Significant Effect Of Sex Research Articles

Socioeconomic status and adiposity in childhood cancer survivors: A cross-sectional retrospective study.

This is a retrospective cross-sectional study examining the association between unemployment, cancer type, treatment and total body fat percentage of childhood cancer survivors recruited at St. Anne's University Hospital in Brno, Czech Republic. A total of 55 survivors aged 18-49 who were in remission of cancer and fulfilled the criteria for body composition measurements by the BIA and completed questionnaires investigating their socioeconomic status, employment status, and history. There was a significant relationship between the employment status and central nervous system-directed treatment (c2(1) = 7.53, p = 0.006, Cramér's V = 0.38) and between the type of cancer and employment status (c2(3) = 7.83, p = 0.049, Cramér's V = 0.38), the highest unemployment rate was recorded for brain and spine survivors (72.7%) compared to survivors with other diagnosis (35.7%) (uLR(1) = 4.91, p = 0.027; OR = 4.80, 95% CI:1.10-20.86, p = 0.036); these survivors did not have a significantly different body fat percentage compared to survivors with other diagnoses (t(53) = 1.29, p = 0.202, Cohen's d = 0.41) Interestingly, the survivors reporting having a partner also had a significantly higher percentage of body fat (t(53) = 2.90, p = 0.005, Cohen's d = 0.81). A linear regression model was used to model the percentage of body fat in relation to a set of selected variables and the we observed a significant effect of sex (female vs male: b = 6.37, 95% CI: 1.82-10.93, p = 0.007), partnership status (yes vs no: b = 5.65, 95% CI: 0.67-10.62, p = 0.027) and category of diagnosis (Brain and spinal column tumors vs Other solid tumors: b = 12.40, 95% CI: 0.59-24.21, p = 0.040; Brain and spinal column tumors vs Lymphoma: b = 14.02, 95% CI: 2.06-25.97, p = 0.023). Employment status and risk of adiposity in childhood cancer survivors depends on the type of treatment and diagnosis group, which may significantly impact their lifestyle and overall quality of life after treatment. Trial registration: This study was registered on July 29, 2022, at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05481229).

Biomechanical risk factors for ACL injury differ between the sexes when performing a high-intensive exergame

Introduction
 Incidence rates in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, which are linked to multiple factors, are higher in females than males (Sutton & Bullock, 2013). However, the main contributors to the difference in risk are biomechanical factors such as increased knee valgus (KV), knee internal rotation (KIR), or decreased hip flexion (HF; Seyedahmadi et al., 2022). Returning back to sports after an injury requires extensive rehabilitation as well as training of dual-task situations in order to be physically and cognitively prepared. Exergaming represents a dual task including a cognitive and a motor component and may be used as training modality during rehabilitation. It is known that performing a dual-task leads to altered landing movement patterns in healthy athletes (Dai et al., 2018). Before an exergame for rehabilitation after ACL injury can be implemented and tailored to the specific needs of female and male athletes, the movement patterns of males and females need to be understood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify biomechanical differences between males and females when performing a high-intensive exergame.
 Methods
 Using 3D-motion capture (Vicon) kinematics were measured in 18 healthy athletes (9 male, 9 female) during a 25-min exergame (Sphery Racer, ExerCube). The exergame included nine different exercises of which 8 were used for analysis. The exercises were separated into neutral (squat, jump, burpee) and side-specific exercises (low-touch, mid-touch, high-touch, punch, lunge). For analysis, the maximal KV, maximal KIR, and the minimal HF were extracted during 10-30° knee flexion. These maximal values were then compared between the sexes, the exercises, and both legs with a linear mixed model, for each the neutral and the side-specific exercises.
 Results
 A main effect of sex was only found for side-specific exercises in KIR (F(1, 16) = 6.1, p = .02) with females exhibiting higher values. For KV and HF in side-specific exercises as well as all variables in neutral exercises, no significant main effect for sex was found. However, there was a main effect of exercise in KV; KIR, and HF in neutral (p < .001) as well as in side-specific exercises (p < .001).
 Discussion/Conclusion
 Differences in KIR between males and females primarily exist during touches and punches. Therefore, exergames should incorporate this fact to counteract increased risk for knee injuries in females.
 References
 Dai, B., Cook, R. F., Meyer, E. A., Sciascia, Y., Hinshaw, T. J., Wang, C., & Zhu, Q. (2018). The effect of a secondary cognitive task on landing mechanics and jump performance. Sports Biomechanics, 17(2), 192–205. https://doi.org/10.1080/14763141.2016.1265579
 Seyedahmadi, M., Minoonejad, H., Karimizadeh Ardakani, M., Heidari, Z., Bayattork, M., & Akbari, H. (2022). What are gender differences in lower limb muscle activity during jump-landing tasks? A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Sports Science, Medicine & Rehabilitation, 14(1), Article 77. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-022-00469-3
 Sutton, K. M., & Bullock, J. M. (2013). Anterior cruciate ligament rupture: Differences between males and females. The Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 21(1), 41–50. https://doi.org/10.5435/jaaos-21-01-41

Effects of implementing a mandatory and consequential annual fitness assessment in a fire department over the initial 4-year period.

Despite the physical nature of the occupation many firefighters have low levels of physical fitness which is associated with poor performance of occupational tasks and increased injury rates. For many fire departments an initial step in promoting health and wellness within the department is to conduct annual fitness testing. To examine the effects of implementing a consequential fitness assessment within a fire department. A retrospective repeated measures design was used to analyze annual fitness assessment data of professional firefighters (n = 1415) from 2019 to 2022 within a large urban fire department located in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The fitness tests included assessments of pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, aerobic capacity, and body composition. Repeated measure analyses of variances (ANOVAs) assessed the effect of year and a 2-way ANOVA was conducted to investigate the effects of sex and age on fitness measures on 2022 data. All fitness measures were found to be maintained over the 4-year period. Significant main effects of age and sex across all fitness measures, but no significant interactions were found. Older firefighters (50 + years) exhibited lower performance (p < 0.001, d > 0.80) on muscular fitness assessments than young firefighters (20-29 years). A large effect of sex (males > females) was found for pull-ups (d = 1.04), push-ups (d = 1.23), and aerobic capacity (d = 1.38). The results suggest that implementing a consequential fitness assessment could help maintain firefighters' fitness levels over a multi-year period.

Aging, cingulate cortex, and cognition: insights from structural MRI, emotional recognition, and theory of mind.

The cingulate cortex is a limbic structure involved in multiple functions, including emotionalprocessing, pain, cognition, memory, and spatial orientation. The main goal of this structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) study was to investigate whether age affects the cingulate cortex uniformly across its anteroposterior dimensions and determine if the effects of age differ based on sex, hemisphere, and regional cingulate anatomy, in a large cohort of healthy individuals across the adult lifespan. The second objective aimed to explore whether the decline in emotional recognition accuracy and Theory of Mind (ToM) is linked to the potential age-related reductions in the pregenual anterior cingulate (ACC) and anterior midcingulate (MCC) cortices. We recruited 126 healthy participants (18-85years) for this study. MRI datasets were acquired on a 4.7T system. The cingulate cortex was manually segmented into the pregenual ACC, anterior MCC, posterior MCC, and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). We observed negative relationships between the presence and length of the superior cingulate gyrus and bilateral volumes of pregenual ACC and anterior MCC. Age showed negative effects on the volume of all cingulate cortical subregions bilaterally except for the right anterior MCC. Most of the associations between age and the cingulate subregional volumes were linear. We did not find a significant effect of sex on cingulate cortical volumes. However, stronger effects of age were observed in men compared to women. This study also demonstrated that performance on an emotional recognition task was linked to pregenual ACC volume, whist the ToM capabilities were related to the size of pregenual ACC and anterior MCC. These results suggest that the cingulate cortex contributes to emotional recognition ability and ToM across the adult lifespan.

A 15-year longitudinal study of search-and-rescue dogs identifies the musculoskeletal, integumentary, and gastrointestinal systems as commonly affected.

A longitudinal study followed search-and-rescue (SAR) dogs for 15 years to determine the incidence of health events and whether factors of deployment during 9/11, breed, or sex altered the risk of specific events. 150 SAR dogs: 95 dogs deployed to the September 11 terrorist attack sites and 55 SAR dogs not deployed. Each year, a survey was sent to the handler to collect health information until the dog died or the handler withdrew from the study. The reported health events were then categorized according to the body system affected and etiology. Incidence risk rates, with 95% CIs, were calculated for the most common types of health events. Incidence rate ratios were calculated stratified by deployment status, sex, and breed and significance assessed. 1 or more health event was recorded in 96 of the 150 enrolled dogs. The most affected systems were the musculoskeletal (31%; CI, 24 to 39), integumentary (22%; CI, 15 to 29), and gastrointestinal (20%; CI, 14 to 26). The health events were most commonly reported as inflammatory (45%; CI, 37 to 53) and degenerative (28%; CI, 21 to 35) in nature. There were no significant differences in incidence of health events based on deployment status to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Additionally, there was no significant effect of breed or sex on incidence of health events. To improve the health and longevity of SAR dogs, disease prevention and management programs should focus on reducing the health problems involving the musculoskeletal system as well as the integumentary and gastrointestinal systems.

Sex-dependent differences in tissue and blood n-3 PUFA levels following ALA or ALA + DHA feeding of liver-specific Elovl2-KO and control mice

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) must be consumed from the diet or synthesized from polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) precursors, such as α-linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3n-3). Elongase 2 (encoded by Elovl2 gene) catalyzes two elongation reactions in the PUFA biosynthesis pathway and may be important in regulating the observed sex differences in n-3 PUFA levels. Our aim was to determine how targeted knockout of liver Elovl2 affects tissue and blood n-3 PUFA levels in male and female C57BL/6J mice. Twenty-eight-day old male and female liver Elovl2-KO and control mice were placed onto one of two dietary protocols for a total of 8 weeks (4–8 mice per genotype, per diet, per sex): 1) an 8-week 2 % ALA in total fat diet or 2) a 4-week 2 % ALA diet followed by a 4-week 2 % ALA + 2 % DHA diet. Following this 8-week feeding period, 12-week-old mice were sacrificed and serum, red blood cells (RBC), liver, heart and brain were collected and fatty acid levels measured. Significant interaction effects (p < 0.05, sex x genotype) for serum, RBC, liver and heart DHA levels were identified. In serum and liver, DHA levels were significantly different (p < 0.01) between all groups with male controls > female controls > female KO > male KO in serum and female controls > male controls > female KO > male KO in liver. In RBCs and the heart, female controls = male controls > female KO > male KO (p < 0.001). The addition of DHA to diet removed the interaction effects on DHA levels in the serum, liver and heart, yielding a significant sex effect in serum, liver (female > male, p < 0.01) and brain (male > female, p < 0.05) and genotype effect in serum and heart (control > KO, p < 0.05). Ablation of liver Elovl2 results in significantly lower blood and tissue DHA in a sex-dependent manner, suggesting a role for Elovl2 on sex differences in n-3 PUFA levels.

Sex differences in social cognition among individuals with schizophrenia and in healthy control participants: a secondary analysis of published data

PurposeSex differences are present among individuals experiencing schizophrenia. Whether these differences extend to social cognition is unclear. In this study, we investigated sex differences in emotion perception, social perception and theory of mind (ToM).MethodsWe examined sex differences between males and females with schizophrenia on five social cognitive tests. Healthy male and female control participants were included to examine if any sex difference was illness-specific. Emotion perception was measured with Pictures of Facial Affect (PFA) and Emotion in Biological Motion (EmoBio); social perception with the Relationships Across Domains Test (RAD); and ToM with the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition (MASC) and Hinting Task.ResultsTwo-way analyses of variance revealed overall group differences for all tests, with healthy controls outperforming individuals with schizophrenia. Significant sex effects were present for PFA and Hinting Task. There were no significant interaction effects. Within-group independent samples t-tests yielded one significant sex difference, i.e., among healthy controls for PFA.ConclusionsFemales had better facial emotion perception than males. This sex difference was statistically significant among healthy controls and medium-large among individuals experiencing schizophrenia. There were no significant sex differences for other social cognitive domains. The study did not find evidence for a general female advantage in social cognition.

Cortisol levels across the lifespan in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus).

Human aging is associated with senescence of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, leading to progressive dysregulation characterized by increased cortisol exposure. This key hormone is implicated in the pathogenesis of many age-related diseases. Common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) display a wide spectrum of naturally occurring age-related pathologies that compare similarly to humans and are increasingly used as translational models of aging and age-related disease. Whether the marmoset HPA axis also shows senescence with increasing age is unknown. We analyzed hair cortisol concentration (HCC) across the lifespan of 50 captive common marmosets, ranging in age from approximately 2 months-14.5 years, via a cross-sectional design. Samples were processed and analyzed for cortisol using enzyme immunoassay. HCC ranged from 1416 to 15,343 pg/mg and was negatively correlated with age. We found significant main effects of age group (infant, adolescent, adult, aged, very aged) and sex on HCC, and no interaction effects. Infants had significantly higher levels of HCC compared with all other age groups. Females had higher HCC than males. There was no interaction between age and sex. These results suggest marmosets do not show dysregulation of the HPA axis with increasing age, as measured via HCC.

The significance and limited influence of cerebrovascular reactivity on age and sex effects in task- and resting-state brain activity.

Functional MRI measures the blood-oxygen-level dependent signals, which provide an indirect measure of neural activity mediated by neurovascular responses. Cerebrovascular reactivity affects both task-induced and resting-state blood-oxygen-level dependent activity and may confound inter-individual effects, such as those related to aging and biological sex. We examined a large dataset containing breath-holding, checkerboard, and resting-state tasks. We used the breath-holding task to measure cerebrovascular reactivity, used the checkerboard task to obtain task-based activations, and quantified resting-state activity with amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations and regional homogeneity. We hypothesized that cerebrovascular reactivity would be correlated with blood-oxygen-level dependent measures and that accounting for these correlations would result in better estimates of age and sex effects. We found that cerebrovascular reactivity was correlated with checkerboard task activations in the visual cortex and with amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations and regional homogeneity in widespread fronto-parietal regions, as well as regions with large vessels. We also found significant age and sex effects in cerebrovascular reactivity, some of which overlapped with those observed in amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations and regional homogeneity. However, correcting for the effects of cerebrovascular reactivity had very limited influence on the estimates of age and sex. Our results highlight the limitations of accounting for cerebrovascular reactivity with the current breath-holding task.

The sex effect on balance control while standing on vestibular-demanding tasks with/without vestibular simulations: implication for sensorimotor training for future space missions.

Background: Anatomical differences between sexes in the vestibular system have been reported. It has also been demonstrated that there is a sex difference in balance control while standing on vestibular-demanding tasks. In 2024, NASA expects to send the first female to the Moon. Therefore, to extend the current knowledge, this study attempted to examine whether different sexes respond differently to vestibular-disrupted and vestibular-demanding environments. Method: A total of fifteen males and fifteen females participated in this study. The vestibular function was quantified through different SOT conditions (SOT1: baseline; SOT5: vestibular demanding by standing with blindfolded and sway reference surface). The vestibular stimulation (VS) was applied either unilaterally or bilaterally to vestibular system to induce the sensory-conflicted and challenging tasks. Thus, a total of 6 conditions (2 SOT conditions X 3 VSs: no-VS, unilateral VS, and bilateral VS) were randomly given to these participants. Three approaches can be quantified the balance control: 1) the performance ratio (PR) of center of gravity trajectories (CoG), 2) the sample entropy measure (SampEn) of CoG, and 3) the total traveling distance of CoG. A mixed three-way repeated ANOVA measure was used to determine the interaction among the sex effect, the effect of SOT, and the effect of VS on balance control. Results: A significant sex effect on balance control was found in the PR of CoG in the anterior-posterior (AP) direction (p = 0.026) and in the SampEn of CoG in both AP and medial-lateral (ML) directions (p = 0.025, p < 0.001, respectively). Also, a significant interaction among the sex effect, the effect of SOT, and the effect of VS on balance control was observed in PR of CoG in the ML direction (p < 0.001), SampEn of CoG in the AP and ML directions (p = 0.002, p < 0.001, respectively), and a traveling distance in AP direction (p = 0.041). Conclusion: The findings in the present study clearly revealed the necessity to take sex effect into consideration while standing in vestibular-perturbed or/and vestibular demanding tasks. Also, the results in the present study could be a fundamental reference for future sensorimotor training.

Evaluation of the differences in the localization of the lingula mandibulae according to pubertal development in children: A new anthropological and forensic approach

ObjectiveThis study aims to investigate changes in lingula mandibulae localization before and after puberty and sex differences. Design288 panoramic radiographs evaluated retrospectively were divided into four groups according to pubertal development: under and over 10 years old for females and under and over 11 years old for males. Four anatomic sites were used as reference points: (a) the anterior border of the ramus; (b) the posterior border of the ramus; (c) the deepest point of mandibular notch; and (d) the angulus mandibulae. The ratio of the distances from the lingula mandibulae to points (a) and (b) and the ratio of the distances from the lingula mandibulae to points (c) and (d) were determined. Two-way ANOVA was performed to assess differences between subgroups based on sex and puberty, and a Bonferroni post-hoc test was performed for multiple comparisons. ResultsPuberty and sex has a significant interaction effect on the vertical location of the lingula mandibulae. Postpubertal lingula mandibulae is positioned proportionally more anteriorly by prepubertal localization. In addition, the lingula mandibulae is situated more posteriorly in females compared to males. A significant interaction effect of puberty and sex was observed in relation to the vertical positioning of the lingula mandibulae. ConclusionsThe spatial localization of the lingula mandibulae and its spatial displacement with age can be used both in estimating sex and the onset of puberty. Changes in the localization of lingula mandibulae according to pubertal development and sex can be used in forensic and anthropological contexts.

Impact of Physical Educators’ Appearance and Sex on Elementary School Students’ Learning and Perceptions of the Teachers

Purpose: This research examined the impact of two physical educators’ appearance and sex on elementary school students’ learning and teacher perceptions. Method: Four videos consisting of female informal appearance, female formal appearance, male informal appearance, and male formal appearance were created. A content examination and a perception questionnaire were used to collect data. Factorial analyses of variance were conducted to identify significant main effects or interactions on the examination (i.e., total score, techniques, strategies) and teacher perceptions (i.e., likability, competence, role modeling). Results: Data revealed no significant main effect for teacher appearance or sex on the six variables. A significant interaction effect on the technique-related question was identified; the participants scored higher when the female teacher dressed formally than when she dressed informally. However, the participants performed better when the male teacher dressed informally than when he dressed formally. Discussion/Conclusion: Future research investigating the “true” formal and informal appearance is warranted.

A hop testing alternative for functional performance following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

The purpose of this work was to provide a simple method to determine reactive strength during the 6-meter timed hop test (6mTH) and evaluate its association with isokinetic peak torque in patients following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Twenty-nine ACLR patients who were at least four months from surgery were included in this analysis. Participants were brought into the laboratory on one occasion to complete functional testing. Quadriceps and hamstring isokinetic testing was completed bilaterally at 60, 180, and 300 deg∙s-1, using extension peak torque from each speed as the outcome measure. The 6mTH was completed bilaterally using a marker-based motion capture system, and reactive strength ratio (RSR) was calculated from the vertical velocity of the pelvis during the test. An adjustment in RSR was made using the velocity of the 6mTH test to account for different strategies employed across participants. Repeated measures correlations were used to determine associations among isokinetic and hop testing variables. A two-way mixed analysis of variance was used to determine differences in isokinetic and hop testing variables between operated and non-operated legs and across male and female participants. Moderate positive associations were found between RSR (and adjusted RSR) and isokinetic peak torque at all speeds (r = .527 to .577). Mean comparisons showed significant main effects for leg and sex. Patients showed significant deficits in their operated versus non-operated legs in all isokinetic and hop testing variables, yet only isokinetic peak torque and timed hop time showed significant differences across male and female groups. Preliminary results are promising but further development is needed to validate other accessible technologies available to calculate reactive strength during functional testing after ACLR. Pending these developments, the effects of movement strategies, demographics, and levels of participation on RSR can then be explored to translate this simple method to clinical environments.

Sex differences of neural connectivity in internet gaming disorder and its association with sleep quality: an exploratory fMRI study.

Sex-specific differences in internet gaming disorder (IGD) neurophysiology remain underexplored. Here we investigated sex-related variability in regional homogeneity (ReHo) and functional connectivity (FC) in IGD and their correlations with sleep quality. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans were performed on 52 subjects with IGD and 50 healthy controls (HCs). Two-way ANOVA was used to examine sex and diagnosis interactions in ReHo and FC, followed by post-hoc analyses to explore FC biomarkers for different sexes. In ReHo analysis, the four groups showed significant sex and diagnosis interactions in the right middle frontal gyrus (rMFG). FC analysis with rMFG as the seed region revealed a significant sex and diagnosis interaction effect in FC of the rMFG with the bilateral postcentral gyrus (PoCG). In male IGD group, FC between the rMFG and the bilateral PoCG correlates strongly with daytime dysfunction score and the Pittsburgh sleep quality inventory (PSQI) total score. These findings emphasize the importance of considering sexual dimorphism in the neurobiology of IGD, which might influence subsequent treatment strategies.

Perceived expertise among physical education teachers: the role of personal and contextual factors

ABSTRACT This article focuses on teacher perceived expertise (TPE) influenced by both contextual and individual characteristics. By using a validated questionnaire based on two dimensions of TPE, i.e. subject matter and pedagogical expertise, the present study compares TPE in physical education (PE) to that of other subjects and examines the role of selected key personal variables and teaching context characteristics in TPE. Following a 2 × 2 * 2 MANCOVA, data on 482 teachers revealed a significant main effect of teacher sex and subject taught and a significant interaction effect between teaching context and subject taught on TPE, with a notably higher level of perceived subject-matter expertise for other-subject teachers than for PE teachers and for French other-subject teachers (than for French and Swiss PE teachers and Swiss other-subject teachers). This study discusses the importance of pedagogical expertise in TPE and of the interaction effects between personal and contextual factors on subject-matter expertise.

The human skeletal muscle metaboreflex contribution to cardiorespiratory control in males and females in dynamic exercise.

There is a significant effect of sex and muscle mass on the cardiorespiratory response to the skeletal muscle metaboreflex during isometric exercise. We therefore tested the hypothesis that sex differences would be present when isolated following dynamic exercise. We also tested the hypothesis that single and double leg post-exercise circulatory occlusion (PECO) following heavy exercise would elicit a cardiorespiratory response proportional to the absolute muscle mass. Healthy (24±4 years) males (n=10) and females (n=10) completed pulmonary function and an incremental cycle test to exhaustion. Participants completed two randomized, 6 min bouts of intense cycle exercise (84±7% V̇O2peak). One exercise bout was immediately followed by 3 min PECO (220mmHg) of the legs while the other exercise bout was followed by passive recovery. Males completed an additional session of testing with single leg PECO. The mean arterial pressure during PECO and control was greater in males compared to females (p=0.004). The was a significant time by condition by sex interaction in the heart rate response to PECO (p=0.027). There was also a significant condition by sex interaction in the ventilatory response to PECO (p=0.026). In males, we observed a dose-dependent cardiovascular, but not ventilatory, response to muscle mass occluded (all p<0.05). Our findings suggest the metaboreflex contribution to cardiorespiratory control during dynamic exercise is greater in males compared to females. The ventilatory response induced by double-leg occlusion but not single-leg occlusion, suggests that the ventilatory influence of the metaboreflex is less sensitive than the cardiovascular response and may be linked to the greater afferent activation induced by double-leg occlusion.

Epidemiology and management of ankle sprain injuries over seven seasons in an elite professional ballet company

ObjectivesTo investigate the epidemiology and management of ankle ligament sprains over seven seasons in a professional ballet company. DesignDescriptive epidemiology study. MethodsMedical attention injury, time-loss injury, and exposure data pertaining to 140 professional ballet dancers were prospectively recorded by Chartered Physiotherapists over seven seasons (2015/16–2021/22); a period including the COVID-19 global pandemic. ResultsSixty-nine ankle sprains (46 time-loss) in 45 dancers (32 %) were recorded: 51 sprains were classified as grade I, 15 were classified as grade II, and three were classified as grade III; 53 sprains affected only one ligament, whilst 16 were multi-ligament sprains. For time-loss injuries, median time-loss durations varied by grading (I - 31 days, II - 54 days, and III - 147 days) and the number of ligaments affected (one - 31 days, two - 54 days, three - 134 days, four - 137 days), with time-loss ranging from 1 to 188 days. Of the 46 time-loss ankle sprains, eight were mild, nine were moderate, and 29 were severe. The incidence rate (injuries·1000 h−1) of medical attention ankle sprains was 0.073 (95 % CI: 0.046 to 0.117) in male dancers and 0.101 (95 % CI: 0.069 to 0.148) in female dancers, and the incidence of time-loss ankle sprains was 0.044 (95 % CI: 0.024 to 0.080) in male dancers and 0.064 (95 % CI: 0.040 to 0.103) in female dancers. No significant effect of sex was observed on either medical attention (p = .304) or time-loss (p = .327) ankle sprain incidence rates. Ten percent of dancers sustained multiple sprains across the seven seasons. Fifty and 39 % of ankle sprains in female and male dancers, respectively, were preceded by a history of ankle sprains. Jumping and landing (30 sprains) and non-dance movements (16 sprains) were the most common inciting movements. Bone bruising and synovitis were the most common concurrent pathologies. ConclusionsAnkle sprains placed a considerable burden on the ballet company studied. These time-loss durations specified by number and grade of ligament sprain, injury history, and secondary pathologies can guide return-to-dance rehabilitation pathways.

Can an online battery match in‐person cognitive testing in predicting age‐related cortical changes

AbstractBackgroundStudies into cognitive changes typically employ detailed in person cognitive testing, which is not always feasible. Therefore, we compared the relationship between brain morphology (sulcal width) and cognitive functioning, using an online and an in‐person modality and disentangled the influence of age, sex, β‐Amyloid (Aβ) and APOE‐status.Method141 healthy participants (mean age 60, range 46‐71 years, 75% female) assessed with structural MRI; cognitive batteries both, face‐to‐face and online (Cambridge Brain Systems), Aβ status (Fluorine‐18 florbetaben‐PET scan) and APOE genotype (Lupton et al., 2021); Canonical Partial Least Square method to compare cognitive modalities and Sulcal width (SW; Morphologist pipeline‐BrainVISA toolbox; Borne et al., 2020). Age effects tested with two‐sided Wald Test. Analysis of covariance to test age and sex‐interactions, amyloid and APOE status, sex‐effects (controlling for age), Aβ, and APOE (controlling for age and sex).ResultThe single robust mode for brain (SW) ‐ behaviour (cognition) covariation loaded most strongly onto memory and executive functions for both the onsite (1st mode, p = 0.013, cov = 3.55, z‐cov = 2.93, R2 = 0.18, z‐R2 = 0.95; 2nd mode, p&gt;0.99), and the online battery (1st mode, p&lt;0.001, cov = 2.76, z‐cov = 4.71, R2 = 0.14, z‐R2 = 1.15; 2nd mode, p = 0.99) (Fig. 1).Cognition‐related SW showed a regional pattern similar for online and in person cognitive appraisal. Significant effect of sex on SW projections in both the online and onsite conditions with larger sulcal width for men (p&lt;0.001) and a similar effect on onsite cognitive projections with lower performance for men (p&lt;0.001) (Fig. 2a). Cognitive performance ‐ both online (p = 0.03) and in‐person (p&lt;0.01) – showed a significantly steeper decline with age for Aβ‐positive participants (Fig. 2b). Variance explained for the online cognitive assay (R2 = 0.15) was only slightly less than for the in‐person testing (R2 = 0.18). Brain‐behaviour z‐transformed covariance was likewise comparable across modalities.ConclusionSimilar sulcal width brain projections for both cognitive modalities, with memory and executive domains showing the strongest loadings. Aβ‐aggregation associated with a steeper cognitive projection slope for both batteries, suggesting that in our preclinical sample the early stages of Aβ accumulation accelerate cognitive ageing potentially before translation into structural brain changes. Adequate sensitivity of online cognitive tests for studying age‐related neurobiology of cognition is suggested.

Sex differences in the biomechanical and biochemical responses of caudal rat intervertebral discs to injury.

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is a major cause of low back pain (LBP) worldwide. Sexual dimorphism, or sex-based differences, appear to exist in the severity of LBP. However, it is unknown if there are sex-based differences in the inflammatory, biomechanical, biochemical, and histological responses of intervertebral discs (IVDs). Caudal (Coccygeal/Co) bone-disc-bone motion segments were isolated from multiple spinal levels (Co8 to Co14) of male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Changes in motion segment biomechanics and extracellular matrix (ECM) biochemistry (glycosaminoglycan [GAG], collagen [COL], water, and DNA content) were evaluated at baseline and in response to chemical insult (lipopolysaccharide [LPS]) or puncture injury ex vivo. We also investigated the contributions of Toll-like receptor (TLR4) signaling on responses to LPS or puncture injury ex vivo, using a small molecule TLR4 inhibitor, TAK-242. Findings indicate that IVD motion segments from female donors had greater nitric oxide (NO) release in LPS groups compared to male donors. HMGB1 release was increased in punctured discs, but not LPS injured discs, with no sex effect. Although both male and female discs exhibited reductions in dynamic moduli in response to LPS and puncture injuries, dynamic moduli from female donors were higher than male donors across all groups. In uninjured (baseline) samples, a significant sex effect was observed in nucleus pulposus (NP) DNA and water content. Female annulus fibrosus (AF) also had higher DNA, GAG, and COL content (normalized bydry weight), but lower water content than male AF. Additional injury- and sex-dependent effects were observed in AF GAG/DNA and COL/DNA content. Finally, TAK-242 improved the dynamic modulus of female but not male punctured discs. Our findings demonstrate that there are differences in rat IVD motion segments based on sex, and that the response to injury in inflammatory, biomechanical, biochemical, and histological outcomes also exhibit sex differences. TLR4 inhibition protected against loss of mechanical integrity of puncture-injured IVD motion segments, with differences responses based on donor sex.

Sex Differences on Tau, Astrocytic and Neurodegeneration Plasma Biomarkers

AbstractBackgroundSex differences have consistently been identified on autopsy, neuroimaging, and cerebrospinal fluid outcomes related to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Mechanisms for these associations are unclear. Blood‐based biomarkers are practical alternatives for the investigation of mechanisms of AD, in addition to accurate disease detection and monitoring. The objective of this study was to examine sex differences across a panel of blood‐based plasma biomarkers in participants with and without cognitive impairment due to AD.MethodsThe sample included 567 participants (248 males, 319 females) from the Boston University AD Research Center (BUADRC). Participants completed a battery of neuropsychological tests. Cognitive diagnoses were adjudicated during multidisciplinary diagnostic consensus conferences. All participants had at least one blood draw between 2008 and 2018 at the BUADRC. Plasma samples were analyzed using Simoa for phosphorylated tau (p‐tau181), total tau (t‐tau), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and neurofilament light (NfL). Linear regression models tested associations between sex and each plasma biomarker, controlling for age, racial identity, education, and APOE ε4 carrier status. Analyses were repeated stratified by APOE ε4 carrier and CDR status.Results Table 1 shows sample characteristics (mean age = 74.41, 13.3% Black/African American). As shown in Table 2, the multivariable linear regressions showed significant sex effects for plasma GFAP, such that females had higher plasma GFAP levels than males (p&lt;.001). Among APOE ε4 carriers (n = 223) and participants with a CDR≥1 (n = 111), the associations with GFAP remained and the magnitude of associations were stronger compared to APOE ε4 non‐carriers and those with a CDR&lt;1. Figure 1 shows plots of the association between sex and each plasma biomarker. There were no other sex effects across the other plasma biomarkers in the entire sample or when stratified by APOE ε4 carrier or CDR status.ConclusionsFemales had higher plasma GFAP levels than males regardless of APOE ε4 status and cognitive status. Reactive astrocyte processes associated with neurodegenerative diseases can be measured by plasma GFAP. Biological differences in these processes may explain observed associations between sex and risk for AD. The study highlights the dynamic utility of plasma biomarkers for the study of AD and longitudinal analyses of this cohort are planned.