GenderBiology.net

Women Aged 50-65 Face Unique Barriers To Obtaining Health Care, MU Researcher Says

SOURCE:  Medical News Today

DATE:  December 22, 2009

EXCERPT:  "For Americans living in rural areas, obtaining and maintaining health care can be challenging. Aside from common barriers, including shortages of care providers and facilities, older women face additional challenges, ....  women ages 50-65 living in rural areas are at-risk for inadequate health care coverage and limited access to health information."  more

Women At Higher Risk Of Significant Bone Loss On Injectable Birth Control Identified By UTMB Study

SOURCE:  Medical News Today

DATE:  December 22, 2009

EXCERPT: "Nearly half of women using depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), commonly known as the birth control shot, will experience high bone mineral density (BMD) loss in the hip or lower spine within two years of beginning the contraceptive, according to researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston."   more

RELATED PUBMED LINK:

Rahman M, Berenson AB. Predictors of higher bone mineral density loss and use of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate. Obstet Gynecol. 2010 Jan;115(1):35-40.

Identification Of Gene Linked To Rare Form Of Progressive Hearing Loss In Males

SOURCE:  Medical News Today

DATE:  December 18, 2009

EXCERPT: "A gene associated with a rare form of progressive deafness in males has been identified by an international team of researchers funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders."   more

RELATED PUBMED LINK:

Liu X, Han D, Li J, Han B, Ouyang X, Cheng J, Li X, Jin Z, Wang Y, Bitner-Glindzicz M, Kong X, Xu H, Kantardzhieva A, Eavey RD, Seidman CE, Seidman JG, Du LL, Chen ZY, Dai P, Teng M, Yan D, Yuan H.
 Loss-of-function mutations in the PRPS1 gene cause a type of nonsyndromic X-linked sensorineural deafness, DFN2. Am J Hum Genet. 2010 Jan;86(1):65-71.

Sex Hormones and Immunity to Infection, a reference resource, released

SOURCE:  Society of Women's Health Research

DATE:  December 16, 2009

EXCERPT:  "At a time when an infectious disease makes international headlines, sending Americans to wait in line for hours for a standard dose of H1N1 vaccine, the Organization for the Study of Sex Differences (OSSD), the scientific partner of the Society for Women’s Health Research announces the release of Sex Hormones and Immunity to Infection, a reference resource for researchers, clinicians, teachers, and PhD students in endocrinology and immunology."   more 

RELATED INFORMATION:

Klein, Sabra L & Craig Roberts [eds]. Sex Hormones and Immunity to Infections. London: Springer Verlag, 2009. 319 p.  ISBN: 978-3-642-02154-1.     Publisher info.       WorldCat.org  .

From Minnie to Mickey (and all they did was turn off a gene)

SOURCE:  The Independent

DATE:  December 11, 2009

EXCERPT:  "The battle of the sexes is a never-ending war waged within ourselves as male and female elements of our own bodies continually fight each other for supremacy. This is the astonishing implication of a pioneering study showing that it is possible to flick a genetic switch that turns female ovary cells into male testicular tissue.   ...   The findings suggest that being male or female is not a permanently fixed state but something that has to be continually maintained in the adult body by the constant interaction of genes to keep the status quo – and the gender war – from slipping in favour of the opposite sex.   more

RELATED PUBMED LINK:

Uhlenhaut NH, Jakob S, Anlag K, Eisenberger T, Sekido R, Kress J, Treier AC, Klugmann C, Klasen C, Holter NI, Riethmacher D, Schütz G, Cooney AJ, Lovell-Badge R, Treier M. Somatic sex reprogramming of adult ovaries to testes by FOXL2 ablation.  Cell. 2009 Dec 11;139(6):1130-42.

Gender Gap Persists In Cardiac Care

SOURCE:  Medical News Today

DATE:  December 11, 2009

EXCERPT:  "Gender differences persist in the quality of cardiac care across Ontario, according to a health study by researchers at St. Michael's Hospital and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES). Ontario women who had heart attacks were less likely to receive care from a cardiologist, be referred for angiography, or be prescribed statins, cholesterol-lowering drugs.

Readmission to hospital after having a heart attack was also studied over a 30-day and one-year timeframe, and over both periods women who had a heart attack were more likely to be readmitted to the hospital than men."    more

Amount Of Gene Surplus Determines Severity Of Mental Retardation In Males

SOURCE: Medical News Today

DATE:  December 11, 2009

EXCERPT: "Researchers have discovered a new explanation for differences in the severity of mental illness in males. The more excess copies of a certain gene, the more serious the handicap. The genetic defect is situated on the X-chromosome; and it is suspected that it is the amount of copies of the GDI1 gene that is responsible."   more

RELATED PUBMED LINK:

Vandewalle J, Van Esch H, Govaerts K, Verbeeck J, Zweier C, Madrigal I, Mila M, Pijkels E, Fernandez I, Kohlhase J, Spaich C, Rauch A, Fryns JP, Marynen P, Froyen G. Dosage-dependent severity of the phenotype in patients with mental retardation due to a recurrent copy-number gain at Xq28 mediated by an unusual recombination. Am J Hum Genet. 2009 Dec;85(6):809-22.

Antidepressants May Increase Risk of Stroke and Death

SOURCE:  Newswise

DATE:  December 10, 2009

EXCERPT: "Postmenopausal women who take antidepressants face a small but statistically significant increased risk for stroke and death compared with those who do not take the drugs. The new findings are from the federally-funded, multi-institution, Women’s Health Initiative Study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, and the results are published in the December 14 online edition of Archives of Internal Medicine." more

RELATED PUBMED LINK:

Smoller JW, Allison M, Cochrane BB, Curb JD, Perlis RH, Robinson JG, Rosal MC, Wenger NK, Wassertheil-Smoller S. Antidepressant use and risk of incident cardiovascular morbidity and mortality among postmenopausal women in the Women's Health Initiative study. Arch Intern Med. 2009 Dec 14;169(22):2128-39.

Sex Makes Men Healthier

SOURCE:  Medical News Today

DATE:  December 10, 2009

EXCERPT: "Boston Medical Group, a national physician network specializing in the treatment of erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation, released the top ten reasons regular sexual activity can help improve men's overall health. From decreased blood pressure to more restful sleep, sexual activity is essential for maintaining bodily functions as well as overall health and well-being."   more

RELATED PUBMED & OTHER CITATIONS:

1. British Journal of Urology International, vol. 92    A number of studies show that men who ejaculate on a regular basis are more than 30% less likely to develop prostate cancer. 

##G.G. Giles, G. Severi, D.R. English, M.R.E. McCredie, R. Borland, P. Boyle, J.L. Hopper.  Sexual factors and prostate cancer. British Journal of Urology International. (p 211-216). Published Online: Jul 23 2003 12:00AM. DOI: 10.1046/j.1464-410X.2003.04319.x

2 Psychology Today, March 2001    A study from Queens University shows that men who have sex more than three times a week can substantially reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke.

##McCarthy, K. Getting Healthy in Bed (sex is good for your heart). Psychology Today. 34(2):16.

3 Biological Psychology, February 2006    Various study participants have been shown to have a smaller rise in blood pressure during stressful situations after sex, as compared with other test subjects.

##Brody S. Blood pressure reactivity to stress is better for people who recently had penile-vaginal intercourse than for people who had other or no sexual activity. Biol Psychol. 2006 Feb;71(2):214-22. Epub 2005 Jun 14.

## The 3 citations above  labeled ## are best guesstimates of the articles referred to in the report, as complete citation content for the references was not provided. 

Note: if you do not have access to citation periodicals, contact your local librarian for assistance in accessing this article through library resources.

Different Heart Motions By Age, Gender Revealed By New Imaging Technique

SOURCE:  Medical News Today

DATE:  December 10, 2009

EXCERPT: "Using a new noninvasive imaging technique, scientists said they have discovered important, fundamental differences in heart motion by age and gender.

Their study - reported in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging, a journal of the American Heart Association - is the first to provide gender- and age-specific data on the motions of the normal heart based on a regional analysis of myocardial velocities covering all 16 segments of the left ventricle."   more

RELATED PUBMED LINK:

Föll D, Jung B, Schilli E, Staehle F, Geibel A, Hennig J, Bode C, Markl M.  Magnetic Resonance Tissue Phase Mapping of Myocardial Motion - New Insights in Age and Gender. Circ Cardiovasc Imaging. Dec. 8, 2009 [epub ahead of print].