Gender-specific Patterns Research Articles

Physical Activity Modulates miRNAs Levels and Enhances MYOD Expression in Myoblasts

Stem cells functions are regulated by different factors and non-conding RNAs, such as microRNA. MiRNAsplay an important role in modulating the expression of genes involved in the commitment and differentiation of progenitor cells. MiRNAs are post transcriptional regulators which may be modulated by physical exercise. MiRNAs, by regulating different signaling pathways, play an important role in myogenesis as well as in muscle activity. MiRNAs quantification may be considered for evaluating physical performance or muscle recovery. With the aim to identify specific miRNAs potentially involved in myogenesis and modulated by physical activity, we investigated miRNAs expression following physical performance in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) and in sera of half marathon (HM) runnners. The effect of runners sera on Myogenesis in in vitro cellular models was also explored. Therefore, we performed Microarray Analysis and Real Time PCR assays, as well as in vitro cell cultures analysis to investigate myogenic differentiation. Our data demonstrated gender-specific expression patterns of PBMC miRNAs before physical performance. In particular, miR223-3p, miR26b-5p, miR150-5p and miR15-5p expression was higher, while miR7a-5p and miR7i-5p expression was lower in females compared to males. After HM, miR152-3p, miR143-3p, miR27a-3p levels increased while miR30b-3p decreased in both females and males: circulating miRNAs mirrored these modulations. Furthermore, we also observed that the addition of post-HM participants sera to cell cultures exerted a positive effect in stimulating myogenesis. In conclusion, our data suggest that physical activity induces the modulation of myogenesis-associated miRNAs in bothfemales and males, despite the gender-associated different expression of certain miRNAs, Noteworthy, these findings might be useful for evaluating potential targets for microRNA based-therapies in diseases affecting the myogenic stem cells population.Graphical

Forensic characteristic of 19 X-STRs in Chuanqing, Tujia and Yi groups from Guizhou province and their genetic relationships with other reference populations

X chromosome exhibits gender-specific genetic patterns, which makes genetic markers on the X chromosome show important values in some complex kinship analyses and population genetic analysis. In this study, we investigated genetic distributions of 19 X-STRs in Chuanqing, Tujia and Yi groups from Guizhou province in China. Besides, population genetic relationship analyses among the three studied populations and other reference populations were conducted by multiple methods. We found the 19 X-STRs showed relatively high genetic diversities in Chuanqing, Tujia and Yi groups in Guizhou province. DA genetic distances, phylogenetic tree and principal component analysis indicated relatively close genetic affinities among Chuanqing, Tujia, Yi, Zuiyi Gelao, Guizhou Bouyei, Guizhou Miao and other geographically adjacent populations.

Selected aspects of the lifeworld of young women illustrated by the district of south-eastern Styria

The worldwide trend of migration from the peripheral rural areas (?rural exodus?) to the central areas of a region raises the question of how to deal with it in some regions of Austria. On the one hand, the loss of population always represents a loss of importance for a municipality, whereas on the other hand, a strong influx puts a strain on the central areas and the increased land consumption poses a challenge for the environment and spatial planners. Depending on the region, this can have various causes, whereby specific pull factors of the central areas as well as a set of push factors of the surroundings are relevant. Within the framework of a study lasting several years and using a mix of selected methods, an attempt was made to work out or characterize those aspects of the female rural lifeworld that represent the decisive factors for shaping the further life paths of women. In this context, the economic structure and organization proved to be particularly important factors for successful economic and land use development, sufficient natural resources, and environmental quality for housing and quality of life as well as a potential for a leisure economy, good accessibility, and infrastructure in terms of transport development and information and telecommunication technologies (distance to the higher-level economic centers is a significant obstacle to development). Finally, cultural values, social trends, and human capital with the existing gender-specific role patterns also play a certain role in the consideration of migration.

Examining relationships between chemistry anxiety, chemistry identity, and chemistry career choice in terms of gender: a comparative study using multigroup structural equation modelling

Although there are numerous chemistry-related careers within the STEM fields, chemistry-related careers are not well regarded. High school is a critical time for developing students’ career choices. Previous studies suggest that anxiety and identity may be predictors of career choice. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of high school students’ chemistry anxiety (learning anxiety and test anxiety) and chemistry identity (competence/performance beliefs, interest, external recognition, and holistic impression on identity) on chemistry career choices. Guided by the possibility of different hindrances to chemistry career choice for males and females, the study further detected gender-specific patterns of relations between variables. The results of multigroup structural equation modeling firstly showed that different constructs of chemistry identity were positive and significant predictors of chemistry career choice but varied by gender. Specifically, competence/performance beliefs and holistic impression on identity were significantly associated with females’ chemistry career choices. In contrast, interest, external recognition, and holistic impression on identity motivated males’ chemistry career choices. Secondly, the effects of chemistry learning anxiety and test anxiety on chemistry career choice were completely mediated by chemistry identity, whereas the pathways and strength of mediation differed between females and males.

Мужчины VS женщин: гендерная асимметрия при восприятии возраста ровесников – мужчин и женщин

<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Objective. </strong>To describe the specific ways of age perceptions in men and women of the same age. <strong>Background. </strong>The relevance of the study is grounded in the fundamental nature of age construction due to social perception and the shortage of research on gender-age dimensions of perceived age. <strong>Study design. </strong>Photos of three pairs of the same aged men/women were presented to age evaluations by between comparison and direct evaluation. <strong>Participants. </strong>The "Between comparison" subsample consisted of 155 people (109 women, 46 men aged 17-60 years), the "Direct evaluation" subsample consisted of 60 people (47 women, 13 men aged 17-77 years). <strong>Measurements. </strong>"Photo-video-presentation of appearance" procedure designed by T.A. Vorontsova. <strong>Results. </strong>Gender asymmetry was found in age perception of men and women: young women are perceived to be older than men of the same ages, mature women are perceived younger. We found that the older the woman, more salient is gender asymmetry in age perception. The age construction of men and women of the same age due to social perception is influenced by age and gender of perceived individual: the greater age difference between perceiving individual and perceived social object, the less the difference in the perceived age of men and women of the same age if the perceived objects are highly older than perceiving subjects. Among male perceiving subjects, we found higher proportion of those who evaluate all women (of any ages) older than men; and among women there are higher proportion of those who evaluate any male older than females. Actualization of different mechanisms of social cognition (comparison and evaluation) when constructing the perceived age of unfamiliar men and women gives similar results. <strong>Conclusions. </strong>Gender-specific patterns of the construction of perceived age in the perception of men and women of the same age are found, due to gender stereotypes and related practices of caring for their appearance: mature women look younger than their male peers, equalizing their capabilities and resources with a more youthful appearance; young women look older than their male peers, demonstrating maturity associated with an older perceived age.</p>

Gender differences in antithrombotic treatment in patients with atrial fibrillation from Spain versus the rest of Western Europe. GLORIA-AF Program

Background and objectiveThromboembolic risk is higher in women than men with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Published data indicate variability in antithrombotic use by gender and region. We analyzed gender-specific antithrombotic treatment patterns in Spain and rest of Western Europe (rWE) in patients with NVAF. MethodsGLORIA-AF (Phase III) is a global, prospective, observational study which enrolled newly diagnosed NVAF patients with CHA2DS2-VAScs≥1 (2014–2016). Analyses were performed comparing antithrombotic treatments by gender in Spain and rWE. ResultsThis analysis included 1163 and 7972 patients from Spain and rWE, respectively. Stroke risk was higher in women than men in both Spain and rWE. While in rWE, bleeding risk and antithrombotic treatment pattern were similar between genders, in Spain bleeding risk in women was lower and more females compared to men received OACs (95.0% versus 92.4%, d=−0.1078, respectively). Fewer Spanish patients received direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) (women 32.1%, men 25.3%) than vitamin-K-antagonists (VKAs) (women 63.0%, men 67.1%) vs. rWE patients. In Spain women received more DOACs compared to men (56.0% versus 44.0%). ConclusionsOAC rates were higher in Spain as compared to rWE. More women received OACs in Spain, while in rWE no difference by gender was observed. DOACs in rWE are the most prescribed OAC while in Spain, due to prescription barriers, its use remains low for both genders and VKAs are preferred. Spanish women received more DOACs compared to men. (NCT01468701).

More Parental Guan, More Academic Engagement? Examining the Moderating Roles of Adolescents’ Gender and Reciprocal Filial Piety

In the field of child development, although prior research has extensively documented the association between parenting styles and academic engagement, little is known from the perspective of the culture-specific parenting style in Eastern countries such as China, guan (i.e., intensively rear and strictly discipline). Moreover, individual differences, such as gender-specific patterns and the role of reciprocal filial piety, of this association are less explored. Guided by the socioecological framework, the present study examines the associations of parental guan with academic engagement, and the moderating roles of adolescents’ gender and reciprocal filial piety. A total of 1808 Chinese adolescents (M age = 12.64 years, SD = 1.51; 51.4% girls) completed self-report questionnaires. Results showed that paternal guan and maternal guan were each positively associated with academic engagement. Moderation analyses showed that high reciprocal filial piety significantly enhanced the positive association between paternal guan and academic engagement for boys, but not for girls; however, the association between maternal guan and academic engagement has not been altered by reciprocal filial piety or gender. In conclusion, both paternal and maternal guan significantly contribute to adolescents’ academic engagement, and such an association between paternal guan and academic engagement is differentiated by adolescents’ gender and reciprocal filial piety.

Religious attendance and global cognitive function: A fixed-effects cross-lagged panel modeling study of older U.S. adults

ObjectivesEvidence linking religious attendance to better cognitive function is based on flawed study designs. No population representative longitudinal studies on the topic have taken both unobserved confounding and reverse causation into account. Recently developed fixed-effects cross-lagged panel modeling (FE-CLPM) offers simultaneous traction on these issues. It also allows parsing of long-from short-run effects. Using FE-CLPM and ten-year data from the Health and Retirement Study—a national probability sample of U.S. adults over age 50—this study began to fill the gaps above. MethodsGender-specific FE-CLPM models were used to examine bidirectional and within-person linkages of religious attendance with global cognitive function. Granger-Sims “causality” tests further examined short-run effects in both directions. Impulse response analysis was used to explore time patterns in these linkages. ResultsAt least among women, religious attendance had negative short-term prospective linkages with global cognitive function. Over successive time points, these associations increased in strength among both genders. Feedback effects—of cognitive status on religious attendance—were found in both women's and men's models, but had a gender-specific pattern. DiscussionResults contradict a large literature positing cognitive benefits of religiosity. Instead, they lend support to a recent “neural resource depletion” model—especially among women. Overall, findings illustrate the “dark side” of religious engagement, which studies increasingly present as a social determinant with “outcome wide” positive effects on multiple health dimensions.

Gender differences in the associations between tobacco smoke exposure and depressive symptoms among U.S. adults: NHANES 2007–2018

BackgroundFindings concerning gender differences in the associations between tobacco smoke exposure (TSE) and depression are inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate the gender-specific associations between active and passive TSE with depressive symptoms in a large, nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. MethodsData were from 27,175 adults aged ≥20 years in the 2007–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Multivariable logistic regression was used to adjust for possible confounders. Whether the TSE-depression relationships may differ by age, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, body mass index (BMI), and self-reported health status was examined. ResultsAfter adjustment for lifestyle- and health-related variables, no significant associations between active (OR, 1.16 [95% CI, 0.87–1.55]) and passive TSE (OR, 0.84 [95% CI, 0.59–1.19]) and depressive symptoms were found among men. Among women, active TSE was associated with depressive symptoms (OR, 1.90 [95% CI, 1.51–2.39]), while the association for passive TSE was nonsignificant (OR, 1.11 [95% CI, 0.91–1.34]) after adjusting for lifestyle- and health-related variables. Interaction and subgroup analyses showed that self-reported health status could modify the relationship between passive TSE and depressive symptoms among women. Furthermore, a dose-response relationship between serum cotinine and depressive symptoms was found in women, but not in men. ConclusionsThis study suggests a stronger TSE-depression association in women than in men. Understanding these gender-specific patterns and identifying the potential moderators of such relationships will enable better targeting of public health interventions.

Sex-specific whole-brain network topologic organization in drug naïve Parkinson's disease patients

Compelling evidence suggests that a gender-specific pattern and functioning within the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway may underlie different outcomes in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). We aim to investigate the potential effect of sex on the whole-brain network topologic organization in a cohort of drug-naïve PD patients using resting-state functional MRI and correlations with baseline and longitudinal clinical features.

Behavioral gender differences are reinforced during the COVID-19 crisis

Behavioral gender differences have been found for a wide range of human activities including the way people communicate, move, provision themselves, or organize leisure activities. Using mobile phone data from 1.2 million devices in Austria (15% of the population) across the first phase of the COVID-19 crisis, we quantify gender-specific patterns of communication intensity, mobility, and circadian rhythms. We show the resilience of behavioral patterns with respect to the shock imposed by a strict nation-wide lock-down that Austria experienced in the beginning of the crisis with severe implications on public and private life. We find drastic differences in gender-specific responses during the different phases of the pandemic. After the lock-down gender differences in mobility and communication patterns increased massively, while circadian rhythms tended to synchronize. In particular, women had fewer but longer phone calls than men during the lock-down. Mobility declined massively for both genders, however, women tended to restrict their movement stronger than men. Women showed a stronger tendency to avoid shopping centers and more men frequented recreational areas. After the lock-down, males returned back to normal quicker than women; young age-cohorts return much quicker. Differences are driven by the young and adolescent population. An age stratification highlights the role of retirement on behavioral differences. We find that the length of a day of men and women is reduced by 1 h. We interpret and discuss these findings as signals for underlying social, biological and psychological gender differences when coping with crisis and taking risks.

Gender-specific genital and subjective sexual arousal to prepotent sexual stimuli in androphilic men and gynephilic women

Marked differences have been found in men’s and women’s sexual response patterns, contingent upon their sexual orientation; androphilic (attracted to men) and gynephilic (attracted to women) men demonstrate greatest genital and self-reported arousal to their preferred stimulus type (a “gender-specific” response), whereas androphilic women do not, and findings for gynephilic women have been mixed. While there have been many investigations into gynephilic men’s and androphilic women’s (i.e., heterosexual men/women) sexual response, there has been less investigation into the specificity of sexual response of androphilic men and gynephilic women. Given the complex nature of sexual stimuli that are used in sexual response research, it is often unclear to what extent contextual cues (e.g., cues other than the sexual actor’s primary and secondary sex characteristics, such as physical attractiveness, sexual activity, etc.) influence participants’ sexual response patterns. As such, the current study examined genital, discrete self-reported, and continuous self-reported responses of androphilic men ( n = 22) and gynephilic women ( n = 10) to prepotent sexual features (stimuli thought to elicit automatic sexual arousal: erect penises and exposed vulvas), non-prepotent sexual features (flaccid penises and pubic triangles) and neutral stimuli (clothed men and women). Both samples exhibited a gender-specific pattern of genital, self-reported, and continuous self-reported sexual arousal. Similarly, all measures of sexual arousal were generally found to be greatest to “prepotent” sexual cues. Implications for understanding gender specificity of sexual response are discussed.

Longitudinal stability of urinary extracellular vesicle protein patterns within and between individuals

The protein content of urinary extracellular vesicles (EVs) is considered to be an attractive non-invasive biomarker source. However, little is known about the consistency and variability of urinary EV proteins within and between individuals over a longer time-period. Here, we evaluated the stability of the urinary EV proteomes of 8 healthy individuals at 9 timepoints over 6 months using data-independent-acquisition mass spectrometry. The 1802 identified proteins had a high correlation amongst all samples, with 40% of the proteome detected in every sample and 90% detected in more than 1 individual at all timepoints. Unsupervised analysis of top 10% most variable proteins yielded person-specific profiles. The core EV-protein-interaction network of 516 proteins detected in all measured samples revealed sub-clusters involved in the biological processes of G-protein signaling, cytoskeletal transport, cellular energy metabolism and immunity. Furthermore, gender-specific expression patterns were detected in the urinary EV proteome. Our findings indicate that the urinary EV proteome is stable in longitudinal samples of healthy subjects over a prolonged time-period, further underscoring its potential for reliable non-invasive diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers.

Psychological Distress, Somatic Complaints, and Their Relation to Negative Psychosocial Factors in a Sample of Swedish High School Students.

Background: Adolescence is a period in life characterized by major neurobiological, physiological, and psychological changes. Those changes may give rise to worsened mental health and an increased prevalence of somatic complaints combined with a negative psychosocial environment. Rapid changes in society, which may also affect young people in several ways, call for a renewed screening of today's adolescents' mental and somatic well-being.Aim: The present study's primary aim was to measure the level of self-rated psychological distress and the prevalence of somatic complaints in a sample of Swedish high school students. As a secondary aim, it identifies gender-specific patterns and examines mental and somatic health in relation to negative psychosocial factors (such as parental alcohol use problems or the experience of physical or psychological abuse).Method: Two hundred and eighty-seven Swedish high school students completed a survey including the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) and a questionnaire about the presence of defined somatic complaints. In order to examine the relationship between negative psychosocial factors and mental and somatic health, three groups were formed: those reporting (i) parental substance use problems, (ii) previous experience of abuse, (iii) none of these problems.Results: The majority of the Swedish high-school students (>80%) reported no or only a few problems with psychological distress and no or only one somatic complaint. Female students disclosed a significantly higher psychological distress level captured by each BSI domain. The number of somatic complaints was similarly distributed between the genders. The students rarely reported parental substance use problems, but almost 40% of the male and 50% of the female students indicated the experience of physical and/or psychological abuse. Such negative psychosocial circumstances were related to an increased level of anxiety in the male and an increased general level of psychological distress in female students.Conclusions: The study confirmed female students' higher psychological distress level. Gender differences in the type of somatic complaints, but not in the number were detected. The experience of physical and/or psychological abuse was found to significantly worsen psychological distress in students of both genders.

RNA-seq profiling of the atrial transcriptome reveals gender-specific patterns and interactions with atrial fibrillation and heart failure

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – EU funding. Main funding source(s): TRAIN-HEART Innovative Training Network, funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 813716) Characterizing Atrial fibrillation by Translating its Causes into Health Modifiers in the Elderly (CATCH ME), funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (under the grant agreement no. 633196) Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and is associated with heart failure (HF) and stroke. Clinical and experimental data from previous studies suggest gender differences in mechanisms and phenotypes of AF: women may have more atrial fibrosis, worse outcomes after catheter ablation, and some women carry a higher risk for thromboembolic complications than men. The molecular mechanisms underlying these differences are still poorly understood. Methods Gender-based transcriptional patterns were assessed using paired-end, directional RNA sequencing data generated from atrial tissue biopsies in 199 patients either in sinus rhythm or with paroxysmal or persistent AF as part of the CATCH-ME project. Transcript counts were compared between genders separately in the left and right atria using the DESeq2 package in R. The models were adjusted for potential sources of confounding (age, atrial fibrillation status, heart failure status and sequencing batch). Interaction models were implemented using DESeq2 to compare gender*morbidity interactions for persistent AF and HF. Significance was assessed using likelihood ratio tests comparing models with and without the interaction terms. Results with an adjusted P-value 0.05 were considered significant and utilized for subsequent downstream assessments. Differentially expressed (DE) genes were tested for enrichment of gene ontology (GO) terms and KEGG pathways using the WebGestalt toolkit. Results Transcriptome-wide profiling across the cohort identified 33 sex-differentiated genes in the left atria and 51 in the right atrial samples, with 21 of these showing bilateral differences. Interestingly, 36 (44%) of the results from these analyses were comprised of non-coding transcripts, including long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), antisense RNAs and pseudogenes. GO and pathway enrichment analyses for these genes revealed their involvement in critical pathways such as the complement and coagulation cascades and RNA transport. Interaction analyses between gender and AF identified two genes (MPP2 & GNAS-AS1) that were differentially transcribed in the right atria and one gene (MYL2) that was DE in the left atria by gender in persistent AF samples. A similar analysis comparing gender*HF morbidity also revealed evidence of DE. Four transcripts (HLA-DQB1-AS1, EIF1AY, UTY and ZFY-AS1) showed gender-specific differences in expression by HF status in left atria, while HLA-DQB1-AS1 was differentially regulated by gender and HF status in right atrial samples. Conclusions These RNA-seq analyses provide novel insights into gender-related differences in the transcriptional landscape of right and left adult human atrial appendages. Moreover, interaction analyses identified three genes DE in female atria in persistent AF and four DE genes in female atria in heart failure, providing a molecular anchor for the observed differences in atrial diseases phenotypes between men and women.

Gender-specific Morphological Growth Patterns of the Estuarine Mud Crab Scylla olivacea in North-eastern Sundarbans, Bangladesh

The economic expansion of estuarine mud crab Scylla olivacea necessitated for the inclusive research on its biological characteristics, especially morphological features. This study explored the gender- specific growth pattern and condition factors of S. olivacea from the coastal waters of Sundarbans, Bangladesh. A total of 360 S. olivacea were collected using a nonmechanized trap from the landing center of Rampal Upazila at Bagerhat District in Bangladesh, and their body weight (BW), carapace width (CW), carapace length (CL), abdominal length (AL), and propodus length (PL) were measured. The male-to-female ratio was 1:0.87, and females (BW: 107.02 ± 24.99 g, CW: 7.98 ± 0.74 cm) were significantly heavier than males (BW: 98.03 ± 24.00 g, CW: 7.48 ± 1.02 cm). The inter-relationship of CW with BW, CL, AL, and PL was significant. Body weight showed a negative allometric growth pattern with CW (b < 3) for both sexes. Carapace length showed a positive allometric growth pattern with CW (b > 3) in male crabs but an isometric growth pattern (b = 3) in female crabs. The calculated mean condition factors (Fulton’s condition factors, allometric condition factors, and relative condition factors), for male and female crabs were higher than or close to one, indicating crabs were in a healthy state and the average relative weight was 100 g and above for both male and female samples were in healthy physiological condition in the study area. This study provides knowledge on the current condition and distinguishing morphometric features of local S. olivacea which will assist fisheries resource managers and conservation biologists for the better management of this commercially important crab species in Bangladesh waters.

How Adolescents Cope with Bullying at School: Exploring Differences Between Pure Victim and Bully-Victim Roles

The aim of the present study was to investigate the use of specific coping strategies by bullied adolescents, taking account of the distinction between pure victims and bully-victims, as well as gender-specific patterns. Participants were 967 adolescents aged 11–16 years, who responded to self-report questionnaires on school bullying victimization, cognitive coping, and situational coping. Adolescents in the pure victim, bully-victim, and noninvolved groups did not differ in their use of approach coping. However, pure victims and bully-victims used more avoidance coping than noninvolved adolescents. Compared with the latter, pure victims reported greater use of avoidance coping strategies such as internalizing and self-blame, while female pure victims also reported greater use of rumination. Both male and female bully-victims were characterized by higher use of blaming others and self-blame strategies, compared with the noninvolved group. In addition, rumination, catastrophizing, cognitive distancing, and externalizing scores were higher for male bully-victims than for either noninvolved participants or pure bullies. Identifying these differing coping strategies may be useful in developing more effective counselling strategies for the victims of bullying.

Behaviours and attitudes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: insights from a cross-national Facebook survey

BackgroundIn the absence of medical treatment and vaccination, individual behaviours are key to curbing the spread of COVID-19. Here we describe efforts to collect attitudinal and behavioural data and disseminate insights to increase situational awareness and inform interventions.MethodsWe developed a rapid data collection and monitoring system based on a cross-national online survey, the “COVID-19 Health Behavior Survey”. Respondent recruitment occurred via targeted Facebook advertisements in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. We investigated how the threat perceptions of COVID-19, the confidence in the preparedness of organisations to deal with the pandemic, and the adoption of preventive and social distancing behaviours are associated with respondents’ demographic characteristics.ResultsWe analysed 71,612 questionnaires collected between March 13-April 19, 2020. We found substantial spatio-temporal heterogeneity across countries at different stages of the pandemic and with different control strategies in place. Respondents rapidly adopted the use of face masks when they were not yet mandatory. We observed a clear pattern in threat perceptions, sharply increasing from a personal level to national and global levels. Although personal threat perceptions were comparatively low, all respondents significantly increased hand hygiene. We found gender-specific patterns: women showed higher threat perceptions, lower confidence in the healthcare system, and were more likely to adopt preventive behaviours. Finally, we also found that older people perceived higher threat to themselves, while all respondents were strongly concerned about their family.ConclusionsRapid population surveys conducted via Facebook allow us to monitor behavioural changes, adoption of protective measures, and compliance with recommended practices. As the pandemic progresses and new waves of infections are a threatening reality, timely insights from behavioural and attitudinal data are crucial to guide the decision-making process.

Gender-specific patterns and determinants of spillover between work and family: The role of partner support in dual-earner couples

Objective: The study investigates how partner support affects different types of work-to-family and family-to-work conflicts in dual-earner couples divided by gender and parenthood.&#x0D; Background: In Germany, as in other Western Countries, interrole conflicts between work and family increase, especially within dual-earner couples. Only few studies focused on the effects of partner support on different types of these conflicts.&#x0D; Method: We use longitudinal data deriving from waves 6 to 10 of the German Family Panel (pairfam) to uncover the extent to which the perception of having a supportive partner reduces time- and strain-based work-to-family and family-to-work conflicts. We conduct longitudinal structural equation models based on information of 1,252 persons, which are full-time employed and live in a dual-earner relationship.&#x0D; Results: Whereas for men partner support helps reduce stress-based work-to-family conflicts, for women perceived partner support is not beneficial. Within a subsample of parents, the experience of work-to-family conflicts is likely irrespective of partner support. Overall, women’s family-to-work conflicts appear to be reduced by their partners’ support whereas for men this detrimental effect only applies in the case of stress-based family-to-work conflicts.&#x0D; Conclusion: To sum up the findings, the differences for men and women in the effect of partner support on different types of interrole conflicts indicate a still existing impact of traditional gender norms that connect femininity to house work and masculinity to employed work.

Prenatal lead exposure and cord blood DNA methylation in the Korean Exposome Study

BackgroundPrenatal lead exposure has been reported to affect infant growth and nervous system development, as well as to influence DNA methylation. We conducted an epigenome-wide association study to identify associations between prenatal lead exposure and cord blood DNA methylation in Korean infants. MethodsCord blood samples were assayed with the Illumina HumanMethylationEPIC BeadChip kits, and maternal blood lead levels during early and late pregnancy, as well as cord blood lead level, were measured. The association between CpG methylation and lead level was analyzed using the limma package, with adjusting for infant sex, maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index, and estimated leukocyte composition. ResultsAmong 364 blood samples (182 males and 182 females), those for which maternal and cord blood lead concentrations during early and later pregnancy was known were used for analysis. Maternal lead concentration in blood during early pregnancy was significantly associated with the methylation status of specific positions. After data stratification by infant sex, we found that, in males, the level of maternal blood lead was associated with 18 CpG sites during early pregnancy, and with one CpG site near the NBAS gene, during late pregnancy. In female samples, there was no significant association between DNA methylation and lead concentrations. ConclusionsPrenatal lead exposure was associated with altered, gender-specific patterns of DNA methylation in Korean infants.