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PubMed1991

Sex differences in the course of personality development: a meta-analysis.

Size and stability of sex differences in personality growth throughout adolescence and adulthood are examined. Studies using the Washington University Sentence Completion Test of ego development served as the primary source data. Sixty-five studies (encompassing more than 9,000 Ss) generated 113 independent effect sizes. Sex differences in ego development were moderately large among junior and senior high-school students (female advantage), declined significantly among college-age adults, and disappeared entirely among older men and women. Sex differences were relatively stable during early and middle adolescence. The greater maturity displayed by adolescent girls is not an artifact of superior verbal abilities. Sex differences in ego development were more than twice the magnitude of differences in vocabulary skills (Hyde & Linn, 1988). The present findings, together with findings from reviews of sex differences in moral judgment, aggression, and empathy, suggest that adolescent girls achieve developmental milestones earlier than boys, a difference that declines with age.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Haptic orientation perception: sex differences and lateralization of functions.

The present study examined sex differences in haptic orientation representation using three tasks: a bimanual parallel-setting task comprising haptic orientation perception and motor matching action, and two unimanual tasks focusing on the perception and action elements separately. A verbal judgment task focused on haptic orientation perception: participants were to assign a number of minutes to a felt orientation. An orientation production task required the rotation of a bar to match a verbally presented number of minutes. Although both male and female performance was systematically biased we found that males are more accurate in parallel-setting and verbal judgment of orientation, suggesting differences in haptic orientation perception, in particular. Increasing allocentric reference frame involvement by delaying the action in the parallel-setting task did not affect the sex difference found. In addition to a male advantage over tasks, performance on both unimanual tasks suggests sex differences in lateralization of haptic orientation processing; a dependence on hand orientation was found only for right hand performance in males.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Race and sex differences in the refusal of cardiac catheterization among elderly patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Prior studies have reported race and sex differences in cardiac catheterization use after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). It is unclear whether race or sex differences in procedure refusal may contribute to this difference. We sought to determine whether cardiac catheterization refusal rates differ by patient race or sex. METHODS: We evaluated medical records of 74,745 Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for AMI between January 1994 and February 1996 to ascertain refusal of cardiac catheterization during hospitalization. Patient race and sex were evaluated for their association with cardiac catheterization refusal adjusting for patient, physician, and hospital characteristics. RESULTS: The cardiac catheterization refusal rate in the overall cohort was 2.92% (95% CI 2.80%-3.04%). Race and sex differences in cardiac catheterization were observed after multivariate adjustment, with white women (odds ratio [OR] 1.28), black men (OR 1.34), and black women (OR 1.37) more likely to refuse cardiac catheterization than white men (OR 1.00). Relative differences in refusal were associated with only modest absolute differences in risk-standardized rates of cardiac catheterization refusal; rates were lowest for white men (2.55%), and higher for white women (3.21%), black men (3.36%), and black women (3.38%, P <.001 for global comparison). CONCLUSIONS: Patient race and sex were associated with cardiac catheterization refusal among elderly patients hospitalized with AMI. However, absolute race and sex differences in rates of procedure refusal were small, suggesting that race and sex differences in cardiac catheterization refusal provide only a partial explanation of observed differences in cardiac procedure use.

Black or African American↗
PubMed2004

Nociception and antinociception during the first week of life in mice: sex differences and test dependence.

UNLABELLED: This study demonstrates that reliable sex differences in nociceptive and antinociceptive mechanisms are present in even very young subjects. Sex differences were observed in mice tested either on the day of birth or 1 week later on basal tail-flick latency and morphine analgesic magnitude. Female mice had longer tail-withdrawal latencies; male mice demonstrated stronger analgesic responses to morphine. In addition, basal pain behavior and analgesic responsiveness differed between day-old and week-old animals on the hot plate, with day-old mice showing enhanced pain behavior and reduced morphine antinociception compared to week-old subjects. These findings further support the competence of pain processing circuitry in even very young subjects and highlight the early development of nociceptive and antinociceptive mechanisms. PERSPECTIVE: This study highlights the competence of nociceptive circuitry and the analgesic efficacy of morphine as early as the day of birth in mice, reinforcing the importance of evaluating and treating pain in even the youngest subjects. Sex differences were present, suggesting infant sex as one of several potential factors that predict the experience of procedural or pathological pain and analgesic requirement.

Analgesics↗
PubMed2005

Sex differences in juvenile rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) agonistic screams: life history differences and effects of prenatal androgens.

This study investigated sex differences in juvenile rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) vocal behavior during agonistic contexts, and the effects of prenatal androgens on these differences. A total of 59 subjects (5-8 per treatment group) received exogenous androgen (testosterone enanthate), an anti-androgen (flutamide) or vehicle injections (DMSO) for 30 or 35 days during the second (early) or third (late) trimester of pregnancy. An additional 19 unmanipulated controls were included in the analysis. Screams by juvenile males and females between the ages of 1 and 3 years were compared to the screams of adult female exemplars using a discriminant function analysis. Juvenile females produced more adult-female like screams than did juvenile males. Females exposed to androgen treatment late in gestation produced a more masculine pattern of screams. Flutamide treatment in males either early or late in gestation did not significantly affect scream production. Flutamide treatments in females late in gestation, however, masculinized scream production. Androgen treatments administered late in gestation hyper-masculinized male scream production. No sex differences in the contextual usage of screams emerged. These findings suggest that both life history differences and the early hormone environment contribute to sex differences in juvenile rhesus macaque vocal production.

Agonistic Behavior↗
PubMed2001

New-onset atrial fibrillation: sex differences in presentation, treatment, and outcome.

BACKGROUND: Although sex differences in coronary artery disease have received considerable attention, few studies have dealt with sex differences in the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation (AF). Differences in presentation and clinical course may dictate different approaches to detection and management. We sought to examine sex-related differences in presentation, treatment, and outcome in patients presenting with new-onset AF. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Canadian Registry of Atrial Fibrillation (CARAF) enrolled subjects at the time of first ECG-confirmed diagnosis of AF. Participants were followed at 3 months, at 1 year, and annually thereafter. Treatment was at the discretion of the patients' physicians and was not directed by CARAF investigators. Baseline and follow-up data collection included a detailed medical history, clinical, ECG, and echocardiographic measures, medication history, and therapeutic interventions. Three hundred thirty-nine women and 560 men were followed for 4.14+/-1.39 years. Compared with men, women were older at the time of presentation, more likely to seek medical advice because of symptoms, and experienced significantly higher heart rates during AF. Compared with older men, older women were half as likely to receive warfarin and twice as likely to receive acetylsalicylic acid. Compared with men on warfarin, women on warfarin were 3.35 times more likely to experience a major bleed. CONCLUSIONS: Anticoagulants are underused in older women with AF relative to older men with AF, despite comparable risk profiles. Women receiving warfarin have a significantly higher risk of major bleeding, suggesting the need for careful monitoring of anticoagulant intensity in women.

Anticoagulants↗
PubMed2002

Sex differences in physician burnout in the United States and The Netherlands.

OBJECTIVE: to determine if there are sex differences in physician burnout in the Netherlands and, if not, to explore why they are present in the United States. METHODS: Separate physician surveys were conducted in the United States (n=2326) and the Netherlands (n=1426). Thirty-three percent of US respondents were female (adjusted response rate 52%); 18% of Dutch respondents were female (adjusted response rate 63%). Standardized mean sex differences (effect sizes) in burnout variables were calculated and compared crossnationally. RESULTS: US women experienced more burnout than US men did (28% v 21%, p<.01), but the sex difference in burnout among Dutch physicians was not significant. Women in both countries worked fewer hours than men did (48 v 56 US, 44 v 56 NL, difference in effect sizes of sex differences between US and NL, p<.001). Although women in both countries described less work control than men, the effect size of the sex difference in the United States was more than twice that in the Netherlands (.34 US v .15 NL, p<.01). Children, home support, and work-home interference were comparable between sexes in the United States. CONCLUSIONS: Gender parity in physician burnout in the Netherlands may be due to fewer work hours and greater work control of women compared to those in the United States.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Sex differences in delta and alpha EEG activities in healthy older adults.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To examine sex effects on sleep stages and electroencephalogram (EEG) spectral power in older adults. DESIGN: Sleep was polygraphically recorded for 2 consecutive nights, and blood was sampled during the last 24 hours. SETTING: The University of Chicago Clinical Research Center. PARTICIPANTS: Two groups of healthy nonobese older subjects: 10 men (59 +/- 2 years), and 10 postmenopausal women (63 +/- 2 years). INTERVENTIONS: N/A. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: A spectral analysis of the EEG was performed in the delta and alpha bands. There were no sex differences in sleep stages. Blood sampling resulted in reductions of total sleep time, sleep maintenance, slow-wave sleep, and absolute delta activity that were all larger in women than in men. In absolute values, delta and alpha activities in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep were higher in women than in men, but, for delta activity, the sex differences were larger in REM than in NREM sleep. In women, but not in men, absolute delta activity in REM was decreased during blood sampling and was strongly correlated with absolute delta activity in NREM. Delta activity in REM did not dissipate across the night in either group. When normalized for the activity in REM sleep, the sex difference in delta activity in NREM sleep was reversed, with lower activity in women. CONCLUSIONS: Sex differences in sleep EEG variables are present in older adults. When normalized, delta activity in older women is lower than in older men, which may be more consistent with sex differences in subjective complaints, in fragility of sleep in the presence of environmental disturbances, and in the relationship to growth-hormone release.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Sex differences in visual evoked potential and electroencephalogram of healthy adults.

Sex differences in flash visual evoked potentials (VEPs) and electroencephalograms (EEGs) were studied in 200 healthy adults (100 females and 100 males). Following results were obtained. (1) Waveforms of Group Mean VEPs of each sex had roughly triphasic contour, consisted of components P1 approximately N8, within 500 msec of latency. (2) Latencies of VEP components by t-test, (3) By analysis of covariance, sex differences in peak-to-peak amplitudes were still significant after eliminating effects of body height, body weight or age, but not those in latencies after eliminating the effect of body height. (4) Quantitative analysis of EEGs resulted in significantly smaller absolute amplitudes, and significantly larger theta, larger beta 1 and smaller alpha 2 power % in females. (5) Peak-to-peak amplitudes of later components in VEPs for 5CH (O1-->Cz) were significantly and positively correlated with EEG absolute amplitudes within each sex group. (6) There were few significant differences in VEP components between follicular phase and luteal phase in females. The sex differences in VEPs verified in this study may be attributed to genetically determined sex differences in neuroendocrinological systems.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

[Study on voice characteristics of people with different sexes and ages].

OBJECTIVE: To study the voice characteristics and differences of normal people with different sexes and ages, and to analyze the related factors, adopt suitable acoustic parameter values. METHOD: To collect and analyze acoustic parameter values of 1200 normal people who were divided by sex (male and female) and age (group 1: before puberty; group 2: after puberty to 30; group 3: 31 to 45; group 4: 46 to 60; 5: 61 and older), laryngeal manifestations of different sex and age under stroboscopy were analyzed. RESULT: Acoustic parameters of men and women have different characteristics. (1) F0, jitter, NNE of women voice are significantly higher than men. (2) Voice amplitude, MPT and formant frequencies of men are significantly higher than those of women. (3) Male and female voice characteristics and anatomic and physiological mechanisms of different age--groups are different. CONCLUSION: Acoustic parameters of normal people with different sexes and ages have different characteristics, which are related to anatomic and physiological mechanisms and other factors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Sex differences in responsiveness to infants: a developmental study of psychophysiological and behavioral responses.

Sex differences in responsiveness to infants were investigated by comparing physiological responses to infants with overt behavioral reactions. The former were assumed to be more biologically determined than the latter whereas overt behavioral responsiveness was presumed to be more affected by societal norms than were psychophysiological indices. The subjects were boys and girls in middle childhood and early adolescence. Psychophysiological indices showed that children, like parents, responded differentially to infant smiles and cries. As predicted, there were no sex differences on psychophysiological measures of responsiveness to babies. When permitted to interact with a baby, however, girls interacted more and ignored less than boys did. The results suggest that sex differences in overt responsiveness to babies are attributable to societal pressures rather than innate factors. Sex differences appear to wax and wane depending on the salience of sex stereotypy in differing developmental phases.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Sex differences in olfactory sensitivity and the problem of the generality of smell acuity.

Sex differences in olfactory sensitivity are not an invariably recurring phenomenon. In the present study some factors, possibly involved in inconsistent findings, are investigated. Sensitivity to 5 different odorants was assessed in 112 subjects on 4 different occasions. Sex differences emerged for some odors but not for others, and some explanations for this state of affairs were suggested. There was no effect of the personality dimension of extraversion-introversion. Low correlations among the 5 measures of detectability question the existence of a general factor of sensitivity.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Sex differences and similarities in the management and outcome of stroke patients.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Previous studies have documented sex differences in the management and outcome of patients with cardiovascular disease. However, little data exist on whether similar sex differences exist in stroke patients. We conducted a study to determine whether sex differences exist in patients with acute stroke admitted to Ontario hospitals. METHODS: Using linked administrative databases, we performed a population-based cohort study. The databases contained information on all 44 832 patients discharged from acute-care hospitals in Ontario between April 1993 and March 1996 with a most responsible diagnosis of acute stroke. The main outcomes measured consisted of sex differences in comorbidities, the use of rehabilitative services, the use of antiplatelet therapy and anticoagulants (in elderly stroke survivors aged > or =65 years only), discharge destination, and mortality. RESULTS: Male stroke patients were more likely than female stroke patients to have a history of ischemic heart disease (18.1% versus 15.3%, respectively; P<0.001) and diabetes mellitus (20.1% versus 18. 7%, respectively; P<0.001), whereas female patients were more likely than male patients to have hypertension (33.8% versus 30.0%, respectively; P<0.001) and atrial fibrillation (12.9% versus 10.2%, respectively; P<0.001). There were no sex differences in the usage of in-hospital rehabilitative services. The overall 90-day postdischarge use of aspirin and ticlopidine was similar in stroke survivors aged 65 to 84 years. However, among stroke survivors aged > or =85 years, men were more likely than women to receive aspirin (36. 0% versus 30.7%, respectively; P<0.001) and ticlopidine (9.2% versus 6.8%, respectively; P=0.007). Use of warfarin was similar for the two sexes. Men were more likely than women to be discharged home (50. 6% versus 40.9%, respectively; P<0.001) and less likely to be discharged to chronic care facilities (16.8% versus 25.2%, respectively; P<0.001). The risk of death 1 year after stroke was somewhat lower in women than men (adjusted odds ratio 0.939, 95% CI 0.899 to 0.980; P=0.004). The mortality differences were greatest among elderly stroke patients. CONCLUSIONS: Elderly men are more likely than elderly women to receive aspirin and ticlopidine and equally like to receive warfarin after a stroke. Despite these differences, elderly women have a better 1-year survival after a stroke.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Sex differences among participants in a weight-control program.

The present study examines whether sex differences in behavioral and psychological variables related to weight control are explained by sex differences in weight standards and prior history of dieting. The predictive value of these sex differences for subsequent outcome in a behavioral weight-loss program was also examined. Women (N = 88) reported (a) more dieting behavior (both past and present), (b) leaner standards of desired weight, (c) more knowledge of weight-loss methods and nutrition, and (d) more motivational barriers to weight control than men (N = 98). Men reported (a) more knowledge barriers to weight control, and (b) higher levels of physical activity. Sex differences in motivational barriers, nutrition knowledge, and some of the weight-loss behaviors were eliminated by controlling statistically for weight standards and dieting history. Weight losses at 6, 12, and 18 months were consistently related to only two of the variables discriminating between men and women. Positive eating behaviors, such as eating diet foods and limiting food quantity, were prospectively related to less weight loss. Stimulus-control eating behaviors, such as eating only in one location, were prospectively related to greater weight loss. Men and women differed little in weight loss success. Since few behavioral and psychological variables were related to weight loss, different emphases in weight-loss treatments for men and women are not clearly indicated.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Sex differences in cortisol response to noxious stress.

OBJECTIVES: Evidence has accumulated that men and women show different responses to noxious stimuli, with women exhibiting greater sensitivity to pain than men. Data concerning sex differences in cortisol response patterns have revealed inconsistent results so far. The purpose of the present study was to examine sex differences in subjective pain and cortisol response to a noxious stressor. METHODS: Seventy-six subjects (39 male and 37 female) were investigated by a modification of the cold pressor test that consisted of intermittent immersion of the hand into ice water (plunge test, PT). The PT was conducted twice, in consecutive trials, to guarantee a sufficient exposure to the noxious stressor for eliciting cortisol responses. In each trial, tolerance time and pain ratings visual analog scale (VAS) were assessed. Seven saliva samples (c1-c7) were collected to determine cortisol levels at baseline (c1-c2), directly before (c3) and 20 minutes after noxious stress (c4), and during recovery period (c5-c7). RESULTS: We found no significant sex differences in tolerance time in trial 1, but highly significant differences in tolerance time in trial 2, with higher tolerance times in men. No significant sex differences were found for the VAS ratings of pain intensity and unpleasantness in the 2 trials. In contrast, a significantly larger cortisol increase in men was observed compared with women. Analysis of covariance revealed that this result could not be attributed to sex differences in cortisol level at baseline and in tolerance time. DISCUSSION: The present study demonstrates that men show a larger cortisol response to a noxious stressor than women that is not attributable to sex differences in subjective pain. The conclusion of a causal relation between larger cortisol responses and higher pain tolerance thresholds in men is tempting but yet speculative.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Sex differences in the development of learning abilities in primates.

The role of steroid gonadal hormones in promoting sex differences in reproductive behaviors has been thoroughly studied in numerous mammalian species. More recent experiments have indicated that the presence or absence of steroid hormones during the critical period of brain differentiation likewise might promote the development of sex differences in cognitive abilities. Studies in infant rhesus monkeys have demonstrated that there exist sex differences in learning abilities that can be altered by perinatal hormonal manipulations, suggesting that testosterone might be a crucial factor responsible for the development of sex differences in cognitive styles. In addition, neonatal lesion studies have shown that the cortical areas mediating specific learning abilities mature at different rates in male and female infant monkeys. These findings support the view that the perinatal hormonal environment can affect the rate of brain maturation by influencing neuronal connectivity at the cortical level. The combined data from sex differences in learning abilities in human infants and their reversibility in endocrinological syndromes suggest that testosterone may affect the maturation of the human brain in a manner similar to that demonstrated in nonhuman primates.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Sex differences in the disposition of albendazole metabolites in sheep.

Sex differences in the disposition of albendazole metabolites in sheep after oral administration of 20 mg/kg of netobimin have been studied. Some kinetic parameters of both metabolites show statistical differences between sexes; the sulphoxide and sulphone t1/2beta and MRT were lower in male animals than in females. Peak concentrations and AUC of sulphone metabolites were higher in males suggesting a greater oxidation rate compared with females. Urine excretion of albendazole metabolites, sulphoxide, sulphone, and amino sulphone appeared to be greater in female sheep than in males, mainly the sulphoxide metabolite. These differences between sexes can be caused by male sexual hormones, because testosterone and progesterone can induce or inhibit the microsomal Cytochrome P450 metabolism. Plasma protein-binding of albendazole sulphoxide and albendazole sulphone has been studied between male and female sheep, also their binding to sheep albumin and globulins. Both albendazole metabolites readily bind to sheep albumin and globulins. Male animals show a significantly lower binding of albendazole metabolites than females. These differences could be responsible for the non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) present in the plasma. Males have significantly higher plasma levels of NEFA than females and which may compete with albumin for binding to albendazole metabolites.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2003

Sex differences in use of coronary revascularization in elderly patients after acute myocardial infarction: a tale of two therapies.

OBJECTIVES: To determine if there are sex differences in the use of coronary revascularization in elderly patients after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and if sex differences vary by type of revascularization therapy. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of medical record data. SETTING: US acute-care nongovernment hospitals. PATIENTS: A total of 66,830 Medicare patients > or =65 years old hospitalized with AMI. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: We assessed sex differences in the use of coronary revascularization within 60 days of hospital admission among patients who had undergone cardiac catheterization. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to derive risk-standardized rates of any coronary revascularization, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) adjusted for patient and hospital characteristics. Women had lower crude overall rates of coronary revascularization compared with men (65.2% vs 68.7%, p < 0.001). Multivariable adjustment reduced the sex difference in the overall coronary revascularization rate from 3.5 to 2.1% (66.0% women vs 68.1% men, p = 0.001). Sex differences in coronary revascularization use, however, varied by type of revascularization therapy. Women had lower risk-standardized rates of CABG surgery compared with men (27.0% vs 32.9%, p < 0.001), but had higher risk-standardized rates of PCI (42.0% vs 38.2%, p < 0.001), particularly among patients > 85 years old (45.8% vs 38.9%, p = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: Among Medicare patients hospitalized with AMI, women are slightly less likely to undergo coronary revascularization after cardiac catheterization; however, sex differences in coronary revascularization vary by type of therapy.

Aged↗