbeing in modern societies.

Long term monitoring of jaguars in the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, Belize; Implications for camera trap studies of carnivores.

PubMed

Harmsen, Bart J; Foster, Rebecca J; Sanchez, Emma; Gutierrez-González, Carmina E; Silver, Scott C; Ostro, Linde E T; Kelly, Marcella J; Kay, Elma; Quigley, Howard

2017-01-01

In this study, we estimate life history parameters and abundance for a protected jaguar population using camera-trap data from a 14-year monitoring program (2002-2015) in Belize, Central America. We investigated the dynamics of this jaguar population using 3,075 detection events of 105 individual adult jaguars. Using robust design open population models, we estimated apparent survival and temporary emigration and investigated individual heterogeneity in detection rates across years. Survival probability was high and constant among the years for both sexes (φ = 0.78), and the maximum (conservative) age recorded was 14 years. Temporary emigration rate for the population was random, but constant through time at 0.20 per year. Detection probability varied between sexes, and among years and individuals. Heterogeneity in detection took the form of a dichotomy for males: those with consistently high detection rates, and those with low, sporadic detection rates, suggesting a relatively stable population of 'residents' consistently present and a fluctuating layer of 'transients'. Female detection was always low and sporadic. On average, twice as many males than females were detected per survey, and individual detection rates were significantly higher for males. We attribute sex-based differences in detection to biases resulting from social variation in trail-walking behaviour. The number of individual females detected increased when the survey period was extended from 3 months to a full year. Due to the low detection rates of females and the variable 'transient' male subpopulation, annual abundance estimates based on 3-month surveys had low precision. To estimate survival and monitor population changes in elusive, wide-ranging, low-density species, we recommend repeated surveys over multiple years; and suggest that continuous monitoring over multiple years yields even further insight into population dynamics of elusive predator populations.

Dispersal and survival of a polygynandrous passerine

USGS Publications Warehouse

Craig, Heather R.; Kendall, Steve J.; Wild, Teri C.; Powell, Abby N.

2015-01-01

Although sex biases in survival and dispersal are thought to be linked to avian mating systems, little is known about these demographic patterns in less common mating strategies such as polygynandry. We investigated breeding-site fidelity, natal philopatry, and apparent survival of the polygynandrous Smith's Longspur (Calcarius pictus) over a 7-yr period at 2 areas in Alaska's Brooks Range. We used capture–recapture histories of 243 color-banded adults and 431 juveniles to estimate annual survival and determined dispersal patterns from 34 adults that were found breeding within the study areas over multiple years. Most adults (88%) returned to nest in the same breeding neighborhood as in previous years; mean dispersal distance was 300.9 ± 74.2 m and did not differ between sexes. Juveniles exhibited low natal philopatry; only 4% of banded hatch-year birds were resighted as adults during subsequent years. Those that did return dispersed, on average, 1,674.4 ± 465.8 m from their natal nests (n = 6). Model-averaged survival estimates indicated that annual survival of adult females (50–58%) was only slightly lower than that of males (60–63%); juvenile survival was 41% but was paired with a low (13%) encounter probability. We attribute the lack of sex bias in adult dispersal to this species' polygynandrous mating strategy. Within this system, there are multiple mates within a breeding neighborhood. We argue that natural selection may favor females that remain on the same, familiar breeding site, because they do not have to disperse to a new area to find a suitable mate. Dispersal among breeding populations most likely occurs by juveniles returning as adults. Our findings support hypotheses that suggest a relationship between dispersal and mating strategy and provide some of the first insight into the demographic patterns of a polygynandrous passerine.

Sex of Sexual Partners and Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Among U.S. Girls and Women.

PubMed

Agénor, Madina; McCauley, Heather L; Peitzmeier, Sarah M; Haneuse, Sebastien; Gordon, Allegra R; Potter, Jennifer; Austin, S Bryn

2016-03-01

Girls and women are at risk of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and cervical cancer from male and female sexual partners throughout the life course. However, no study has assessed how sex of sexual partners, a dimension of sexual orientation, may relate to HPV vaccination among girls and women. In 2014, data from the 2006-2010 National Survey of Family Growth were used to conduct logistic regression analyses estimating the relationship between sex of lifetime and past-year sexual partners and HPV vaccine awareness and initiation among U.S. girls and women aged 15-25 years (N=3,253). Among U.S. girls and women aged 15-25 years, the prevalence of HPV vaccine awareness and HPV vaccine initiation was 84.4% and 28.5%, respectively. Adjusting for sociodemographic factors, participants with only female past-year sexual partners had significantly lower odds of initiating HPV vaccination relative to those with only male past-year sexual partners (OR=0.16, 95% CI=0.05, 0.55). Similarly, respondents with no lifetime (OR=0.65, 95% CI=0.46, 0.92) or past-year (OR=0.69, 95% CI=0.50, 0.94) sexual partners had significantly lower adjusted odds of HPV vaccine initiation compared with those with only male sexual partners. No difference was apparent in the odds of initiating HPV vaccination between participants with male and female sexual partners and those with only male sexual partners. Medical and public health professionals should ensure that girls and women with only female or no sexual partners are included in HPV vaccine education and promotion efforts. Copyright © 2016 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sex-Typed Activities: Cause or Effect?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carpenter, C. Jan; Huston-Stein, Aletha

Sex differences in activity selection or choice appear by age 12 or 18 months. These choices are one of the earliest indicators of sex differences in the behavior of young children. Differences in activity participation or toy choices are evident long before the emergence of sex differences in personality characteristics like passivity or…

Territoriality, site fidelity, and survivorship of willow flycatchers wintering in Costa Rica

USGS Publications Warehouse

Koronkiewicz, T.J.; Sogge, M.K.; van Riper, Charles; Paxton, E.H.

2006-01-01

We studied wintering Willow Flycatchers (Empidonax traillii) in two seasonal freshwater wetland habitats in northwestern Costa Rica during five boreal winters, to determine habitat occupancy, overwinter and between-year site and territory fidelity, and the degree to which the sexes maintain and defend winter territories. Both males and females used agonistic displays, song, and other vocalizations to maintain and defend mutually exclusive winter territories. Males were generally more abundant than females, but this varied by site and year. There was no significant difference in male and female territory size, nor any indication of sexual habitat segregation. Similarity in morphology and aggressiveness between the sexes may account for the lack of habitat segregation and the ability of females to maintain territories at wintering sites. Each year, 80%-92% of banded flycatchers that were present in midwinter remained at the site until late winter; of these, 86%-100% of individuals maintained the same territories throughout the entire period. We also observed nonterritorial floaters that subsequently established and held winter territories. Between-year site fidelity averaged 68%, and almost all returning birds established territories with boundaries similar to the previous year. Between-year apparent survivorship estimates ranged annually from 54%-72%, with no difference between sites but weak support for higher survivorship of males compared to females. Values for winter site and territory fidelity were generally higher than those reported for other species and for Willow Flycatchers on the breeding grounds; between-year survivorship estimates were similar to those reported for breeding flycatchers. ?? The Cooper Ornithological Society 2006.

Psychological complaints and characteristics in postwar children of Dutch World War II victims: those seeking treatment as compared with their siblings.

PubMed

Mook, J; Schreuder, B J; van der Ploeg, H M; Bramsen, I; van Tiel-Kadiks, G W; Feenstra, W

1997-01-01

The notion of a second-generation or 'children of survivors' syndrome was studied by obtaining information about the extent to which psychological complaints of postwar children seeking treatment could be compared to their non-treatment-seeking brothers and sisters of roughly the same age. 46 treatment-seeking subjects, postwar children of Dutch World War II victims, and 22 brothers and sisters, who had not applied for treatment, answered psychological questionnaires about symptoms, psychological traits, coping styles, life events and impact of events. Mean score differences are tested for significance with the t test (two-tailed). Statistically significant higher mean scores for several treatment-seeking client groups were consistently obtained on nearly all symptom subscales of the SCL-90, the traits of neuroticism, anxiety, depression, pessimism, and inward expression of negative emotions, as well as the coping style of depressive reaction and PTSD-related characteristics of intrusion and denial of experiences. These differences also remained when the data for the two sexes were separately analyzed or, alternatively, a sibling and sex match were included in the between-groups comparison. Our findings tend to corroborate those of others, expressing doubts as to the ubiquity of enduring pernicious effects of parental traumatic wartime experiences on their offspring. Some members of the second generation seem to be adversely affected, others apparently are not. This conclusion may even be extended to members within the same families, which would seriously call into question the generality of intrafamilial transmission routes. These routes act selectively upon members of the same family.

Hybrid sterility in crosses between two Brazilian sibling species of the Anopheles albitarsis complex.

PubMed

Fontoura, Nathalia Giglio; Araki, Alejandra Saori; Van Der Maas Azevedo, Renata; Galardo, Allan Kardec Ribeiro; Peixoto, Alexandre Afranio; Lima, José Bento Pereira

2014-12-04

Complexes of cryptic species are common in several taxa and this is also the case in the Anopheles genus, a group including all known human malaria vectors. The Anopheles albitarsis complex comprises at least nine cryptic species, some of which are implicated as vectors of human malaria. Several different types of data have been generated for this species complex such as cytogenetics, alloenzymes, morphological and feeding behavioral, hybridization experiments, RAPD-PCR and RFLP and mitochondrial and nuclear markers. Studies focused on its postzygotic isolation are still somewhat rare in the literature despite their importance to understand the speciation process and the level of gene flow potentially occurring among the different sibling species. Hybridization experiments between Anopheles albitarsis s.s. and Anopheles marajoara, as well as backcrosses between hybrids and Anopheles albitarsis s.s., were performed using the induced mating technique. Results were compared to intraspecific crosses. Larva-to-adult viability and sex ratio were also assessed. Male hybrids show very low insemination rates and nearly complete sterility, apparently due to abnormalities in their reproductive organs. Evidence of partial sterility among the hybrid females was also observed. Our data indicated that Anopheles albitarsis s.s. and Anopheles marajoara show a high level of postzygotic isolation with a strong hybrid male sterility. This result is consistent with the Haldane's rule which states that in interspecific crosses the heterogametic sex is the first to be affected. However, the fact that the females are not completely sterile raises the possibility of introgression between these two siblings species.

Age-specific survival estimates of King Eiders derived from satellite telemetry

USGS Publications Warehouse

Oppel, Steffen; Powell, Abby N.

2010-01-01

Age- and sex-specific survival and dispersal are important components in the dynamics and genetic structure of bird populations. For many avian taxa survival rates at the adult and juvenile life stages differ, but in long-lived species juveniles' survival is logistically challenging to study. We present the first estimates of hatch-year annual survival rates for a sea duck, the King Eider (Somateria spectabilis), estimated from satellite telemetry. From 2006 to 2008 we equipped pre-fiedging King Eiders with satellite transmitters on breeding grounds in Alaska and estimated annual survival rates during their first 2 years of life with known-fate models. We compared those estimates to survival rates of adults marked in the same area from 2002 to 2008. Hatch-year survival varied by season during the first year of life, and model-averaged annual survival rate was 0.67 (95% CI: 0.48–0.80). We did not record any mortality during the second year and were therefore unable to estimate second-year survival rate. Adults' survival rate was constant through the year (0.94, 95% CI: 0.86–0.97). No birds appeared to breed during their second summer. While 88% of females with an active transmitter (n = 9) returned to their natal area at the age of 2 years, none of the 2-year old males (n = 3) did. This pattern indicates that females' natal philopatry is high and suggests that males' higher rates of dispersal may account for sex-specific differences in apparent survival rates of juvenile sea ducks when estimated with mark—recapture methods.

Patterns of phenoloxidase activity in insecticide resistant and susceptible mosquitoes differ between laboratory-selected and wild-caught individuals.

PubMed

Cornet, Stéphane; Gandon, Sylvain; Rivero, Ana

2013-10-31

Insecticide resistance has the potential to alter vector immune competence and consequently affect the transmission of diseases. Using both laboratory isogenic strains and field-caught Culex pipiens mosquitoes, we investigated the effects of insecticide resistance on an important component of the mosquito immune system: the phenoloxidase (PO) activity. As infection risk varies dramatically with the age and sex of mosquitoes, allocation to PO immunity was quantified across different stages of the mosquito life cycle. Our results were consistent in showing that larvae have a higher PO activity than adults, females have a higher PO activity than males, and PO activity declines with adult age. We obtained, however, a marked discrepancy between laboratory and field-collected mosquitoes on the effect of insecticide resistance on PO activity. In the laboratory selected strains we found evidence of strong interactions between insecticide resistance and the age and sex of mosquitoes. In particular, 7 and 14 day old esterase-resistant adult females and acetylcholine-esterase resistant males had significantly higher PO activities than their susceptible counterparts. No such effects were, however, apparent in field-caught mosquitoes. Combined, the field and laboratory-based approaches employed in this study provide a powerful test of the effect of insecticide resistance on PO-mediated immunity. The use of laboratory-selected insecticide-resistant strains is still the most widely used method to investigate the pleiotropic effects of insecticide resistance. Our results suggest that the outcome of these laboratory-selected mosquitoes must be interpreted with caution and, whenever possible, compared with mosquitoes captured from the field.

Sex differences in the psychopharmacological treatment of depression.

PubMed

Sramek, John J; Murphy, Michael F; Cutler, Neal R

2016-12-01

Although a number of studies have observed that females respond better to serotonergic antidepressants than males and that postmenopausal females have a diminished response to antidepressants compared with younger females, there are also studies that conflict with both of these findings, making any generalizations regarding sex differences difficult to make. Sex variance in antidepressant efficacy and pharmacokinetics profiles have been attributed to sex-based physiological differences, behavioral differences, related disorders, and sex-specific conditions, including pregnancy and menopause. This paper will review the history and current research on sex effects of antidepressant treatment.

Sex differences and hormonal effects on gut microbiota composition in mice.

PubMed

Org, Elin; Mehrabian, Margarete; Parks, Brian W; Shipkova, Petia; Liu, Xiaoqin; Drake, Thomas A; Lusis, Aldons J

2016-07-03

We previously reported quantitation of gut microbiota in a panel of 89 different inbred strains of mice, and we now examine the question of sex differences in microbiota composition. When the total population of 689 mice was examined together, several taxa exhibited significant differences in abundance between sexes but a larger number of differences were observed at the single strain level, suggesting that sex differences can be obscured by host genetics and environmental factors. We also examined a subset of mice on chow and high fat diets and observed sex-by-diet interactions. We further investigated the sex differences using gonadectomized and hormone treated mice from 3 different inbred strains. Principal coordinate analysis with unweighted UniFrac distances revealed very clear effects of gonadectomy and hormone replacement on microbiota composition in all 3 strains. Moreover, bile acid analyses showed gender-specific differences as well as effects of gonodectomy, providing one possible mechanism mediating sex differences in microbiota composition.

Association of lay beliefs about causes of depression with social distance.

PubMed

Cleveland, H-R; Baumann, A; Zäske, H; Jänner, M; Icks, A; Gaebel, W

2013-11-01

The aim of this study was to examine the association of lay attributions about causes of depression with attitudes and prejudiced behaviour towards people with depression. Subjects (1631 German-speakers aged 18 and over, randomly selected) were interviewed in two German cities by telephone using a standardized questionnaire. The survey assessed knowledge about depression, stereotypical attitudes and social distance towards persons with depression. The results indicate that a majority of the respondents holds predominantly non-pejorative attitudes towards persons with depression. The majority estimated psychosocial causes as being most important for the genesis of depression. Stronger social distance was linked to an estimation of personal causes as relevant. Subgroup differences were apparent with respect to age, sex and reported contact to people with depression. Improvements in the education of the public about depression should be based on a multifactorial model. Future interventions should promote contact with people with depression and place special emphasis on conveying information in a suitable manner depending on the needs of different target groups. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Prejudices in Cultural Contexts: Shared Stereotypes (Gender, Age) Versus Variable Stereotypes (Race, Ethnicity, Religion).

PubMed

Fiske, Susan T

2017-09-01

Some prejudices share cross-cultural patterns, but others are more variable and culture specific. Those sharing cross-cultural patterns (sexism, ageism) each combine societal status differences and intimate interdependence. For example, in stereotypes of sex and age, lower status groups-women and elders-gain stereotypic warmth (from their cooperative interdependence) but lose stereotypic competence (from their lower status); men and middle-aged adults show the opposite trade-off, stereotypically more competent than warm. Meta-analyses support these widespread ambivalent (mixed) stereotypes for gender and age across cultures. Social class stereotypes often share some similarities (cold but competent rich vs. warm but incompetent poor). These compensatory warmth versus competence stereotypes may function to manage common human dilemmas of interacting across societal and personal positions. However, other stereotypes are more variable and culture specific (ethnicity, race, religion). Case studies of specific race/ethnicities and religions reveal much more cultural variation in their stereotype content, supporting their being responses to particular cultural contexts, apparent accidents of history. To change stereotypes requires understanding their commonalities and differences, their origins and patterns across cultures.

Sex preference in South Asia: Sri Lanka an outlier.

PubMed

Abeykoon, A T

1995-09-01

At a 1994 symposium on sex preference in Asia, represented countries were grouped as follows: a) rapid fertility decline, strong son preference, and abnormal sex ratio at birth (China, Taiwan, and the Republic of Korea); b) rapid fertility decline, no son preference, and normal sex ratio at birth (Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand); and c) slow fertility decline, strong son preference, and normal sex ratio at birth (Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan). This article reviews the factors responsible for strong son preference in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan and the reasons for the lack of son preference in Sri Lanka. Abnormal sex ratios are attributed to sex-selective abortions. Sex preference in South Asia results in excessive mortality of female children. Mention is made of a higher mortality risk of daughters in Indian households with more older female children. Bairagi is cited for his evidence that in Bangladesh daughters having older sisters have a higher mortality risk. In Pakistan survey results indicate that sons are preferred. Numerous authors are cited for evidence suggesting that fertility might be lower if son preference were reduced. Rajaretnam and Deshpande are cited for findings that contraceptive prevalence in south India would increase by about 12% in high-prevalence areas and about 25% in low-prevalence areas in the absence of sex preference. Bourne and Walker and Das Gupta are identified as authors providing evidence that increased economic opportunities for women, increased women's status, and increased value placed on women's work would reduce the desire for sons. Cain argues for better old-age security and better access to food and medical care. Abeykoon has shown that weakened son preference in Sri Lanka occurred over a 20-year period as improvements were made in women's status. Parents in Sri Lanka give greater value to the small-family norm than to the sex of the child. A slight preference was found in 1975 and 1992. Discrimination in food and medical care in Sri Lanka was apparent only prior to 1962. Sri Lankan women have experienced rapid expansion of literacy and educational attainment, improved life expectancy, and wide economic involvement. Women in Sri Lanka are also less vulnerable to oppression within the family.

[Gender: new methodological approaches in guideline development].

PubMed

Weinbrenner, Susanne; Lönnfors, Sanna; Babitsch, Birgit

2010-01-01

Gender and diversity have a strong impact on health and illness as evidenced by sex and gender differences in the onset and progression of diseases as well as in diagnosis, therapy, and therapeutic outcome. The number of sex/gender-specific studies in medicine has increased steadily in recent years, indicating sex (biological) and gender (social) differences in numerous diseases. Despite this evidence, however, sex/gender differences are rarely considered in medical practice or in health systems, suggesting a delay in transferring such research into evidence-based medical treatment. Similarly, quality improvement guidelines in medical care do not systematically integrate the sex/gender perspective. Against this backdrop, this paper seeks to enumerate the necessary components of a guideline development and evaluation process that systematically integrates sex/gender differences in addition to providing a sex/gender-based methodological approach. The latter is illustrated by a pilot study in which four international guidelines on depression were selected. The sex/gender appropriateness of these guidelines was analysed using two methods: first, sex/gender-relevant words were counted; and second, relevant sex/gender differences were summarised based on a systematic literature review and then compared with the information given in the guidelines. The findings of the pilot study revealed that although strong evidence exists on sex/gender differences in depression, such research was rarely implemented in the guidelines. Given the scope and potential of guidelines to improve the quality of health care, it is essential that they consider the crucial role of sex/gender differences. To date, sex/gender differences have been insufficiently addressed in guideline development and evaluation when they should be an integral component of the process. Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

Vasopressin and oxytocin receptor systems in the brain: sex differences and sex-specific regulation of social behavior

PubMed Central

Dumais, Kelly M.; Veenema, Alexa H.

2015-01-01

The neuropeptides vasopressin (VP) and oxytocin (OT) and their receptors in the brain are involved in the regulation of various social behaviors and have emerged as drug targets for the treatment of social dysfunction in several sex-biased neuropsychiatric disorders. Sex differences in the VP and OT systems may therefore be implicated in sex-specific regulation of healthy as well as impaired social behaviors. We begin this review by highlighting the sex differences, or lack of sex differences, in VP and OT synthesis in the brain. We then discuss the evidence showing the presence or absence of sex differences in VP and OT receptors in rodents and humans, as well as showing new data of sexually dimorphic V1a receptor binding in the rat brain. Importantly, we find that there is lack of comprehensive analysis of sex differences in these systems in common laboratory species, and we find that, when sex differences are present, they are highly brain region- and species- specific. Interestingly, VP system parameters (VP and V1aR) are typically higher in males, while sex differences in the OT system are not always in the same direction, often showing higher OT expression in females, but higher OT receptor expression in males. Furthermore, VP and OT receptor systems show distinct and largely non-overlapping expression in the rodent brain, which may cause these receptors to have either complementary or opposing functional roles in the sex-specific regulation of social behavior. Though still in need of further research, we close by discussing how manipulations of the VP and OT systems have given important insights into the involvement of these neuropeptide systems in the sex-specific regulation of social behavior in rodents and humans. PMID:25951955

Vasopressin and oxytocin receptor systems in the brain: Sex differences and sex-specific regulation of social behavior.

PubMed

Dumais, Kelly M; Veenema, Alexa H

2016-01-01

The neuropeptides vasopressin (VP) and oxytocin (OT) and their receptors in the brain are involved in the regulation of various social behaviors and have emerged as drug targets for the treatment of social dysfunction in several sex-biased neuropsychiatric disorders. Sex differences in the VP and OT systems may therefore be implicated in sex-specific regulation of healthy as well as impaired social behaviors. We begin this review by highlighting the sex differences, or lack of sex differences, in VP and OT synthesis in the brain. We then discuss the evidence showing the presence or absence of sex differences in VP and OT receptors in rodents and humans, as well as showing new data of sexually dimorphic V1a receptor binding in the rat brain. Importantly, we find that there is lack of comprehensive analysis of sex differences in these systems in common laboratory species, and we find that, when sex differences are present, they are highly brain region- and species-specific. Interestingly, VP system parameters (VP and V1aR) are typically higher in males, while sex differences in the OT system are not always in the same direction, often showing higher OT expression in females, but higher OT receptor expression in males. Furthermore, VP and OT receptor systems show distinct and largely non-overlapping expression in the rodent brain, which may cause these receptors to have either complementary or opposing functional roles in the sex-specific regulation of social behavior. Though still in need of further research, we close by discussing how manipulations of the VP and OT systems have given important insights into the involvement of these neuropeptide systems in the sex-specific regulation of social behavior in rodents and humans. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Moderate Effects of Same-Sex Legislation on Dependent Employer-Based Insurance Coverage Among Sexual Minorities.

PubMed

Tran, Linda Diem

2016-12-01

A difference-in-difference approach was used to compare the effects of same-sex domestic partnership, civil union, and marriage policies on same- and different-sex partners who could have benefitted from their partners' employer-based insurance (EBI) coverage. Same-sex partners had 78% lower odds (Marginal Effect = -21%) of having EBI compared with different-sex partners, adjusting for socioeconomic and health-related factors. Same-sex partners living in states that recognized same-sex marriage or domestic partnership had 89% greater odds of having EBI compared with those in states that did not recognize same-sex unions (ME = 5%). The impact of same-sex legislation on increasing take-up of dependent EBI coverage among lesbians, gay men, and bisexual individuals was modest, and domestic partnership legislation was equally as effective as same-sex marriage in increasing same-sex partner EBI coverage. Extending dependent EBI coverage to same-sex partners can mitigate gaps in coverage for a segment of the lesbians, gay men, and bisexual population but will not eliminate them. © The Author(s) 2016.

Sex Differences in Examination Performance: Do These Reflect Differences in Ability or Sex-Role Stereotypes?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Roger J. L.

1978-01-01

Sex differences in GCE 'O' level examination performance are reflected both in the number of boys and girls entering for different subjects and in the numbers obtaining the higher grades. From a review of possible factors, it seems that sex-role stereotyping is the most influential. (Author/SJL)

26 CFR 1.1031(e)-1 - Exchange of livestock of different sexes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 11 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Exchange of livestock of different sexes. 1.1031(e)-1 Section 1.1031(e)-1 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY... Exchange of livestock of different sexes. Section 1031(e) provides that livestock of different sexes are...

26 CFR 1.1031(e)-1 - Exchange of livestock of different sexes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 11 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Exchange of livestock of different sexes. 1.1031(e)-1 Section 1.1031(e)-1 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY... Exchange of livestock of different sexes. Section 1031(e) provides that livestock of different sexes are...

26 CFR 1.1031(e)-1 - Exchange of livestock of different sexes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 11 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Exchange of livestock of different sexes. 1.1031(e)-1 Section 1.1031(e)-1 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY... Exchange of livestock of different sexes. Section 1031(e) provides that livestock of different sexes are...

26 CFR 1.1031(e)-1 - Exchange of livestock of different sexes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 11 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Exchange of livestock of different sexes. 1.1031(e)-1 Section 1.1031(e)-1 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY... Exchange of livestock of different sexes. Section 1031(e) provides that livestock of different sexes are...

76 FR 78670 - Draft Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff; Evaluation of Sex Differences...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-19

...] Draft Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff; Evaluation of Sex Differences in... entitled ``Evaluation of Sex Differences in Medical Device Clinical Studies.'' This document provides guidance on the study and evaluation of sex differences in medical device clinical trials, with a specific...

Preschoolers' Mental Rotation: Sex Differences in Hemispheric Asymmetry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hahn, Nicola; Jansen, Petra; Heil, Martin

2010-01-01

Mental rotation performance has been found to produce one of the largest sex differences in cognition accompanied by sex differences in functional cerebral asymmetry. Although sex differences in mental rotation performance can be reliably demonstrated as early as age 5 years old, that is, long before puberty, no data exist as to whether…

The Genetics of Sex Differences in Brain and Behavior

PubMed Central

Ngun, Tuck C; Ghahramani, Negar; Sánchez, Francisco J.; Bocklandt, Sven; Vilain, Eric

2010-01-01

Biological differences between men and women contribute to many sex-specific illnesses and disorders. Historically, it was argued that such differences were largely, if not exclusively, due to gonadal hormone secretions. However, emerging research has shown that some differences are mediated by mechanisms other than the action of these hormone secretions and in particular by products of genes located on the X and Y chromosomes, which we refer to as direct genetic effects. This paper reviews the evidence for direct genetic effects in behavioral and brain sex differences. We highlight the `four core genotypes' model and sex differences in the midbrain dopaminergic system, specifically focusing on the role of Sry. We also discuss novel research being done on unique populations including people attracted to the same sex and people with a cross-gender identity. As science continues to advance our understanding of biological sex differences, a new field is emerging that is aimed at better addressing the needs of both sexes: gender-based biology and medicine. Ultimately, the study of the biological basis for sex differences will improve healthcare for both men and women. PMID:20951723

Genetic and infective diversity of the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica (Trematoda: Digenea) from Cuba.

PubMed

Vázquez, A A; Lounnas, M; Sánchez, J; Alba, A; Milesi, A; Hurtrez-Boussès, S

2016-11-01

In this study we present the first approach to exploration of the genetic diversity of Cuban Fasciola hepatica populations using microsatellite markers, coupled with observed prevalence in slaughterhouses. Nine populations of flukes recovered from cows and buffalos were studied in the central-western region of Cuba. The observed infection rates of definitive hosts (bovines) were 70-100% in most cases. An important amount of polymorphism was found in the four loci explored. However, no apparent genetic differences were found between populations from different provinces or bovine species. The absence of deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium suggests a high rate of cross-fertilization between F. hepatica individuals. This result was confirmed when all multilocus genotypes were tested for clonal reproduction and only four individuals differed statistically (P sex< 0.05). High values of expected heterozygosity coupled with highly probable mixing among strains make the metapopulation genetically diversified but similar in terms of certain alleles (low F ST values). These results suggest a close relationship between parasite diversity and cattle management in Cuba. Our findings should be taken into consideration by veterinary authorities to help mitigate fasciolosis transmission.

Transcript levels of ten caste-related genes in adult diploid males of Melipona quadrifasciata (Hymenoptera, Apidae) - A comparison with haploid males, queens and workers

PubMed Central

Borges, Andreia A.; Humann, Fernanda C.; Oliveira Campos, Lucio A.; Tavares, Mara G.; Hartfelder, Klaus

2011-01-01

In Hymenoptera, homozygosity at the sex locus results in the production of diploid males. In social species, these pose a double burden by having low fitness and drawing resources normally spent for increasing the work force of a colony. Yet, diploid males are of academic interest as they can elucidate effects of ploidy (normal males are haploid, whereas the female castes, the queens and workers, are diploid) on morphology and life history. Herein we investigated expression levels of ten caste-related genes in the stingless bee Melipona quadrifasciata, comparing newly emerged and 5-day-old diploid males with haploid males, queens and workers. In diploid males, transcript levels for dunce and paramyosin were increased during the first five days of adult life, while those for diacylglycerol kinase and the transcriptional co-repressor groucho diminished. Two general trends were apparent, (i) gene expression patterns in diploid males were overall more similar to haploid ones and workers than to queens, and (ii) in queens and workers, more genes were up-regulated after emergence until day five, whereas in diploid and especially so in haploid males more genes were down-regulated. This difference between the sexes may be related to longevity, which is much longer in females than in males. PMID:22215977

Targeted metabolomic profiling in rat tissues reveals sex differences.

PubMed

Ruoppolo, Margherita; Caterino, Marianna; Albano, Lucia; Pecce, Rita; Di Girolamo, Maria Grazia; Crisci, Daniela; Costanzo, Michele; Milella, Luigi; Franconi, Flavia; Campesi, Ilaria

2018-03-16

Sex differences affect several diseases and are organ-and parameter-specific. In humans and animals, sex differences also influence the metabolism and homeostasis of amino acids and fatty acids, which are linked to the onset of diseases. Thus, the use of targeted metabolite profiles in tissues represents a powerful approach to examine the intermediary metabolism and evidence for any sex differences. To clarify the sex-specific activities of liver, heart and kidney tissues, we used targeted metabolomics, linear discriminant analysis (LDA), principal component analysis (PCA), cluster analysis and linear correlation models to evaluate sex and organ-specific differences in amino acids, free carnitine and acylcarnitine levels in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Several intra-sex differences affect tissues, indicating that metabolite profiles in rat hearts, livers and kidneys are organ-dependent. Amino acids and carnitine levels in rat hearts, livers and kidneys are affected by sex: male and female hearts show the greatest sexual dimorphism, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Finally, multivariate analysis confirmed the influence of sex on the metabolomics profiling. Our data demonstrate that the metabolomics approach together with a multivariate approach can capture the dynamics of physiological and pathological states, which are essential for explaining the basis of the sex differences observed in physiological and pathological conditions.

Investigation of pre-pubertal sex differences in wheel running and social behavior in three mouse strains

PubMed Central

Gordon, Elizabeth A.; Corbitt, Cynthia

2015-01-01

Sex differences in social behaviors exist in mammals during adulthood, and further evidence suggests that sex differences in behavior are present before sexual maturity. In order to model behavioral disorders in animals, it is important to assess baseline sex-related behavioral differences, especially when studying disorders for which sex-related behavioral effects are expected. We investigated the effect of sex on behavior in 3 strains of pre-pubertal mice (C57BL/6, CFW, and CF1) using a wheel-running assay. We found no significant sex differences in latency to run on the wheel or total duration of wheel running within each strain. During the social interaction test, there were no differences between sexes in latency or total duration of contact or following between a subject and novel mouse. We also evaluated behavioral patterns of wheel running and stereotypical behaviors, such as burrowing and grooming. Both sexes showed characteristic wheel running behavior, spending the majority of each trial interacting with the wheel when it was free and more time performing other activities (e.g., stereotypical behaviors, general locomotion) when it was jammed. These results provide evidence that, among various strains of pre-pubertal mice, baseline sex-related behavioral differences are not strong enough to influence the measured behaviors. PMID:26316671

Investigation of pre-pubertal sex differences in wheel running and social behavior in three mouse strains.

PubMed

Gordon, Elizabeth A; Corbitt, Cynthia

2015-08-01

Sex differences in social behaviors exist in mammals during adulthood, and further evidence suggests that sex differences in behavior are present before sexual maturity. In order to model behavioral disorders in animals, it is important to assess baseline sex-related behavioral differences, especially when studying disorders for which sex-related behavioral effects are expected. We investigated the effect of sex on behavior in 3 strains of pre-pubertal mice (C57BL/6, CFW, and CF1) using a wheel-running assay. We found no significant sex differences in latency to run on the wheel or total duration of wheel running within each strain. During the social interaction test, there were no differences between sexes in latency or total duration of contact or following between a subject and novel mouse. We also evaluated behavioral patterns of wheel running and stereotypical behaviors, such as burrowing and grooming. Both sexes showed characteristic wheel running behavior, spending the majority of each trial interacting with the wheel when it was free and more time performing other activities ( e.g. , stereotypical behaviors, general locomotion) when it was jammed. These results provide evidence that, among various strains of pre-pubertal mice, baseline sex-related behavioral differences are not strong enough to influence the measured behaviors.

Sex differences in the brain-an interplay of sex steroid hormones and sex chromosomes.

PubMed

Grgurevic, Neza; Majdic, Gregor

2016-09-01

Although considerable progress has been made in our understanding of brain function, many questions remain unanswered. The ultimate goal of studying the brain is to understand the connection between brain structure and function and behavioural outcomes. Since sex differences in brain morphology were first observed, subsequent studies suggest different functional organization of the male and female brains in humans. Sex and gender have been identified as being a significant factor in understanding human physiology, health and disease, and the biological differences between the sexes is not limited to the gonads and secondary sexual characteristics, but also affects the structure and, more crucially, the function of the brain and other organs. Significant variability in brain structures between individuals, in addition to between the sexes, is factor that complicates the study of sex differences in the brain. In this review, we explore the current understanding of sex differences in the brain, mostly focusing on preclinical animal studies. © 2016 The Author(s). published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society.

Sex, hormones, and genotype interact to influence psychiatric disease, treatment, and behavioral research.

PubMed

Gobinath, Aarthi R; Choleris, Elena; Galea, Liisa A M

2017-01-02

Sex differences exist in the vulnerability, incidence, manifestation, and treatment of numerous neurological and psychiatric diseases. Despite this observation prominent in the literature, little consideration has been given to possible sex differences in outcome in both preclinical and clinical research. This Mini-Review highlights evidence supporting why studying sex differences matter for advances in brain health as well as improving treatment for neurological and psychiatric disease. Additionally, we discuss some statistical and methodological considerations in evaluating sex differences as well as how differences in the physiology of the sexes can contribute to sex difference in disease incidence and manifestation. Furthermore, we review literature demonstrating that the reproductive experience in the female can render the female brain differentially vulnerable to disease across age. Finally, we discuss how genes interact with sex to influence disease risk and treatment and argue that sex must be considered in precision medicine. Together the evidence reviewed here supports the inclusion of males and females at all levels of neuroscience research. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Women's Health and Lung Development and Disease.

PubMed

Kocurek, Emily G; Hemnes, Anna R

2016-06-01

Although the lung is not traditionally thought of as an organ affected by sex-based differences, emerging literature elucidates major differences between men and women in the development, physiology, and predilection to and outcomes in lung diseases. These differences are driven by both differences in sex hormones and differences in environmental exposures. However, in many cases the underlying etiology of these sex- and gender-based differences is unknown. This article outlines the state-of-the-art knowledge on the etiology of sex differences in lung disease, including differences in lung development and physiology, and reviews therapy recommendations that are sex based. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

In Search of the Loci for Sex Differences in Throwing: The Effects of Physical Size and Differential Recruitment Rates on High Levels of Dart Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duffy, Linda J.; Ericsson, K. Anders; Baluch, Bahman

2007-01-01

Contemporary accounts of sex differences in perceptual-motor performance differ in their emphasis on nature and nurture. Study 1 examined the effect of extensive training on one of the largest sex differences, namely accuracy in dart throwing, and found that physical differences in height and reach could not explain sex differences in…

Pharmacokinetic Characteristics of Tofacitinib in Adult Patients With Moderate to Severe Chronic Plaque Psoriasis.

PubMed

Ma, Guangli; Xie, Rujia; Strober, Bruce; Langley, Richard; Ito, Kaori; Krishnaswami, Sriram; Wolk, Robert; Valdez, Hernan; Rottinghaus, Scott; Tallman, Anna; Gupta, Pankaj

2018-06-01

Tofacitinib is an oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor. This study characterized the pharmacokinetics of tofacitinib in patients with psoriasis and evaluated the impact of patient factors on disposition. Pooled phase 2/3 data (2981 patients: 9735 concentrations, dose range: 2-15 mg twice daily) up to 56 weeks were used for modeling. A one-compartment model parameterized in terms of apparent oral clearance (CL/F), apparent volume of distribution, zero-order absorption (duration, D), with interindividual variability and inter-occasion variability terms, described tofacitinib pharmacokinetics. A full covariate model incorporated effects for age, sex, race, ethnicity, and baseline variables (body weight, Psoriasis Area Severity Index [PASI], C-reactive protein [CRP], creatinine clearance [CrCl]). The parameter estimates (95%CI) for CL/F, Vd/F, and D in a typical individual (white, male, 86 kg, 46 years, CrCl 121 mL/min, PASI 19.8, and CRP 0.267 mg/dL) were 26.7 (25.9, 27.5) L/h, 125 (120.8, 128.3) liters, and 0.69 (0.646, 0.735) hours, respectively. Only CrCl led to clinically relevant changes in exposure. The analysis suggested no dosing modifications for age, body weight, sex, race, ethnicity, baseline PASI, or CRP based on the magnitude of exposure change. Dosing adjustments for renal impairment were derived from a separate phase 1 study. © 2018, The American College of Clinical Pharmacology.

Conflict and reconciliation behavior trends of the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus).

PubMed

Holobinko, Anastasia; Waring, George H

2010-01-01

Wild bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) populations display societal structures characterized by numerous and frequent changes in group composition, complex social relationships, and high levels of cooperation, attributes also observed in human and nonhuman primate cultures. Maintaining social relationships under such elemental conditions can frequently create conflict--and the opportunity for reconciliation--among group members. The conflict and reconciliation behavior patterns of the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) have been studied extensively; trends are well-documented in the wild and in captivity. Apparent cultural similarities have prompted several analogous studies on wild and captive bottlenose dolphins. This research attempted to corroborate previous efforts by analyzing the social behavior of seven captive bottlenose dolphins to determine the effects of sex and age on the frequency of conflict and reconciliation, and to investigate the incidence of consolatory behavior within the group. A total of 3,428 interactions involving focal animals, 414 of which were conflict episodes, were documented during 261 hr of videotaped observations. Although the sample size precluded meaningful statistical evaluation of the influence of sex on conflict and reconciliation, participant age was a significant determinant of conflict frequency. Conversely, age did not impact frequency of reconciliation, which only occurred after 18% of all conflict interactions. Little to no definitive evidence of consolation was apparent within the study group. While results partially support the findings of previous dolphin reconciliation research, extensive behavioral studies of wild populations should be conducted before generating broad comparisons between human terms and nonhuman behavioral interactions. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

A Guide for the Design of Pre-clinical Studies on Sex Differences in Metabolism.

PubMed

Mauvais-Jarvis, Franck; Arnold, Arthur P; Reue, Karen

2017-06-06

In animal models, the physiological systems involved in metabolic homeostasis exhibit a sex difference. Investigators often use male rodents because they show metabolic disease better than females. Thus, females are not used precisely because of an acknowledged sex difference that represents an opportunity to understand novel factors reducing metabolic disease more in one sex than the other. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) mandate to consider sex as a biological variable in preclinical research places new demands on investigators and peer reviewers who often lack expertise in model systems and experimental paradigms used in the study of sex differences. This Perspective discusses experimental design and interpretation in studies addressing the mechanisms of sex differences in metabolic homeostasis and disease, using animal models and cells. We also highlight current limitations in research tools and attitudes that threaten to delay progress in studies of sex differences in basic animal research. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Why women see differently from the way men see? A review of sex differences in cognition and sports

PubMed Central

Li, Rena

2014-01-01

The differences of learning and memory between males and females have been well documented and confirmed by both human and animal studies. The sex differences in cognition started from early stage of neuronal development and last through entire life span. The major biological basis of the gender-dependent cognitive activity includes two major components: sex hormone and sex-related characteristics, such as sex-determining region of the Y chromosome (SRY) protein. However, the knowledge of how much biology of sex contributes to normal cognitive function and elite athletes in various sports are still pretty limited. In this review, we will be focusing on sex differences in spatial learning and memory – especially the role of male- and female-type cognitive behaviors in sports. PMID:25520851

Why women see differently from the way men see? A review of sex differences in cognition and sports.

PubMed

Li, Rena

2014-09-01

The differences of learning and memory between males and females have been well documented and confirmed by both human and animal studies. The sex differences in cognition started from early stage of neuronal development and last through entire life span. The major biological basis of the gender-dependent cognitive activity includes two major components: sex hormone and sex-related characteristics, such as sex-determining region of the Y chromosome (SRY) protein. However, the knowledge of how much biology of sex contributes to normal cognitive function and elite athletes in various sports are still pretty limited. In this review, we will be focusing on sex differences in spatial learning and memory - especially the role of male- and female-type cognitive behaviors in sports.

Normal values of reactive oxygen metabolites on the cord-blood of full-term infants with a colorimetric method.

PubMed

Parmigiani, S; Payer, C; Massari, A; Bussolati, G; Bevilacqua, G

2000-01-01

The main end-point of the study was to evaluate the normal values of reactive oxygen metabolites (ROMs) in healthy full-term babies. Secondary end-points were differences between groups related to modality of delivery, Apgar score, birth weight, gestational age and sex. All apparently healthy babies born at our institution between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday to Friday with gestational age 37-42 weeks, delivered both vaginally or by caesarean section and without foetal distress and perinatal asphyxia. ROMs were evaluated by a colorimetric method (d-ROM test) on cord-blood immediately after birth. The values are reported as arbitrary unit U. Carr. Statistical analysis was performed by t-test and by multiple and stepwise regression analysis. We have analyzed 80 babies with mean birth weight 3301 +/- 446 g. and mean gestational age 39.5 +/- 1.0 weeks. The male:female ratio was 1.56 and the median (range) Apgar score was 9 (7-10) at 1' and 10 (9-10) at 5'. The babies born by vaginal delivery were 37 out of 80 while the remaining 43 were delivered by cesarean section. Because the two groups did not differ for the clinical characteristics they were considered together for the determination of the mean value of ROMs and indicated as "total". The mean value +/- SD of ROMs of the "total" was 115.5 +/- 32.6 U. Carr. Significant differences in the mean value of ROMs were not found related to type of delivery, birth weight, gestational age, and Apgar score at 1' and 5'. Instead the female infants had a significantly lower mean value of ROMs than the male babies (respectively 104.4 +/- 32.2 vs 120.2 +/- 30.6 U. Carr.; p = 0.031). Multiple and stepwise regression analyses both demonstrated that the sex of the neonate is able to independently influence the value of ROMs (respectively p = 0.025 and p = 0.035). The main end-point of the study was to determine the standard reference values for this method in the healthy full-term infant at birth: the values of ROMs we found in the "total" population are lower than those of healthy adults (between 250-300 U. Carr.) and similar to those of adults treated with steroids or antioxidant drugs. The finding that the female sex is able to independently determine lower values of ROMs at birth compared to the male sex, lets speculate that the female infants are less prone to oxidative stress in the first moments of life.

Sex differences in sensation-seeking: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Cross, Catharine P; Cyrenne, De-Laine M; Brown, Gillian R

2013-01-01

Men score higher than women on measures of sensation-seeking, defined as a willingness to engage in novel or intense activities. This sex difference has been explained in terms of evolved psychological mechanisms or culturally transmitted social norms. We investigated whether sex differences in sensation-seeking have changed over recent years by conducting a meta-analysis of studies using Zuckerman's Sensation Seeking Scale, version V (SSS-V). We found that sex differences in total SSS-V scores have remained stable across years, as have sex differences in Disinhibition and Boredom Susceptibility. In contrast, the sex difference in Thrill and Adventure Seeking has declined, possibly due to changes in social norms or out-dated questions on this sub-scale. Our results support the view that men and women differ in their propensity to report sensation-seeking characteristics, while behavioural manifestations of sensation-seeking vary over time. Sex differences in sensation-seeking could reflect genetically influenced predispositions interacting with socially transmitted information.

Sex Differences in Examination Performance: Do These Reflect Differences in Ability or Sex-Role Stereotypes?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Roger J. L.

Many academic examinations exhibit sex differences in terms of entry figures and pass rates. This fact is illustrated by a selection of statistics from the British GCE "O" level examination results for June 1976. These results are discussed in terms of three possible causes: innate differences in intellectual functioning, sex role…

26 CFR 1.1031(e)-1 - Exchange of livestock of different sexes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 11 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Exchange of livestock of different sexes. 1.1031(e)-1 Section 1.1031(e)-1 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY... livestock of different sexes. Section 1031(e) provides that livestock of different sexes are not property of...

Sex Differences in the Relationship between Harsh Discipline and Conduct Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lysenko, Laura J.; Barker, Edward D.; Jaffee, Sara R.

2013-01-01

Research on sex differences in antisocial behaviour may shed light on the causes of childhood antisocial behaviour. Using a longitudinal design, we tested whether there were sex differences in the amount of harsh discipline children received or in the effect of harsh discipline and whether this accounted for sex differences in later conduct…

Age-specific survival of tundra swans on the lower Alaska Peninsula

USGS Publications Warehouse

Meixell, Brandt W.; Lindberg, Mark S.; Conn, Paul B.; Dau, Christian P.; Sarvis, John E.; Sowl, Kristine M.

2013-01-01

The population of Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus columbianus) breeding on the lower Alaska Peninsula represents the southern extremity of the species' range and is uniquely nonmigratory. We used data on recaptures, resightings, and recoveries of neck-collared Tundra Swans on the lower Alaska Peninsula to estimate collar loss, annual apparent survival, and other demographic parameters for the years 1978–1989. Annual collar loss was greater for adult males fitted with either the thinner collar type (0.34) or the thicker collar type (0.15) than for other age/sex classes (thinner: 0.10, thicker: 0.04). The apparent mean probability of survival of adults (0.61) was higher than that of immatures (0.41) and for both age classes varied considerably by year (adult range: 0.44–0.95, immature range: 0.25–0.90). To assess effects of permanent emigration by age and breeding class, we analyzed post hoc the encounter histories of swans known to breed in our study area. The apparent mean survival of known breeders (0.65) was generally higher than that of the entire marked sample but still varied considerably by year (range 0.26–1.00) and indicated that permanent emigration of breeding swans was likely. We suggest that reductions in apparent survival probability were influenced primarily by high and variable rates of permanent emigration and that immigration by swans from elsewhere may be important in sustaining a breeding population at and near Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.

Suicide in children over two decades: 1993-2008.

PubMed

Malone, K M; Quinlivani, L; McGuinness, S; McNicholas, F; Kelleher, C

2012-01-01

Suicide rates have increased in Ireland's youth over the past two decades. However, no research report has focussed on suicide rates in those aged under 18--the children of Ireland. We retrieved national disaggregated age and sex-specific suicide mortality data from 1993-1998 and compared it with similar suicide mortality data from 2003-2008. Significant age (older vs younger) and sex effects (boys greater risk than girls) are apparent in both decades Suicide rates in both males and females have increased (males: 9.3-13.5/100,000), (females: 2.4-5.1/100,000. Suicide rates in under 15 year olds boys and girls is extremely rare for both time periods studied (1.6/100,000). Results are discussed in light of the rights of children and the obligation of the nation in this regard, as well as more child-specific and transition to adulthood-specific suicide prevention policy implications.

Sex differences in motor and cognitive abilities predicted from human evolutionary history with some implications for models of the visual system.

PubMed

Sanders, Geoff

2013-01-01

This article expands the knowledge base available to sex researchers by reviewing recent evidence for sex differences in coincidence-anticipation timing (CAT), motor control with the hand and arm, and visual processing of stimuli in near and far space. In CAT, the differences are between sex and, therefore, typical of other widely reported sex differences. Men perform CAT tasks with greater accuracy and precision than women, who tend to underestimate time to arrival. Null findings arise because significant sex differences are found with easy but not with difficult tasks. The differences in motor control and visual processing are within sex, and they underlie reciprocal patterns of performance in women and men. Motor control is exerted better by women with the hand than the arm. In contrast, men showed the reverse pattern. Visual processing is performed better by women with stimuli within hand reach (near space) as opposed to beyond hand reach (far space); men showed the reverse pattern. The sex differences seen in each of these three abilities are consistent with the evolutionary selection of men for hunting-related skills and women for gathering-related skills. The implications of the sex differences in visual processing for two visual system models of human vision are discussed.

The importance of studying sex differences in disease: The example of multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Golden, Lisa C; Voskuhl, Rhonda

2017-01-02

To date, scientific research has often focused on one sex, with assumptions that study of the other sex would yield similar results. However, many diseases affect males and females differently. The sex of a patient can affect the risk for both disease susceptibility and progression. Such differences can be brought to the laboratory bench to be investigated, potentially bringing new treatments back to the clinic. This method of research, known as a "bedside to bench to bedside" approach, has been applied to studying sex differences in multiple sclerosis (MS). Females have greater susceptibly to MS, while males have worse disease progression. These two characteristics of the disease are influenced by the immune system and the nervous system, respectively. Thus, sex differences in each system must be studied. Personalized medicine has been at the forefront of research recently, and studying sex differences in disease fits with this initiative. This review will discuss the known sex differences in MS and highlight how investigating them can lead to new insights and potential treatments for both men and women. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Sex Differences in Psychiatric Disease: A Focus on the Glutamate System

PubMed Central

Wickens, Megan M.; Bangasser, Debra A.; Briand, Lisa A.

2018-01-01

Alterations in glutamate, the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain, are implicated in several psychiatric diseases. Many of these psychiatric diseases display epidemiological sex differences, with either males or females exhibiting different symptoms or disease prevalence. However, little work has considered the interaction of disrupted glutamatergic transmission and sex on disease states. This review describes the clinical and preclinical evidence for these sex differences with a focus on two conditions that are more prevalent in women: Alzheimer's disease and major depressive disorder, and three conditions that are more prevalent in men: schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. These studies reveal sex differences at multiple levels in the glutamate system including metabolic markers, receptor levels, genetic interactions, and therapeutic responses to glutamatergic drugs. Our survey of the current literature revealed a considerable need for more evaluations of sex differences in future studies examining the role of the glutamate system in psychiatric disease. Gaining a more thorough understanding of how sex differences in the glutamate system contribute to psychiatric disease could provide novel avenues for the development of sex-specific pharmacotherapies.

Socioeconomic conditions across life related to multiple measures of the endocrine system in older adults: Longitudinal findings from a British birth cohort study.

PubMed

Bann, David; Hardy, Rebecca; Cooper, Rachel; Lashen, Hany; Keevil, Brian; Wu, Frederick C W; Holly, Jeff M P; Ong, Ken K; Ben-Shlomo, Yoav; Kuh, Diana

2015-12-01

Little is known about how socioeconomic position (SEP) across life impacts on different axes of the endocrine system which are thought to underlie the ageing process and its adverse consequences. We examined how indicators of SEP across life related to multiple markers of the endocrine system in late midlife, and hypothesized that lower SEP across life would be associated with an adverse hormone profile across multiple axes. Data were from a British cohort study of 875 men and 905 women followed since their birth in March 1946 with circulating free testosterone and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) measured at both 53 and 60-64 years, and evening cortisol at 60-64 years. Indicators of SEP were ascertained prospectively across life-paternal occupational class at 4, highest educational attainment at 26, household occupational class at 53, and household income at 60-64 years. Associations between SEP and hormones were investigated using multiple regression and logistic regression models. Lower SEP was associated with lower free testosterone among men, higher free testosterone among women, and lower IGF-I and higher evening cortisol in both sexes. For example, the mean standardised difference in IGF-I comparing the lowest with the highest educational attainment at 26 years (slope index of inequality) was -0.4 in men (95% CI -0.7 to -0.2) and -0.4 in women (-0.6 to -0.2). Associations with each hormone differed by SEP indicator used and sex, and were particularly pronounced when using a composite adverse hormone score. For example, the odds of having 1 additional adverse hormone concentration in the lowest compared with highest education level were 3.7 (95% CI: 2.1, 6.3) among men, and 1.6 (1.0, 2.7) among women (P (sex interaction) = 0.02). We found no evidence that SEP was related to apparent age-related declines in free testosterone or IGF-I. Lower SEP was associated with an adverse hormone profile across multiple endocrine axes. SEP differences in endocrine function may partly underlie inequalities in health and function in later life, and may reflect variations in biological rates of ageing. Further studies are required to assess the likely functional relevance of these associations. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Sex differences in stress-related psychiatric disorders: neurobiological perspectives.

PubMed

Bangasser, Debra A; Valentino, Rita J

2014-08-01

Stress is associated with the onset and severity of several psychiatric disorders that occur more frequently in women than men, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Patients with these disorders present with dysregulation of several stress response systems, including the neuroendocrine response to stress, corticolimbic responses to negatively valenced stimuli, and hyperarousal. Thus, sex differences within their underlying circuitry may explain sex biases in disease prevalence. This review describes clinical studies that identify sex differences within the activity of these circuits, as well as preclinical studies that demonstrate cellular and molecular sex differences in stress responses systems. These studies reveal sex differences from the molecular to the systems level that increase endocrine, emotional, and arousal responses to stress in females. Exploring these sex differences is critical because this research can reveal the neurobiological underpinnings of vulnerability to stress-related psychiatric disorders and guide the development of novel pharmacotherapies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sex Differences in Stress-Related Psychiatric Disorders: Neurobiological Perspectives

PubMed Central

Bangasser, Debra A.; Valentino, Rita J.

2014-01-01

Stress is associated with the onset and severity of several psychiatric disorders that occur more frequently in women than men, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Patients with these disorders present with dysregulation of several stress response systems, including the neuroendocrine response to stress, corticolimbic responses to negatively valenced stimuli, and hyperarousal. Thus, sex differences within their underlying circuitry may explain sex biases in disease prevalence. This review describes clinical studies that identify sex differences within the activity of these circuits, as well as preclinical studies that demonstrate cellular and molecular sex differences in stress responses systems. These studies reveal sex differences from the molecular to the systems level that increase endocrine, emotional, and arousal responses to stress in females. Exploring these sex differences is critical because this research can reveal the neurobiological underpinnings of vulnerability to stress-related psychiatric disorders and guide the development of novel pharmacotherapies. PMID:24726661

Sex differences and sex hormones in anxiety-like behavior of aging rats.

PubMed

Domonkos, Emese; Borbélyová, Veronika; Csongová, Melinda; Bosý, Martin; Kačmárová, Mária; Ostatníková, Daniela; Hodosy, Július; Celec, Peter

2017-07-01

Sex differences in the prevalence of affective disorders might be attributable to different sex hormone milieu. The effects of short-term sex hormone deficiency on behavior, especially on anxiety have been studied in numerous animal experiments, mainly on young adult rats and mice. However, sex differences in aged animals and the effects of long-term hypogonadism are understudied. The aim of our study was to analyze sex differences in anxiety-like behavior in aged rats and to prove whether they can be attributed to endogenous sex hormone production in males. A battery of tests was performed to assess anxiety-like behavior in aged female, male and gonadectomized male rats castrated before puberty. In addition, the aged gonadectomized male rats were treated with a single injection of estradiol or testosterone or supplemented with estradiol for two-weeks. Female rats displayed a less anxious behavior than male rats in most of the conducted behavioral tests except the light-dark box. Long-term androgen deficiency decreased the sex difference in anxiety either partially (open field, PhenoTyper cage) or completely (elevated plus maze). Neither single injection of sex hormones, nor two-week supplementation of estradiol in gonadectomized aged male rats significantly affected their anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze. In conclusion, our results confirm sex differences in anxiety in aged rats likely mediated by endogenous testosterone production in males. Whether long-term supplementation with exogenous sex hormones could affect anxiety-like behavior in elderly individuals remains to be elucidated. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Autism and vitamin D.

PubMed

Cannell, John Jacob

2008-01-01

Any theory of autism's etiology must take into account its strong genetic basis while explaining its striking epidemiology. The apparent increase in the prevalence of autism over the last 20 years corresponds with increasing medical advice to avoid the sun, advice that has probably lowered vitamin D levels and would theoretically greatly lower activated vitamin D (calcitriol) levels in developing brains. Animal data has repeatedly shown that severe vitamin D deficiency during gestation dysregulates dozens of proteins involved in brain development and leads to rat pups with increased brain size and enlarged ventricles, abnormalities similar to those found in autistic children. Children with the Williams Syndrome, who can have greatly elevated calcitriol levels in early infancy, usually have phenotypes that are the opposite of autism. Children with vitamin D deficient rickets have several autistic markers that apparently disappear with high-dose vitamin D treatment. Estrogen and testosterone have very different effects on calcitriol's metabolism, differences that may explain the striking male/female sex ratios in autism. Calcitriol down-regulates production of inflammatory cytokines in the brain, cytokines that have been associated with autism. Consumption of vitamin D containing fish during pregnancy reduces autistic symptoms in offspring. Autism is more common in areas of impaired UVB penetration such as poleward latitudes, urban areas, areas with high air pollution, and areas of high precipitation. Autism is more common in dark-skinned persons and severe maternal vitamin D deficiency is exceptionally common the dark-skinned. simple Gaussian distributions of the enzyme that activates neural calcitriol combined with widespread gestational and/or early childhood vitamin D deficiency may explain both the genetics and epidemiology of autism. If so, much of the disease is iatrogenic, brought on by medical advice to avoid the sun. Several types of studies could easily test the theory.

High prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis A and E viruses and viremia of hepatitis B, C, and D viruses among apparently healthy populations in Mongolia.

PubMed

Takahashi, Masaharu; Nishizawa, Tsutomu; Gotanda, Yuhko; Tsuda, Fumio; Komatsu, Fumio; Kawabata, Terue; Hasegawa, Kyoko; Altankhuu, Murdorjyn; Chimedregzen, Ulziiburen; Narantuya, Luvsanbasaryn; Hoshino, Hiromi; Hino, Kunihiko; Kagawa, Yasuo; Okamoto, Hiroaki

2004-03-01

The prevalence of infection with hepatitis A virus (HAV), HBV, HCV, HDV, and HEV was evaluated in 249 apparently healthy individuals, including 122 inhabitants in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia, and 127 age- and sex-matched members of nomadic tribes who lived around the capital city. Overall, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was detected in 24 subjects (10%), of whom 22 (92%) had detectable HBV DNA. Surprisingly, HDV RNA was detectable in 20 (83%) of the 24 HBsAg-positive subjects. HCV-associated antibodies were detected in 41 (16%) and HCV RNA was detected in 36 (14%) subjects, none of whom was coinfected with HBV, indicating that HBV/HCV carriers account for one-fourth of this population. Antibodies to HAV and HEV were detected in 249 (100%) and 28 (11%) subjects, respectively. Of 22 HBV DNA-positive subjects, genotype D was detected in 21 subjects and genotype F was detected in 1 subject. All 20 HDV isolates recovered from HDV RNA-positive subjects segregated into genotype I, but these differed by 2.1 to 11.4% from each other in the 522- to 526-nucleotide sequence. Of 36 HCV RNA-positive samples, 35 (97%) were genotype 1b and 1 was genotype 2a. Reflecting an extremely high prevalence of hepatitis virus infections, there were no appreciable differences in the prevalence of hepatitis virus markers between the two studied populations with distinct living place and lifestyle. A nationwide epidemiological survey of hepatitis viruses should be conducted in an effort to prevent de novo infection with hepatitis viruses in Mongolia.

The contributions of unhealthy lifestyle factors to apparent resistant hypertension: findings from the Reasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study.

PubMed

Shimbo, Daichi; Levitan, Emily B; Booth, John N; Calhoun, David A; Judd, Suzanne E; Lackland, Daniel T; Safford, Monika M; Oparil, Suzanne; Muntner, Paul

2013-02-01

Unhealthy lifestyle factors may contribute to apparent treatment resistant hypertension (aTRH). We examined associations of unhealthy lifestyle factors with aTRH in individuals taking antihypertensive medications from three or more classes. Participants (n = 2602) taking three or more antihypertensive medication classes were identified from the population-based REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study. aTRH was defined as having SBP/DBP at least 140/90 mmHg despite the use of three or more antihypertensive medication classes or the use of four or more classes to achieve blood pressure control. Lifestyle factors included obesity, physical inactivity, current smoking, heavy alcohol consumption, a low Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet score and high sodium-to-potassium (Na/K) intake. Among participants taking three or more antihypertensive medication classes, 1293 (49.7%) participants had aTRH. The prevalence of unhealthy lifestyle factors in participants with and without aTRH was 55.2 and 51.7%, respectively, for obesity, 42.2 and 40.5% for physical inactivity, 11.3 and 11.5% for current smoking, 3.1 and 4.0% for heavy alcohol consumption, 23.1 and 21.5% for low-DASH diet score, and 25.4 and 24.4% for high Na/K intake. After adjustment for age, sex, race, and geographic region of residence, none of the unhealthy lifestyle factors were associated with aTRH. The associations between each unhealthy lifestyle factor and aTRH remained nonsignificant after additional adjustment for education, income, depressive symptoms, total calorie intake, and comorbidities. Unhealthy lifestyle factors did not have independent associations with aTRH among individuals taking three or more antihypertensive medication classes.

The Contributions of Unhealthy Lifestyle Factors to Apparent Resistant Hypertension: Findings from the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study

PubMed Central

Shimbo, Daichi; Levitan, Emily B.; Booth, John N.; Calhoun, David A.; Judd, Suzanne E.; Lackland, Daniel T.; Safford, Monika M.; Oparil, Suzanne; Muntner, Paul

2013-01-01

Objectives Unhealthy lifestyle factors may contribute to apparent treatment resistant hypertension (aTRH). We examined associations of unhealthy lifestyle factors with aTRH in individuals taking antihypertensive medications from three or more classes. Methods Participants (n=2,602) taking three or more antihypertensive medication classes were identified from the population-based REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study. aTRH was defined as having systolic/diastolic blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg despite the use of three or more antihypertensive medication classes or the use of four or more classes to achieve blood pressure control. Lifestyle factors included obesity, physical inactivity, current smoking, heavy alcohol consumption, a low DASH diet score and high sodium-to-potassium (Na/K) intake. Results Among participants taking three or more antihypertensive medication classes, 1,293 (49.7%) participants had aTRH. The prevalence of unhealthy lifestyle factors in participants with and without aTRH was 55.2% and 51.7% respectively for obesity, 42.2% and 40.5% for physical inactivity, 11.3% and 11.5% for current smoking, 3.1% and 4.0% for heavy alcohol consumption, 23.1% and 21.5% for low DASH diet score, and 25.4% and 24.4% for high Na/K intake. After adjustment for age, sex, race, and geographic region of residence, none of the unhealthy lifestyle factors was associated with aTRH. The associations between each unhealthy lifestyle factor and aTRH remained non-significant after additional adjustment for education, income, depressive symptoms, total calorie intake, and co-morbidities. Conclusions Unhealthy lifestyle factors did not have independent associations with aTRH among individuals taking three or more antihypertensive medication classes. PMID:23303356

Distributed effects of biological sex define sex-typical motor behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans.

PubMed

Mowrey, William R; Bennett, Jessica R; Portman, Douglas S

2014-01-29

Sex differences in shared behaviors (for example, locomotion and feeding) are a nearly universal feature of animal biology. Though these behaviors may share underlying neural programs, their kinematics can exhibit robust differences between males and females. The neural underpinnings of these differences are poorly understood because of the often-untested assumption that they are determined by sex-specific body morphology. Here, we address this issue in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, which features two sexes with distinct body morphologies but similar locomotor circuitry and body muscle. Quantitative behavioral analysis shows that C. elegans and related nematodes exhibit significant sex differences in the dynamics and geometry of locomotor body waves, such that the male is generally faster. Using a recently proposed model of locomotor wave propagation, we show that sex differences in both body mechanics and the intrinsic dynamics of the motor system can contribute to kinematic differences in distinct mechanical contexts. By genetically sex-reversing the properties of specific tissues and cells, however, we find that sex-specific locomotor frequency in C. elegans is determined primarily by the functional modification of shared sensory neurons. Further, we find that sexual modification of body wall muscle together with the nervous system is required to alter body wave speed. Thus, rather than relying on a single focus of modification, sex differences in motor dynamics require independent modifications to multiple tissue types. Our results suggest shared motor behaviors may be sex-specifically optimized though distributed modifications to several aspects of morphology and physiology.

Distributed Effects of Biological Sex Define Sex-Typical Motor Behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans

PubMed Central

Mowrey, William R.; Bennett, Jessica R.

2014-01-01

Sex differences in shared behaviors (for example, locomotion and feeding) are a nearly universal feature of animal biology. Though these behaviors may share underlying neural programs, their kinematics can exhibit robust differences between males and females. The neural underpinnings of these differences are poorly understood because of the often-untested assumption that they are determined by sex-specific body morphology. Here, we address this issue in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, which features two sexes with distinct body morphologies but similar locomotor circuitry and body muscle. Quantitative behavioral analysis shows that C. elegans and related nematodes exhibit significant sex differences in the dynamics and geometry of locomotor body waves, such that the male is generally faster. Using a recently proposed model of locomotor wave propagation, we show that sex differences in both body mechanics and the intrinsic dynamics of the motor system can contribute to kinematic differences in distinct mechanical contexts. By genetically sex-reversing the properties of specific tissues and cells, however, we find that sex-specific locomotor frequency in C. elegans is determined primarily by the functional modification of shared sensory neurons. Further, we find that sexual modification of body wall muscle together with the nervous system is required to alter body wave speed. Thus, rather than relying on a single focus of modification, sex differences in motor dynamics require independent modifications to multiple tissue types. Our results suggest shared motor behaviors may be sex-specifically optimized though distributed modifications to several aspects of morphology and physiology. PMID:24478342

Sex- and Gender-Differences in Emotion: A Preliminary Examination.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Emmers, Tara M.

This paper offers a preliminary examination of literature reviewing sex and gender differences in the five prototypic emotions of fear, anger, sadness, joy, and love. The paper notes that within the literature on sex and gender differences, the terms "sex" and "gender" are often erroneously referred to interchangeably…

Sex difference in blood pressure among South Asian diaspora in Europe and North America and the role of BMI: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

de Munter, J S L; Agyemang, C; van Valkengoed, I G; Bhopal, R; Stronks, K

2011-07-01

It is unclear whether the sex difference that is known to occur in blood pressure (BP) is similar in some South Asian populations. This study presents a meta-analysis of the sex difference in BP, hypertension and the role of body mass index (BMI) in South Asian diaspora compared with populations of European descent. We systematically searched for studies that reported BP and hypertension among South Asian descent populations living in Europe and North America. Weighted mean differences in BP and risk ratios (RR) for hypertension were calculated for men and women. We included 11 studies in this meta-analysis. In general, men had a higher BP and prevalence of hypertension than women, for example, systolic BP was higher in men than in women among the Indian (7.21 mm Hg, 95% confidence interval (CI): 4.46-9.95) and European populations (6.12 mm Hg, 95% CI: 4.45-7.80). The difference was less in the Pakistani population (4.00 mm Hg, 95% CI: 2.65-5.36). The Bangladeshi population showed a comparatively small sex difference in systolic (2.93 mm Hg, 95% CI: 1.20-4.66) and diastolic BP (0.68 mm Hg, 95% CI: -1.76 to 3.12) and prevalence of hypertension (RR 1.28, 95% CI: 0.66-2.46). Sex differences in BMI for the South Asian populations were greater than those in Europeans. The Indian population had similar sex differences in BP and hypertension compared with Europeans, but Pakistani and Bangladeshi had smaller sex differences. Sex differences in BMI might relate to the blunted sex differences in BP in Pakistani and Bangladeshi populations. Further research should focus on factors that underlie this intriguing sex difference among South Asian populations.

[Pain medicine from intercultural and gender-related perspectives].

PubMed

Schiltenwolf, M; Pogatzki-Zahn, E M

2015-10-01

Cultural setting and sex and gender of the patient are important factors affecting the occurrence, severity, clinical course and prognosis of pain and pain-related diseases. Intercultural differences in the perception and verbal expression of symptoms and emotional function are fundamental and it is important to realize these differences in order to understand patients with a migration background. A trusting doctor-patient relationship is generally very sensitive and it is even more difficult to establish when differences in the cultural background impair mutual understanding. Regarding sex and gender there is evidence that females are more susceptible to developing chronic pain conditions, experience more severe pain and respond differently to pain therapy; however, results of recent studies indicate that females are not that different to males when comparing several modalities of experimental pain (although some differences exist). Similarly, sex and gender differences in postoperative pain seem to exist but the differences are relatively small when pain scores are compared. Other aspects, such as the response to analgesics and role of psychosocial factors should be addressed when sex and gender aspects are studied. Similarly, sex and gender differences in the prevalence of chronic pain exist but the results of some studies, e.g. those controlling for confounders, are not very clear. Research is needed to delineate the role of specific aspects affecting sex and gender differences and the underlying mechanisms (e.g. reduced inhibitory control, hormones, psychological aspects and social factors). Altogether, we need to open our minds to some intercultural and sex and gender aspects in the clinical setting. For sex and gender differences we may need a more biopsychosocial approach to understand the underlying differences and differentiate between sex and gender and sex and gender-associated aspects for acute and chronic pain.

Childhood Adversity, Daily Stress, and Marital Strain in Same-Sex and Different-Sex Marriages

PubMed Central

Donnelly, Rachel; Umberson, Debra; Kroeger, Rhiannon A.

2017-01-01

Childhood adversity has enduring consequences for individuals throughout life, including increased reactivity to stress that may contribute to marital strain in adulthood. Past research on gendered experiences of heterosexual spouses raises questions about how the influence of childhood adversity might differ for men and women in same-sex marriages. We analyze dyadic diary data from 756 individuals in 106 male same-sex, 157 female same-sex, and 115 different-sex marriages to consider how childhood adversity moderates the association between daily stress and marital strain. Results suggest that the negative consequences of daily stress for marital strain are amplified by past childhood adversity with variation for men and women in same- and different-sex unions, such that women and those in same-sex marriages may experience some protection from the adverse consequences of childhood adversity.

Sex differences in the neural substrates of spatial working memory during adolescence are not mediated by endogenous testosterone

PubMed Central

Alarcón, Gabriela; Cservenka, Anita; Fair, Damien A.; Nagel, Bonnie J.

2014-01-01

Adolescence is a developmental period characterized by notable changes in behavior, physical attributes, and an increase in endogenous sex steroid hormones, which may impact cognitive functioning. Moreover, sex differences in brain structure are present, leading to differences in neural function and cognition. Here, we examine sex differences in performance and blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) activation in a sample of adolescents during a spatial working memory (SWM) task. We also examine whether endogenous testosterone levels mediate differential brain activity between the sexes. Adolescents between ages 10 and 16 completed a SWM functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) task, and serum hormone levels were assessed within seven days of scanning. While there were no sex differences in task performance (accuracy and reaction time), differences in BOLD response between girls and boys emerged, with girls deactivating brain regions in the default mode network and boys showing increased response in SWM-related brain regions of the frontal cortex. These results suggest that adolescent boys and girls adopted distinct neural strategies, while maintaining spatial cognitive strategies that facilitated comparable cognitive performance of a SWM task. A nonparametric bootstrapping procedure revealed that testosterone did not mediate sex-specific brain activity, suggesting that sex differences in BOLD activation during SWM may be better explained by other factors, such as early organizational effects of sex steroids or environmental influences. Elucidating sex differences in neural function and the influence of gonadal hormones can serve as a basis of comparison for understanding sexually dimorphic neurodevelopment and inform sex-specific psychopathology that emerges in adolescence. PMID:25312831

Behavioural and cognitive sex/gender differences in autism spectrum condition and typically developing males and females.

PubMed

Hull, Laura; Mandy, William; Petrides, K V

2017-08-01

Studies assessing sex/gender differences in autism spectrum conditions often fail to include typically developing control groups. It is, therefore, unclear whether observed sex/gender differences reflect those found in the general population or are particular to autism spectrum conditions. A systematic search identified articles comparing behavioural and cognitive characteristics in males and females with and without an autism spectrum condition diagnosis. A total of 13 studies were included in meta-analyses of sex/gender differences in core autism spectrum condition symptoms (social/communication impairments and restricted/repetitive behaviours and interests) and intelligence quotient. A total of 20 studies were included in a qualitative review of sex/gender differences in additional autism spectrum condition symptoms. For core traits and intelligence quotient, sex/gender differences were comparable in autism spectrum conditions and typical samples. Some additional autism spectrum condition symptoms displayed different patterns of sex/gender differences in autism spectrum conditions and typically developing groups, including measures of executive function, empathising and systemising traits, internalising and externalising problems and play behaviours. Individuals with autism spectrum conditions display typical sex/gender differences in core autism spectrum condition traits, suggesting that diagnostic criteria based on these symptoms should take into account typical sex/gender differences. However, awareness of associated autism spectrum condition symptoms should include the possibility of different male and female phenotypes, to ensure those who do not fit the 'typical' autism spectrum condition presentation are not missed.

Why sex hormones matter for neuroscience: A very short review on sex, sex hormones, and functional brain asymmetries.

PubMed

Hausmann, Markus

2017-01-02

Biological sex and sex hormones are known to affect functional cerebral asymmetries (FCAs). Men are generally more lateralized than women. The effect size of this sex difference is small but robust. Some of the inconsistencies in the literature may be explained by sex-related hormonal differences. Most studies focusing on neuromodulatory properties of sex hormones on FCAs have investigated women during the menstrual cycle. Although contradictions exist, these studies have typically shown that levels of estradiol and/or progesterone correlate with the degree of FCAs, suggesting that sex differences in FCAs partially depend on hormonal state and day of testing. The results indicate that FCAs are not fixed but are hormone dependent, and as such they can dynamically change within relatively short periods throughout life. Many issues raised in this Mini-Review refer not only to FCAs but also to other aspects of functional brain organization, such as functional connectivity within and between the cerebral hemispheres. Our understanding of sex differences in brain and behavior as well as their clinical relevance will improve significantly if more studies routinely take sex and sex hormones into account. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Examination of Sex Differences in a Large Sample of Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Typical Development

PubMed Central

Reinhardt, Vanessa P.; Wetherby, Amy M.; Schatschneider, Christopher

2014-01-01

Despite consistent and substantive research documenting a large male to female ratio in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), only a modest body of research exists examining sex differences in characteristics. This study examined sex differences in developmental functioning and early social communication in children with ASD as compared to children with typical development. Sex differences in adaptive behavior and autism symptoms were also examined in children with ASD. Participants (n = 511) were recruited from the Florida State University FIRST WORDS® Project and University of Michigan Autism and Communication Disorders Center. Analyses did not reveal significant effects of sex or a diagnostic group by sex interaction, suggesting a similar phenotype in males and females early in development. Further research is needed to examine sex differences across development. PMID:25189824

Association between sex hormones and adiposity: qualitative differences in women and men in the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis.

PubMed

Mongraw-Chaffin, Morgana L; Anderson, Cheryl A M; Allison, Matthew A; Ouyang, Pamela; Szklo, Moyses; Vaidya, Dhananjay; Woodward, Mark; Golden, Sherita Hill

2015-04-01

Sex hormones may influence adipose tissue deposition, possibly contributing to sex disparities in cardiovascular disease risk. We hypothesized that associations of sex hormone levels with visceral and subcutaneous fat differ by sex. Participants were from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis with sex hormone levels at baseline and visceral and subcutaneous fat measurements from computed tomography at visit 2 or 3 (n = 1835). Multivariable linear regression was used to investigate the relationships between sex hormones and adiposity. Testing for interaction by sex, race/ethnicity, and age was conducted. In adjusted models, there was a modest significant positive association between estradiol and visceral fat in both sexes (percent difference in visceral fat for 1% difference in hormone [95% confidence interval] in women, 5.44 [1.82, 9.09]; and in men, 8.22 [0.61, 16.18]). Higher bioavailable T was significantly associated with higher visceral and subcutaneous fat in women and with the reverse in men (women, 14.38 [10.23, 18.69]; men, -7.69 [-13.06, -1.00]). Higher dehydroepiandrosterone was associated with higher visceral fat in women (7.57 [1.71, 13.88]), but not in men (-2.47 [-8.88, 4.29]). Higher SHBG was associated with significantly lower levels of adiposity in both sexes (women, -24.42 [-28.11, -20.55]; men, -27.39 [-32.97, -21.34]). There was no significant interaction by race/ethnicity or age. Sex hormones are significantly associated with adiposity, and the associations of androgens differ qualitatively by sex. This heterogeneity may help explain the complexity of the contribution of sex hormones to sex differences in cardiovascular disease.

Sex Differences, Sex-Role Orientation, and Reward Allocations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olejnik, Anthony B.

1982-01-01

In separate studies, examined (1) ways that college students allocated rewards to children performing in team and competitive situations, and (2) the relationship between sex role orientation and reward allocations. Found that sex and situational differences in reward allocations are affected by sex role orientation and differential socialization…

Multiple Sex-Associated Regions and a Putative Sex Chromosome in Zebrafish Revealed by RAD Mapping and Population Genomics

PubMed Central

Anderson, Jennifer L.; Rodríguez Marí, Adriana; Braasch, Ingo; Amores, Angel; Hohenlohe, Paul; Batzel, Peter; Postlethwait, John H.

2012-01-01

Within vertebrates, major sex determining genes can differ among taxa and even within species. In zebrafish (Danio rerio), neither heteromorphic sex chromosomes nor single sex determination genes of large effect, like Sry in mammals, have yet been identified. Furthermore, environmental factors can influence zebrafish sex determination. Although progress has been made in understanding zebrafish gonad differentiation (e.g. the influence of germ cells on gonad fate), the primary genetic basis of zebrafish sex determination remains poorly understood. To identify genetic loci associated with sex, we analyzed F2 offspring of reciprocal crosses between Oregon *AB and Nadia (NA) wild-type zebrafish stocks. Genome-wide linkage analysis, using more than 5,000 sequence-based polymorphic restriction site associated (RAD-tag) markers and population genomic analysis of more than 30,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms in our *ABxNA crosses revealed a sex-associated locus on the end of the long arm of chr-4 for both cross families, and an additional locus in the middle of chr-3 in one cross family. Additional sequencing showed that two SNPs in dmrt1 previously suggested to be functional candidates for sex determination in a cross of ABxIndia wild-type zebrafish, are not associated with sex in our AB fish. Our data show that sex determination in zebrafish is polygenic and that different genes may influence sex determination in different strains or that different genes become more important under different environmental conditions. The association of the end of chr-4 with sex is remarkable because, unique in the karyotype, this chromosome arm shares features with known sex chromosomes: it is highly heterochromatic, repetitive, late replicating, and has reduced recombination. Our results reveal that chr-4 has functional and structural properties expected of a sex chromosome. PMID:22792396

Sex hormones adjust "sex-specific" reactive and diurnal cortisol profiles.

PubMed

Juster, Robert-Paul; Raymond, Catherine; Desrochers, Alexandra Bisson; Bourdon, Olivier; Durand, Nadia; Wan, Nathalie; Pruessner, Jens C; Lupien, Sonia J

2016-01-01

Sex differences in stress hormone functions are presumed to depend on sex hormones. And yet, surprisingly few psychoneuroendocrine studies actually assess within-sex variations of testosterone, estradiol, and progesterone when investigating sex-specific activities of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. In this methodological study of 204 healthy adults (60 men), we assessed whether cortisol profiles would differ between the sexes when unadjusted or adjusted for basal sex hormones among both sexes. Reactive cortisol was sampled using 6 saliva samples measured every 10-min as part of the Trier Social Stress Test that generally activates cortisol among men more than women. Diurnal cortisol was sampled over two days at (1) awakening, (2) 30-min thereafter, (3) 1400 h, (4) 1600 h, and (5) bedtime. Sex hormones were collected at baseline before the psychosocial stressor and on two occasions during diurnal cortisol assessment. Repeated-measures analysis of covariance controlled for key covariates in analyses unadjusted or adjusted for sex hormones. Results revealed that men had higher reactive cortisol than women in unadjusted analysis, but this sex difference was attenuated when adjusting for sex hormones. While diurnal cortisol showed no sex differences in unadjusted models, adjusting for sex hormones revealed that women have higher morning cortisol. Correlations using area under the curve formulae revealed intriguing sex-specific associations with progesterone in men and testosterone in women that we propose have implications for social and affective neuroscience. In summary, our results reveal that adjusting for sex hormones alters "sex-specific" reactive and diurnal cortisol profiles. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.