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At least 487 records · Page 27Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Health status gender differences of newly admitted black nursing home residents.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate gender differences in health status of newly admitted black nursing home residents on the day following admission. DESIGN: Descriptive and comparative cross-sectional study of black residents drawn from a larger prospective longitudinal study on health and functional status of new nursing home residents interviewed on the first full day after admission. SETTING: Eight southern nursing homes: three not-for-profit, three for-profit, one county government-operated, and one federal government-operated. Homes ranged in size from 110 to 575 beds and were licensed for skilled and intermediate care. PARTICIPANTS: Black nursing home residents (N = 224) aged 60 years and older as admitted sequentially to nursing homes. MEASUREMENTS: Health status was assessed by the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire, as a measure of mental status, and the Scaled Outcome Criteria, as a measure of ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs). Morbidity was assessed by the number of medical diagnoses, number of prescribed medications, and the medical diagnoses of hip fracture, dementia, and cancer. Resident classification data assessed the source of entry to the nursing home, payer source, and level of care required. Demographic data assessed included age, education, marital status, and number of living children. RESULTS: Both black men (n = 126) and women (n = 98) newly admitted to the nursing home had health and social deficits. Moreover, women, although not significantly different from men in average age, were more impaired in six of eight ADLs, including grooming, dressing, feeding, ambulating, transferring, and defecating. Women were also less likely to be married. No gender differences were found for five other health status variables, four other demographic variables, five resident classification variables, or five measures of morbidity. CONCLUSION: These data on southern black nursing home residents provide evidence that among older black nursing home residents, women have greater care needs than men. Findings illustrate the need to consider gender in planning nursing home care of black older residents, black women may be at greater risk for health status alterations and require more frequent health status monitoring and intervention.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Gender differences in depression: perspectives from neuropsychology.

Although there has been much productive research in neuropsychology on the topic of depression, rarely has the issue of gender differences been taken into consideration. It is not uncommon for researchers investigating the neuropsychological concomitants of depression to test only women, or far more women than men, making it impossible to examine the prospect that there might be differences between these two groups. This article is an attempt to integrate research from two areas of neuropsychology: (1) gender differences in neuropsychological functions and (2) neuropsychological functions in depression. Since so few studies have examined gender differences in depression and their relation to neuropsychological patterns, there will be few firm conclusions to be drawn. However, some speculations will be offered, and some suggestions outlined for potentially fruitful future research.

Bipolar Disorder↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Gender differences in patients with schizophrenia and substance abuse.

Co-occurring substance abuse is common among people with chronic mental illnesses such as schizophrenia. Although gender differences have been established among substance abusers in the general population and among people with schizophrenia, little is known about gender differences in people with the dual disorders of schizophrenia and substance abuse. This study examines gender differences in 37 women and 135 men with dual disorders, and finds many differences consistent with those found in people with single disorders: dually diagnosed women had more social contact and fewer legal problems but greater problems with victimization and medical illness compared with dually diagnosed men. Unexpectedly, men and women had similar courses and severities of substance abuse. These findings may be critical in planning effective services that explicitly address women's family and social needs, issues related to victimization, and high rates of medical illness.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Gender differences in pharmacokinetics.

There is growing awareness that the underrepresentation of women in clinical trials and in particular in phase I studies may lead to incorrect handling of drugs. Despite the fact that investigations are not informed in a systematic way, there are a number of examples showing pharmacokinetic differences between gender. From the data actually presented, it can be concluded that the activity of CYP 3A4 activity as measured by elimination in vivo is higher in women compared to men. CYP isoenzymes other than CYP 3A4 seem to be more active in men than in woman, as are conjugation reactions, such as glucuronidation. The influence of changing hormonal levels during the lifetime of a woman has been looked at in some drugs but deserves further systematic investigation. The use of oral contraceptives can interfere with the metabolism of many drugs whereas, in pregnancy, the elimination of antiepileptics is increased which, without dose adjustment, leads to an increased number of seizures. The impacts of hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) on the pharmacokinetics of concomitantly given drugs is an important issue, as HRT is increasingly used, but more research is needed in this field.

Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A2↗
PubMed2005

Gender differences in the progression of co-morbid psychopathology symptoms of eating disordered patients.

This study examined the utility of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) in screening for comorbid psychopathology in eating disordered males and females undergoing residential treatment. The PAI, a self-administered screening tool containing 344 items to provide information on 11 clinical constructs, was administered at admission and discharge to 181 patients, 154 females and 27 males. Average age was 26.88 years (SD=9.35) and average length of stay was 58.31 days (SD=39.94). The results showed that both male and female patients exhibit several comorbid disorders at admission to residential treatment and the severity of these symptoms was statistically significantly reduced over the course of treatment. When comparing differences among genders, the results show that females present with more psychopathology symptoms at the start of treatment but make better progress than males in reducing these symptoms over time. When comparing patients across eating disorder diagnoses, subjects with bulimia displayed more severe comorbid symptomatology as compared to those with anorexia or other eating disorders. A thorough clinical assessment of eating disordered patients including comorbid psychopathology disorders is relevant for clinical diagnosis, treatment planning, and perhaps ultimately the outcome of treatment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Variability and gender differences in memory T cell immunity to varicella-zoster virus in healthy adults.

Latent varicella zoster virus (VZV) can reactivate and cause zoster, the prevention of which relies upon cellular immunity to VZV. To assess temporal variation of VZV cell-mediated immunity in healthy naturally immune adults, we evaluated VZV-specific responder cell frequencies (RCF) longitudinally over 1 year in each of 25 adults. VZV-specific CD4+ T cells were detected (p < 0.003) and showed minimal variability in RCF. Additional analysis of VZV T cell RCF revealed differences between genders, with only males (p < 0.005) having detectable VZV-specific memory CD4+ T cell responses by this method. Taken together, results suggest that further studies regarding immunization of younger adults and females with the modified, high-potency live attenuated VZV vaccine may be warranted.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Gender difference in levels of alpha2-adrenoceptor mRNA in the rat tail artery.

To investigate the hypothesis that differing mRNA levels underlie gender differences in the contractile response of the rat tail artery, alpha2-adrenoceptor mRNA was measured using in situ hybridization. Messenger RNA for the alpha2A- and alpha2C-adrenoceptor subtypes was found localized to the smooth muscle layer. There was no detectable mRNA present for the alpha2B-adrenoceptor subtype. Levels of alpha2C-adrenoceptor mRNA were greater in female compared to male tail arteries (417 +/- 35 vs. 263 +/- 38 dpm/mg, P = 0.01), while levels of alpha2A-adrenoceptor mRNA were the same in both sexes. Levels of alpha2-adrenoceptor mRNA may parallel levels of functioning protein present in the rat tail artery.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Gender differences in correlates of depressive symptoms in adolescents.

PURPOSE: To determine: (a) what demographic and psychosocial factors are associated with elevated levels of depressive symptoms in adolescence; (b) whether girls and boys show different profiles of correlates and probable risk factors for depressive symptoms; and (c) what the implications are of these results for future research directions and policy decisions. METHODS: Using a nationally representative sample of adolescent school students in Grades 5-12, the Commonwealth Fund Adolescent Health Survey assessed depressive symptoms as well as a number of variables posited to be risk factors and correlates of depression. RESULTS: Depressive symptoms were found to differ by gender, age, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity. In addition, life stress, social support, and coping were associated with depressive symptoms. Importantly, stress and social support appear to be particularly salient aspects of depression among girls. Both physical and sexual abuse were strongly linked with depression for both boys and girls, with sexual abuse having a stronger impact among boys. Finally, high levels of depressive symptoms were associated with increased use of both mental and physical health care resources among boys and girls. CONCLUSIONS: The correlates of depression in this adolescent sample closely resemble those seen in adult samples, including demographic and psychosocial variables. Some psychosocial variables, such as stress and social support, may have a greater impact on depressive symptoms for girls than for boys. Results of this study also have important implications for the health care system, given that higher levels of depressive symptoms were found to be associated with greater utilization of physical health care resources.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2001

Growth hormone treatment in adults: is there a true gender difference?

The importance of growth hormone (GH) deficiency in adults became evident at the end of the 1980s, when the first clinical studies on GH replacement therapy in adults were published. Since then, accumulated experience has shown a great individual variability in the response to GH replacement, including a potential difference in responsiveness between genders. The aim of this paper is to review the data regarding the effects of gender differences on GH pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and efficacy of replacement. In addition, we start with a short review of the possible role of GH in sexual development and sexual life.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Suppressor genes with gender differences in activity in natural populations of Drosophila robusta: another approach to wild-type.

Homozygous or hemizygous expression of an X-linked wing mutant of Drosophila robusta varies from a rudimentary wing that does not reach the tip of the abdomen (called 'club') to forms with full-sized but curled or crumpled wings (called 'curly'). Homozygous club females crossed to flies from natural populations or laboratory stocks derived from wild flies invariably produce significantly less club male progeny than the 100% expected, most of them exhibiting less severe phenotypes: 'curly' forms and wild-type. The male progeny from similar crosses using curly females tend to be predominantly normal. By contrast, the male progeny of outcrossed females homozygous for an X-linked eye colour mutant, vermilion, are all vermilion. The data indicate that natural populations of D. robusta contain suppressors of the wing mutant but not of the eye colour mutant studied. Activity of the suppressors differs by gender: in experiments in which genetic theory expects similar results in the two sexes, males consistently show stronger effects of the suppressors than females.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Gender differences in partner violence in a birth cohort of 21-year-olds: bridging the gap between clinical and epidemiological approaches.

This study describes partner violence in a representative sample of young adults. Physical violence perpetration was reported by 37.2% of women and 21.8% of men. Correlates of involvement in severe physical violence differed by gender. Severe physical violence was more strongly associated with unemployment, low educational attainment, few social support resources, polydrug use, antisocial personality disorder symptoms, depression symptoms, and violence toward strangers for men than for women. Women who were victims of severe physical violence were more likely than men who were victims to experience symptoms of anxiety. The findings converge with community studies showing that more women than men are physically violent toward a partner and with clinical studies highlighting violence perpetrated against women by men with deviant characteristics.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Gender differences in the relations between depressive symptoms and drinking behavior among problem drinkers: a three-wave study.

Prior research has suggested that the relation between depression and drinking behavior is stronger for women than for men. In a 3-wave study spanning 3 years, we examined the nature of reciprocal relations between depressive symptoms and drinking behavior among women (n = 207) and men (n = 207) seeking detoxification or referral services for their drinking problems. Latent variable structural equation modeling analyses revealed that more baseline depression was associated with less alcohol consumption 1 year later among women and men. However, later on, more depression predicted heavier alcohol consumption, but only among women. Among women and men, heavier alcohol consumption predicted more subsequent depression, although the timing of this effect differed by gender. Reciprocal effects between depression and drinking problems were found only among men.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1993

Gender differences in flashbulb memories elicited by the Clarence Thomas hearings.

American students and other adults aged 19-75 completed a questionnaire about flashbulb memories and recollections of autobiographical events elicited by the Senate hearings for confirmation of Clarence Thomas as a Supreme Court Justice. The respondents were less likely to recall vivid image memories than were respondents in earlier studies about memories of the assassinations of John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King. Women were significantly more likely than men to report vivid image memories and recall of autobiographical events elicited by the hearings, but they did not differ significantly from men in the ratings of these memories. Women were also significantly more likely than men to report specific memories of having been victims of sexual harassment and abuse. Women recalled reconsidering incidents in which they might have been victims of sexual harassment more often than men did. Exposure to media coverage did not differ by gender, although the amount of coverage paid attention to did correlate with the number of personal memories elicited.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Gender differences in surface rolling and gliding kinematics of the knee.

The purpose of the current study was to determine whether knee surface rolling and gliding kinematics differed between genders during open and closed kinetic chain movement conditions. Eleven unimpaired adults (six men and five women) participated in this study. Sagittal plane path of instant center of rotation measurements were obtained with videographic motion analysis and applied to a mathematical knee model from which joint surface rolling and gliding kinematics were obtained. In addition, normalized electromyographic data were collected from subjects' quadriceps and hamstring muscles. During closed kinetic chain knee extension, as the knee approached terminal extension, female participants showed significantly greater relative joint surface gliding than male participants. Female participants also extended the knee in the closed kinetic chain with less relative hamstring activity than males. The relationship between joint surface gliding and relative hamstring activity in females during closed kinetic chain knee extension may explain, in part, the greater incidence of noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injury that occurs in females.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Gender differences in substrate metabolism during endurance exercise.

Females show a lower respiratory exchange ratio (RER) than males during submaximal endurance exercise, which translates into a proportionately lower carbohydrate and higher fat oxidation. Data from rodents show that 17-beta-estradiol may mediate these metabolic differences. 17-beta-estradiol supplementation in humans is less convincing; however, two studies found a reduction in glucose rate of appearance during exercise. No difference is found between genders in muscle glycogen content; however, lipid content in muscle is higher in females. Evidence shows that short chain OH-acyl CoA-dehydrogenase (SCHAD) maximal enzyme activity is higher in females. The rate of leucine oxidation is lower in females at rest and during endurance exercise. This is not apparently related to gender differences in branched chain-2-oxo-dehydrogenase (BCOAD) activity in skeletal muscle, which may implicate hepatic control. Important muscle proteins to examine in future research are hormone sensitive lipase, the enzymes of beta-oxidation, and fatty acid transporters.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Gender differences in muscular protection of the knee in torsion in size-matched athletes.

BACKGROUND: Female athletes who participate in sports involving jumping and cutting maneuvers are up to eight times more likely to sustain a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament than are men participating in the same sports. We tested the hypothesis that healthy young women are able to volitionally increase the apparent torsional stiffness of the knee, by maximally activating the knee muscles, significantly less than are size-matched men participating in the same type of sport. METHODS: Twenty-four NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division-I athletes (twelve men and twelve women) competing in sports associated with a high risk of injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (basketball, volleyball, and soccer) were compared with twenty-eight collegiate endurance athletes (fourteen men and fourteen women) participating in sports associated with a low risk of such injuries (bicycling, crew, and running). Male and female pairs were matched for age, height, weight, body mass index, shoe size, and activity level. Testing was performed with a weighted pendulum that applied a medially directed 80-N impulse force to the lateral aspect of the right forefoot. The resulting internal rotation of the leg was measured optically, to the nearest 0.25 degrees, at 30 degrees and 60 degrees of knee flexion, both with and without maximal activation of the knee muscles. RESULTS: Maximal rotations of the leg were greater in women than in men in both the passive and the active muscle state (16% and 27% greater [p = 0.01 and p = 0.02], respectively). Moreover, female athletes exhibited a significantly (18%) smaller volitional increase in apparent torsional stiffness of the knee under internal rotation loading than did the matched male athletes (p = 0.014); this was particularly the case for those who participated in sports involving jumping and pivoting maneuvers (42% difference between genders, p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The collegiate female athletes involved in high-risk sports exhibited less muscular protection of the knee ligaments during external loading of the knee than did size and sport-matched male athletes.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1989

Gender differences between the effect of monosodium glutamate on food intake in rats.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) was recently reported to increase feeding in ad lib. fed rats [Reddy et al.(4)]. In the present study the responses of male and female adult rats to subcutaneous (SC) administration of MSG were compared. In female rats MSG 3 g/kg did not significantly affect food or water intake as compared with SC NaCl 0.9%; MSG 6 g/kg significantly reduced food intake but increased water intake. On the contrary, in male rats MSG 6 g/kg significantly increased food and water intake. It is concluded that there are differences between genders of rats in what concerns the effect of glutamate on food intake.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Gender differences in pre-retirement attitudes and activities in a Puerto Rican sample.

The objective of this study was to identify the pre-retirement attitudes and activities of personnel at the Medical Sciences Campus of the University of Puerto Rico in order to ascertain the existence of any differences by gender. It was expected that the persistence of the traditional double standard of conduct for men and women in contemporary Puerto Rican society would find women with a more positive attitude towards retirement since, it will not affect their self-esteem relative to the breadwinner role as it does for men. For purposes of this study a questionnaire was developed consisting of: background information, activity level indicator, and a pre-retirement attitude indicator. A sample of 235 subjects was systematically selected, of these 66 (28 per cent) are male and 169 (72 per cent) are female. The gender groups were sub-divided into occupational sub-categories of faculty and non-faculty. The average age of female faculty is 41 years as compared to 37 years for non-faculty females but both groups of males average 41 years. Females had lower levels of educational attainment than the male respondents and this results in their having a lower income level. The relation of occupational category to activity was significant but that of gender was not. Gender was found to influence the types of activities participated in. The findings lead to the conclusion that gender continues to play a central role in an individual's attitudes and activities within Puerto Rican society.

Adult↗