Sex differences in COL1A1 Expression and Collagen Content in Skeletal Muscle of Mature and Juvenile Shamo Chickens

Collagen content is an important parameter affecting meat consistency. Sex differences in collagen were therefore studied in mature and juvenile Shamo chickens. The pectoral (PT), lateral iliotibial (ITL), medial part of puboischiofemoral (PIF), and lateral part of gastrocnemius (GCL) muscles were weighed, and their COL1A1 expression levels and total collagen content were analyzed. Body and muscle weights were significantly higher in males than in females of all ages. Muscle/body weight ratios were also higher in mature males than in females, but this difference was not observed in juveniles. In mature chickens, COL1A1 expression was higher in the PIF and GCL muscles; this was not the case in juvenile chicken muscles. Sex differences in collagen content were observed only in the ITLs of mature chickens. A positive correlation between muscle weight and intramuscular collagen content was found for PT and GCL, but not for ITL and PIF, muscles. These results suggest that the sex difference in intramuscular collagen content only occurs in specific muscles and that COL1A1 expression is not necessarily related to collagen content in mature chickens. Factors that determine the intramuscular collagen content likely differ by muscle type.

Escape from X-chromosome inactivation and sex differences in Alzheimer's disease

Sex differences exist in the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease. Globally, women have a higher prevalence, while men with Alzheimer's disease experience earlier mortality and more pronounced cognitive decline than women. The cause of sex differences in Alzheimer's disease remains unclear. Accumulating evidence suggests the potential role of X-linked genetic factors in the sex difference of Alzheimer's disease (AD). During embryogenesis, a remarkable process known as X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) occurs in females, leading to one of the X chromosomes undergoing transcriptional inactivation, which balances the effects of two X chromosomes in females. Nevertheless, certain genes exceptionally escape from XCI, which provides a basis for dual expression dosage of specific genes in females. Based on recent research findings, we explore key escape genes and their potential therapeutic use associated with Alzheimer's disease. Also, we discuss their possible role in driving the sex differences in Alzheimer's disease. This will provide new perspectives for precision medicine and gender-specific treatment of AD.

Adaptation of Postural Sway in a Standing Position during Tilted Video Viewing Using Virtual Reality: A Comparison between Younger and Older Adults

This study aimed to investigate the effects of wearing virtual reality (VR) with a head-mounted display (HMD) on body sway in younger and older adults. A standing posture with eyes open without an HMD constituted the control condition. Wearing an HMD and viewing a 30°-tilt image and a 60°-tilt image in a resting standing position were the experimental conditions. Measurements were made using a force plate. All conditions were performed three times each and included the X-axis trajectory length (mm), Y-axis trajectory length (mm), total trajectory length (mm), trajectory length per unit time (mm/s), outer peripheral area (mm2), and rectangular area (mm2). The results showed a significant interaction between generation and condition in Y-axis trajectory length (mm) and total trajectory length (mm), with an increased body center-of-gravity sway during the viewing of tilted VR images in older adults than in younger adults in both sexes. The results of this study show that body sway can be induced by visual stimulation alone with VR without movement, suggesting the possibility of providing safe and simple balance training to older adults.

The bone marrow lipidomics of mice reveal sex-related differences

Osteoporosis is a common skeletal disorder characterized by an imbalance between bone resorption and formation, exhibiting a higher prevalence in women compared with men. While previous studies have primarily focused on genomics and genetics in osteoporosis susceptibility, there is a lack of systematic exploration of sex-specific differences in lipid levels in mouse bone marrow. Multiple reaction monitoring-based liquid chromatography-trandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to quantify lipidomic profiles in bone marrow samples from three female mice and three male mice. The LC-MS/MS technique based on the multiple reaction monitoring method identified and quantified 184 lipids from 15 lipid classes. The contents of most lipids in the bone marrow cells of female mice were higher than those in male mice, including four polyunsaturated fatty acids, three phospholipids and four sphingolipids. Among all the lipid molecules, lactosylceramide (d18:0/16:0) showed the highest fold change in female mice, while its precursor lipid, glucosylceramide, was the most up-regulated in male mice. This study, focusing on bone marrow lipidomics, elucidates significant sexual dimorphism in lipid levels within bone marrow cells. It provides novel evidence supporting the higher prevalence of osteoporosis in women and enhances our understanding of the connection between sex-specific lipid levels and the risk of osteoporosis.

Morphological changes in the cerebellum during aging: evidence from convolutional neural networks and shape analysis

The morphology and function of the cerebellum are associated with various developmental disorders and healthy aging. Changes in cerebellar morphology during the aging process have been extensively investigated, with most studies focusing on changes in cerebellar regional volume. The volumetric method has been used to quantitatively demonstrate the decrease in the cerebellar volume with age, but it has certain limitations in visually presenting the morphological changes of cerebellar atrophy from a three-dimensional perspective. Thus, we comprehensively described cerebellar morphological changes during aging through volume measurements of subregions and shape analysis. This study included 553 healthy participants aged 20-80 years. A novel cerebellar localized segmentation algorithm based on convolutional neural networks was utilized to analyze the volume of subregions, followed by shape analysis for localized atrophy assessment based on the cerebellar thickness. The results indicated that out of the 28 subregions in the absolute volume of the cerebellum, 15 exhibited significant aging trends, and 16 exhibited significant sex differences. Regarding the analysis of relative volume, only 11 out of the 28 subregions of the cerebellum exhibited significant aging trends, and 4 exhibited significant sex differences. The results of the shape analysis revealed region-specific atrophy of the cerebellum with increasing age. Regions displaying more significant atrophy were predominantly located in the vermis, the lateral portions of bilateral cerebellar hemispheres, lobules I-III, and the medial portions of the posterior lobe. This atrophy differed between sexes. Men exhibited slightly more severe atrophy than women in most of the cerebellar regions. Our study provides a comprehensive perspective for observing cerebellar atrophy during the aging process.

Light intensity differentially mediates the life cycle of lepidopteran leaf feeders and stem borers

BACKGROUND

Leaf feeders, such as Spodoptera frugiperda and Spodoptera litura, and stem borers Ostrinia furnacalis and Chilo suppressalis, occupy two different niches and are well adapted to their particular environments. Borer larvae burrow and inhabit the interior of stems, which are relatively dark. By contrast, the larvae of leaf feeders are exposed to sunlight during feeding. We therefore designed series of experiments to evaluate the effect of light intensity (0, 2000, and 10 000 lx) on these pests with different feeding modes.

RESULTS

The development of all four pests was significantly delayed at 0 lx. Importantly, light intensity affected the development of both male and female larvae of borers, but only significantly affected male larvae of leaf feeders. Furthermore, the proportion of female offspring of leaf feeders increased with increasing light intensity (S. frugiperda: 33.89%, 42.26%, 57.41%; S. litura: 38.90%, 51.75%, 65.08%), but no significant differences were found in stem borers. This research also revealed that the survival rate of female leaf feeders did not vary across light intensities, but that of males decreased with increasing light intensity (S. frugiperda: 97.78%, 85.86%, 61.21%; S. litura: 95.83%, 73.54%, 58.99%).

CONCLUSION

These results improve our understanding of how light intensity affects sex differences in important lepidopteran pests occupying different feeding niches and their ecological interactions with abiotic factors in agroecosystems. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Influence of age and sex on longitudinal metabolic profiles and body weight trajectories in the UK Biobank

BACKGROUND

Accurate characterization of how age influences body weight and metabolism at different stages of life is important for understanding ageing processes. Here, we explore observational longitudinal associations between metabolic health and weight from the fifth to the seventh decade of life, using carefully adjusted statistical designs.

METHODS

Body measures and biochemical data from blood and urine (220 measures) across two visits were available from 10 104 UK Biobank participants. Participants were divided into stable (within ±4% per decade), weight loss and weight gain categories. Final subgroups were metabolically matched at baseline (48% women, follow-up 4.3 years, ages 41-70; n = 3368 per subgroup) and further stratified by the median age of 59.3 years and sex.

RESULTS

Pulse pressure, haemoglobin A1c and cystatin-C tracked ageing consistently (P < 0.0001). In women under 59, age-associated increases in citrate, pyruvate, alkaline phosphatase and calcium were observed along with adverse changes across lipoprotein measures, fatty acid species and liver enzymes (P < 0.0001). Principal component analysis revealed a qualitative sex difference in the temporal relationship between body weight and metabolism: weight loss was not associated with systemic metabolic improvement in women, whereas both age strata converged consistently towards beneficial (weight loss) or adverse (weight gain) phenotypes in men.

CONCLUSIONS

We report longitudinal ageing trends for 220 metabolic measures in absolute concentrations, many of which have not been described for older individuals before. Our results also revealed a fundamental dynamic sex divergence that we speculate is caused by menopause-driven metabolic deterioration in women.

Maternal immune activation induces sex-dependent behavioral differences in a rat model of schizophrenia

Background

Maternal immune activation (MIA) is a mature means to construct a schizophrenia model. However, some preclinical studies have reported that a MIA-induced schizophrenia model seemed to have gender heterogeneity in behavioral phenotype. On the other hand, the MIA's paradigms were diverse in different studies, and many details could affect the effect of MIA. To some extent, it is not credible and scientific to directly compare the gender differences of different MIA programs. Therefore, it is necessary to study whether the sex of the exposed offspring leads to behavioral differences on the premise of maintaining a consistent MIA mode.

Methods

An animal model of schizophrenia was established by the administration of 10 mg/kg Poly (I: C) when dams were on day 9 of gestation. Then, a number of female and male offspring completed a series of behavioral tests during postnatal days 61-75.

Results

Compared with the female control group (n = 14), female MIA offspring (n = 12) showed a longer movement distance (d = 1.07, p < 0.05) and higher average speed (d = 1.08, p < 0.05) in the open field test (OFT). In the Y maze test, the percentage of entering the novel arm of female MIA offspring was lower (d = 0.92, p < 0.05). Compared with the male control group (n = 14), male MIA offspring (n = 13) displayed less movement distance (d = 0.93, p < 0.05) and a lower average speed (d = 0.94, p < 0.05) in the OFT. In the Y maze test, the proportion of exploration time in the novel arm of male MIA offspring was lower (d = 0.96, p < 0.05). In the EPM, male MIA offspring showed less time (d = 0.85, p < 0.05) and a lower percentage of time spent in the open arms (d = 0.85, p < 0.05). Male MIA offspring also had a lower PPI index (76 dB + 120 dB, d = 0.81, p < 0.05; 80 dB + 120 dB, d = 1.45, p < 0.01).

Conclusions

Our results showed that the behavioral phenotypes induced by prenatal immune activation were highly dependent on the sex of the offspring.

Sex- and age-specific associations between abdominal fat and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a prospective cohort study

Obesity is closely related to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Although sex differences in body fat distribution have been well demonstrated, little is known about the sex-specific associations between adipose tissue and the development of NAFLD. Using community-based cohort data, we evaluated the associations between magnetic resonance imaging quantified areas of abdominal adipose tissue, including visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), and incident NAFLD in 2830 participants (1205 males and 1625 females) aged 55-70 years. During a 4.6-year median follow-up, the cumulative incidence rates of NAFLD increased with areas of VAT and SAT both in males and in females. Further analyses showed that the above-mentioned positive associations were stronger in males than in females, especially in participants under 60 years old. In contrast, these sex differences disappeared in those over 60 years old. Furthermore, the risk of developing NAFLD increased non-linearly with increasing fat area in a sex-specific pattern. Additionally, sex-specific potential mediators, such as insulin resistance, lipid metabolism, inflammation, and adipokines, may exist in the associations between adipose tissue and NAFLD. This study showed that the associations between abdominal fat and the risk of NAFLD were stratified by sex and age, highlighting the potential need for sex- and age-specific management of NAFLD.

Sex-difference in the association between social drinking, structural brain aging and cognitive function in older individuals free of cognitive impairment

Background

We investigated a potential sex difference in the relationship between alcohol consumption, brain age gap and cognitive function in older adults without cognitive impairment from the population-based Mayo Clinic Study of Aging.

Methods

Self-reported alcohol consumption was collected using the food-frequency questionnaire. A battery of cognitive testing assessed performance in four different domains: attention, memory, language, and visuospatial. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was conducted using 3-T scanners (Signa; GE Healthcare). Brain age was estimated using the Brain-Age Regression Analysis and Computational Utility Software (BARACUS). We calculated the brain age gap as the difference between predicted brain age and chronological age.

Results

The sample consisted of 269 participants [55% men (n=148) and 45% women (n=121) with a mean age of 79.2 ± 4.6 and 79.5 ± 4.7 years respectively]. Women had significantly better performance compared to men in memory, (1.12 ± 0.87 vs 0.57 ± 0.89, P<0.0001) language (0.66 ± 0.8 vs 0.33 ± 0.72, P=0.0006) and attention (0.79 ± 0.87 vs 0.39 ± 0.83, P=0.0002) z-scores. Men scored higher in visuospatial skills (0.71 ± 0.91 vs 0.44 ± 0.90, P=0.016). Compared to participants who reported zero alcohol drinking (n=121), those who reported alcohol consumption over the year prior to study enrollment (n=148) scored significantly higher in all four cognitive domains [memory: F3,268 = 5.257, P=0.002, Language: F3,258 = 12.047, P<0.001, Attention: F3,260 = 22.036, P<0.001, and Visuospatial: F3,261 = 9.326, P<0.001] after correcting for age and years of education. In addition, we found a significant positive correlation between alcohol consumption and the brain age gap (P=0.03). Post hoc regression analysis for each sex with language z-score revealed a significant negative correlation between brain age gap and language z-scores in women only (P=0.008).

Conclusion

Among older adults who report alcohol drinking, there is a positive association between higher average daily alcohol consumption and accelerated brain aging despite the fact that drinkers had better cognitive performance compared to zero drinkers. In women only, accelerated brain aging is associated with worse performance in language cognitive domain. Older adult women seem to be vulnerable to the negative effects of alcohol on brain structure and on certain cognitive functions.

Sex-specific modulation of amyloid-β on tau phosphorylation underlies faster tangle accumulation in females

Females are disproportionately affected by dementia due to Alzheimer's disease. Despite a similar amyloid-β (Aβ) load, a higher load of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) is seen in females than males. Previous literature has proposed that Aβ and phosphorylated-tau (p-tau) synergism accelerates tau tangle formation, yet the effect of biological sex in this process has been overlooked. In this observational study, we examined longitudinal neuroimaging data from the TRIAD and ADNI cohorts from Canada and USA, respectively. We assessed 457 participants across the clinical spectrum of Alzheimer's disease. All participants underwent baseline multimodal imaging assessment, including MRI and PET, with radioligands targeting Aβ plaques and tau tangles, respectively. CSF data were also collected. Follow-up imaging assessments were conducted at 1- and 2-year intervals for the TRIAD cohort and 1-, 2- and 4-year intervals for the ADNI cohort. The upstream pathological events contributing to faster tau progression in females were investigated-specifically, whether the contribution of Aβ and p-tau synergism to accelerated tau tangle formation is modulated by biological sex. We hypothesized that cortical Aβ predisposes tau phosphorylation and tangle accumulation in a sex-specific manner. Findings revealed that Aβ-positive females presented higher CSF p-tau181 concentrations compared with Aβ-positive males in both the TRIAD (P = 0.04, Cohen's d = 0.51) and ADNI (P = 0.027, Cohen's d = 0.41) cohorts. In addition, Aβ-positive females presented faster NFT accumulation compared with their male counterparts (TRIAD: P = 0.026, Cohen's d = 0.52; ADNI: P = 0.049, Cohen's d = 1.14). Finally, the triple interaction between female sex, Aβ and CSF p-tau181 was revealed as a significant predictor of accelerated tau accumulation at the 2-year follow-up visit (Braak I: P = 0.0067, t = 2.81; Braak III: P = 0.017, t = 2.45; Braak IV: P = 0.002, t = 3.17; Braak V: P = 0.006, t = 2.88; Braak VI: P = 0.0049, t = 2.93). Overall, we report sex-specific modulation of cortical Aβ in tau phosphorylation, consequently facilitating faster NFT progression in female individuals over time. This presents important clinical implications and suggests that early intervention that targets Aβ plaques and tau phosphorylation may be a promising therapeutic strategy in females to prevent the further accumulation and spread of tau aggregates.

Sex Differences in Clustering Unhealthy Lifestyles Among Survivors of COVID-19: Latent Class Analysis

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the significance of adopting healthy lifestyles to mitigate the risk of severe outcomes and long-term consequences.

OBJECTIVE

This study focuses on assessing the prevalence and clustering of 5 unhealthy lifestyle behaviors among Vietnamese adults after recovering from COVID-19, with a specific emphasis on sex differences.

METHODS

The cross-sectional data of 5890 survivors of COVID-19 in Vietnam were analyzed from December 2021 to October 2022. To examine the sex differences in 5 unhealthy lifestyle behaviors (smoking, drinking, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, and sedentary behavior), the percentages were plotted along with their corresponding 95% CI for each behavior. Latent class analysis was used to identify 2 distinct classes of individuals based on the clustering of these behaviors: the "less unhealthy" group and the "more unhealthy" group. We examined the sociodemographic characteristics associated with each identified class and used logistic regression to investigate the factors related to the "more unhealthy" group.

RESULTS

The majority of individuals (male participants: 2432/2447, 99.4% and female participants: 3411/3443, 99.1%) exhibited at least 1 unhealthy behavior, with male participants being more susceptible to multiple unhealthy behaviors. The male-to-female ratio for having a single behavior was 1.003, but it escalated to 25 for individuals displaying all 5 behaviors. Male participants demonstrated a higher prevalence of combining alcohol intake with sedentary behavior (949/2447, 38.8%) or an unhealthy diet (861/2447, 35.2%), whereas female participants tended to exhibit physical inactivity combined with sedentary behavior (1305/3443, 37.9%) or an unhealthy diet (1260/3443, 36.6%). Married male participants had increased odds of falling into the "more unhealthy" group compared to their single counterparts (odds ratio [OR] 1.45, 95% CI 1.14-1.85), while female participants exhibited lower odds (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.51-0.83). Female participants who are underweight showed a higher likelihood of belonging to the "more unhealthy" group (OR 1.11, 95% CI 0.89-1.39), but this was not observed among male participants (OR 0.6, 95% CI 0.41-0.89). In both sexes, older age, dependent employment, high education, and obesity were associated with higher odds of being in the "more unhealthy" group.

CONCLUSIONS

The study identified notable sex differences in unhealthy lifestyle behaviors among survivors of COVID-19. Male survivors are more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors compared to female survivors. These findings emphasize the importance of tailored public health interventions targeting sex-specific unhealthy behaviors. Specifically, addressing unhealthy habits is crucial for promoting post-COVID-19 health and well-being.

Brain-based sex differences in schizophrenia: A systematic review of fMRI studies

Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric disorder with characteristic symptoms of delusions, hallucinations, lack of motivation, and paucity of thought. Recent evidence suggests that the symptoms of schizophrenia, negative symptoms in particular, vary widely between the sexes and that symptom onset is earlier in males. A better understanding of sex-based differences in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies of schizophrenia may provide a key to understanding sex-based symptom differences. This study aimed to summarize sex-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) differences in brain activity of patients with schizophrenia. We searched PubMed and Scopus to find fMRI studies that assessed sex-based differences in the brain activity of patients with schizophrenia. We excluded studies that did not evaluate brain activity using fMRI, did not evaluate sex differences, and were nonhuman or in vitro studies. We found 12 studies that met the inclusion criteria for the current systematic review. Compared to females with schizophrenia, males with schizophrenia showed more blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) activation in the cerebellum, the temporal gyrus, and the right precuneus cortex. Male patients also had greater occurrence of low-frequency fluctuations in cerebral blood flow in frontal and parietal lobes and the insular cortex, while female patients had greater occurrence of low-frequency fluctuations in the hippocampus, parahippocampus, and lentiform nucleus. The current study summarizes fMRI studies that evaluated sex-based fMRI brain differences in schizophrenia that may help to shed light on the underlying pathophysiology and further understanding of sex-based differences in the clinical presentation and course of the disorder.

Gender differences in retinal diseases: A review

Gender medicine is a medical specialty that addresses gender differences in health and disease. Traditionally, medical research and clinical practice have often been focused on male subjects and patients. As a result, gender differences in medicine have been overlooked. Gender medicine considers the biological, psychological, and social differences between the genders and how these differences affect the development, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. For ophthalmological diseases epidemiological differences are known. However, there are not yet any gender-based ophthalmic treatment approaches for women and men. This review provides an overview of gender differences in retinal diseases. It is intended to make ophthalmologists, especially retinologists, more sensitive to the topic of gender medicine. The goal is to enhance comprehension of these aspects by highlighting fundamental gender differences. Integrating gender medicine into ophthalmological practice helps promote personalized and gender-responsive health care and makes medical research more accurate and relevant to the entire population.

Sex Differences in the Association Between Depression and Incident Cardiovascular Disease

Background

Depression is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the potential sex differences in this association remain unclear.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between depression and subsequent CVD events, and to explore potential sex differences.

Methods

The authors conducted a retrospective analysis using the JMDC Claims Database between 2005 and 2022. The study population included 4,125,720 individuals aged 18 to 75 years without a history of cardiovascular disease or renal failure and missing data at baseline. Participants were followed up for a mean of 1,288 days to assess the association between depression and subsequent CVD events, such as myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, stroke, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation.

Results

Our analysis revealed a significant association between depression and subsequent composite CVD events in both men and women, with a stronger association observed in women. The HR for the composite endpoint was 1.64 (95% CI: 1.59-1.70) in women and 1.39 (95% CI: 1.35-1.42) in men after multivariable adjustment (P for interaction <0.001). Furthermore, the individual components of the composite endpoint were also associated with depression in both men and women, each of which was also observed to be more strongly associated in women.

Conclusions

Our study provides evidence of a significant association between depression and subsequent CVD events in both men and women, with a more pronounced association observed in women. These findings highlight the importance of addressing depression and tailoring prevention and management strategies according to sex-specific factors.

Single versus multiple arterial coronary artery bypass grafting in men and women: results from Polish National Registry of Cardiac Surgery Procedures

BACKGROUND

The objective of this multicenter study aimed to investigate the impact of sex on long-term survival among patients with multivessel coronary artery disease undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) using multiple arterial grafting (MAG) or a single artery with saphenous vein grafts.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data were obtained from the Polish National Registry of Cardiac Surgery Procedures database. This study included 81 136 patients who underwent CABG for multivessel disease between January 2012 and December 2020 (22.9 were women and 77.1% were men). MAG was performed in 8.3 and 11.7% of female and male patients, respectively. A 1:1 propensity score (PS)-matching was performed. Long-term mortality was compared between matched groups of men and women. Subgroup analyses of patients aged <70 and ≥70 years, with an ejection fraction (EF) >40% and ≤40%, and with and without diabetes, obesity, peripheral artery disease (PAD), or chronic lung disease (CLD) were performed separately in women and men.

RESULTS

MAG was associated with lower long-term mortality than saphenous vein grafts in 1528 PS-matched female pairs [hazard ratio (HR): 0.74; 95% CI: 0.59-0.92; P =0.007) and 7283 PS-matched male pairs (HR: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.72-0.88; P <0.001). Subgroup analyses confirmed the results among female patients aged <70 years, with diabetes and EF >40%, and without PAD or CLD, and of male patients aged <70 and ≥70 years; with EF >40%; with or without diabetes, obesity, or PAD; and without CLD.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients undergoing CABG, MAG was associated with significantly improved survival in both sexes. The long-term benefits of MAG observed across subgroups of men and women support the consideration of a multiarterial revascularization strategy for a broader spectrum of patients.

Sex differences in diabetes‑induced hepatic and renal damage

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a disease that affects millions of individuals worldwide and is characterized by abnormal glucose metabolism that can induce severe damage to numerous organs throughout the body. Sex differences have been demonstrated in a number of factors associated with diabetes and its complications, such as diabetic kidney disease and diabetic liver disease. To investigate the sex differences in DM further, the changes in the weight, food and water intake, and blood sugar of mice were recorded for 8 weeks in the present study. Hematoxylin and eosin staining, Masson's trichrome staining and transmission electron microscopy were used to observe the pathological changes of liver and kidney tissues. There is no significant difference in the water intake and blood glucose concentration between db/db female and male mice was observed. However, sex differences in liver and kidney damage including glomerular injury and hepatic fibrosis were found. In conclusion, the present study characterized the features of liver and kidney damage in db/db mice and indicated that sex differences should be taken into account in experiments using female and male experimental animals. Furthermore, sex differences should be taken into account in the selection of drug interventions in experiments and in clinical drug therapy.

Urinary catheter placement and adverse urinary outcomes with a focus on elevated risk in men with indwelling Foley catheters

BACKGROUND

Prior studies indicated a link between urinary catheter use and urinary complications, highlighting the need for comprehensive, gender-specific investigations. This study explored the association through a national retrospective cohort, emphasizing gender disparities and long-term outcomes.

METHODS

Our study utilized data from the entire population covered by Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database from 2000 to 2017. We included 148,304 patients who had undergone Foley catheter placement and their propensity-scores matched controls in the study. We evaluated urinary complications, which encompassed urinary tract cancer, urolithiasis, urethral stricture, obstructive uropathy, reflux uropathy, fistula, diverticulum, caruncle, false passage, prolapsed urethral mucosa, urinary tract rupture, and urinary tract infection. These were assessed using the Fine and Gray sub-distribution proportional hazards model to compare between the Foley and non-Foley groups. Sensitivity analyses were conducted with different matching ratios.

RESULTS

In the study, the non-Foley group presented a marginally higher mean age (75.24 ± 10.47 years) than the Foley group (74.09 ± 10.47 years). The mean duration of Foley catheterization was 6.1 ± 4.19 years. Men with Foley catheterization exhibited the highest adjusted sub-distribution hazard ratios for urinary tract cancer (6.57, 95% CI: 5.85-7.37), followed by women with Foley catheterization (4.48, 95% CI: 3.98-5.05), and men without catheterization (1.58, 95% CI: 1.39-1.8) in comparison with women without the procedure. Furthermore, men with Foley catheterization were found to be at the greatest risk for complications such as urolithiasis, urethral stricture, obstructive and reflux uropathy, fistula, diverticulum, caruncle, false passage, prolapsed urethral mucosa, and urinary tract rupture. Conversely, women with urinary catheterization were most susceptible to urinary tract infections.

CONCLUSIONS

The evidence confirms that urinary catheterization significantly increases urinary complications, particularly among men. Our study underscores the crucial need for healthcare providers to carefully evaluate the necessity of catheterization, aim to shorten its duration whenever feasible, and strictly adhere to established protocols to minimize complications.

Reaction time in psychomotor vigilance task is related to hypoxic load in males with sleep apnea

Oxygen saturation (SpO2 )-based parameters are more strongly linked to impaired daytime vigilance than the conventional diagnostic metrics in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, whether the association between SpO2 -based parameters and impaired daytime vigilance is modulated by sex, remains unknown. Hence, we investigated the interplay between sex and detailed SpO2 -based metrics and their association with impaired vigilance in patients with OSA. The study population consisted of 855 (473 males, 382 females) patients with suspected OSA who underwent overnight polysomnography and psychomotor vigilance task (PVT). The population was grouped by sex and divided into quartiles (Q1-Q4) based on median reaction times (RTs) in the PVT. In addition to conventional diagnostic metrics, desaturation severity (DesSev), fall severity (FallSev), and recovery severity (RecovSev) were compared between the sexes and between the best (Q1) and worst (Q4) performing quartiles by using cumulative distribution functions (CDFs). Additionally, sex-specific covariate-adjusted linear regression models were used to investigate the connection between the parameters and RTs. The CDFs showed significantly higher hypoxic load in Q4 in males compared to females. In addition, the DesSev (β = 8.05, p < 0.01), FallSev (β = 6.48, p = 0.02), RecovSev (β = 9.13, p < 0.01), and Oxygen Desaturation Index (β = 12.29, p < 0.01) were associated with increased RTs only in males. Conversely, the Arousal Index (β = 10.75-11.04, p < 0.01) was associated with impaired vigilance in females. The severity of intermittent hypoxaemia was strongly associated with longer RTs in males whereas the Arousal Index had the strongest association in females. Thus, the impact of hypoxic load on impaired vigilance seems to be stronger in males than females.

True and false memories for spatial location evoke more similar patterns of brain activity in males than females

True and false memories recruit a number of shared brain regions; however, they are not completely overlapping. Extensive sex differences have been identified in the brain during true memories and, recently, we identified sex differences in the brain during false memories. In the current fMRI study, we sought to determine whether sex differences existed in the location and extent of overlap between true and false memories. True and false memories activated a number of shared brain regions. Compared to females, males produced a greater number of overlapping brain regions (8 versus 2 activations for males and females, respectively) including the prefrontal cortex, parietal cortex, and early/late visual processing cortices (including V1) in males and prefrontal and parietal cortices in females. Males had significantly higher similarity between true and false memory activation maps, revealed by our novel multi-voxel pattern correlation analysis. Moreover, higher similarity between true and false memory activation maps was associated with higher false memory rates. The current results suggest that true and false memories are more similar in males than females. The significant brain-behavior relationship also suggests that males may be more susceptible to false memory errors due to their highly similar true memory-false memory cortical representations.

Sex-Specific Expression of Histone Lysine Demethylases (KDMs) in Thyroid Cancer

BACKGROUND

The incidence of thyroid cancer in women is 3-4-fold higher than in men. To characterize sex-specific molecular alterations in thyroid cancer, we examined the expression of sex-biased genes in normal thyroids and thyroid tumors.

METHODS

Ingenuity pathways analysis was used to define sex-biased gene networks using data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Confirmatory studies were performed through the analysis of histone lysine demethylases (KDMs) expression by real-time PCR and immunostaining.

RESULTS

In normal thyroids, 44 sex-biased genes were comparatively upregulated in male and 28 in female patients. The expressions of 37/72 (51%) sex-biased genes were affected in cancer tissues compared with normal thyroids. Gene network analyses revealed sex-specific patterns in the expressions of KDM5C, KDM5D, and KDM6A. In confirmatory studies, KDM5D mRNA and protein were detected only in males, whereas KDM5C and KDM6A were detected in samples from male and female patients. Nuclear staining with anti-KDMs was found in normal thyroids, but a loss of nuclear expression with a concomitant gain of cytoplasmic staining was observed in cancer tissues.

CONCLUSIONS

Normal thyroids have a sex-specific molecular signature, and the development of thyroid cancer is associated with a differential expression of sex-biased genes. The sex-specific expression of KDMs, coupled with cancer-related alterations in their intracellular localization, may contribute to mechanisms underlying sex differences in thyroid tumorigenesis.

Sex-Specific Transcriptomic Changes in the Villous Tissue of Placentas of Pregnant Women Using a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor

About 5% of pregnant women are treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants to treat their depression. SSRIs influence serotonin levels, a key factor in neural embryonic development, and their use during pregnancy has been associated with adverse effects on the developing embryo. However, the role of the placenta in transmitting these negative effects is not well understood. In this study, we aim to elucidate how disturbances in the maternal serotonergic system affect the villous tissue of the placenta by assessing whole transcriptomes in the placentas of women with healthy pregnancies and women with depression and treated with the SSRI fluoxetine during pregnancy. Twelve placentas of the Biology, Affect, Stress, Imaging and Cognition in Pregnancy and the Puerperium (BASIC) project were selected for RNA sequencing to examine differentially expressed genes: six male infants and six female infants, equally distributed over women treated with SSRI and without SSRI treatment. Our results show that more genes in the placenta of male infants show changed expression associated with fluoxetine treatment than in placentas of female infants, stressing the importance of sex-specific analyses. In addition, we identified genes related to extracellular matrix organization to be significantly enriched in placentas of male infants born to women treated with fluoxetine. It remains to be established whether the differentially expressed genes that we found to be associated with SSRI treatment are the result of the SSRI treatment itself, the underlying depression, or a combination of the two.

Sex differences in mortality and liver-related events in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Many systematic reviews explore the association of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) with mortality, but none of them explores sex-based differences in detail. We aimed to assess whether NAFLD is associated with cause-specific mortality, all-cause mortality, and cancer incidence in both men and women.

METHODS

The PubMed, Embase, and Medline databases were searched from inception through April 2023 for eligible studies. We separately pooled relative risks (RRs) for men and women using a random effects model. Subsequently, the RRs and 95% CIs (confidence intervals) in each study were used to calculate the women-to-men ratio of RRs (RRR). Furthermore, subgroup analyses were performed to explore the robustness of outcomes. The random-effects model was employed to conduct sensitivity analyses to determine the impact of specific studies on the overall findings.

RESULTS

The meta-analysis included nine cohort studies comprising 557 614 patients with NAFLD were chosen. Women were 44% more likely than men to get cancer among those with NAFLD (RRR: 1.44; 95% CI: 1.02-2.04; p = .039). However, no sex-related differences were observed between NAFLD and all-cause mortality (RRR: 1.06; 95% CI: 0.56-2.01; p = .861), liver-related mortality (RRR: 1.06; 95% CI: 0.02-69.82; p = .977), cardiovascular mortality (RRR: 1; 95% CI: 0.65-1.53; p = .987) and liver cancer (RRR: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.43-1.36; p = .36).

CONCLUSIONS

There may be sex variations between NAFLD and the risk of cancer, with the connection being stronger in females than in males.

Dosing-time, feeding, and sex-dependent variations of everolimus pharmacokinetics in mice

BACKGROUND

Everolimus is an oral mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor used as an immunosuppressant and anticancer. Its pharmacokinetics is highly variable, it has a narrow therapeutic window and shows chronotoxicity with the best time at ZT13 and worst time at ZT1 (ZT; Zeitgeber time, time after light onset) in the preclinical setting.

OBJECTIVES

In the present study, we aimed to investigate whether the pharmacokinetics of everolimus vary according to dosing time and whether sex and feeding status interfere with the chronopharmacokinetics.

METHOD

A single dosage of 5 mg/kg everolimus was administered orally to C57BL/6J male and female mice, in fed or fasted states at ZT1-rest and ZT13-activity times and blood and tissue samples were collected at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 12, and 24 h following drug administration. Ileum, liver, plasma, and thymus concentrations of everolimus were determined.

RESULTS

Females had a greater ileum AUC0-24h than males when fed (P = 0.043). Everolimus AUC0-24h in the liver was substantially greater at ZT1 than at ZT13 in a fasted state (P = 0.001). Plasma Cmax , AUC0-24h , and AUCtotal were not statistically significant between the groups (P = 0.098). In one of the target organs of everolimus, the thymus, males had considerably higher amounts at ZT1 than females (P = 0.029).

CONCLUSION

Our findings imply that the pharmacokinetics of everolimus in mice may differ according to dosing time, sex, and feeding. Greater tissue distribution of everolimus at ZT1 may be associated with the worst tolerated time of everolimus. Our research suggests that oral chronomodulated everolimus therapy may be more effective and safer for cancer patients.