Gender-specific Way Research Articles

CONSCIENTIOUSNESS MODERATES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INTERLEUKIN-6 AND MEMORY DECLINE

Abstract Evidence supports the role of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 in accelerating cognitive decline and increasing ADRD risk. Personality may influence this relationship in a pathoplastic way, by protecting against or exacerbating the cognitive consequences of inflammation. Conscientious (i.e., controlled, planful, organized) people are characterized by healthier behaviors, which may play a protective role. Among 182 older adults (Mage=74 years, 41% female), Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) performance was measured annually for up to 16.6 years (M=6.5 years). Total learning and delayed recall were regressed on expected performance (norms based on age, gender, and IQ), time, IL-6, conscientiousness, and their interactions with each other and with gender. There was a significant interaction among time, IL-6, and conscientiousness (F(1,167.51)=5.36, p=.021) such that people with high conscientiousness and low IL-6 maintained total learning and thus increased their performance relative to norms over time; people with low conscientiousness and/or high IL-6 maintained performance relative to norms. The same interaction was observed for delayed recall (F(1,165.22)=5.20, p=.024). The recall effect decreased after adjusting for learning, but in a gender-specific way (interaction with gender, F(1,164.74)=4.97, p=.027). Adjusting for total learning eliminated the interaction for men but not for women. Rather than a pathoplastic relationship, IL-6 and conscientiousness had a synergistic effect on memory decline over time. Neither low IL-6 nor high conscientiousness alone were sufficient to preserve memory. The healthy habits of conscientious older people may need an advantageous physical environment in order to affect memory and possibly other cognitive functions.

Do subtle cultural differences sculpt face pareidolia?

Face tuning to non-face images such as shadows or grilled toasts is termed face pareidolia. Face-pareidolia images represent a valuable tool for investigation of social cognition in mental disorders. Here we examined (i) whether, and, if so, how face pareidolia is affected by subtle cultural differences; and (ii) whether this impact is modulated by gender. With this purpose in mind, females and males from Northern Italy were administered a set of Face-n-Thing images, photographs of objects such as houses or waves to a varying degree resembling a face. Participants were presented with pareidolia images with canonical upright orientation and display inversion that heavily affects face pareidolia. In a two-alternative forced-choice paradigm, beholders had to indicate whether each image resembled a face. The outcome was compared with the findings obtained in the Southwest of Germany. With upright orientation, neither cultural background nor gender affected face pareidolia. As expected, display inversion generally mired face pareidolia. Yet, while display inversion led to a drastic reduction of face impression in German males as compared to females, in Italians, no gender differences were found. In a nutshell, subtle cultural differences do not sculpt face pareidolia, but instead affect face impression in a gender-specific way under unusual viewing conditions. Clarification of the origins of these effects requires tailored brain imaging work. Implications for transcultural psychiatry, in particular, for schizophrenia research, are highlighted and discussed.

Evaluation of the Rho-kinase gene expression and polymorphisms in adult patients with acute appendicitis: a differential impact of gender.

Acute appendicitis represents one of the most common causes of acute intra-abdominal emergencies worldwide. In this case-control study, we aimed to investigate associations of Rho-kinase gene expression and polymorphisms with acute appendicitis in a Turkish population. We also aimed to study the effects of gender on these parameters. A total of 93 unrelated patients with acute appendicitis and 93 healthy controls in the Department of Emergency Medicine, Erciyes University, between June 2019 and June 2021 were included in this study. Genomic DNA was isolated from peripheral leukocytes, and the LightCycler 480 II real-time polymerase chain reaction was utilized to detect Rho-kinase1 gene rs35996865 and Rho-kinase2 gene rs2230774 (Thr431Asn) polymorphisms. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was applied to determine Rho-kinase1 and Rho-kinase2 gene expressions. There was a marked increase in Rho-kinase1, but not in Rho-kinase2, mRNA expression, and this increase was evident only in male patients (p=0.0008). No significant differences were found in allele and genotype frequencies for Rho-kinase1 gene rs35996865 and Rho-kinase2 gene rs2230774 polymorphisms between the patients with acute appendicitis and the control group. Our data imply that Rho-kinase1 (rs35996865) and Rho-kinase2 (rs2230774) gene variants are not risk factors for the development of acute appendicitis in the Turkish population. However, increased mRNA expression of the Rho-kinase1 gene in males indicated that Rho-kinase1 is involved in the pathogenesis of acute appendicitis in a gender-specific way.

Ties between reading faces, bodies, eyes, and autistic traits.

While reading covered with masks faces during the COVID-19 pandemic, for efficient social interaction, we need to combine information from different sources such as the eyes (without faces hidden by masks) and bodies. This may be challenging for individuals with neuropsychiatric conditions, in particular, autism spectrum disorders. Here we examined whether reading of dynamic faces, bodies, and eyes are tied in a gender-specific way, and how these capabilities are related to autistic traits expression. Females and males accomplished a task with point-light faces along with a task with point-light body locomotion portraying different emotional expressions. They had to infer emotional content of displays. In addition, participants were administered the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test, modified and Autism Spectrum Quotient questionnaire. The findings show that only in females, inferring emotions from dynamic bodies and faces are firmly linked, whereas in males, reading in the eyes is knotted with face reading. Strikingly, in neurotypical males only, accuracy of face, body, and eyes reading was negatively tied with autistic traits. The outcome points to gender-specific modes in social cognition: females rely upon merely dynamic cues while reading faces and bodies, whereas males most likely trust configural information. The findings are of value for examination of face and body language reading in neuropsychiatric conditions, in particular, autism, most of which are gender/sex-specific. This work suggests that if male individuals with autistic traits experience difficulties in reading covered with masks faces, these deficits may be unlikely compensated by reading (even dynamic) bodies and faces. By contrast, in females, reading covered faces as well as reading language of dynamic bodies and faces are not compulsorily connected to autistic traits preventing them from paying high costs for maladaptive social interaction.

Pilot study to investigate the effect of long-term exposure to high pCO2 on adult cod (Gadus morhua) otolith morphology and calcium carbonate deposition

To date the study of ocean acidification on fish otolith formation has been mainly focused on larval and juvenile stages. In the present pilot study, wild-captured adult Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) were exposed to two different levels of pCO2, 422µatm (ambient, low pCO2) or 1091µatm (high pCO2), for a period of 30 weeks (from mid-October to early April 2014–2015) in order to study the effects on otolith size, shape and CaCO3 crystallization amongst other biological parameters. We found that otoliths from cod exposed to high pCO2 were slightly smaller (− 3.4% in length; − 3.3% in perimeter), rounder (− 2.9% circularity and + 4% roundness) but heavier (+ 5%) than the low pCO2 group. Interestingly, there were different effects in males and females; for instance, male cods exposed to high pCO2 exhibited significant changes in circularity (− 3%) and roundness (+ 4%) compared to the low pCO2 males, but without significant changes on otolith dimensions, while females exposed to high pCO2 had smaller otoliths as shown for length (− 5.6%), width (− 2%), perimeter (− 3.5%) and area (− 4.8%). Furthermore, while the majority of the otoliths analysed showed normal aragonite deposition, 10% of fish exposed to 1091µatm of pCO2 had an abnormal accretion of calcite, suggesting a shift on calcium carbonate polymorph crystallization in some individuals under high pCO2 conditions. Our preliminary results indicate that high levels of pCO2 in adult Atlantic cod might affect otolith growth in a gender-specific way. Our findings reveal that otoliths from adult cod are affected by ocean acidification, and we believe that the present study will prompt further research into this currently under-explored area.

Just a Reflection: Does Drug Repurposing Perpetuate Sex-Gender Bias in the Safety Profile?

Vaccines constitute a strategy to reduce the burden of COVID-19, but the treatment of COVID-19 is still a challenge. The lack of approved drugs for severe COVID-19 makes repurposing or repositioning of approved drugs a relevant approach because it occurs at lower costs and in a shorter time. Most preclinical and clinical tests, including safety and pharmacokinetic profiles, were already performed. However, infective and inflammatory diseases such as COVID-19 are linked with hypoalbuminemia and downregulation of both phase I and phase II drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters, which can occur in modifications of pharmacokinetics and consequentially of safety profiles. This appears to occur in a sex- and gender-specific way because of the sex and gender differences present in the immune system and inflammation, which, in turn, reflect on pharmacokinetic parameters. Therefore, to make better decisions about drug dosage regimens and to increases the safety profile in patients suffering from infective and inflammatory diseases such as COVID-19, it is urgently needed to study repurposing or repositioning drugs in men and in women paying attention to pharmacokinetics, especially for those drugs that are previously scarcely evaluated in women.

Castration anxiety, COVID-19 and the extremist right

In this article, I draw on Theodor W. Adorno’s psychoanalytically inspired works on (neo-)fascism and psychoanalytic theory to outline the threat of castration in contemporary capitalist societies on economic, interpersonal and bodily levels. I then explain how the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened people’s castration anxieties on all three levels in a class- and gender-specific way. Finally, I expose how the right extremist president of the United States, Donald Trump, and the right extremist leader of the Austrian Freedom Party, Norbert Hofer, utilised castration anxieties in their psychologically oriented tricks to strengthen their base and capture new followers.

Gendered career expectations in context: the relevance of normative and comparative reference groups

Although women are increasingly entering male-dominated careers, they remain strongly underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) occupations. While previous explanations emphasize the importance of individual preferences or family socialization, less is known about how the school context contributes to these differences. This study aimed to examine the role of the classroom context as a frame of reference for students’ career expectations, focusing on comparative and normative reference group effects. Building on gender socialization theory and rational choice models, I investigate whether these contextual effects affect students’ occupational expectations in a gender-specific way. Drawing on a large representative sample of secondary school students in Germany, I find that the gender gap in students’ occupational expectations is larger in classrooms characterized by a high mathematical confidence and high aspirations toward STEM. In classrooms with a pronounced STEM-related classroom climate, female students less frequently expect to work in a STEM career, while for male students the same classroom climate is associated with higher expectations toward STEM. More generally, this study demonstrates that research on the explanation of gender differences in career expectations profits from incorporating social context effects within schools and classrooms.

Gender Determines Linguistic Features of One’s Speech: Hedging and Interruptions in Male/Female Dialogues in One-Act Plays by male and female playwrights

This study is based on certain gender-specific linguistic features which several researchers like Lakoff, Holmes, Coats, and West & Zimmerman have pointed out in their studies. As writers belong to one or the other gender, they must be influenced by their own gender-specific way of speaking, that must, in turn, influence the kind of language they choose for their characters in an interaction. To support our hypothesis, we selected three one-act plays each by a male and a female writer. The research analysed the dialogues of the characters. The study established that the male playwright could present a realistic portrayal of his male characters but was not able to present his female characters’ speech realistically. Similarly, the female writer could portray her female characters to speak like women in real life but was not able to portray her male characters to speak like men in real life.

Female Health Practitioners Disciplined for Sexual Misconduct

Within a broader study of Australian tribunal determinations concerning sexual misconduct by the five major health professions (2010–17) it became apparent that a sizable minority of disciplinary cases were brought against female practitioners for engaging in sexual relationships with patients. This article examines cases involving female doctors, psychologists, and nurses to explore their distinctly gendered aspects. There were differences apparent between cases involving female and male practitioners, in terms of vulnerability of patients and degree of exploitation, which go some way to explaining an overall trend of less severe outcomes for female respondents in cases at the tribunal level. However, there were also issues that were entirely distinct in the female cases, being the occurrence of: incarcerated patients; patient suicide; and same-sex relationships. I suggest that the first two of these issues would generally be regarded as severely aggravating (but were not always assessed as such), while the complexity of the third in terms of the broader social context may not have been well understood. The distinctive features of female cases suggest that there may need to be a rethinking in order to target ethical guidance and training on sexual misconduct in a gender-specific way.

Is Loneliness Adaptive? A Dynamic Panel Model Study of Older U.S. Adults.

Recent evolutionary psychological theory proposes that loneliness is an adaptive mechanism, designed to trigger maintenance and repair of social ties. No population representative analyses have probed loneliness effects on sociality. The present study addressed this gap. Data were from the 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018 waves of the Health and Retirement Study, nationally representative of U.S. adults over age 50. Recently developed cross-lagged models with fixed effects were used to test prospective within-person associations of loneliness with specific dimensions of sociality, taking into account reverse causality as well as all time-invariant confounders with stable effects. Both gender-combined and -specific analyses were conducted. Loneliness did not consistently predict overall sociality: sparse linkages were found only among women. The same null pattern held with family ties. Non-family ties, in contrast, were associated with prior loneliness, but in a gender-specific way. Loneliness positively predicted women's social interactions with friends, but seemed linked to withdrawal from these relationships among men. There were indications that lonely men instead used religious attendance as a social outlet. Loneliness seems to induce domain- and gender-specific sociality responses. Findings suggest implications for evolutionary models of sociality as well as for psychosocial and physical health. Pending replication in independent samples, inferences remain tentative.

Halbstarkeand Rowdys: Consumerism, Youth Rebellion, and Gender in the Postwar Cinema of the Two Germanys

ABSTRACTIn the second half of the 1950s, American films about “delinquent youth” took West Germany by storm. Although these films were not screened in East Germany, the still open border between the FRG and GDR allowed young people in both states to see these films. Many adopted American clothing styles and music in both Germanys. Two films, the West German productionDie Halbstarken(1956) and the East German productionBerlin–Ecke Schönhauser(1957) addressed “delinquent youth” in the German context and became quite popular. The article compares the competing images of femininity in both films, which linked the problem of “delinquent youth” to consumerism, pop culture, and “weak parents,” but portrayed young women very differently. While consumerism in the West German film was in a gender-specific way linked to femininity, the East German film linked consumerism to a class society and displaced it to the West. Contemporary film reviews and press treatment of main actresses reflected these differing attitudes toward gender and consumption.

Six-minute walk distance equation in children and adolescents with obesity.

To develop a 6-minute walk-distance (6MWD) reference equation for children and adolescents with obesity, and to assess its determinant factors. A cross-sectional study using mixed linear and multiple regression models was conducted in 497 children (235 girls and 262 boys) aged 6-18years with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 97th percentile. Anthropometrics and a 6-minute walk test (6MWT) were performed. Mean 6MWD was 547±86m for girls and 575±96m for boys, which averaged ~80% of a reference normal-weight population matched for age and ethnicity. Age, weight and BMI were positively correlated with 6MWD whereas waist and hip circumferences (WC and HC, respectively) were negatively correlated with 6MWD for both genders. The combination of age, height, BMI and HC explained 69% of the 6MWD variability in the equation for the whole population. Moreover, the combination of age, height, HC as well as the combination of age, height, BMI and WC explained 67% and 75% of the variability in the girls' and boys' equations, respectively. This 6MWD reference equation, which was influenced by abdominal obesity markers in a gender-specific way, extends and enhances scientific knowledge and provides useful predictive tools for the care of obese children.

Prenatal two-hit stress affects maternal and offspring pregnancy outcomes and uterine gene expression in rats: match or mismatch?

Maternal stress and inflammation excesses can lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes and offspring development. We evaluated whether distinct prenatal stressors affect pregnancy, maternal and offspring outcomes, and uterine gene expression differently when combined than either alone. Long-Evans dams were exposed to psychological or/and (two-hit) immune stress (interleukin-1 beta [IL-1β]), on gestational days 12-18 and 17-delivery, respectively. Gestational length, maternal weight gain, glycaemia and corticosterone levels, offspring weight, and gender effects were recorded. Maternal and offspring uteri were collected at weaning and on postnatal day 160 correspondingly. Uterine expression of genes involved in local progesterone metabolism, neuroendocrine and immune systems were analyzed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Maternal two-hit stress increased gestational length variation and the occurrence of adverse pregnancy outcomes while reducing gestational weight gain. Pup weight was negatively affected by prenatal stressors in a gender-specific way. In dams, IL-1β upregulated gene expression of neuroendocrine (Crh, Crhr1) and cytokine genes (Il1b, Il1rn, Il6, and Il10). Conversely, transcriptional patterns in offspring uteri were more variable with gene-specific up- or downregulation by each stressor separately, while exposure to both extensively reduced the expression of neuroendocrine (Hsd11b1), cytokine (Il1a, Il1rn, Il6), and IL-1 receptor genes. In conclusion, maternal stress affects physiological and molecular processes in dams and their offspring; two hits have different effects than single stressors. Outcomes appear generation-, gender-, and stressor-specific. Dampening of offspring uterine gene expression after exposure to multiple stressors could fit within the match/mismatch hypothesis of perinatal programming, with offspring preparing for a stressful life.

Impact of chronic and low cadmium exposure of rats: sex specific disruption of glucose metabolism

BackgroundSeveral epidemiological and animal studies suggest a positive association between cadmium (Cd) exposure and incidence of type 2 diabetes, but the association remains controversial. Besides, the experimental data have mainly been obtained with relatively high levels of Cd, over various periods of time, and with artificial routes of administration. ObjectivesDo environmental exposures to Cd induce significant disruption of glucose metabolism? MethodsAdults Wistar rats were exposed for three months to 0, 5, 50 or 500 μg.kg−1.d−1 of CdCl2 in drinking water. Relevant parameters of glucose homeostasis were measured. ResultsCd accumulated in plasma, kidney and liver of rats exposed to 50 and 500 μg.kg−1.d−1, without inducing signs of organ failure. In rats drinking 5 μg.kg−1.d−1 for 3 months, Cd exposure did not lead to any significant increase of Cd in these organs. At 50 and 500 μg.kg−1.d−1 of Cd, glucose and insulin tolerance were unchanged in both sexes. However, females exhibited a significant increase of both fasting and glucose-stimulated plasma insulin that was assigned to impaired hepatic insulin extraction as indicated by unaltered fasting C-peptide plasma levels. ConclusionsGlucose homeostasis is sensitive to chronic Cd exposure in a gender-specific way. Moreover, this study proves that an environmental pollutant such as Cd can have, at low concentrations, an impact on the glucose homeostatic system and it highlights the importance of a closer scrutiny of the underlying environmental causes to understand the increased incidence of type 2 diabetes.

Emotional labour: a case of gender-specific exploitation

In this paper, I argue that women are exploited in a gender-specific way. Women’s exploitation is gender-specific (i) if they are exploited in virtue of their social position within hierarchical gender relations and (ii) if the object of exploitation, the good that is transferred, is in a specific way linked to gender and as a result not adequately valued. This form of exploitation is unjustifiably overlooked by dominant accounts of exploitation. My argument proceeds in two steps. First, I will challenge dominant accounts for failing to accommodate gender-specific exploitation. Second, I will develop a positive account of gender-specific exploitation and use the case of emotional labour to illustrate this form of exploitation. A gender-specific account of exploitation will provide a new instrument to analyse how hierarchical gender relations are sustained and reproduced.

C-Tactile Mediated Erotic Touch Perception Relates to Sexual Desire and Performance in a Gender-Specific Way

BackgroundUnmyelinated low-threshold mechanoreceptors—the so-called C-tactile (CT) afferents—play a crucial role in the perception and conduction of caressing and pleasant touch sensations and significantly contribute to the concept of erotic touch perception. AimTo investigate the relations between sexual desire and sexual performance and the perception of touch mediated by CT afferents. MethodsSeventy healthy participants (28 men, 42 women; mean age ± SD = 24.84 ± 4.08 years, range = 18–36 years) underwent standardized and highly controlled stroking stimulation that varied in the amount of CT fiber stimulation by changing stroking velocity (CT optimal = 1, 3 and 10 cm/s; CT suboptimal = 0.1, 0.3, and 30 cm/s). Participants rated the perceived pleasantness, eroticism, and intensity of the applied tactile stimulation on a visual analog scale, completed the Sexual Desire Inventory, and answered questions about sexual performance. OutcomesRatings of perceived eroticism of touch were related to self-report levels of sexual desire and sexual performance. ResultsPleasantness and eroticism ratings showed similar dependence on stroking velocity that aligned with the activity of CT afferents. Erotic touch perception was related to sexual desire and sexual performance in a gender-specific way. In women, differences in eroticism ratings between CT optimal and suboptimal velocities correlated positively with desire for sexual interaction. In contrast, in men, this difference correlated to a decreased frequency and longer duration of partnered sexual activities. Clinical ImplicationsThe present results lay the foundation for future research assessing these relations in patients with specific impairments of sexual functioning (eg, hypoactive sexual desire disorder). Strengths and LimitationsThe strength of the study is the combination of standardized neurophysiologic methods and behavioral data. A clear limitation of the study design is the exclusion of exact data on the female menstrual cycle and the recruitment of an inhomogeneous sample concerning sexual orientation. ConclusionThe present results provide further evidence that unmyelinated CT afferents play a role in the complex mechanism of erotic touch perception. The ability to differentiate between CT optimal and suboptimal stimuli relates to sexual desire and performance in a gender-specific way.Bendas J, Georgiadis JR, Ritschel G. C-Tactile Mediated Erotic Touch Perception Relates to Sexual Desire and Performance in a Gender-Specific Way. J Sex Med 2017;14:645–653.

The Putative Chemosignal Androstadienone Makes Women More Generous.

Putative human chemosignals have been shown to influence mood states and emotional processing, but the connection between these effects and higher-order cognitive processing is not well established. This study utilized an economic game (Dictator Game) to test whether androstadienone (AND), an odorous compound derived from testosterone, impacts on altruistic behavior. We predicted that the female participants would act more generously in the AND condition, exhibiting a significant interaction effect between gender and AND on Dictator Game contributions. We also expected that the presence of AND should increase the positive mood of the female participants, compared to a control odor condition and also compared to the mood of the male participants. The results confirm our hypotheses: for women the subliminal perception of AND led to larger monetary donations, compared to a control odor, and also increased positive mood. These effects were absent or significantly weaker in men. Our findings highlight the capacity of human putative chemosignals to influence emotions and higher cognitive processes - in particular the processes used in the context of economic decisions - in a gender-specific way.

Lead exposure reduces carotenoid-based coloration and constitutive immunity in wild mallards.

The ingestion of spent lead (Pb) from ammunition is a known cause of mortality in waterfowl, but little is known about sublethal effects produced by Pb poisoning on birds, especially in wild populations. The authors studied potential sublethal effects associated with Pb exposure in mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) from the Ebro delta (northeastern Spain) after a ban on Pb ammunition. They analyzed the relationships between blood Pb levels and oxidative stress, immune response, and carotenoid-based coloration, which are known to be influenced by oxidative stress. Levels of Pb were reduced by half from 6 yr to 9 yr after the ban. Lipid peroxidation was positively related to Pb levels in females. The δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase activity was suppressed by Pb exposure and negatively associated with the activity of antioxidant enzymes. Carotenoid levels were positively associated with blood Pb concentration in both sexes, and males with higher Pb levels presented a less intense coloration in legs and beak. Levels of Pb were positively related to hemolytic activity of circulating immune system components and negatively related to lysozyme levels. In summary, Pb exposure was associated in a gender-specific way with increased oxidative stress, consequences on color expression, and impaired constitutive immunity. In females, antioxidants seemed to be allocated mostly in reproduction rather than in self-maintenance, whereas males seemed to better maintain oxidative balance to the detriment of coloration. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:1516-1525. © 2015 SETAC.

Male and female scientists differ in their suitability assessments of food-securing upgrading strategies

Enhancing food security is a main goal of subsistence farmers in sub-Saharan Africa because these farmers are highly vulnerable to food insecurity. Participatory research can help stabilise and enhance food security through the development and implementation of upgrading strategies (UPS). Prior to dissemination, implementation, and upscaling to other areas, such practices require ex-ante assessment of their suitability in target regions. These assessments need to be done by both the local stakeholders and scientists in a gender-specific way. This article reports the differences between 32 Tanzanian and German female and male scientists in their perception and assessment of the suitability of 13 UPS. The authors found many gender specific differences depending on type of upgrading strategy, suitability criteria, and regional agro-climate. It is emphasised that differentiating between female and male perceptions and assessments in selecting and developing food-securing UPS is an important precondition for sustainable UPS implementation.