Sex differences in depression and anxiety disorders: potential biological determinants

The phenomenon of higher rates of affective disorders in women illustrates many of the difficulties as well as promises of translating preclinical models to human disorders. Abnormalities in the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis and the sympathoadrenomedullary system have been identified in depression and anxiety disorders, and these disorders are clearly precipitated and exacerbated by stress. Despite the striking sex difference in the prevalence of depression and anxiety disorders, attempts to identify corresponding sex differences in stress response reactivity in animal models have met with limited success. Processes which may contribute to increased rates of affective disorders in women are greater fluxes in reproductive hormones across the life span, and increased sensitivity to catecholamine augmentation of emotional memory consolidation.     

Relationship between eccentric hip torque and lower-limb kinematics: gender differences

The purposes of this study were to compare lower-limb kinematics between genders, and determine the relationships among eccentric hip abductor and lateral rotator torques and lower-limb kinematics. The movements of the pelvis, femur, and knee were calculated for 16 women and 16 men during the single-leg squat. Eccentric hip abductor and lateral rotator torques were measured using an isokinetic dynamometer. The results showed that women had greater contralateral pelvic depression, femur adduction, and knee abduction than men. The eccentric hip abductor and lateral rotator torques were correlated with coronal plane femur and knee movements in the overall sample. When the genders were analyzed separately, it was observed that women with greater eccentric hip abductor torque exhibited less femur adduction and femur medial rotation, and greater knee adduction excursion. No significant relationship was observed between the isokinetic and kinematic variables in the male group. The differences between the genders help to explain the greater rate of knee disorders observed in women. Moreover, the eccentric hip abduction action seemed to be more important in women to control the lower-limb movements.     

Object-oriented biological system integration: a SARS coronavirus example

MOTIVATION: The importance of studying biology at the system level has been well recognized, yet there is no well-defined process or consistent methodology to integrate and represent biological information at this level. To overcome this hurdle, a blending of disciplines such as computer science and biology is necessary. RESULTS: By applying an adapted, sequential software engineering process, a complex biological system (severe acquired respiratory syndrome-coronavirus viral infection) has been reverse-engineered and represented as an object-oriented software system. The scalability of this object-oriented software engineering approach indicates that we can apply this technology for the integration of large complex biological systems. AVAILABILITY: A navigable web-based version of the system is freely available at http://people.musc.edu/~zhengw/SARS/Software-Process.htm     

Anthropometric, body composition and health determinants of active ageing: a gender approach

This study applied a gender perspective to establish some of the anthropometric, body composition, health and socio-cultural determinants of active ageing. The variable 'active ageing' (presence/absence) was created based on cognitive and disability/illness/physical functioning, subjective health, satisfaction with life and productive activity performed, and used in predictive models to establish its relationship with anthropometric variables, physical health indicators and educational level. The sample consisted of 456 home-living individuals (169 men and 287 women; age range 54-75 years) from Madrid and Toledo in Spain. The women had a higher prevalence of obesity than the men (37.6% vs 29.0%), significantly greater fat accumulation in the abdominal area and worst perceived health (p=0.003). The frequency of active agers is higher in men than in women (38.4% vs 21.9%; p<0.001). Men and women were found to have distinctive ageing patterns. Health factors condition the presence of active ageing in women, while education factors are also relevant in men.     

Epigenetic and endocrine determinants of lifespan differences between the castes of social insects

Social insects are promising model organisms in the study of longevity mechanisms. They have a caste system, in which the same genomes may produce phenotypes significantly distinguished by longevity. The ontogenetic trajectories of bees depend on the duration of supply by a specific nutrient mixture (royal jelly) at the larval stage. Longer feeding by the royal jelly leads to the formation of the queen epigenome, which is different from the epigenome of a working bee. Such epigenetic differences, in turn, induce endocrine changes manifested in increased synthesis of juvenile hormone and activation of TOR (target of rapamycin) signaling pathway, as well as in the modulation of insulin/IGF-1 pathway in queen-destined larvae. In adults, these processes influence the synthesis of vitellogenin (egg yolk precursor determining many aspects of insect ontogenesis). Epigenetic and andocrine mechanisms that underlie differences in longevity among the castes of social insects are discussed.     

Molecular biological differences between strains of Mycoplasma gallisepticum]

Differences in virulence of two Mycoplasma gallisepticum strains, S6 and A5969, are confirmed in experiments with chickens. Macromolecular discrepancies detected between these two strains are concerning the genomic size, electrophoretic spectra of DNA and proteins. Cross immunoblotting data with polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies reveal major immunogens of protein nature in both the strains. Homologous proteins with different electrophoretic mobility are detected in other four M. gallisepticum strains. A possible participation of these proteins of M. gallisepticum in adhesion to the host cells is discussed.     

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and gender differences

In a comparative study, involving 500 subjects with 294 males and 206 females aged 30 years and above, data were collected from NIMS (National Institute of Medical Sciences) hospital and research centre and controls from the general population whose age and sex were matched with subjects during the years 2010 - 2011. Metabolic syndrome was present both in women and men corresponding to 29% and 23% of the women's and men's sample, respectively. The prevalence was higher in women than in men. In women, elevated BMI, low HDL cholesterol, increased waist circumference and hyperglycemia were significantly larger contributors to the metabolic syndrome while in men these were hypertension and elevated triglycerides. The contribution of several metabolic components to the metabolic syndrome is different in men and women. This might contribute to gender specific differences in the relative risk of metabolic complications such as insulin resistance.     

Organ transplantation: contemporary Sunni Muslim legal and ethical perspectives

The problems that organ transplantation poses to the Muslim mind may be summarized as follows: firstly, a Muslim believes that whatever he owns or possesses has been given to him as an amanah (trust) from Allah. Would it not be a breach of trust to give consent for the removal of parts of one's body, while still alive, for transplantation to benefit one's child, sibling or parent? Secondly, the Shari'ah (Islamic Law) emphasizes the sacredness of the human body. Would it not then be an act of aggression against the human body, tantamount to its mutilation, if organs were to be removed after death for the purpose of transplantation? In this paper I attempt to illustrate how the Muslim jurists have tried to resolve the dilemma of Muslims by providing them with certain guidelines based on the original sources of Islam, namely, the Qur'an and the Prophetic tradition. In order to assist the followers of other religious traditions to grasp the gravity of the problem posed by organ transplantation to the Muslim mind, I begin by discussing the opinions of Muslim jurists on the issue of utilization of human parts. Thereafter, I touch upon the resolutions taken by the various Islamic Juridical Academies on the issue in question. Finally, I shed light upon the inclusion of organ donation in a Muslim Will and the enforceable nature of such a will.     

Influence of gender and age on T-cell responses in a murine model of trauma-hemorrhage: differences between circulating and tissue-fixed cells.

Clinical studies indicate that peripheral blood lymphocyte functions are depressed following trauma; however, it is unclear whether tissue-fixed lymphocyte functions are also altered under those conditions. Moreover, the impact of gender and age on peripheral T-cell responses following trauma-hemorrhage (TH) are unknown. To study this, immature (approximately 3 wk of age), mature (approximately 7 wk of age), and aged (approximately 23 mo of age) male and proestrus female C3H/HeN mice were sham operated or subjected to trauma (i.e., midline laparotomy) and hemorrhagic shock (30+/-5 mmHg for 90 min). Twenty-four hours after resuscitation, blood and splenocytes were harvested and T-cell functions assessed. In immature animals, TH induced an enhanced immune response in the splenic compartment and a suppressed response in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) that was independent of gender. Differential responses were observed in cells from mature mice. Splenic responses were enhanced following TH, independent of gender, whereas PBMC displayed gender dimorphism with suppressed proliferation and T-cell helper 1 responses in males but not in females. A similar pattern was observed in cells from aged mice. Splenic T cells from male mice displayed a suppressed CD4-to-CD8 ratio after TH, whereas no such change was observed in cells from proestrus females. In contrast, only PBMC from mature males displayed a suppressed CD4-to-CD8 ratio after TH. Thus gender differences exist in PBMC responses after TH that do not necessarily correlate with changes in the tissue-fixed compartment. Age is also an important factor in the immune responses after TH. In view of this, both gender and age should be taken into consideration in evaluating the immune status and in treatment of TH shock.     

Hemodynamics of orthostatic intolerance: implications for gender differences

Women have a greater incidence of orthostatic intolerance than men. We hypothesized that this difference is related to hemodynamic effects on regulation of cardiac filling rather than to reduced responsiveness of vascular resistance during orthostatic stress. We constructed Frank-Starling curves from pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP), stroke volume (SV), and stroke index (SI) during lower body negative pressure (LBNP) and saline infusion in 10 healthy young women and 13 men. Orthostatic tolerance was determined by progressive LBNP to presyncope. LBNP tolerance was significantly lower in women than in men (626.8 +/- 55.0 vs. 927.7 +/- 53.0 mmHg x min, P < 0.01). Women had steeper maximal slopes of Starling curves than men whether expressed as SV (12.5 +/- 2.0 vs. 7.1 +/- 1.5 ml/mmHg, P < 0.05) or normalized as SI (6.31 +/- 0.8 vs. 4.29 +/- 0.6 ml.m-2.mmHg-1, P < 0.05). During progressive LBNP, PCWP dropped quickly at low levels, and reached a plateau at high levels of LBNP near presyncope in all subjects. SV was 35% and SI was 29% lower in women at presyncope (both P < 0.05). Coincident with the smaller SV, women had higher heart rates but similar mean arterial pressures compared with men at presyncope. Vascular resistance and plasma norepinephrine concentration were similar between genders. We conclude that lower orthostatic tolerance in women is associated with decreased cardiac filling rather than reduced responsiveness of vascular resistance during orthostatic challenges. Thus cardiac mechanics and Frank-Starling relationship may be important mechanisms underlying the gender difference in orthostatic tolerance.     

Added mass in human swimmers: Age and gender differences

In unstationary swimming (changing velocity), some of the water around the swimmer is set in motion. This can be thought of as an added mass (M_a) of water. The purpose of this study was to find added mass on human swimmers and investigate the effect of shape and body size. Thirty subjects were connected to a 2.8 m long bar with handles, attached with springs (stiffness k=318 N/m) and a force cell. By oscillating this system vertically and registering the period of oscillations it was possible to find the added mass of the swimmer, given the known masses of the bar and swimmer. Relative added mass (M_a%) for boys, women and men were, respectively, 26.8±2.9%, 23.6±1.6% and 26.8±2.3% of the subjects total mass. This study reported significantly lower added mass (p<0.001) and relative added mass (p<0.002) for women compared to men, which indicate that the possible body shape differences between genders may be an important factor for determining added mass. Boys had significantly lower (p<0.001) added mass than men. When added mass was scaled for body size there were no significant differences (p=0.996) between boys and men, which indicated that body size is an important factor that influences added mass. The added mass in this study seems to be lower and within a smaller range than previously reported (Klauck, 1999, Eik et al., 2008). It is concluded that the added mass in human swimmers, in extended gliding position, is approximately 1/4 of the subjects’ body mass.     

Race and gender differences in the relationships between anthropometrics and abdominal fat in youth

Objective: We examined the influence of race and gender on abdominal adipose tissue (AT) distribution for a given anthropometric measure including waist circumference (WC), waist‐to‐hip ratio (WHR) and waist‐to‐height (W/Ht) in youth. Methods and Procedures: Subjects included healthy 62 black and 98 white youth. A single transverse image of the abdomen (L4–L5) was obtained using computed tomography. Results: For a given BMI, there was a significant (P < 0.05) main effect of race and sex on the relationship between BMI and WC, such that boys and whites had a higher WC than girls and blacks. There was a significant (P < 0.05) main effect and interaction effect of gender on the relationship between WC and visceral AT, such that boys had a higher visceral AT than girls, and the difference was magnified with increasing WC. For a given WC, black boys and girls had higher abdominal subcutaneous AT (SAT) than white peers, wherein the magnitude of the difference is increased with increasing WC. For a given W/Ht, black boys had significantly (P < 0.05) lower visceral AT than white boys, but with no difference in girls. Black boys and girls had higher SAT than white peers, wherein the magnitude of the difference is increased with increasing W/Ht. Discussion: Our findings demonstrate a significant race and gender differential in the abdominal AT distribution for a given BMI, WC, WHR, and W/Ht. Future studies should take these differences into consideration when developing race‐ and gender‐specific anthropometric cut‐offs for obesity and obesity‐related health risks in youth.     

Sex differences in the kinematics and neuromuscular control of landing: Biological,environmental and sociocultural factors

Potential sex differences in patterns of movement of recreational and competitive athletes were investigated in a systematic review of lower limb kinematics, muscle activation and stiffness during landing and hopping tasks. Little support for sex-specific lower limb kinematic patterns was found in 17 studies retrieved on landing and hopping. Ten studies retrieved on muscle activation during landing provided no support for sex-specific patterns. Four articles retrieved on leg stiffness established that absolute stiffness was lower in females, but differences in stiffness normalized to body mass were less clear. The wider literature indicates that a combination of biological, environmental and sociocultural constraints may shape movement patterns differently in females and males. Sociocultural factors differentially affect accumulated motor experience, practice opportunities and focus of attention in females, leading to differences in motor skill that confound the comparison of female and male movements. The findings of the review support the hypothesis that such sex differences in athletic performance are likely to diminish or disappear with increasing skill. In everyday movement tasks, however, where level of skill is a less meaningful dimension than in sport, differences in movement patterns observed between females and males point instead to the influence of subtle societal expectations on movement patterns.     

Specific and gender differences between hospitalized and out of hospital mortality due to myocardial infarction

In this paper, the authors evaluate gender related differences of myocardial infarction mortality before and after hospital admittance. Myocardial infarction mortality in the Clinical Hospital Split in the seven years period between 2000 and 2006, have been analyzed together with out of hospital sudden death patients with acute myocardial infarction established during autopsy. During the seven year period between 2000 and 2006, 3434 patients were treated for myocardial infarction in the Split Clinical Hospital, 2336 (68%) males and 1098 (32%) females with a 12% total mortality (427 patients). The annual number of hospitalized persons has been increasing during that period (474 in yr. 2000 us. 547 in yr. 2006), while mortality decreased from 15% in 2000 to 9.6% in 2006. Female patients had significantly higher hospital mortality than male patients, (228 or 21% vs. 202 or 9%, p<0.05). Women also had significantly higher total AMI mortality (23.7% vs. 15,7%, p <0.05). Anterior myocardial infarction with ST elevation in precordial leads had significantly higher mortality (19%) compared to patients with lateral (11%), inferior (10%) myocardial infarction with ST elevation and also NSTEMI (4%) mortality p<0.05. Female patients more frequently die in hospital, 84% (230) than out of hospital 16% (43). From the total number of AMI deaths (388) in male patients, 56% (217) were in hospital and 44% (171) out of hospital (p<0.001). Men had significantly higher prehospital mortality rate than women (81% vs. 19%, p<0.05). Men also more frequently died from ventricular fibrillation (22% vs. 10%, p<0.05), while women died more frequently of heart failure, cardiogenic shock, and myocardial rupture (33% vs. 15% p<0.05). Regarding the total number of deaths from myocardial infarction men had significantly higher prehospital mortality compared to women (178 or 7.3% vs. 43 or 3.7%, p<0.05). Anterior myocardial infarction had a significantly higher rate in patients dying pre-hospital (58%), in contrast to inferior (36%) and lateral myocardial infarction with ST elevation (6%) p<0.05. We have concluded that male patients die more frequently within the first few hours of AMI mostly due to malignant arrhythmias, while female patients died in sub acute stage due to heart failure while being hospitalized. Nevertheless total mortality of AMI remains significantly higher in women.     

Inflamm-aging of the stem cell niche: breast cancer as a paradigmatic example: breakdown of the multi-shell cytokine network fuels cancer in aged people

Inflamm-aging is a relatively new terminology used to describe the age-related increase in the systemic pro-inflammatory status of humans. Here, we represent inflamm-aging as a breakdown in the multi-shell cytokine network, in which stem cells and stromal fibroblasts (referred to as the stem cell niche) become pro-inflammatory cytokine over-expressing cells due to the accumulation of DNA damage. Inflamm-aging self-propagates owing to the capability of pro-inflammatory cytokines to ignite the DNA-damage response in other cells surrounding DNA-damaged cells. Macrophages, the major cellular player in inflamm-aging, amplify the phenomenon, by broadcasting pro-inflammatory signals at both local and systemic levels. On the basis of this, we propose that inflamm-aging is a major contributor to the increase in cancer incidence and progression in aged people. Breast cancer will be presented as a paradigmatic example for this relationship.