Male Gender Bias Research Articles

Current evidence on gender-related risk factors for type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes and prediabetes: a reappraisal of the Italian study group on gender difference in endocrine diseases.

Diabetes is a chronic disease with a significant socio-economic burden. Recognizing its risk factors and gender differences within its physio-pathological mechanisms may allow early diagnosis. This review aims to summarize the current evidence on gender differences in terms of prevalence, risk factors and pathogenesis for Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) and prediabetes. A comprehensive search of English-language articles was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library until July 2024. We selected all studies that assessed gender differences on risk factors for diabetes and prediabetes. T1D is an autoimmune disease, with a multifactorial pathogenesis. Contrary to most autoimmune diseases, it has a male gender bias, with a male predominance incidence after puberty, for which the involvement of hormones has been hypothesized in addition to genetic predisposition. In T2D, the accumulation of visceral adipose tissue is recognized as the main predisposing factor for insulin resistance and consequent β-cells loss and dysfunction. Sex hormones influence fat disposition resulting in different body composition between males and females and different metabolic impact. Gender differences in dietary patterns and socio-cultural determinants also influence the risk of T2D. Also, a gender-related risk factor has been detected in prediabetes; indeed, females are at greater risk of impaired glucose tolerance than males. Evidence shows the existence of gender differences in risk factors for T1D, T2D and prediabetes. This suggests that gender should be considered in prevention and screening programs, with the goal of reducing incidence or making an early diagnosis.

Assessment of Gender Differences in Letters of Recommendation for Physical Therapy Residency Applications.

Letters of recommendation (LOR) are an integral component of physical therapy residency applications. Identifying the influence of applicant and writer gender in LOR will help identify whether potential implicit gender bias exists in physical therapy residency application processes. Several medical and surgical residency education programs have reported positive, neutral, or negative LOR female gender bias among applicants and writers. Little research exists on gender differences in LOR to physical therapy education programs or physical therapy residency programs. Seven hundred sixty-eight LOR were analyzed from 256 applications to 3 physical therapy residency programs (neurologic, orthopaedic, sports) at one institution from 2014 to 2020. Thematic categories were developed to identify themes in a sample of LOR. Associations between writer and applicant gender were analyzed using summary statistics, word counts, thematic and psycholinguistic extraction, and rule-based and deep learning Natural Language Processing . No significant difference in LOR word counts were found based on writer or applicant gender. Increased word counts were seen in sports residency LOR compared with the orthopaedic residency. Thematic analysis showed LOR gender differences with male applicants receiving more positive generalized recommendations and female applicants receiving more comments regarding interpersonal relationship skills. No thematic or psycholinguistic gender differences were seen by LOR writer. Male applicants were 1.9 times more likely to select all male LOR writers, whereas female applicants were 2.1 times more likely to choose all female LOR writers. Gender differences in LORs for physical therapy residencies were found using a comprehensive Natural Language Processing approach that identified both a positive recommendation male applicant gender bias and a positive interpersonal relationship skill female applicant gender bias. Applicants were not harmed nor helped by selecting LOR writers of the opposite gender. Admissions committees and LOR writers should be mindful of potential implicit gender biases in LOR submitted to physical therapy residency programs.

SUCCESSFULLY PREPARING DAUGHTERS AS SUCCESSORS IN FAMILY FIRMS

Drawing on insights from the family business succession and mentoring literature, we examined the preparation process for daughters as successors in family firms in the United States. In-depth interviews were conducted with eighteen daughters and their parent mentors (nine mothers and nine fathers) using a qualitative case study approach. We identified a reciprocal social exchange process between parent mentors who provided resources and daughters who acquired the knowledge to become successors in their family firms. Significant elements in the preparation process included: positive childhood experiences, choosing and earning a relevant college degree, the daughter’s autonomous decision to enter the family firm, guided on-the-job training, and counsel and advice to overcome the crucial issues of male gender bias and the burden of childcare responsibility. The significance is highlighted of differences that exist between mothers and fathers as mentors regarding understanding the daughters’ position in the firm and communication.

Finding spider woman: the past and present role of women in arachnology

As with many scientific disciplines, arachnology has long been male dominated. This gender bias has been changing gradually over the years, with some prominent early pioneers playing influential roles. Starting with Eliza Staveley in the mid-1800s, women pursued arachnology in a somewhat clandestine manner. The frequency with which women became involved in the study of arachnology increased considerably in the early and mid-1900s, although women were still expected to focus their responsibilities on family before any scientific pursuit, and only very rarely held any kind of academic position. Towards the latter part of the 1900s, there was a tremendous growth in certain areas of biology—notably behavioural ecology and biological control, both fields in which spiders are extremely amenable to study. With this growth came a new generation of independent women arachnologists. As the presence of women has grown in arachnology, so too has their ability to serve as mentors and role models to a younger generation of students from identities underrepresented in arachnology. Indeed, recent years have seen the student composition of meeting presenters reach close to a balanced gender composition. However, there is still considerable male gender bias in more senior positions in arachnology, including not only academic positions, but also first-authored papers, and oral presentations at meetings. Through examination of science and other STEM fields, we can better understand the barriers women face in academia. We conclude that, while we still have a way to go to achieve gender equity in arachnology, there are multiple avenues towards progress, including utilizing technology to better connect with students on a wider scale, improving our science communication, assessing hiring practices and tenure review, and increasing support, recognition and guidance given to early-career arachnologists.

Stress, workplace bullying, and career decision of male nursing students: a qualitative inquiry of male undergraduate nursing students

Background: This study aims to understand and explore the relationships between stress, workplace bullying, and experiences of male nursing students in South Korea. A shortage of nursing professionals is currently a significant problem in the health and social care system. Although the government has established enrolment plans and scholarships for potential nursing students, long-term solutions still have not been found. The number of newly registered male nursing professionals is still significantly low. Based on the self-efficacy approach and social cognitive career and motivation theory, three research questions guided this study: (1) What are the sources of stress for male nursing students in South Korea? (2) How would male nursing students describe their position, role, and experience as male individuals in South Korea? (3) Do gender role, gender discrimination, gender bias, and gender inequality influence the experience of male nursing students in South Korea? Method: With the qualitative inquiry, 20 male nursing undergraduate students were invited. The results indicated that stress from the gender role, discrimination and social bias due to their gender and nursing position caused the relationships between stress, workplace bullying, and career decision. Results: Based on the results, male nursing students face stress, burnout, pressure, and gender bias, which may influence their career decision and long-term development. Conclusion: Therefore, government departments, university leaders, medical facilities managers, and human resource planners should take this study as the opportunity to reform and polish the government policies and regulations to answer the gender discrimination and bias in the health and social care profession.

O045 Anxiety and daytime sleepiness scores have a weak but statistically significant correlation with apnoea-hypopnoea index

Abstract Background Previous datasets demonstrate inconsistent relationships between apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) and questionnaire measures of daytime sleepiness, anxiety and depression. Methods 1149 consecutive diagnostic polysomnograms at a quaternary hospital were retrospectively analysed (2020–2021). Relationships between age, sex, AHI, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scales (HADS-A and HADS-D) were reviewed. Progress to date:Mean age was 47.8+/-15.7 years, with male gender bias (59%). 49.9% had elevated HADS-A (>7; mean 8.1+/-4.5). 33.7% had elevated HADS-D (>7; mean 6.2+/-4.0). 29.6% had sleepiness (ESS >10; mean 7.9+/-5.0). Mean AHI was 23.5+/-27.9 events/hour. 69.7% had obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA); 45.0% were moderate-severe (AHI >14/h). HADS-A (9.1 versus 7.3; P<0.001; 95% CI [-2.32, -1.25]), HADS-D (6.9 versus 5.8; P<0.001; 95% CI [-1.62, -0.67]) and ESS (8.2 versus 7.7; P=0.039; 95% CI [-1.21, -0.03]) were higher in females. Males had greater OSA severity (AHI 27.0/h versus 18.6/h; p<0.001; 95% CI [5.15, 11.67]). Pearson’s tests demonstrated a statistically significant but weak positive correlation between AHI and HADS-A (P=0.021, R=0.07, N=1096), and AHI and ESS (P=0.042, R=0.06, N=1135). AHI and HADS-D showed no correlation. ESS weakly correlated with HADS-A (P<0.001, R=0.237, N=1104). Intended outcome and impact:Severity of sleep apnoea as defined by AHI only explains a small proportion of the variance in daytime sleepiness and anxiety as measured by the ESS and HADS-A, respectively, with weak linear relationships demonstrated. Neither ESS nor HADS-A were helpful in predicting the presence of OSA. Further study is required to determine optimal polysomnographic correlates of sleep apnoea symptoms.

The impact of COVID-19 related national lockdown on ophthalmic emergency in Italy: A multicenter study.

Purpose:To assess ocular pathologies admitted to Italian Emergency Eye Departments (EEDs) during the COVID-19 pandemic national lockdown in 2020 in comparison with the same period in 2019.Methods:Electronic records of all patients presenting at EEDs of two tertiary-care Eye Centers during the COVID-19 national lockdown in Italy (March 10–May 3, 2020) were compared with the equivalent period in 2019. Main outcomes were patient age, gender, and diagnoses. Statistical analysis included unpaired Student t-tests, Poisson regression, and chi-square test.Results:Overall EED visits significantly decreased by 54.1% during the 2020 lockdown compared to 2019 (851 vs 1854, p < 0.001). During lockdown, patients showed comparable mean age (52.8 years in 2020 vs 53.3 years in 2019, p = 0.52) and significant male gender bias (61.1% in 2020 vs 55.8% in 2019, p < 0.0001). The most frequent pathologies were eye inflammations, trauma-related incidents, and spontaneous acute vitreous detachment. Patients with inflammation, headache/hemicrania, and spontaneous subconjunctival hemorrhages were significantly less, whereas those with trauma-related diagnoses were significantly higher during the lockdown as compared with 2019 (p < 0.05). The proportion of non-urgent visits decreased from 17% in 2019 to 8% in 2020 (p < 0.001).Conclusions:During the 2020 lockdown, there was a significant reduction of accesses to EED, especially for non-urgent pathologies. Potentially visual function threatening conditions, such as trauma-related pathologies, retinal detachment or ruptures, and wet AMD, showed lower number of cases but higher or stable proportion relative to the total caseload, suggesting a correct and efficient access to ophthalmic health care during the pandemic period.

Coats-like Exudative Vitreoretinopathy in Retinitis Pigmentosa: Ocular Manifestations and Treatment Outcomes

To provide a comprehensive review of the ocular manifestations, outcomes, and genetic findings in patients with Coats-like retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Multicenter, retrospective, nonconsecutive case series. Patients with a diagnosis of RP demonstrating Coats-like exudative vitreoretinopathy between January 1, 2008, and October 1,2019. Evaluation of ocular findings at RP diagnosis and at time of presentation of Coats-like exudative vitreoretinopathy, pedigree analysis, genetic testing, retinal imaging, and anatomic outcomes after treatment. Visual acuity, ophthalmoscopy results, OCT results, fluorescein angiography results, and identification of genetic mutations. Nine patients diagnosed with RP and demonstrating Coats-like exudative vitreoretinopathy were included. Median age at time of RP diagnosis was 8 years (range, 1-22 years), and median age at presentation of Coats-like exudative vitreoretinopathy was 18 years (range, 1-41 years). Seven patients were female, and 2 were male. The genetic cause of disease was identified in 6 patients. Three patients demonstrated Coats-like fundus findings at the time of RP diagnosis. Exudative retinal detachment (ERD) localized to the infratemporal periphery was present in all patients, with bilateral disease observed in 7 patients. In all treated patients, focal laser photocoagulation was used to treat leaking telangiectasias and to limit further ERD expansion. Cystoid macular edema refractory to carbonic anhydrase inhibitor therapy and ultimately amenable to treatment with intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor injection was observed in 4 patients. Coats-like vitreoretinopathy is present in up to 5% of all RP patients. The term Coats-like RP is used colloquially to describe this disease state, which can present at the time of RP diagnosis or, more commonly, develops late during the clinical course of patients with longstanding RP. Coats-like RP is distinct from Coats disease in that exudative pathologic features occur exclusively in the setting of a coexisting RP diagnosis, is restricted to the infratemporal retina, can affect both eyes, and does not demonstrate a male gender bias. Given the risk of added vision loss posed by exudative vitreoretinopathy in patients with RP, a heightened awareness of this condition is critical in facilitating timely intervention.

Stereotypical Gender Associations in Language Have Decreased Over Time

Using a corpus of millions of digitized books, we document the presence and trajectory over time of stereotypical gender associations in the written English language from 1800 to 2000. We employ the novel methodology of word embeddings to quantify male gender bias: the tendency to associate a domain with the male gender. We measure male gender bias in four stereotypically gendered domains: career, family, science, and arts. We found that stereotypical gender associations in language have decreased over time but still remain, with career and science terms demonstrating positive male gender bias and family and arts terms demonstrating negative male gender bias. We also seek evidence of changing associations corresponding to the second shift and find partial support. Traditional gender ideology is latent within the text of published English-language books, yet the magnitude of traditionally gendered associations appears to be decreasing over time.

Gender Difference in Gender Bias: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Reduces Male's Gender Stereotypes.

Stereotypes exist in the interactions between different social groups, and gender stereotypes are particularly prevalent. Previous studies have suggested that the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is involved in the social cognition that plays an important role in gender stereotypes, but the specific causal effect of the mPFC remains controversial. In this study, we aimed to use transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to identify a direct link between the mPFC and gender bias. Implicit stereotypes were measured by the gender implicit association test (IAT), and explicit prejudice was measured by the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (ASI). We found that male and female participants had different behavioral and neural correlates of gender stereotypes. Anodal tDCS significantly reduced male participants’ gender D-IAT scores compared with cathodal and sham stimulation, while the stimulation had an insignificant effect in female participants. The reduction in male participants’ gender bias mainly resulted from a decrease in the difference in reaction time (RT) between congruent and incongruent blocks. Regarding the explicit bias measurement, male and female participants had distinct attitudes, but tDCS had no effect on ASI. Our results revealed that the mPFC played a causal role in controlling implicit gender stereotypes, which is consistent with previous observations and complements past lesion, neuroimaging, and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies and suggests that males and females have different neural bases for gender stereotypes.

Barriers Faced by Women in Software Development Projects

Computer science is a predominantly male field of study. Women face barriers while trying to insert themselves in the study of computer science. Those barriers extend to when women are exposed to the professional area of computer science. Despite decades of social fights for gender equity in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education and in computer science in general, few women participate in computer science, and some of the reasons include gender bias and lack of support for women when choosing a computer science career. Open source software development has been increasingly used by companies seeking the competitive advantages gained by team diversity. This diversification of the characteristics of team members includes, for example, the age of the participants, the level of experience, education and knowledge in the area, and their gender. In open source software projects women are underrepresented and a series of biases are involved in their participation. This paper conducts a systematic literature review with the objective of finding factors that could assist in increasing women’s interest in contributing to open source communities and software development projects. The main contributions of this paper are: (i) identification of factors that cause women’s lack of interest (engagement), (ii) possible solutions to increase the engagement of this public, (iii) to outline the profile of professional women who are participating in open source software projects and software development projects. The main findings of this research reveal that women are underrepresented in software development projects and in open source software projects. They represent less than 10% of the total developers and the main causes of this underrepresentation may be associated with their workplace conditions, which reflect male gender bias.

Restoring Trust after an Insider Breach: Both the Genders Matter—CEOs and Users

ABSTRACT There is limited research providing guidelines to CEOs, particularly female CEOs, about the efficacy of different responses (i.e. apology and denial) in the aftermath of an insider privacy breach incident. The study synthesizes a multitude of theories under three categories male-gender bias, same-gender bias and opposite-gender bias and uses them along with organizational justice theory to investigate the moderating role of the interaction between CEO gender and the user gender on trust restoration process after an insider breach incident. Trust restoration process is compared across different trust beliefs—ability, benevolence, and integrity. The findings show that the CEO-user gender interaction significantly shapes the trust restoration process. The findings also show that the forces that shape the initial trust work differently for trust restoration and are shaped by the underlying CEO gender—user gender combination. The research has several theoretical, managerial and social implications, and enlists several future research ideas.

Relationship of Internet gaming disorder with dissociative experience in Italian university students

The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to investigate the prevalence of Internet gaming disorder (IGD) among Italian university students and (b) to explore the associations between the former and dissociative phenomena. The sample included 221 college students, 93 males and 128 females, aged between 18 and 25 (M = 21.56; SD = 1.42). They were asked to state their favourite games choice and were administered a demographic questionnaire, the APA symptom checklist based on the diagnostic criteria of IGD in the DSM-5, the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale Short Form (IGD9-SF) and the Italian version of dissociative experience scale for adolescents and young adults. The different game types used are distributed as follows: Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (30%), flash games (26%), multiplayer games (24%), and online gambling (23%). The results of the study showed a high incidence of Internet gaming disorder risk in college students (84.61%). Specifically, our data confirmed the literature on the incidence of the male gender bias among online players (M = 28.034; SD = 2.213). Thirty-three subjects (31 male and 2 female) on 221 (14.9%) matched five or more criteria for clinical diagnosis of IGD. The data showed a positive correlation between Internet gaming disorder risk and some dissociative experiences: depersonalisation and derealisation (AbII/item6 r = .311; DD/item6 r = .322); absorption and imaginative involvement (AbII/item2 r = .319; AbII/item8 r = .403) and passive influence (PI/item3 r = .304; PI/item4 r = .366; PI/item9 r = .386). This study shedded light on psychopathological aspects that preceded the spread of IGD and encourages the implementation of a programmatic plan of preventative interventions by Italian public institutions, to prevent and tame the spreading of such addictive behaviours.

Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) scores in males and females diagnosed with autism: a naturalistic study

PurposeMany tools are available for assessing autism in an adult population; however, few have been studied for the effects of gender on diagnostic scores. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) assessment for gender bias in a clinical population, specifically whether the ADOS favours a “male-type” of autism.Design/methodology/approachThe ADOS scores of patients referred to an NHS specialist autism assessment service were retrospectively examined for significant gender differences. The combined ADOS scores and diagnostic outcome were grouped by gender for each participant. The data were analysed in SPSS using independent t-tests to look for significant gender differences between combined ADOS scores and diagnostic outcomes.FindingsA significant difference was observed in the mean combined ADOS scores for those participants who later received an autism diagnosis (male=10, female=6, t (13)=3.34, p=10; 0.005). However, no significant difference was observed between mean scores of those who did not receive an autism diagnosis (t (26)=1.21, p=0.237).Originality/valueThe ADOS is a popular assessment used for autism diagnosis. These results provide support for a male gender bias. This could have clinical implications for autism assessment services, whereby lower diagnostic thresholds could be considered for female patients. This could allow more females with autism to receive a diagnosis, and access support services.

The social construction of a possible male gender bias is negatively impacting fathers in child welfare services: Hammering a square peg into a round hole

ABSTRACTThe social construction of gender dictates the masculine and feminine roles deemed appropriate within a society. Society has traditionally socially constructed women to be mothers and the primary parent, leaving fathers much too often on the sidelines of parenthood. For example, if a parent is a man, they have fewer rights than a parent who is a woman. Gender biases in society are insidious problems. Such biases can lead to the development of adverse attitudes, beliefs and unfair treatment of members of these groups by both individuals and social institutions. This paper will demonstrate the need to investigate the possibility of a systemic male gender bias in CWS. The paper will include the statement of the problem, the rationale and the framework of how gender is socially constructed to help in the understanding of how it negatively impacts fathers. Next will be a discussion of avoiding fathers at all six principle phases of CWS, the lack of parent programs specific to fathers, direction for future research and potential research implications for fathers, children and child welfare workers.

Listening to Men: Are Men the Unheard Gender?

Listening to Men: Are Men the Unheard Gender? Virginia Amato (MSW, RSW) Abstract An ontological view of conceptualizing the world that women are more important than men may create a male gender bias which gets trapped in and blurs the epistemological lens of how one sees the world. Subtle social representations of women and men are present in society such as in literature, and government legislation. An essential factor to consider in the helping profession is gender. Understanding women‟s lives and women‟s unique needs from their perspective is just as critical to understanding men‟s lives and men‟s individual needs from their perspective to minimize the potential of any biases. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/jssw.v5n2a18

De novo loss of function mutations in KIAA2022 are associated with epilepsy and neurodevelopmental delay in females.

Intellectual disability (ID) affects about 3% of the population and has a male gender bias. Of at least 700 genes currently linked to ID, more than 100 have been identified on the X chromosome, including KIAA2022. KIAA2022 is located on Xq13.3 and is expressed in the developing brain. The protein product of KIAA2022, X‐linked Intellectual Disability Protein Related to Neurite Extension (XPN), is developmentally regulated and is involved in neuronal migration and cell adhesion. The clinical manifestations of loss‐of‐function KIAA2022 mutations have been described previously in 15 males, born from unaffected carrier mothers, but few females. Using whole‐exome sequencing, we identified a cohort of five unrelated female patients with de novo probably gene damaging variants in KIAA2022 and core phenotypic features of ID, developmental delay, epilepsy refractory to treatment, and impaired language, of similar severity as reported for male counterparts. This study supports KIAA2022 as a novel cause of X‐linked dominant ID, and broadens the phenotype for KIAA2022 mutations.

DNA Alkylating Agent Protects Against Spontaneous Hepatocellular Carcinoma Regardless of O6-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase Status.

Hepatocellular carcinoma is increasingly important in the United States as the incidence rate rose over the last 30 years. C3HeB/FeJ mice serve as a unique model to study hepatocellular carcinoma tumorigenesis because they mimic human hepatocellular carcinoma with delayed onset, male gender bias, approximately 50% incidence, and susceptibility to tumorigenesis is mediated through multiple genetic loci. Because a human O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (hMGMT) transgene reduces spontaneous tumorigenesis in this model, we hypothesized that hMGMT would also protect from methylation-induced hepatocarcinogenesis. To test this hypothesis, wild-type and hMGMT transgenic C3HeB/FeJ male mice were treated with two monofunctional alkylating agents: diethylnitrosamine (DEN; 0.025 μmol/g body weight) on day 12 of life with evaluation for glucose-6-phosphatase-deficient (G6PD) foci at 16, 24, and 32 weeks or N-methyl-N-nitrosurea (MNU; 25 mg MNU/kg body weight) once monthly for 7 months starting at 3 months of age with evaluation for liver tumors at 12 to 15 months of age. No difference in abundance or size of G6PD foci was measured with DEN treatment. In contrast, it was unexpectedly found that MNU reduces liver tumor prevalence in wild-type and hMGMT transgenic mice despite increased tumor prevalence in other tissues. hMGMT and MNU protections were additive, suggesting that MNU protects through a different mechanism, perhaps through the cytotoxic N7-alkylguanine and N3-alkyladenine lesions which have low mutagenic potential compared with O(6)-alkylguanine lesions. Together, these results suggest that targeting the repair of cytotoxic lesions may be a good preventative for patients at high risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma.

Gauging the Impact of Gender Grammaticization in Different Languages: Application of a Linguistic-Visual Paradigm.

Employing a linguistic-visual paradigm, we investigated whether the grammaticization of gender information impacts readers’ gender representations. French and German were taken as comparative languages, taking into account the male gender bias associated to both languages, as well as the comparative gender biases associated to their plural determiners (French: les [generic] vs. German: die [morphologically feminine]). Bilingual speakers of French and German had to judge whether a pair of facial images representing two men or a man and a woman could represent a gender stereotypical role noun prime (e.g., nurses). The prime was presented in the masculine plural form with or without a plural determiner. Results indicated that the overt grammaticization of the male gender in the masculine form dominated the representation of the role nouns (though interpretable as generic). However, the effect of the determiner was not found, indicating that only gender information associated to a human reference role noun had impacted readers’ representations. The results, discussed in the framework of the thinking-for-speaking hypothesis, demonstrated that linguistic-visual paradigms are well-suited to gauge the impact of both stereotype information and grammaticization when processing role nouns.

Mechanism of Male Gender Bias in Neuroblastoma Cell Lines Exposed to Fragrances: A Link to Autism Spectrum Disorder

Mechanism of Male Gender Bias in Neuroblastoma Cell Lines Exposed to Fragrances: A Link to Autism Spectrum Disorder Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a set of complex developmental disorders whose etiology is debatable. Although the symptoms may vary from person to person, they include impairment or loss of speech, lack of empathy, and social interaction deficiency. The cases of ASD have continued to increase drastically each year, with the CDC estimating 1:68 children diagnosed, along with 4 to 5 times more prevalence in males. It is believed that ASD is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, but recent studies suggest that exposure to environmental chemicals may play a critical role in its pathogenesis. Although there are no biomarkers for the disease, low levels of oxytocin and arginine vasopressin have been reported. These neuropeptides play a critical role in the development of male brains. Here we assessed the potential neurotoxic effects of everyday female fragrances in order to determine if there are morphological and immunological changes to neurons, which may suggest that they contribute to the development of ASD during gestation. In order to determine whether chemicals in fragrances have a neurotoxic effect on fetal brain development, eight cell lines derived from male and female neuroblastoma were used as an experimental model. After exposure of the cells to the particular fragrances, immunostaining was performed with oxytocin receptor antibodies to determine the up or down regulations of these receptors. Immunofluorescence showed that cells exposed to fragrances significantly reduced the percentage of OT receptor positive neurons in fetal male brain cell lines, but not the female cell lines. Separately, differences in cell structure between the cells treated with fragrances and the untreated control cells were detected using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. There were significant changes observed, such as axon elongation and thinning. These results suggest a correlation between low levels of OT and fragrance exposure, with a potential cause for ASD. Statistical analysis of the characteristics observed through H&E staining and immunocytochemistry quantitatively helped determine the effects of the fragrances on the migration, differentiation, and organization of fetal brain neurons. This may shed light on the pathogenesis of autism and male gender bias.