GenderBiology.net

Could Hormones Explain Gender Differences In Neurological Disease?

SOURCE:  Medical News Today

DATE:  June 17, 2009

EXCERPT:  "Neurological diseases including Parkinson's, Tourette's, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Alzheimer's, and schizophrenia are all associated with alterations in dopamine-driven function involving the dopamine transporter (DAT). Research published recently in the open access journal BMC Neuroscience suggests that a number of estrogens acting through their receptors affect the DAT, which may explain trends in timing of women's susceptibility to these diseases."   more

RELATED PUBMED LINK:

Alyea RA, Watson CS. Nongenomic mechanisms of physiological estrogen-mediated dopamine efflux. BMC Neurosci. 2009 Jun 16;10(1):59. Free full text

Testosterone Replacement For Men With Low Testosterone Improves Liver Function, Metabolic Syndrome

SOURCE:  Medical News Today

DATE:  June 13, 2009

EXCERPT: "In middle-aged and older men with low testosterone levels, long-term testosterone replacement therapy greatly improves their fatty liver disease and their risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, a new study found. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society's 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C."   more

RELATED LINK:

Presented at The Endocrine Society's 91st Annual Meeting, 10-13 June 2009, Washington, D.C.

Calorie-Burning 'Brown Fat' Found In Adults, Especially Women

SOURCE:  Medical News Today

DATE:  June 13, 2009

EXCERPT: "Keeping your baby fat turns out to be a good thing, as long as it is "brown fat"- the kind that burns calories, according to a study that found adults have much more of this type of fat than previously thought. The results, which suggest a new way to treat obesity, were presented at The Endocrine Society's 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C."    more

RELATED LINK:

Presented at  The Endocrine Society's 91st Annual Meeting, 10-13 June 2009, Washington, D.C.

Bisphenol A Exposure Increases Risk Of Abnormal Heart Rhythms In Female Rodents

SOURCE: Medical News Today

DATE:  June 11, 2009

EXCERPT:  "The chemical bisphenol A, commonly found in many plastic household items, has been linked to yet another health problem in animals - an increased frequency of arrhythmias, or heartbeat irregularities, a new study found. The results, seen only in females, ....  Because BPA has properties similar to the main female hormone estrogen, it is considered an "environmental estrogen." "   more

RELATED LINKS:

Presented by Hong-Sheng Wang, PhD Saturday at The Endocrine Society's 91st Annual Meeting, 10-13 June 2009, Washington, D.C.

June 12 Research Shows BPA May Cause Heart Disease In Women 

Scott Belcher, PhD, Hong Sheng Wang, PhD, and Jo El Schultz, PhD, in the department of pharmacology and cell biophysics, found that exposure to BPA and/or estrogen causes abnormal activity in hearts of female rats and mice

University of Michigan Study Finds Women Underrepresented In Cancer Research

SOURCE:  Medical News Today

DATE:  June 9, 2009

EXCERPT: "Women are under-represented in clinical cancer research published in high-impact journals, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center."    more

RELATED PUBMED LINK:

Jagsi R, Motomura AR, Amarnath S, Jankovic A, Sheets N, Ubel PA. Under-representation of women in high-impact published clinical cancer research. Cancer. 2009 Jun 8.

Mixed Results with Stress Echo in Menopausal Women

SOURCE:  MedPage Today

DATE:  June 8, 2009

EXCERPT:  "Contrast stress echocardiography demonstrated sensitivity for coronary atherosclerosis in women in early menopause but poor specificity and no correlation with lab parameters, preliminary data from an ongoing study showed."   more

RELATED LINKS:

Reported at the American Society of Echocardiography meeting

Abdelmoneim S, et al "Initial results from the 'Stress echo in Menopausal women at risk for coronary ARTery Disease (SMART) Trial:' An outcomes study evaluating the diagnostic and prognostic value of noninvasive testing for cardiovascular disease" J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2009; 22(5): Abstract P1-57.

American Society of Echocardiography

Dry Eye Common Among Older Men

SOURCE:  MedPage Today

DATE:  June 8, 2009

EXCERPT: "Dry eye disease, known to be common among older women, is also prevalent among older men, increasing with age, hypertension, benign prostatic hyperplasia, and antidepressant use, a study found. .... Changes in this sebaceous gland have been linked to androgen deficiency. The higher prevalence of dry eye among women, whose androgen levels are lower than men's throughout life, supports the notion that androgen deficiency may contribute to the ocular problems."    more

RELATED PUBMED LINK:

Schaumberg DA, Dana R, Buring JE, Sullivan DA. Prevalence of dry eye disease among US men: estimates from the Physicians' Health Studies. Arch Ophthalmol. 2009 Jun;127(6):763-8.

Women Lag Behind Men in Cancer Trial Representation

SOURCE:  MedPage Today

DATE:  June 8, 2009

EXCERPT: "More than a decade after the government urged scientists to enroll more women in clinical research projects, females were still significantly under-represented in clinical trials involving nonsex-specific cancers, a review of more than 600 studies showed."    more

RELATED PUBMED LINK:

Jagsi R, Motomura AR, Amarnath S, Jankovic A, Sheets N, Ubel PA.Under-representation of women in high-impact published clinical cancer research. Cancer. 2009 Jun 8.