Effects Of Sex Research Articles

Effect of birth type and sex on growth performance, wither height, humerus-radius bone dimensions, humerus-ulna growth plate width and selected hormone profile in growing Gurcu goat kids.

In this study, the effects of sex and birth type on growth performance, withers height (WH), radiographic measurements and selected hormone profiles in Gurcu goat kids were investigated. Twenty kids (single female=5, single male=5, twin female=5, twin male=5) were included in the study. Body weight (BW), WH, radiographic measurements (humerus length [HL], radius length [RL], proximal humerus epiphyseal plate width [HEP] and distal ulna epiphyseal plate width [UEP]) and biochemical analysis (for serum calcitonin, free triiodothyronine [FT3], free thyroxine [FT4], growth hormone [GH] and insulin-like growth factor-I [IGF-I]) were performed at 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 12 months of age. BW was significantly higher in males starting from the seventh month compared to females (p<0.05). HL was higher in males at seventh (p=0.009) and ninth (p=0.033) months, whereas RL was lower in twins at the third month (p=0.021). UEP was wider in males at seventh (p=0.008) and ninth (p=0.036) months. Closure of HEP was observed in 65% of kids by the 12th month. Calcitonin was lower in twins at third (p=0.045) and fifth (p=0.006) months, with changes observed due to group and time effects (p<0.05), whereas other hormones only changed with time (p<0.05). Positive correlations were observed between BW, WH, HL, RL and IGF-I. There was a negative correlation between BW, WH, HL, RL, IGF-I and HEP, UEP, calcitonin, FT3, FT4, GH. Sex and birth type in Gurcu goat kids may have an impact on growth performance, radiographic measurements and certain hormonal profiles.

Effects of Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) and Biological Sex on Brain Size.

Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) has been reported to involve structural alterations in some brain regions. However, it remains to be established whether there is also an impact on the size of the brain as a whole. Here, we compiled the largest CAH sample to date (n = 53), matched pair-wise to a control group (n = 53) on sex, age, and verbal intelligence. Using T1-weighted brain scans, we calculated intracranial volume (ICV) as well as total brain volume (TBV), which are both common estimates for brain size. The statistical analysis was performed using a general linear model assessing the effects of CAH (CAH vs. controls), sex (women vs. men), and any CAH-by-sex interaction. The outcomes were comparable for ICV and TBV, i.e., there was no significant main effect of CAH and no significant CAH-by-sex interaction. However, there was a significant main effect of sex, with larger ICVs and TBVs in men than in women. Our findings contribute to an understudied field of research exploring brain anatomy in CAH. In contrast to some existing studies suggesting a smaller brain size in CAH, we did not observe such an effect. In other words, ICV and TBV in women and men with CAH did not differ significantly from those in controls. Notwithstanding, we observed the well-known sex difference in brain size (12.69% for ICV and 12.50% for TBV), with larger volumes in men than in women, which is in agreement with the existing literature.

Sex differences and role of lysyl oxidase-like 2 in angiotensin II-induced hypertension in mice.

Hypertension, a disease with known sexual dimorphism, accelerates aging-associated arterial stiffening, partly because of the activation of matrix remodeling caused by increased biomechanical load. In this study, we tested the effect of biological sex and the role of the matrix remodeling enzyme lysyl oxidase-like 2 (LOXL2) in hypertension-induced arterial stiffening. Hypertension was induced by angiotensin II (ANG II) infusion via osmotic minipumps in 12- to 14-wk-old male and female mice. Blood pressure and pulse wave velocity (PWV) were measured noninvasively. Wire myography and uniaxial tensile testing were used to test aortic vasoreactivity and mechanical properties. Aortic wall composition was examined by histology and Western blotting. Uniaxial stretch of cultured cells was used to evaluate the effect of biomechanical strain. LOXL2's catalytic function was examined using knockout and inhibition. ANG II infusion-induced hypertension in both genotypes and sexes. Wild-type (WT) males exhibited arterial stiffening in vivo and ex vivo. Aortic remodeling with increased wall thickness, intralamellar distance, higher LOXL2, and collagen I and IV content was noted in WT males. Female mice did not exhibit increased PWV despite the onset of hypertension. LOXL2 depletion improved vascular reactivity and mechanics in hypertensive males. LOXL2 depletion improved aortic mechanics but worsened hypercontractility in females. Hypertensive cyclic strain contributed to LOXL2 upregulation in the cell-derived matrix in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) but not endothelial cells. LOXL2's catalytic function facilitated VSMC alignment in response to biomechanical strain. In conclusion, in males, arterial stiffening in hypertension is driven both by VSMC response and matrix remodeling. Females are protected from PWV elevation in hypertension. LOXL2 depletion is protective in males with improved mechanical and functional aortic properties. VSMCs are the primary source of LOXL2 in the aorta, and hypertension increases LOXL2 processing and shifts to collagen I accumulation. Overall, LOXL2 depletion offers protection in young hypertensive males and females.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We examined the effect of sex on the evolution of angiotensin II (ANG II)-induced hypertension and the role of lysyl oxidase-like 2 (LOXL2), an enzyme that catalyzes matrix cross linking. While ANG II led to hypertension and worsening vascular reactivity in both sexes, aortic remodeling and stiffening occurred only in males. LOXL2 depletion improved outcomes in males but not females. Thus males and females exhibit a distinct etiology of hypertension and LOXL2 is an effective target in males.

HEMATOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY REFERENCE INTERVALS FOR FREE-LIVING ADULT LESSER KESTRELS (FALCO NAUMANNI) IN SOUTHERN ITALY.

The lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni) is a small falcon with a Euro-Central and Asian-Mediterranean range wintering in sub-Saharan Africa. In the second half of the 20th century, the European population experienced a steep decline and was classified as at risk; thus, its biological and ecological aspects have been widely investigated. Nonetheless, data on hematology and plasma chemistry are not yet available. Therefore, hematology and biochemistry parameters were investigated in a sampling population of clinically healthy lesser kestrels (21 female and 10 male adults) from an Italian rescue center during breeding season, estimating the 95% (2.5 - 97.5th percentile) reference intervals (RI) for standard tests based on either parametric or robust statistical methods. The effect of sex on the referenced parameters was also tested and showed no statically significant differences. The established 95% RI highlighted values comparable with those of other similar raptors such as American kestrel (Falco sparverius) and peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus). As the first recorded hematology and serum chemistry RI, these clinical data could support conservation efforts and clarify the effects of various environmental and ecological factors on the clinical and health status of lesser kestrels, although they should be reinforced with further data from healthy wild animals.

The Effects of Age and Sex on Amylin, Preptin Hormones and some Biochemical Parameters in Cardiovascular Disease with Type 2 Diabetic

The Effects of Age and Sex on Amylin, Preptin Hormones and some Biochemical Parameters in Cardiovascular Disease with Type 2 Diabetic

Reciprocal prospective effects among parental psychological distress, family cohesion, and child socioemotional behavior within families.

This study explores the dyadic longitudinal interplay among parents' psychological distress, family cohesion, children's internalizing/externalizing behaviors, and peer-related social competence within individual and dyadic relationships. Data came from a nationally representative longitudinal cohort study of children in South Korea. The analyses included 1,779 families across three annual timepoints. Children were 4 years old (48.6% girls) and the mean ages of mothers and fathers were 34.8 and 37.3 years, respectively, at baseline. At each assessment point, mothers completed questionnaires regarding their psychological distress, cohesion, and their child's internalizing/externalizing behaviors, while fathers provided information on their psychological distress and family cohesion. Preschool teachers also evaluated children's peer social competence at each measurement timepoint. The results revealed bidirectional associations between maternal ratings of psychological distress and children's internalizing/externalizing behaviors as well as between maternal ratings of cohesion and children's internalizing/externalizing behaviors. Paternal ratings of psychological distress were longitudinally related to maternal ratings of children's internalizing behaviors. Teacher ratings of children's peer social competence were associated with maternal ratings of internalizing/externalizing behaviors and paternal ratings of psychological distress and cohesion. Teacher ratings of peer social competence and maternal ratings of internalizing and externalizing behaviors were reciprocally associated. Maternal and paternal ratings of psychological distress and cohesion were prospectively and bidirectionally associated. The findings demonstrate prospective transactions among family subsystems, some of which were moderated by child sex, while highlighting the importance of obtaining data on each family member and considering interactive effects of both parent and child sex in this line of inquiry. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Neonatal sex and maternal factors associated with small-for-gestational-age neonates: A nationwide population-based study.

Small-for-gestational-age (SGA) newborns have a higher risk of morbidity and mortality. Recognizing the risk factors for SGA helps raise early awareness of the issue and provides valuable insights for both healthcare providers and pregnant women. We aimed to identify determinants of SGA using population-based databases in Taiwan. Data were retrieved from the National Health Insurance, Birth Reporting, and Maternal and Child Health databases for this nationwide case-control study. Live births between 20 and 44 weeks of gestation from 2005 to 2014 were enrolled and linked to their mothers to determine maternal conditions during pregnancy. For every SGA newborn, four controls matched by gestational age and birth year were randomly selected. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify risk factors for SGA, with adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) accounting for potential confounders and interaction terms. A total of 158,405 live SGA births were identified, with 623,584 controls randomly selected. Independent risk factors for SGA included maternal age <20 years (aOR 1.68, 95% CI 1.62, 1.75); female sex in newborns (aOR 1.28, 95% CI 1.27, 1.30); socioeconomic deprivation (aOR 1.29, 95% CI 1.21, 1.38); hypertension (aOR 1.6, 95% CI 1.52, 1.67); kidney disorders (aOR 1.29, 95% CI 1.16, 1.44); thyroid disorders (aOR 1.13, 95% CI 1.09, 1.17); systemic lupus erythematosus (aOR 2.59, 95% CI 2.33, 2.89); antiphospholipid syndrome (aOR 2.08, 95% CI 1.64, 2.64); gestational hypertension (aOR 1.69, 95% CI 1.61, 1.76); pre-eclampsia (aOR 3.12, 95% CI 3.01, 3.25); and antepartum hemorrhage (aOR 1.05, 95% CI 1.03, 1.07) after adjustment for other covariates. SGA was associated with younger maternal age, female newborns, underlying comorbidities, and obstetric conditions. Gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia were significant risk factors affecting infants of both sexes and all age groups and could mask the effects of maternal age and infant sex.

The whole is lesser than the sum of its parts? Dissecting layer-enriched samples of rodent placenta is worth the effort

Gene expression in the placenta, assessed by bulk RNA-seq, is a common method to explore placental function. Many rodent studies homogenize the entire placenta, and yet doing so may obscure differences within specific functional regions such as the labyrinth, junctional zone and decidua. Conversely, analysis of the whole placenta could generate apparent differences due to changes in composition (e.g., relative amounts of labyrinth vs junctional zone) rather than differential gene expression. We assess the value of dissecting and separately analysing the labyrinth and junctional zone/decidua by comparing RNA-seq results from the labyrinth, junctional zone/decidua combined, and whole placenta from an experiment examining effects of maternal food restriction and fetal sex in C57BL6/J mice at gestational day 17.5. The number of genes identified as differentially expressed in response to maternal food restriction was substantially higher in the labyrinth (910 genes), than in the junctional zone/ decidua (50 genes), which in turn was slightly higher than in the whole placenta (3 genes). Only one gene was differentially expressed in all 3 tissue types, and 20 genes were differentially expressed in both the labyrinth and junctional zone/decidua. The larger number of differentially expressed genes in the labyrinth was due to both larger effect sizes and estimates of effect sizes having smaller standard errors. While dissection to obtain layer-enriched samples is slightly more time-consuming than collection of whole placenta and requires some practice, our results show that layer-enrichment is clearly worth the effort.

Dynamics of gas exchange and heart rate signal entropy in standard cardiopulmonary exercise testing during critical periods of growth and development.

Standard cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) produces a rich dataset but its current analysis is often limited to a few derived variables such as maximal or peak oxygen uptake (V̇O2). We tested whether breath-by-breath CPET data could be used to determine sample entropy (SampEn) in 81 healthy children and adolescents (age 7-18 years old, equal sex distribution). To overcome challenges of the relatively small time-series CPET data size and its nonstationarity, we developed a Python algorithm for short-duration physiological signals. Comparing pre- and post-ventilatory threshold (VT1) CPET phases, we found: (1) SampEn decreased by 9.46% for V̇O2 and 5.01% for V̇CO2 (p < 0.05), in the younger, early-pubertal participants; and (2) HR SampEn fell substantially by 70.8% in the younger and 77.5% in the older participants (p < 0.001). Across all ages, females exhibited greater HR SampEn than males during both pre- and post VT1 CPET phases by 14.10% and 23.79%, respectively, p < 0.01. In females, late-pubertal had 17.6% lower HR SampEn compared to early-pubertal participants (p < 0.05). Breath-by-breath gas exchange and HR data from CPET are amenable to SampEn analysis that leads to novel insight into physiological responses to work intensity, and sex and maturational effects.

Executive functions in male and female older adults with aligned levels of VO2max.

Studies have shown a positive relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and executive functioning in older adults. Although this relationship has been well established, there seems to be a gap in the literature on the role of sex differences concerning CRF and executive functions. The current study aimed to assess the effect of sex in the relationship between CRF and cognition in older adults by stratifying the results to examine effects in males and females. Ninety-six older adults (61 females) gave their written, informed consent to participate in this cross-sectional study. All participants underwent a maximal continuous graded exercise test on a cycle ergometer to assess their maximal oxygen uptake (VO<inf>2max</inf>) and a computerized Stroop task (naming, inhibition, and switching) to assess their executive functions. According to VO<inf>2max</inf> test results and the American College of Sports Medicine's guidelines, females and males were classified into higher-fit and lower-fit groups. A general linear model and estimated marginal means analyses were applied. Results showed no significant differences in the naming, inhibition and switching performance tests between male and female older adults (P>0.05). Based on the observed positive relationship between CRF and executive functioning, the data of the current study supports the idea that aerobic exercise, which typically increases CRF, is well-situated to improve executive functioning in older adults, irrespective of sex.

Triglyceride-HDL index as a predictor of post-stroke outcomes: A retrospective analysis of 6,235 ischemic stroke patients from the Qatar Stroke Database

Objectives: In this study, we explored the Qatar stroke database to study the independent effect of sex- specific TG-HDL index on neurologic and cardiovascular outcomes following stroke in a predominantly Arab and Southeast Asian population. Methods: All patients admitted with acute ischemic stroke between 2014-2022 were included. TG-HDL index on admission was calculated and patients were stratified into sex-specific quartiles. We studied the 90-day modified Rankin Score (mRS), and 1-year major cardiac adverse events (MACE). Multivariate linear and binary logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the independent effect of TG-HDL index on short- and long-term outcomes. Results: A total of 6,235 stroke patients were identified. Overall, mean age was 55±13 years; 5,122 patients (82%) male; 1,989(32%) Arab; 1,628(26%) BMI ≥30; 3,526 (57%) diabetes mellitus; 4,598 (74%) hypertension, 3,158 (51%) dyslipidemia, and 1,876 (30%) smokers. The median TG levels were 1.5 (1.0-2.3), HDL levels 1.0 (0.8-1.2), and TG-HDL index was 1.5 (1.0-2.3). On long term follow-up, 120 (2%) had a recurrent stroke, 314 (5.1%) had MACE, 38 (0.6%) had post-stroke MI, and 37 (0.6%) had post-stroke cardiac revascularization procedures. On multivariate analyses, higher sex-specific TG-HDL index was independently associated with lower adjusted odds of severe stroke and lower inpatient mortality, and higher 1-year adjusted odds of post-stroke MI (p&lt;0.05). Conclusion: TG-HDL was strongly associated with in-patient mortality and long-term post-stroke cardiovascular outcomes but not long-term stroke recurrence. Our finding of an independently increased 1-year risk of post-stroke MI with higher TG-HDL index may warrant consideration of this index as a cardiac risk stratification tool for stroke patients.

Moderate evidence for the sex‐dependent effect of poisoning on adult survival in a long‐lived raptor species

AbstractSurvival rate is usually the greatest contributor to population growth in long‐lived species, and its accurate estimation along with the evaluation of the factors influencing it is therefore essential for effective conservation. Here, we studied the survival of breeding eastern imperial eagles Aquila heliaca in Hungary between 2011 and 2022 and investigated the effect of poisoning, the leading known anthropogenic cause of mortality. We used the Cormack‐Jolly‐Seber mark‐recapture model to estimate annual apparent survival and encounter probabilities based on the capture histories of 208 males and 411 females. We obtained encounter data from the DNA profiles of shed feathers collected at the nest sites, which we also supplemented with presences inferred from parentage analysis. The most supported model estimated a constant 91.6% annual survival over the study period, but models including the effect of sex and poisoning rate on survival had similar support. Sex difference in survival was less than 1% on average, but the survival of males decreased more with poisoning rate than the survival of females. However, due to smaller encounter probabilities, the estimates for males were less precise compared to females. Males may be more at risk from poisoning than females not only due to their more active foraging behaviour during incubation and chick‐rearing but also due to their smaller body size. Apart from providing direct practical information for the conservation management of imperial eagles, our results also highlight the importance of long‐term studies for estimating population parameters of birds of prey.

Investigation of the shape of goat (capra hircus) astragalus via geometric morphometry method

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of sex on shape of goat astragalus via geometric morphometry method. A total of 37 astragalus bone samples collected from 16 female and 21 male goats were used as material. Bone samples were cleaned from skin and soft tissue and then macerated by boiling. Astragalus bone samples were photographed from a distance of 20 cm dorsally by focusing on the center of the bone. The photographs were transferred to the computer in JPEG format. Principal Component Analysis, Regression Analysis, Canonical Variate Analysis, and Discriminant Function Analysis were conducted using the Cartesian coordinate values, which were obtained by homologous landmark marking. The first two principal components accounted for 75.967% of the total shape variation. Shape variation was determined in different regions of the astragalus. According to the scatter plot of male and female individuals, male individuals were completely placed within the confidence interval ellipse of female individuals. It was found that allometric effect on the shape of astragalus bone was not statistically significant. As a result of Canonical Variate Analysis, mahalanobis and procrustes distances were detected as 2.9216 (p

Aberrant Flexibility of Dynamic Brain Network in Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a collection of neurodevelopmental disorders whose pathobiology remains elusive. This study aimed to investigate the possible neural mechanisms underlying ASD using a dynamic brain network model and a relatively large-sample, multi-site dataset. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired from 208 ASD patients and 227 typical development (TD) controls, who were drawn from the multi-site Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE) database. Brain network flexibilities were estimated and compared between the ASD and TD groups at both global and local levels, after adjusting for sex, age, head motion, and site effects. The results revealed significantly increased brain network flexibilities (indicating a decreased stability) at the global level, as well as at the local level within the default mode and sensorimotor areas in ASD patients than TD participants. Additionally, significant ASD-related decreases in flexibilities were also observed in several occipital regions at the nodal level. Most of these changes were significantly correlated with the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) total score in the entire sample. These results suggested that ASD is characterized by significant changes in temporal stabilities of the functional brain network, which can further strengthen our understanding of the pathobiology of ASD.

Sex chromosomes and hormones independently influence healthy brain development but act similarly after cranial radiation

The course of normal development and response to pathology are strongly influenced by biological sex. For instance, female childhood cancer survivors who have undergone cranial radiation therapy (CRT) tend to display more pronounced cognitive deficits than their male counterparts. Sex effects can be the result of sex chromosome complement (XX vs. XY) and/or gonadal hormone influence. The contributions of each can be separated using the four-core genotype mouse model (FCG), where sex chromosome complement and gonadal sex are decoupled. While studies of FCG mice have evaluated brain differences in adulthood, it is still unclear how sex chromosome and sex hormone effects emerge through development in both healthy and pathological contexts. Our study utilizes longitudinal MRI with the FCG model to investigate sex effects in healthy development and after CRT in wildtype and immune-modified Ccl2-knockout mice. Our findings in normally developing mice reveal a relatively prominent chromosome effect prepubertally, compared to sex hormone effects which largely emerge later. Spatially, sex chromosome and hormone influences were independent of one another. After CRT in Ccl2-knockout mice, both male chromosomes and male hormones similarly improved brain outcomes but did so more separately than in combination. Our findings highlight the crucial role of sex chromosomes in early development and identify roles for sex chromosomes and hormones after CRT-induced inflammation, highlighting the influences of biological sex in both normal brain development and pathology.

Population pharmacokinetics and exposure-response analyses of safety (ARIA-E and isolated ARIA-H) of lecanemab in subjects with early Alzheimer's disease.

Lecanemab (Leqembi®) was recently approved by health authorities in the United States, Japan, and China to treat early Alzheimer's disease (AD), including patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild dementia due to Alzheimer's disease upon confirmation of amyloid beta pathology. Extensively and sparsely sampled PK profiles from 1619 AD subjects and 21,929 serum lecanemab observations from two phase I, one phase II, and one phase III studies were well characterized using a two-compartment model with first-order elimination. The final PK model quantified covariate effects of body weight and sex on clearance and central volume of distribution, ADA-positive status, and albumin on clearance, and of Japanese ethnicity on central and peripheral volumes of distribution. Exposure to lecanemab was comparable between two lecanemab-manufacturing processes. However, none of the identified covariates in the model had a clinically relevant impact on model-predicted lecanemab Cmax or AUC at steady state following 10 mg/kg bi-weekly. Importantly, age, a well-recognized risk factor for AD, was not found to significantly affect lecanemab PK. The incidence of ARIA-E as a function of lecanemab exposure was modeled using a logit function with data pooled from 2641 subjects from the phase II and phase III studies, in which a total of 177 incidences of ARIA-E were observed. The probability of ARIA-E was significantly correlated with model-predicted Cmax and predicted to be higher in subjects homozygous for APOE4. The incidence of isolated ARIA-H was not associated with lecanemab exposure and was similar between placebo and lecanemab-treated subjects.

Resting-state neural dynamics changes in older adults with post-COVID syndrome and the modulatory effect of cognitive training and sex.

Post-COVID syndrome manifests with numerous neurological and cognitive symptoms, the precise origins of which are still not fully understood. As females and older adults are more susceptible to developing this condition, our study aimed to investigate how post-COVID syndrome alters intrinsic brain dynamics in older adults and whether biological sex and cognitive training might modulate these effects, with a specific focus on older females. The participants, aged between 60 and 75years, were divided into three experimental groups: healthy old female, post-COVID old female and post-COVID old male. They underwent an adaptive task-switching training protocol. We analysed multiscale entropy and spectral power density of resting-state EEG data collected before and after the training to assess neural signal complexity and oscillatory power, respectively. We found no difference between post-COVID females and males before training, indicating that post-COVID similarly affected both sexes. However, cognitive training was effective only in post-COVID females and not in males, by modulating local neural processing capacity. This improvement was further evidenced by comparing healthy and post-COVID females, wherein the latter group showed increased finer timescale entropy (1-30ms) and higher frequency band power (11-40Hz) before training, but these differences disappeared following cognitive training. Our results suggest that in older adults with post-COVID syndrome, there is a pronounced shift from more global to local neural processing, potentially contributing to accelerated neural aging in this condition. However, cognitive training seems to offer a promising intervention method for modulating these changes in brain dynamics, especially among females.

Sex and Population-Specific 99th Percentiles of Troponin for Myocardial Infarction in the Danish Population (DANSPOT).

Sex- and population-specific 99th percentiles of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) are recommended in guidelines although the evidence for a clinical utility is sparse. The DANSPOT trial will investigate the clinical effect of sex- and population-specific 99th percentiles of cTn. We report the 99th percentiles derived from this trial and their dependency on kidney function. We used samples from healthy Danish blood donors and measured hemoglobin A1c, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide and creatinine, and calculated an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). We compared 2 cutoffs for the eGFR of healthy participants (60 vs 90 mL/min/1.73 m2). The cTn assays investigated were Siemens Atellica and Dimension Vista hs-cTnI, Abbott hs-cTnI, and Roche hs-cTnT. A total of 2287 participants were sampled, of which 71 (3.1%) were excluded due to a history of heart disease (n = 4), insufficient material (n = 7), or a screening biomarker (n = 60). Of the remaining 2216 participants, 1325 (59.8%) had an eGFR ≥90 mL/min/1.73 m2. Compared to a cutoff of 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 for eGFR, using 90 mL/min/1.73 m2 resulted in lower 99th percentiles for females; Siemens Vista (46 vs 70 ng/L), Abbott (14 vs 18 ng/L), and Roche cTnT (10 vs 13 ng/L), and decreased the number of measurements above the manufacturers' 99th percentiles for all assays. We present reference values for 4 cTn assays for eGFR cutoffs of 60 and 90 mL/min/1.73 m2. These cutoffs differ based on the eGFR threshold for inclusion indicating that any chosen cutoff is also valuable with moderately reduced kidney function.

Evaluating cervical spine mobility and Fitt's law compliance: The DidRen laser test adapted for virtual reality with age and sex effects

Cervical spine mobility assessment is crucial in rehabilitation to monitor patient progress. This study introduces the DidRen VR test, a virtual reality (VR) adaptation of the conventional DidRen laser test, aimed at evaluating cervical spine mobility.We conducted a cross-sectional study involving fifty healthy participants that underwent the DidRen VR test. The satisfaction of Fitts' law within this VR adaptation was examined and we analyzed the effects of age and sex on the sensorimotor performance metrics.Our findings confirm that Fitts' law is satisfied, demonstrating a predictable relationship between movement time and the index of difficulty, which suggest that the DidRen VR test can simulate real-world conditions. A clear influence of age and sex on performance was observed, highlighting significant differences in movement efficiency and accuracy across demographics, which may necessitate personalized assessment strategies in clinical rehabilitation practices.The DidRen VR test presents an effective tool for assessing cervical spine mobility, validated by Fitts' law. It offers a viable alternative to real-world method, providing precise control over test conditions and enhanced engagement for participants. Since age and sex significantly affect sensorimotor performance, personalized assessments are essential. Further research is recommended to explore the applicability of the DidRen VR test in clinical settings and among patients with neck pain.

Walking balance control in different settings: Effects of walking speed and biological sex

BackgroundPrevious research has suggested that spatiotemporal step parameters differ between settings; however, it remains unclear how different settings influence walking balance control. Research questionHow do settings and sex influence walking balance control during walking at different speeds for young adults? MethodsForty-two adults (21 male (23 ± 4 years), 21 female (24 ± 5 years)) completed overground walking trials in four settings: laboratory (10 m), hallway, indoor open, and outdoor pathway (all 20 m) at three self-selected speeds (slow, preferred, fast) following verbal instructions. Participants wore 17 inertial sensors (Xsens Awinda, Movella, Henderson, NV) to capture total body kinematics. The number of included strides was matched across all conditions, with six strides included in each condition for all participants. Medial-lateral and anterior-posterior total body angular momentum range over each stride was calculated (HML range and HAP range). Setting × speed × sex mixed factorial analysis of variance with repeated measures on setting and speed were used for statistical analysis (α =.05). ResultsSignificant setting × speed interactions (p <.001) were present for both outcomes. HML range was greater in the laboratory and hallway compared to the indoor open and outdoor pathway settings for slow walking speed only. HAP range was lower in the outdoor pathway compared to all indoor settings at slow and preferred walking speeds. Differences in HAP range between settings was more pronounced at the slow speed condition. Across setting and speed conditions, HML range was greater for males compared to females. SignificanceYoung adults may alter their balance control strategy depending on the setting (laboratory, indoor open and outdoor pathway), particularly at slow speeds. Researchers and clinicians are cautioned not to assume walking in laboratory settings reflects walking in all settings nor that males and females can be examined as a single group.