Male Gender Bias Research Articles

Evaluation of registered visually disabled individuals in a district of West Bengal, India

Objective:To identify the sociodemographic characteristics, degree and cause of visual disability among certified visually disabled individuals in a rural district of West Bengal, India and to identify possible lacunae, if any, in the existing certification system.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional study by secondary data analysis of medical records of 155 visually disabled individuals and their 310 eyes. Demographical features, diagnosis, percentage of visual disability and work activity status of each individual were analyzed.Results:One hundred and thirty one (84.52%) individuals had 100% disability. The number of males was significantly higher than that of females. Fifty eight (37.42%) individuals were below 21 years of age. Phthisis bulbi was the most common cause followed by microphthalmos. Further, 81.29% patients had the same lesion bilaterally.Conclusion:Patients with higher grades of disability have attended certification boards. A large number of disabled individuals comprised children and young adults. Male gender bias demands concern.

Primary pulmonary and mediastinal synovial sarcoma: a clinicopathologic study of 60 cases and comparison with five prior series

Primary pulmonary and mediastinal synovial sarcoma is rare and poses a diagnostic challenge particularly when unusual histological features are present. We present 60 cases of primary pulmonary and mediastinal synovial sarcoma (29 male and 27 female subjects; mean age, 42 years) and compare our results with five prior series to better define unusual histological features. Clinically, patients with mediastinal synovial sarcoma were younger with a male gender bias. Radiologically, tumors were well delineated with distinctive magnetic resonance imaging features and little vascular enhancement. In all, 21/46 patients died of disease within 5 years. Histologically, all tumors had dense cellularity, interlacing fascicles, hyalinized stroma, and mast cell influx. Hemangiopericytoma-like vasculature (48/60), focal myxoid change (30/60), and entrapped pneumocytes (23/60) were seen. Calcification was not prevalent (10/60). Unusual histological features included Verocay body-like formations (7/60), vague rosettes (6/60), well-formed papillary structures (3/60), adenomatoid change (3/60), and rhabdoid morphology (2/60). Immunohistochemistry demonstrated expression of pancytokeratin (39/58), epithelial membrane antigen (29/53), cytokeratin 7 (26/40), cytokeratin 5/6 (5/7), calretinin (15/23), CD99 (19/23), bcl-2 (24/24), CD56 (11/11), S-100 (9/51), and smooth muscle actin (8/32). In total, 92% (36/39) of primary pulmonary and mediastinal synovial sarcomas studied were positive for t(x;18). In conclusion, our study confirms the clinical, histological, immunohistochemical, and molecular data from previous large series of primary pulmonary and mediastinal synovial sarcoma. Compared with soft tissue synovial sarcoma, primary pulmonary and mediastinal synovial sarcoma has less calcification, less obvious mast cell influx, and less radiologic vascularity, but similar magnetic resonance imaging features, percentage of poorly differentiated tumors, and number of t(x;18)-positive tumors. Awareness of focal unusual histology can prevent misdiagnosis particularly in t(x;18)-negative tumors.

Fibroblast Growth Factor-9, a Local Regulator of Ovarian Function

Fibroblast growth factor 9 (FGF9) is widely expressed in embryos and fetuses and has been shown to be involved in male sex determination, testicular cord formation, and Sertoli cell differentiation. Given its male gender bias, the ovary has not been reported to express FGF9, nor has a role in ovarian function been explored. We report here that FGF9 mRNA and protein are present in the rat ovary and provide evidence that supports a role for FGF9 in ovarian progesterone production. FGF9 mRNA levels as determined by real-time PCR were high in 4-d-old rat ovaries, thereafter declining and stabilizing at levels approximately 30% of d 4 levels at d 12-25. Levels of FGF9 mRNA in the ovary were significantly higher than that present in adult testis, at all ages studied. The FGF9 receptors FGFR2 and FGFR3 mRNAs were present in postnatal and immature rat ovary and appeared to be constitutively expressed. FGF9 protein was localized to theca, stromal cells, and corpora lutea and FGFR2 and FGFR3 proteins to granulosa cells, theca cells, oocytes, and corpora lutea, by immunohistochemistry. Follicular differentiation induced by gonadotropin treatment reduced the expression of FGF9 mRNA by immature rat ovaries, whereas the estrogen-stimulated development of large preantral follicles had no significant effect. In vitro, FGF9 stimulated progesterone production by granulosa cells beyond that elicited by a maximally stimulating dose of FSH. When the granulosa cells were pretreated with FSH to induce LH receptors, FGF9 was found not to be as potent as LH in stimulating progesterone production, nor did it enhance LH-stimulated production. The combined treatments of FSH/FGF9 and FSH/LH, however, were most effective at stimulating progesterone production by these differentiated granulosa cells. Analyses of steroidogenic regulatory proteins indicate that steroidogenic acute regulatory protein and P450 side chain cleavage mRNA levels were enhanced by FGF9, providing a mechanism of action for the increased progesterone synthesis. In summary, the data are consistent with a paracrine role for FGF9 in the ovary.

Reduced endothelin converting enzyme‐1 and endothelin‐3 mRNA in the developing bowel of male mice may increase expressivity and penetrance of Hirschsprung disease–like distal intestinal aganglionosis

Hirschsprung disease (distal intestinal aganglionosis, HSCR) is a multigenic disorder with incomplete penetrance, variable expressivity, and a strong male gender bias. Recent studies demonstrated that these genetic patterns arise because gene interactions determine whether enteric nervous system (ENS) precursors successfully proliferate and migrate into the distal bowel. We now demonstrate that male gender bias in the extent of distal intestinal aganglionosis occurs in mice with Ret dominant-negative mutations (RetDN) that mimic human HSCR. We hypothesized that male gender bias could result from reduced expression of a gene already known to be essential for ENS development. Using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) we demonstrated reduced levels of endothelin converting enzyme-1 and endothelin-3 mRNA in the male mouse bowel at the time that ENS precursors migrate into the colon. Other HSCR-associated genes are expressed at comparable levels in male and female mice. Testosterone and Mullerian inhibiting substance had no deleterious effect on ENS precursor development, but adding EDN3 peptide to E11.5 male RetDN heterozygous mouse gut explants in organ culture significantly increased the rate of ENS precursor migration through the bowel.

Factors Influencing Veterinary Students’ Career Choices and Attitudes to Animals

The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of demographic and experiential factors on first-year veterinary students career choices and attitudes to animal welfare/rights. The study surveyed 329 first-year veterinary students to determine the influence of demographic factors, farm experience, and developmental exposure to different categories of animals on their career preferences and on their attitudes to specific areas of animal welfare and/or rights. A significant male gender bias toward food-animal practice was found, and prior experience with particular types of animals--companion animals, equines, food animals--tended to predict career preferences. Female veterinary students displayed greater concern for possible instances of animal suffering than males, and prior experience with different animals, as well as rural background and farm experience, were also associated with attitude differences. Seventy-two percent of students also reported that their interactions with animals (especially pets) had strongly influenced the development of their values. Animals ranked second in importance after parents in this respect. The present findings illustrate the importance to issues of animal welfare of the cultural context of past experience and influences on attitude development. The results also suggest that previous interactions with animals play a critical role in guiding veterinary students into their chosen career, as well as in helping to determine their specific employment preferences within the veterinary profession. From an animal welfare perspective, the dearth of women choosing careers in food-animal practice is a source of concern.

Dissertations of Note

Dissertations of Note Rachel Fordyce (bio) Barron, Frances Marlene. "Doing Books in the Social Context of Montessori Early Childhood Classrooms: Children 'Reading' Without Teachers." Ph.D. diss. New York University, 1995. 261 pp. DAI 56:4332A. This ethnographic study, involving children aged 2.9 through 5, tries to determine how children respond to books in individual as well as group settings. Not surprisingly her outcome suggests that children's interaction with books is most successful and frequent when teachers create an environment where books are valued and where the classroom is "flooded" with books. Blyn, Roslyn. "The Folkgames of Celtic-Speaking Children: A History and Classification System." Ph.D. diss. University of Pennsylvania, 1995. 350 pp. DAI 56:1924A. Blyn suggests that "children's play activities in the Celtic-speaking areas has been over-represented in print due to the desire to present an image that distinguishes the Celts from other ethnic groups." She includes a classification system that combines native Celtic terms with a folk taxonomy. Bronzel, Patrishajoy. "An Analysis of Selected Gifted Early Adolescent Protagonists in Children's and Young Adult Literature." Ed.D. diss. Columbia University Teachers College, 1995. 282 pp. DAI 56:4301A. Bronzel analyzes five gifted protagonists, aged ten through fifteen, in realistic late-twentieth-century fiction. She finds, in a study that surveys many more works than are focused on in the dissertation, that there is a male gender bias in books about gifted children, that the books tend to be limited "in scope of plot and characterization," but that they do reflect the "chaotic reality that is experienced by the gifted early adolescent." Burmeister, LaVern. "Response to Literature: The Influence of Primary Caregivers' Belief Systems on Eighth Graders' Response to Short Stories." Ph.D. diss. University of California, Riverside, 1995. 154 pp. DAI 56:3034A. The dissertation indicates that children's value systems are clearly influenced by their parents' beliefs, although students may not be fully aware of the influence or the extent of it. Burmeister also finds that students "appear to respond to literature based on the roles they perceive for themselves within the family." Carico, Kathleen Marie. "Responses of Four Adolescent Females to Adolescent Fiction with Strong Female Characters." Ph.D. diss. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1994. 266 pp. DAI 55:3119A. Carico's research, based on Mildred Taylor's Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry and Katherine Paterson's Lyddie, is informed by Louise Rosenblatt's perception of literature "as human experience and a medium for exploration," as well as the work of Richard Beach. She is concerned with "the enhancement of women's confidence by a validation of their experiences . . . through demonstrations of social constructions of meaning." Castañeda, Maria Anita. "A Look at Hispanic Children's Reading Choices and Interests: A Descriptive Study." Ph.D. diss. Texas Woman's University, 1995. 141 pp. DAI 56:3448A. In a semester-long study of five 8- and 9-year-old students Castañeda discovered that the genres they most preferred were realistic fiction, fantasy, and folktales, as well as information and concept books, and that a teacher's influence [End Page 239] on what students read is much more pervasive than a parent's. She also finds that preferences of both sexes are similar although boys had a stronger preference for legends than girls, and girls liked rhymed text better than boys did. Cleary, Beth M. "'Making the Gods' Voices Yell': Performing Theories of the Bread and Puppet Theatre." Ph.D. diss. University of California, Berkeley, 1994. 226 pp. DAI 56:1584A. Cleary's dissertation is an in-depth analysis of the thirty-year history of the Bread and Puppet Theatre and its founder, Peter Schumann, based on the four years she worked with the theatre. She demonstrates how Schumann draws on sophisticated cultural critics, such as Hannah Arendt, Ernst Bloch, and Herbert Marcuse. He "yolks his papier-mache mass spectacle aesthetics to their sophisticated mass culture ideas [and] asserts the necessity and urgency of [a] critical relationship between the individual and mass culture." Collins, Pansy Hillin. "Children Responding to Crisis Literature: Fifth Graders and Bridge to Terabithia." Ph.D. diss. University of Missouri—Columbia, 1993. 217 pp...

A Grammatical Specific Language Impairment in Children: An Autosomal Dominant Inheritance?

The aim of this study is to provide further characterization of a subgroup of so-called “Grammatical specific language-impaired (SLI)” children. The Grammatical SLI children have a persistent and disproportionate impairment in grammatical comprehension and expression of language. Previous research has indicated that their language impairment may be characterized by a domain-specific and modular language deficit. This study provides an initial investigation as to whether there is a genetic basis underlying their disorder as has been found for other forms of SLI and for SLI in general. The incidence of familial aggregation of language impairment was investigated in 12 Grammatical SLI children (aged 9:3 to 12:10). A familial language impairment (LI) history was classified as positive if one or more of the probands' relatives had a history of a speech/language or reading/writing problem which required speech therapy or any other form of remedial help. Case history information provided an initial indication that the Grammatical SLI children had a significantly higher incidence of a positive familial LI history than could be expected by chance. A questionnaire provided evidence of a positive LI history in the first-degree relatives of the SLI probands and 49 normally developing control probands. The SLI probands had a clearly and significantly higher incidence of a positive familial LI history than the control probands (77.8 vs. 28.5%, respectively). The results are consistent with a genetic basis underlying Grammatical SLI. The pattern of impairment in the SLI probands' relatives is consistent with an autosomal dominant genetic inheritance. In contrast to the control probands, the SLI probands' impaired relatives did not show a male gender bias. Thus, the gene does not appear to be sex-linked. The data indicate that further research is warranted to investigate the nature of the LI in the relatives of the Grammatical SLI probands and the genetic characteristics of this subgroup. The implications for the biological, domain-specific, and modular bases to language are discussed.

Toward the Feminine Firm: An Extension to Thomas White

Abstract:This paper concerns the influence of gender on a firm’s moral and economic performance. It supports Thomas White’s intimation of a male gender bias in the value system underlying extant business theory. We suggest that this gender bias may be corrected by drawing on the concept of substantive rationality inherent in virtue-ethics theory. This feminine-oriented relationship-based value system complements the essential nature of the firm as a nexus of relationships between stakeholders. Not only is this feminine firm morally desirable, but it is also economically more efficient in that trust becomes a more feasible implicit contractual enforcement mechanism. In an organizational context, therefore, from both a moral and an economic perspective, long established economic man is dominated by nascent economic woman.

Toward the Feminine Firm

This paper concerns the influence of gender on a firm’s moral and economic performance. It supports Thomas White’s intimation of a male gender bias in the value system underlying extant business theory. We suggest that this gender bias may be corrected by drawing on the concept of substantive rationality inherent in virtue-ethics theory. This feminine-oriented relationship-based value system complements the essential nature of the firm as a nexus of relationships between stakeholders. Not only is this feminine firm morally desirable, but it is also economically more efficient in that trust becomes a more feasible implicit contractual enforcement mechanism. In an organizational context, therefore, from both a moral and an economic perspective, long established economic man is dominated by nascent economic woman.