Late-life factors associated with healthy aging in older men.

Science.gov (United States)

Bell, Christina L; Chen, Randi; Masaki, Kamal; Yee, Priscilla; He, Qimei; Grove, John; Donlon, Timothy; Curb, J David; Willcox, D Craig; Poon, Leonard W; Willcox, Bradley J

2014-05-01

To identify potentially modifiable late-life biological, lifestyle, and sociodemographic factors associated with overall and healthy survival to age 85. Prospective longitudinal cohort study with 21 years of follow-up (1991-2012). Hawaii Lifespan Study. American men of Japanese ancestry (mean age 75.7, range 71-82) without baseline major clinical morbidity and functional impairments (N = 1,292). Overall survival and healthy survival (free from six major chronic diseases and without physical or cognitive impairment) to age 85. Factors were measured at late-life baseline examinations (1991-1993). Of 1,292 participants, 1,000 (77%) survived to 85 (34% healthy) and 309 (24%) to 95 (healthy). Late-life factors associated with survival and healthy survival included biological (body mass index, ankle-brachial index, cognitive score, blood pressure, inflammatory markers), lifestyle (smoking, alcohol use, physical activity), and sociodemographic factors (education, marital status). Cumulative late-life baseline risk factor models demonstrated that age-standardized (at 70) probability of survival to 95 ranged from 27% (no factors) to 7% (≥ 5 factors); probability of survival to 100 ranged from 4% (no factors) to 0.1% (≥ 5 factors). Age-standardized (at 70) probability of healthy survival to 90 ranged from 4% (no factors) to 0.01% (≥ 5 factors). There were nine healthy survivors at 95 and one healthy survivor at 100. Several potentially modifiable risk factors in men in late life (mean age 75.7) were associated with markedly greater probability of subsequent healthy survival and longevity. © 2014, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2014, The American Geriatrics Society.

Narrowing sex differences in life expectancy: regional variations, 1971-1991

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Frank Trovato

2001-12-01

Full Text Available A number of industrialized nations have recently experienced some degrees of constriction in their long-standing sex differentials in life expectancy at birth. In this study we examine this phenomenon in the context of Canada’s regions between 1971 and 1991: Atlantic (Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island; Quebec, Ontario, and the West (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon and Northwest Territories. Decomposition analysis based on multiple decrement life tables is applied to address three questions: (1 Are there regional differentials in the degree of narrowing in the sex gap in life expectancy? (2 What is the relative contribution of major causes of death to observed sex differences in average length of life within and across regions? (3 How do the contributions of cause-of-death components vary across regions to either widen or narrow the sex gap in survival? It is shown that the magnitude of the sex gap is not uniform across the regions, though the differences are not large. The most important contributors to a narrowing of the sex gap in life expectancy are heart disease and external types of mortality (i.e., accidents, violence, and suicide, followed by lung cancer and other types of chronic conditions. In substantive terms these results indicate that over time men have been making sufficient gains in these causes of death as to narrow some of the gender gap in overall survival. Regions show similarity in these effects.

Predicting healthy lifestyle patterns among retirement age older adults in the WELL study: a latent class analysis of sex differences.

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Södergren, Marita; Wang, Wei Chun; Salmon, Jo; Ball, Kylie; Crawford, David; McNaughton, Sarah A

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to identify subgroups of retirement age older adults with respect to their lifestyle patterns of eating, drinking, smoking, physical activity and TV viewing behaviors, and to examine the association between these patterns and socio-demographic covariates. The sample consisted of 3133 older adults aged 55-65 years from the Wellbeing, Eating and Exercise for a Long Life (WELL) study, 2010. This study used latent class analysis (stratified by sex), with a set of lifestyle indicators and including socio-demographic covariates. Statistical analyses were performed by generalized linear latent and mixed models in Stata. Two classes of lifestyle patterns were identified: Healthy (53% men and 72% women) and less healthy lifestyles. Physical activity, TV-viewing time, and fruit intake were good indicators distinguishing the "Healthier" class, whereas consumption of vegetables, alcohol (men) and fast food (women) could not clearly discriminate older adults in the two classes. Class membership was associated with education, body mass index, and self-rated health. This study contributes to the literature on lifestyle behaviors among older adults, and provides evidence that there are meaningful sex differences in lifestyle behaviors between subgroups of older adults. From a policy perspective, understanding indicators or "markers" of healthy and less healthy lifestyle patterns is important for identifying target groups for interventions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

In the Arab Bedroom: The Sex Life of Arabs.

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Dupont, P

2016-12-01

The sex life of Arabs is terra incognita for scientists and policy makers. Shereen El Feki's book "Sex and the Citadel" is the first serious attempt to chart sexual intimacy in the rapidly changing Arab world.

In the Arab Bedroom: The Sex Life of Arabs

OpenAIRE

Dupont, P

2017-01-01

Abstract The sex life of Arabs is terra incognita for scientists and policy makers. Shereen El Feki?s book ?Sex and the Citadel? is the first serious attempt to chart sexual intimacy in the rapidly changing Arab world.

Sex Life Satisfaction in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Descriptive and Exploratory Analysis.

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Cranney, Stephen

2017-10-01

Nearly all of the sex life satisfaction literature has dealt with developed-country settings, and nothing has been published on sex life satisfaction in sub-Saharan Africa. Not only is sub-Saharan African a substantively relevant area in its own right, but it also provides a useful point of comparison for patterns and relations found in developed-world contexts. A brief descriptive and exploratory study of sex life satisfaction in sub-Saharan Africa was conducted using the World Gallup Poll, a dataset with representative sex life satisfaction data for 31 countries and 25,483 cases. In general, there was little variation in weighted averages across countries, and most of the samples surveyed were satisfied with their sex lives, with the modal score being a perfect 10. Furthermore, what variation did exist could not be attributed to level of economic development or gender inequality. Within countries, sociodemographic associations generally comported with patterns found in other contexts: income, education, and being partnered were generally associated with sex life satisfaction, and for two of the four UN subregions (West Africa and East Africa), males were significantly more satisfied with their sex lives than women. The relationship with age demonstrated a curvilinear relationship, with the peak age of sexual satisfaction in the late 20s to early 30s depending on the geographic region. The age pattern was not due to health differences, but combining estimators after a seemingly unrelated regression suggests that 4-12% of the effect of income on sex life satisfaction was attributable to better health. In general, religiosity and perceived gravity of the HIV/AIDS problem in one's country were not significantly related to sexual satisfaction.

Smoking, physical inactivity and obesity as predictors of healthy and disease-free life expectancy between ages 50 and 75: a multicohort study.

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Stenholm, Sari; Head, Jenny; Kivimäki, Mika; Kawachi, Ichiro; Aalto, Ville; Zins, Marie; Goldberg, Marcel; Zaninotto, Paola; Magnuson Hanson, Linda; Westerlund, Hugo; Vahtera, Jussi

2016-08-01

Smoking, physical inactivity and obesity are modifiable risk factors for morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to examine the extent to which the co-occurrence of these behaviour-related risk factors predict healthy life expectancy and chronic disease-free life expectancy in four European cohort studies. Data were drawn from repeated waves of four cohort studies in England, Finland, France and Sweden. Smoking status, physical inactivity and obesity (body mass index ≥30 kg/m 2 ) were examined separately and in combination. Health expectancy was estimated by using two health indicators: suboptimal self-rated health and having a chronic disease (cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory disease and diabetes). Multistate life table models were used to estimate sex-specific healthy life expectancy and chronic disease-free life expectancy from ages 50 to 75 years. Compared with men and women with at least two behaviour-related risk factors, those with no behaviour-related risk factors could expect to live on average8 years longer in good health and 6 years longer free of chronic diseases between ages 50 and 75. Having any single risk factor was also associated with reduction in healthy years. No consistent differences between cohorts were observed. Data from four European countries show that persons with individual and co-occurring behaviour-related risk factors have shorter healthy life expectancy and shorter chronic disease-free life expectancy. Population level reductions in smoking, physical inactivity and obesity could increase life-years lived in good health. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association.

The Satisfaction with Sex Life Scale

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Neto, Felix

2012-01-01

The purpose of this article was to develop the Satisfaction With Sex Life Scale (SWSLS). Scores from the SWSLS have favorable psychometric properties. Cronbach's alpha was 0.92. Evidence based on relations to other variables was examined. Suggestions concerning the use of the SWSLS for research and clinical purposes are offered. (Contains 2…

Gratitude mediates quality of life differences between fibromyalgia patients and healthy controls.

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Toussaint, Loren; Sirois, Fuschia; Hirsch, Jameson; Weber, Annemarie; Vajda, Christian; Schelling, Jorg; Kohls, Niko; Offenbacher, Martin

2017-09-01

Despite a growing literature on the benefits of gratitude for adjustment to chronic illness, little is known about gratitude in medical populations compared to healthy populations, or the degree to which potential deficits in gratitude might impact quality of life. The purpose of the present study was to (1) examine levels of gratitude and quality of life in fibromyalgia patients and healthy controls and (2) consider the role of gratitude in explaining quality of life differences between fibromyalgia patients and healthy controls. Participants were 173 fibromyalgia patients and 81 healthy controls. All participants completed measures of gratitude, quality of life, and socio-demographics. Although gratitude was positively associated with quality of life, levels of gratitude and quality of life were lower in the fibromyalgia sample relative to the healthy controls. This difference in gratitude partially mediated differences in quality of life between the two groups after controlling for socio-demographic variables. Our findings suggest that gratitude is a valuable positive psychological trait for quality of life in people with fibromyalgia. Interventions to improve gratitude in this patient population may also bring enhancement in quality of life.

Gender differences in sex life issues – A population-based study of migraine sufferers

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Ojanlatva Ansa

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Migraine is considered to have a negative influence on sex life. The present study was to analyse the perceptions of importance of and satisfaction with sex life as well as the expression of interest in sex among people having migraines in a prospective follow-up mail survey in 1998 and 2003. Methods The random sample was stratified according to gender and age in four age groups (20–24, 30–34, 40–44, and 50–54 years. Altogether 25 898 individuals responded to the baseline and 19 626 to the follow-up questionnaire (75.8% response rate. We examined as to how the perceptions of sex life of those suffering from migraine changed during a 5-year follow-up. Conditional logistic regression was used to analyse the data of the responses on self-reported migraine in the baseline and follow-up surveys (N = 2 977, 79.2% women. Each person with migraine was assigned a gender- and age-matched control in the analysis. Results All three outcome variables tended to decrease in value. Importance of sex life was higher among men with migraine than among their controls. Among women migraine lessened interest in sex life. Conclusion Our findings suggested that migraine has a different impact on sex life among women from that among men.

Differential effects of sex on substance use between first episode psychosis patients and healthy people.

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Núñez, Christian; Ochoa, Susana; Huerta-Ramos, Elena; Baños, Iris; Barajas, Ana; Dolz, Montserrat; Sánchez, Bernardo; Del Cacho, Núria; Usall, Judith

2016-08-01

Substance use in psychosis is an important field of study given that it can be a risk factor for the development of psychosis and can give rise to psychotic symptoms. Studies of substance use in first episode psychosis patients do not frequently assess non-pathological substance consumption among patients, but rather the prevalence of substance abuse or dependence disorders. Moreover, most of these studies do not address the effects of sex in sufficient depth, and the consumption of caffeine or tobacco, which are two of the most frequently used substances, is often not assessed. The aim of this study was to compare patterns and quantities of substance use between first episode psychosis patients and healthy controls and between men and women, and explore the potential interactive effects between group (patients or controls) and sex. A total of 158 participants (82 first episode psychosis patients and 76 healthy controls) were included in the study. Both adults and adolescents were included in the study. Frequency and amount of use of caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, hallucinogens, stimulants, and opiates were gathered. A significant main effect of sex was found for the frequency of use of tobacco (p=.050). Main effects of group were found for the quantity of tobacco (pcannabis (pcannabis (p=.017) consumed. There were also interaction effects between group and sex for the frequency of use of tobacco (p=.005) and cannabis (p=.009), and for the amount of cannabis consumed (p=.049). Qualitative differences between males and females regarding combined substance use are also reported. Among patients, men used tobacco more frequently than women, but this sex difference was not the same for the control group, in which women smoked more often than men. Regarding cannabis, men smoked cannabis more frequently and in larger amounts than women, but only in the patients group, whereas no sex differences for cannabis were found for the controls. Main effects of

Sex differences in quadrupedal walking gaits of Uner Tan syndrome cases, healthy humans and nonhuman primates.

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Tan, Uner

2017-03-01

Uner Tan syndrome (UTS) cases with habitual quadrupedal locomotion (QL), impaired intelligence, and dysarthric or no speech predominantly use lateral sequence (LS) gait like nonprimates rather than the predominantly diagonal sequence (DS) gait of nonhuman primates. However, these studies neglected possible sex-related differences in these gait types. (1) To assess the possible sex-related gait types in UTS cases, healthy infants and adults with requested QL, and the nonhuman primates. (2) To test the hypothesis that sex differences may exist in quadrupedal walking gaits in UTS cases, healthy humans, and nonhuman primates. The UTS cases were filmed, the other study groups were taken from public open 'youtube' videos, which were used to assess the walking gait types as DS and LS. The right and left hind-limb phase values were calculated separately for males and females to allow a possible sex difference in walking gaits to be determined. Females predominantly used DS gait, contrary to males with predominantly LS gait. Consistent with the working hypothesis, the results suggested a biological sex-related trend in preferred walking gaits exists in all of the human and nonhuman primates using QL.

Healthy way of life - the main condition of teenager's deviant behaviour prevention (historical aspect

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Budagjans G.N.

2010-06-01

Full Text Available In the article is examined the scientific approaches to the notions healthy way of life, deviant, groups of social risk, difficulty to be brought up, delinquency. The main components and elements of healthy way of life are revealed (rational work-rest cycle, healthy eating, physical activity, personal hygiene, absence of bad habits. The paramount importance of the arrangement of extracurricular and out-of-school work for healthy way of life formation for deviant teenagers is underlined.

Quality of life in 70 women with disorders of sex development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Johannsen, Trine H.; Ripa, Caroline P.L.; Mortensen, Erik L.

2006-01-01

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life and psychosocial well-being in women with disorders of sex development (DSD). DESIGN: An open case-control study. METHODS: Social and psychiatric information was collected via a structured interview from 70 Danish women diagnosed ...... and more affective distress were observed especially in CAH patients and virilized 46,XX and 46,XY females. This may be caused by trauma from distressing diagnostic procedures, the chronic illnesses per se, and psychosocial consequences of the disorders.......OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life and psychosocial well-being in women with disorders of sex development (DSD). DESIGN: An open case-control study. METHODS: Social and psychiatric information was collected via a structured interview from 70 Danish women diagnosed...... with DSD, 70 controls matched on sex, age, and school education, and six women with isolated genital malformations. Quality of life and mental distress were assessed by 'Quality of Life-Assessment of Growth Hormone Deficiency in Adults' (QoL-AGHDA) and three symptom scales from the 'Hopkins Symptom...

Establishing blood gas ranges in healthy bovine neonates differentiated by age, sex, and breed type.

Science.gov (United States)

Dillane, Patrick; Krump, Lea; Kennedy, Aideen; Sayers, Ríona G; Sayers, Gearóid P

2018-04-01

Calf mortality and morbidity commonly occurs within the first month of life postpartum. Standard health ranges are invaluable aids in diagnostic veterinary medicine to confirm normal or the degree and nature of abnormal parameters in (sub)clinically ill animals. Extensive research has indicated significant differences between the physiologies of neonate and adult cattle, particularly for blood parameters such as pH, base excess, anion gap, and bicarbonate (HCO 3 - ). The objective of this research was to determine the influence of age, sex, and breed type, in addition to environmental factors, on the normal blood gas profiles of neonatal calves, and thus develop a scientifically validated reference range accounting for any significant factors. The study was conducted on healthy neonatal calves (n = 288), and completed over a 2-yr period. Individual calf blood gas analysis was conducted for parameters of pH, base excess, Na + , K + , Ca 2+ , Cl - , glucose, total hemoglobin, HCO 3 - , pCO 2 , anion gap, strong ion difference, and hematocrit levels. Regression procedures examined the combined effect of year, farm, age, breed type, sex, and hours postfeeding on each variable. Significant effects were observed for age, sex, and breed type on several of the blood gas variables. Furthermore, year, farm, and hours postfeeding appeared to have less of an influence on neonatal bovine blood gas profiles. Consequently, specific ranges based on the neonate's age, sex, and breed type will allow for more detailed and accurate diagnosis of health and ill health in neonatal calves. The Authors. Published by FASS Inc. and Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the American Dairy Science Association®. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).

The healthy device and the definition of health: The example of the National Programme for a Healthy Life

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Federico Andrés De Francisco

2010-11-01

Full Text Available The National Programme for a Healthy Life emerges from the creation of three other programmes that encourage the so-called healthy habits among individuals. Due to be implemented by the National Ministry of Health between 2007 and 2010, it is not a unique case in its group, as the National Programme for a Healthy Life presents the opportunity to think about the importance of health in modern society. In the modern context of a transition that migrates from medicine as curative medicine to a conception of medicine as a preventive science, and from the perspective of the concept of biopolitics, developed by the French philosopher Michel Foucault, it is inferred the existence of a healthy mechanism which organizes the discourses on health and builds truthful discourses about it. The presence of this mechanism could be a possible explanation of the omnipresence of health in modern society, the constant concern to prolong life and the instigation of self-control, care and improvement of an individual's health

Life extension and the position of the hormetic zone depends on sex and genetic background in Drosophila melanogaster.

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Sarup, Pernille; Loeschcke, Volker

2011-04-01

Hormesis, the beneficial effect of a mild stress, has been proposed as a means to prolong the period of healthy ageing as it can increase the average lifespan of a cohort. However, if we want to use hormesis therapeutically it is important that the treatment is beneficial on the individual level and not just on average at the population level. Long lived lines have been shown not to benefit from a, in other lines, hormesis inducing heat treatment in Drosophila melanogaster, D. buzzatii and mice. Also in many experiments hormesis has been reported to occur in one sex only, usually males but not in females. Here we investigated the interaction between the hormetic response and genetic background, sex and duration of a mild heat stress in D. melanogaster, using three replicate lines that have been selected for increased longevity and their respective control lines. We found that genetic background influences the position of the hormetic zone. The implication of this result could be that in a genetically diverse populations a treatment that is life prolonging in one individual could be life shortening in other individuals. However, we did find a hormetic response in all combinations of line and sex in at least one of the experiments which suggests that if it is possible to identify the optimal hormetic dose individually hormesis might become a therapeutic treatment.

Paradoxes of a Healthy Way of Life for Young People in School

Science.gov (United States)

Belova, Natal'ia Il'inichna

2009-01-01

In 2004 and 2005 the author and her colleagues conducted a survey among first-year students at Moscow State University of the Humanities titled "College Students' Attitudes Toward Health and a Healthy Way of Life," to determine students' perceptions and knowledge about a healthy way of life as well as habits fostering and promoting…

Geographic, genetic and life-history variability in a sex-changing fish

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Chiara Benvenuto

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Sequential hermaphroditism, commonly referred to as sex change or sex reversal, is a striking phenomenon in mating-system evolution and the most remarkable example of sexual plasticity. Among vertebrates, it is specific to teleosts. Some fish species reproduce initially as females and then change into males (protogynous hermaphrodites or vice versa (protandrous hermaphrodites. The white sea bream, Diplodus sargus, exhibits a high degree of sexual plasticity: populations have been reported to be gonochoristic, protandrous or digynic (with primary females, derived from intersexual juveniles, and secondary females, derived from males. We analysed populations collected from eight different locations across the species distribution range (between the Mediterranean and the North-Eastern Atlantic. These populations are characterized by different degrees of connectivity, spatial demographics and life histories. Using individual-based analyses, we linked the genetic structure of each specimen with environmental heterogeneity, life-history traits and reproductive modes. Our aim is to gather a better understanding of the variation in reproductive life-history strategies in this sexually plastic species. Diplodus sargus is a valuable candidate organism to investigate sequential hermaphroditism and it also has a commercial value. The application of population genetics tools against the background of life-history theory can bring valuable insights for the management of marine resources. The geographical patterns of sex change (and of age- and size-at-sex change linked with population genetics can be pivotal for both theoretical investigations and conservation and management plans in marine areas.

Gender differences in sex life issues A population-based study of migraine sufferers

OpenAIRE

Sumanen, Markku PT; Ojanlatva, Ansa; Rantala, Anna; Sillanmäki, Lauri H; Mattila, Kari J

2008-01-01

Abstract Background Migraine is considered to have a negative influence on sex life. The present study was to analyse the perceptions of importance of and satisfaction with sex life as well as the expression of interest in sex among people having migraines in a prospective follow-up mail survey in 1998 and 2003. Methods The random sample was stratified according to gender and age in four age groups (20–24, 30–34, 40–44, and 50–54 years). Altogether 25 898 individuals responded to the baseline...

Satisfaction with sex life in sexually active heterosexual couples dealing with breast cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rottmann, Nina; Gilså Hansen, Dorte; dePont Christensen, René

2017-01-01

Background: A breast cancer (BC) diagnosis can profoundly affect the sex life of patient and partner within a couple. The purpose of the present study is to examine whether individual and partner sexual functioning, affectionate behavior, emotional closeness and depressive symptoms are associated...... with change over time in satisfaction with sex life of sexually active heterosexual couples dealing with BC and to explore whether the associations differ between patients and partners after adjustment for basic sociodemographic characteristics, comorbidity and BC treatment. Material and methods: Women...... vaginal discomfort and more vaginal lubrication were associated with increases in patients’ satisfaction with sex life. Patients’ and partners’ satisfaction increased with higher ratings of their own orgasm ability and of partners’ timing of ejaculation. Patients’ reports of affectionate behavior were...

Females are the brighter sex: Differences in external fluorescence across sexes and life stages of a crab spider.

Science.gov (United States)

Brandt, Erin E; Masta, Susan E

2017-01-01

Fluorescence is increasingly recognized to be widespread in nature. In particular, some arachnids fluoresce externally, and in spiders the hemolymph fluoresces. In this study, we examined the external fluorescence and the fluorophores of different sexes and life stages of the crab spider Misumena vatia (Clerk 1757), a sit-and-wait predator that feeds on insects as they visit flowers. We designed novel instrumentation to measure external fluorescence in whole specimens. We found that although males and females possess internal fluorophores with similar properties, the external expression of fluorescence varies across sexes and life stages. Spiders fluoresce brightly as immatures. Females maintain their brightness to adulthood, whereas males become increasingly dim as they mature. We suggest that external fluorescence likely contributes to visual signaling in these animals, and that it differs between the sexes as a result of differences in foraging ecology and behavior.

Healthy Aging After Age 65: A Life-Span Health Production Function Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferdows, Nasim B; Jensen, Gail A; Tarraf, Wassim

2018-06-01

This article examines the determinants of healthy aging using Grossman's framework of a health production function. Healthy aging, sometimes described as successful aging, is produced using a variety of inputs, determined in early life, young adulthood, midlife, and later life. A healthy aging production function is estimated using nationally representative data from the 2010 and 2012 Health and Retirement Study on 7,355 noninstitutionalized seniors. Using a simultaneous equation mediation model, we quantify how childhood factors contribute to healthy aging, both directly and indirectly through their effects on mediating adult outcomes. We find that favorable childhood conditions significantly improve healthy aging scores, both directly and indirectly, mediated through education, income, and wealth. We also find that good health habits have positive effects on healthy aging that are larger in magnitude than the effects of childhood factors. Our findings suggest that exercising, maintaining proper weight, and not smoking are likely to translate into healthier aging.

Lived Experiences of Sex Life Difficulties in Men and Women with Early RA - The Swedish TIRA Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Östlund, Gunnel; Björk, Mathilda; Valtersson, Eva; Sverker, Annette

2015-12-01

Men and women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) experience restrictions in everyday life, in spite of the development of new medications. Recent research has described in detail how participation limitations are experienced in everyday life from a patient perspective. However, knowledge of how sex and intimate relationships are affected is still scarce. The aim of the present study was to explore sex life experiences in relation to sexual function and sexual relationships in men and women with early RA. The study formed part of TIRA-2 (the Swedish acronym for the prospective multicentre early arthritis project). The data collection included 45 interviews with 21 men and 24 women, aged 20-63, which were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The critical incident technique was used to collect data, and content analysis to categorize the results. Half the participants stated that RA affected their sex life. The general descriptions formed five categories: sex life and tiredness; sex life and ageing; emotional consequences of impaired sexual function; facilitators of sexual function and sexual relationships; and strain on the sexual relationship. Sex life is affected in early RA, in spite of new effective treatment strategies. New strategies of communication, assessment and self-managing interventions concerning the sex lives of patients with RA need to be implemented by a multidisciplinary healthcare team. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

SAME SEX UNIONS OF LIFE IN THE PRACTICE OF THE EUROPEAN COURT OF JUSTICE

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Boris Krešić

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In several cases the the European Court of Justice (ECJ interpreted the provisions of the Agreement on the European Community in terms of homosexual rights. The practice of the ECJ in the last five years (2008-2013 shows the tendency to expand the rights of homosexual persons. The paper brings the analysis of four decision of the ECJ in the cases where it decided on the issue of discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation. In the first two verdicts, the Court refused to compare marriage and common-law marriage to the same-sex union of life, thus limiting same-sex partners to achieve certain rights. In other two cases the Court made step forward and compared marriage and same-sex union of life but only if both, marriage and same-sex union of life are regulated by national law

SAME SEX UNIONS OF LIFE IN THE PRACTICE OF THE EUROPEAN COURT OF JUSTICE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boris Krešić

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In several cases the the European Court of Justice (ECJ interpreted the provisions of the Agreement on the European Community in terms of homosexual rights. The practice of the ECJ in the last five years (2008-2013 shows the tendency to expand the rights of homosexual persons. The paper brings the analysis of four decision of the ECJ in the cases where it decided on the issue of discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation. In the first two verdicts, the Court refused to compare marriage and common-law marriage to the same-sex union of life, thus limiting same-sex partners to achieve certain rights. In other two cases the Court made step forward and compared marriage and same-sex union of life but only if both, marriage and same-sex union of life are regulated by national law.

Females are the brighter sex: Differences in external fluorescence across sexes and life stages of a crab spider.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erin E Brandt

Full Text Available Fluorescence is increasingly recognized to be widespread in nature. In particular, some arachnids fluoresce externally, and in spiders the hemolymph fluoresces. In this study, we examined the external fluorescence and the fluorophores of different sexes and life stages of the crab spider Misumena vatia (Clerk 1757, a sit-and-wait predator that feeds on insects as they visit flowers. We designed novel instrumentation to measure external fluorescence in whole specimens. We found that although males and females possess internal fluorophores with similar properties, the external expression of fluorescence varies across sexes and life stages. Spiders fluoresce brightly as immatures. Females maintain their brightness to adulthood, whereas males become increasingly dim as they mature. We suggest that external fluorescence likely contributes to visual signaling in these animals, and that it differs between the sexes as a result of differences in foraging ecology and behavior.

Early adverse life events are associated with altered brain network architecture in a sex- dependent manner

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Arpana Gupta, PhD

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Early adverse life events (EALs increase the risk for chronic medical and psychiatric disorders by altering early neurodevelopment. The aim of this study was to examine associations between EALs and network properties of core brain regions in the emotion regulation and salience networks, and to test the influence of sex on these associations. Methods: Resting-state functional and diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging were obtained in healthy individuals (61 men, 63 women. Functional and anatomical network properties of centrality and segregation were calculated for the core regions of the two networks using graph theory. Moderator analyses were applied to test hypotheses. Results: The type of adversity experienced influences brain wiring differently, as higher general EALs were associated with decreased functional and anatomical centrality in salience and emotion regulation regions, while physical and emotional EALs were associated with increased anatomical centrality and segregation in emotion regulation regions. Sex moderated the associations between EALs and measures of centrality; with decreased centrality of salience and emotion regulation regions with increased general EALs in females, and increased centrality in salience regions with higher physical and emotional EALs in males. Increased segregation of salience regions was associated with increased general EALs in males. Centrality of the amygdala was associated with physical symptoms, and segregation of salience regions was correlated with higher somatization in men only. Conclusions: Emotion regulation and salience regions are susceptible to topological brain restructuring associated with EALs. The male and female brains appear to be differently affected by specific types of EALs. Keywords: Early adverse traumatic life events, Centrality, Segregation, Network metrics, Moderating effects of sex, Emotion regulation network, Salience network

Narrowing sex differences in life expectancy: regional variations, 1971-1991

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Trovato, Frank

2001-01-01

Full Text Available EnglishA number of industrialized nations have recently experienced some degrees ofconstriction in their long-standing sex differentials in life expectancy at birth. In this study weexamine this phenomenon in the context of Canada's regions between 1971 and 1991: Atlantic(Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island; Quebec, Ontario, and the West(Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon and Northwest Territories. Decompositionanalysis based on multiple decrement life tables is applied to address three questions: (1 Are thereregional differentials in the degree of narrowing in the sex gap in life expectancy? (2 What is therelative contribution of major causes of death to observed sex differences in average length of lifewithin and across regions? (3 How do the contributions of cause-of-death components vary acrossregions to either widen or narrow the sex gap in survival? It is shown that the magnitude of the sexgap is not uniform across the regions, though the differences are not large. The most importantcontributors to a narrowing of the sex gap in life expectancy are heart disease and external types ofmortality (i.e., accidents, violence, and suicide, followed by lung cancer and other types of chronicconditions. In substantive terms these results indicate that over time men have been making sufficientgains in these causes of death as to narrow some of the gender gap in overall survival. Regions showsimilarity in these effects.FrenchCertains pays industrialisés viennent de vivre quelques constrictions dans ladifférentielle sexuelle de l'espérance de vie à la naissance. Dans cette étude,nous examinons ce phénomène dans le contexte des régions canadiennes entre1971 et 1991 : région atlantique (Terre-Neuve, Nouvelle-Écosse, Nouveau-Brunswick, île du Prince-Édouard ; le Québec, l'Ontario et l'Ouest (Manitoba,Saskatchewan, Alberta, Colombie-Britannique, Yukon et les Territoires duNord-Ouest. L'analyse de

Sex-Specific Neurotoxic Effects of Organophosphate Pesticides Across the Life Course.

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Comfort, Nicole; Re, Diane B

2017-12-01

This review discusses the sex-specific effects of exposure to various organophosphate (OP) pesticides throughout the life course and potential reasons for the differential vulnerabilities observed across sexes. Sex is a crucial factor in the response to toxicants, yet the sex-specific effects of OP exposure, particularly in juveniles and adults, remain unresolved. This is largely due to study design and inconsistencies in exposure and outcome assessments. Exposure to OPs results in multiple adverse outcomes influenced by many factors including sex. Reported sex-specific effects suggest that males are more susceptible to OPs, which reflects the sex-dependent prevalence of various neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders such as autism and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), in which males are at greater risk. Thus, this review proposes that the biological sex-specific effects elicited by OP exposure may in part underlie the dimorphic susceptibilities observed in neurological disorders. Understanding the immediate and long-term effects of OP exposure across sexes will be critical in advancing our understanding of OP-induced neurotoxicity and disease.

Sex Education: Talking to Toddlers and Preschoolers about Sex

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Healthy Lifestyle Sexual health Sex education often begins with a child's curiosity about his or her body. Here's how to set the stage for ... Original article: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/sexual-health/in-depth/sex-education/art-20044104 . Mayo Clinic Footer Legal Conditions and ...

Influence of sex and age on the biological half-life of cadmium in mice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taguchi, T.; Suzuki, S.

1981-01-01

The influence of age on the whole-body biological half-life of 109 Cd was studied in male mice following ip injection. The influence of sex on whole-body and organ retention was ascertained after sc injection. The whole-body biological half-life of 109 Cd of the older mice was more than twice that of the younger mice, and that of the female mice was longer than that of the males. These differences demonstrate a biological difference between males and females with respect to whole-body half-life of 109 Cd. The effects of age and sex on the biological half-life of Cd in mice are assessed quantitatively

Asymmetry, sex differences and age-related changes in the white matter in the healthy elderly: a tract-based study

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Fukusumi Masami

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Hemispherical asymmetry, sex differences and age-related changes have been reported for the human brain. Meanwhile it was still unclear the presence of the asymmetry or sex differences in the human brain occurred whether as a normal development or as consequences of any pathological changes. The aim of this study was to investigate hemispherical asymmetry, sex differences and age-related changes by using a tract-based analysis in the nerve bundles. Methods 40 healthy elderly subjects underwent magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging, and we calculated fractional anisotropy (FA and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC values along the major white matter bundles. Results We identified hemispherical asymmetry in the ADC values for the cingulate fasciculus in the total subject set and in males, and a sex difference in the FA values for the right uncinate fasciculus. For age-related changes, we demonstrated a significant increase in ADC values with advancing age in the right cingulum, left temporal white matter, and a significant decrease in FA values in the right superior longitudinal fasciculus. Conclusion In this study, we found hemispherical asymmetry, sex differences and age-related changes in particular regions of the white matter in the healthy elderly. Our results suggest considering these differences can be important in imaging studies.

Migrant mothers in unstable environments balancing healthy life styles and parenting responsiveness

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ditlevsen, Kia

and -practice. This paper investigates the promotion of healthy life styles in migrant families, living in insecure or uncertain situations in Denmark. It will describe the logics, rationalities and difficulties of migrant mothers, who want to promote a healthy life style in their families, and will question...... the notion of a universal, adequate parenting style and practice. The paper will address the overall question of how migrant mothers deal with health related concerns for their children, while living in precarious conditions. The following themes will be explored in the presentation: “Appropriate parenting...

LIFE EVENTS WITH STRESSFUL EFFECT ON PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA ACCORDING TO THE SEX AND AGE.

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Lilia Nikolova

2012-08-01

Full Text Available According to the literature life events with stressful effect are significant both for initiation and progress of the schizophrenia. Having this in mind we set our aim to be investigating the relationship between life events (considered as stressful, sex and age trough questioning 50 patients with paranoid schizophrenia. The results of our study showed presence of correlation between some of the studied life events, assessed as stressful. The analysis of the data revealed that both sex and age are influencing the assessment of the significance of the life events and “increases” their importance both for women and men.

Natural selection and sex differences in morbidity and mortality in early life.

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Wells, J C

2000-01-07

Both morbidity and mortality are consistently reported to be higher in males than in females in early life, but no explanation for these findings has been offered. This paper argues that the sex difference in early vulnerability can be attributed to the natural selection of optimal maternal strategies for maximizing lifetime reproductive success, as modelled previously by Trivers and Willard. These authors theorized that males and females offer different returns on parental investment depending on the state of the environment. Natural selection has therefore favoured maternal ability to manipulate offspring sex in response to environmental conditions in early life, as shown in variation in the sex ratio at birth. This argument can be extended to the whole period of parental investment until weaning. Male vulnerability in response to environmental stress in early life is predicted to have been favoured by natural selection. This vulnerability is most evident in the harsh conditions resulting from pre-term birth, but can also be seen in term infants, and manifests as greater morbidity and mortality persisting into early childhood. Malnutrition, interacting with infection after birth, is suggested as the fundamental trigger mechanism. The model suggests that whatever improvements are made in medical care, any environmental stress will always affect males more severely than females in early life. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.

Women's Sex Life After Spinal Cord Injury.

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Sramkova, Tatana; Skrivanova, Katerina; Dolan, Igor; Zamecnik, Libor; Sramkova, Katerina; Kriz, Jiri; Muzik, Vladimir; Fajtova, Radmila

2017-12-01

After spinal cord injury (SCI), individuals are typically considered by the general public to be asexual. Handicapped women have more problems with socio-sexual adaptation, stemming from low self-confidence, low self-esteem, and the absence of spontaneity. To determine changes in the sexual lives of women after SCI. A self-constructed questionnaire was used to map sexual function after SCI. We retrospectively compared sexual function in 30 women with SCI with that in 30 without SCI who led an active sexual life. Descriptive and inductive statistics were applied using the Student paired and non-paired t-tests and the Levene test. The main variables were presence vs absence of sexual dysfunction in a group of women after SCI and a comparison of the incidence of sexual dysfunctions in women after SCI with that of a control group. A significant difference was ascertained in women with SCI in sexual desire (P negative impact of incontinence on the sexual life of women with SCI proved significant (P Negative factors for sexual activity in women with SCI were lower sensitivity in 16 (53%), spasms and mobility problems in 12 (40%), lower desire in 11 (36%), pain in 4 (13%), and a less accommodating partner in 3 (10%). Intercourse was the preferred sexual activity in women with SCI. Compared with the period before injury, there was significant lowering of sexual desire, impaired lubrication, and orgasmic ability after SCI. A comparison of the two groups showed a difference in erotogenous zones and in reaching orgasm. Sramkova T, Skrivanova K, Dolan I, et al. Women's Sex Life After Spinal Cord Injury. Sex Med 2017;5:e255-e259. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Life Chaos and Perceived Social Support Among Methamphetamine-Using Men Who Have Sex With Men Engaging in Transactional Sexual Encounters.

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Viswanath, Humsini; Wilkerson, J Michael; Breckenridge, Ellen; Selwyn, Beatrice J

2017-01-02

Social support and life chaos have been inversely associated with increased risk of HIV infection. The purpose of this study was to explore among a sample of HIV-negative methamphetamine-using men who have sex with men (MSM) the association between engaging in transactional sex, life chaos, and low social support. HIV-negative methamphetamine-using MSM completed an online questionnaire between July and October 2012 about recent substance use and sexual behavior. Bivariate and multivariate tests were used to obtain statistically significant associations between demographic characteristics, engaging in transactional sex, life chaos, and the participants' perception of their social support. Of the 325 participants, 23.7% reported engaging in transactional sex, 45.2% reported high life chaos, and 53.5% reported low perceived social support. Participants who engaged in transactional sex were more likely to have high life chaos than participants who did not (aOR = 1.70, 95% CI = [1.01, 2.84]); transactional sex was not associated with social support. Participants with high life chaos were more out about their sexual orientation (aOR = 2.29, 95% CI = [1.18, 4.42]) and more likely to perceive they had low social support (aOR = 3.78, 95% CI = [2.31, 6.22]) than participants with low life chaos. Non-Latinos perceived they had less social support than Latinos (aOR = 0.48, 95% CI = [0.25, 0.92]). Methamphetamine-using MSM engaging in transactional sex experience more life chaos than those who do not engage in transactional sex. Outness, perceived social support, and ethnicity are associated with life chaos.

Oxidative stress and the evolution of sex differences in life span and ageing in the decorated cricket, Gryllodes sigillatus.

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Archer, Catharine R; Sakaluk, Scott K; Selman, Colin; Royle, Nick J; Hunt, John

2013-03-01

The Free Radical Theory of Ageing (FRTA) predicts that oxidative stress, induced when levels of reactive oxygen species exceed the capacity of antioxidant defenses, causes ageing. Recently, it has also been argued that oxidative damage may mediate important life-history trade-offs. Here, we use inbred lines of the decorated cricket, Gryllodes sigillatus, to estimate the genetic (co)variance between age-dependent reproductive effort, life span, ageing, oxidative damage, and total antioxidant capacity within and between the sexes. The FRTA predicts that oxidative damage should accumulate with age and negatively correlate with life span. We find that protein oxidation is greater in the shorter lived sex (females) and negatively genetically correlated with life span in both sexes. However, oxidative damage did not accumulate with age in either sex. Previously we have shown antagonistic pleiotropy between the genes for early-life reproductive effort and ageing rate in both sexes, although this was stronger in females. In females, we find that elevated fecundity early in life is associated with greater protein oxidation later in life, which is in turn positively correlated with the rate of ageing. Our results provide mixed support for the FRTA but suggest that oxidative stress may mediate sex-specific life-history strategies in G. sigillatus. © 2012 The Author(s). Evolution© 2012 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Juvenile Sex Offending Through a Developmental Life Course Criminology Perspective.

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Lussier, Patrick

2017-02-01

Current American policies and responses to juvenile sex offending have been criticized for being based on myths, misconceptions, and unsubstantiated claims. In spite of the criticism, no organizing framework has been proposed to guide policy development with respect to the prevention of juvenile sex offending. This article proposes a developmental life course (DLC) criminology perspective to investigate the origins, development, and termination of sex offending among youth. It also provides a review of the current state of knowledge regarding various parameters characterizing the development of sex offending (e.g., prevalence, age of onset, frequency, persistence, continuity in adulthood, and versatility). The review highlights some heterogeneity across these developmental parameters suggesting the presence of different sex offending patterns among youth. In fact, it is proposed that, based on the current knowledge, such heterogeneity can be accounted for by a dual taxonomy of adolescents involved in sexual offenses: (a) the adolescent-limited and (b) the high-rate/slow-desister. The DLC criminology approach and the dual taxonomy are proposed as organizing frameworks to conduct prospective longitudinal research to better understand the origins and development of sex offending and to guide policy development and responses to at-risk youth and those who have committed sexual offenses.

Sex and Race Disparities in Health: Cohort Variations in Life Course Patterns

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Yang, Yang; Lee, Linda C.

2009-01-01

This study assesses changes in sex and race disparities in health over the life course and across cohorts by conducting growth curve analyses of nationally representative longitudinal data that spans 15 years. It finds that changes in disparities in depressive symptoms, disability and self-assessments of health across the life course are…

Sex Differences in Quality of Life Impairment Associated With Body Dissatisfaction in Adolescents.

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Griffiths, Scott; Murray, Stuart B; Bentley, Caroline; Gratwick-Sarll, Kassandra; Harrison, Carmel; Mond, Jonathan M

2017-07-01

Body dissatisfaction is strongly associated with quality of life impairment among both male and female adults, and the strength of this relationship is comparable between the sexes. Whether this is the case among adolescents, however, is unclear. Adolescent girls (n = 1,135) and boys (n = 531) aged 12-18 years were recruited from secondary schools located in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Students completed a survey that included measures of body dissatisfaction, eating disorder symptoms, and psychosocial health- and physical health-related quality of life. Girls reported higher levels of dissatisfaction than boys for each of the 12 body features assessed. The strength of the adverse associations between body dissatisfaction and quality of life impairment did not, however, differ by sex, and this was the case for both physical health-related and psychosocial quality of life domains. For both girls and boys, associations between body dissatisfaction and both quality of life impairment persisted after controlling for eating disorder symptoms, body mass index, and other covariates. While levels of body dissatisfaction remain higher in girls than in boys, the adverse impact of body dissatisfaction on adolescents' quality of life does not appear to differ by sex. This impact entails impairment in both physical health and psychosocial quality of life domains and does not appear to be accounted for by an association between body dissatisfaction and eating disorder pathology. The findings support the need to conceive of body dissatisfaction as a public health concern in its own right. Copyright © 2017 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effect of different public health interventions on longevity, morbidity, and years of healthy life

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Cai Liming

2007-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Choosing cost-effective strategies for improving the health of the public is difficult because the relative effects of different types of interventions are not well understood. The benefits of one-shot interventions may be different from the benefits of interventions that permanently change the probability of getting sick, recovering, or dying. Here, we compare the benefits of such types of public health interventions. Methods We used multi-state life table methods to estimate the impact of five types of interventions on mortality, morbidity (years of life in fair or poor health, and years of healthy life (years in excellent, very good, or good health. Results A one-shot intervention that makes all the sick persons healthy at baseline would increase life expectancy by 3 months and increase years of healthy life by 6 months, in a cohort beginning at age 65. An equivalent amount of improvement can be obtained from an intervention that either decreases the probability of getting sick each year by 12%, increases the probability of a sick person recovering by 16%, decreases the probability that a sick person dies by 15%, or decreases the probability that a healthy person dies by 14%. Interventions aimed at keeping persons healthy increased longevity and years of healthy life, while decreasing morbidity and medical expenditures. Interventions focused on preventing mortality had a greater effect on longevity, but had higher future morbidity and medical expenditures. Results differed for older and younger cohorts and depended on the value to society of an additional year of sick life. Conclusion Interventions that promote health and prevent disease performed well, but other types of intervention were sometimes better. The value to society of interventions that increase longevity but also increase morbidity needs further research. More comprehensive screening and treatment of new Medicare enrollees might improve their health and

Cyberbullying Victimization as a Predictor of Cyberbullying Perpetration, Body Image Dissatisfaction, Healthy Eating and Dieting Behaviors, and Life Satisfaction.

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Ramos Salazar, Leslie

2017-08-01

Cyberbullying victimization and perpetration continues to be a serious public health, criminal justice, victimology, and educational problem in middle schools in the United States. Adolescents are at a higher risk of experiencing cyberbullying as a victim and/or as a bully given the frequency of their use of the Internet via social networking sites such as Facebook and mobile devices such as cell phones and tablets. To address this important problem, the purpose of this investigation was to examine cyberbullying victimization through communication technology as a predictor of cyberbullying perpetration, body image, healthy eating and dieting behaviors, and life satisfaction of sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade-level middle school students. The World Health Organization recruited participants by using a Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) survey. In this in-class questionnaire, 6,944 middle school students were asked about their cyberbullying experiences as a victim and as a bully via Internet, email, and mobile communication technologies to obtain their evaluations of their body image, eating and dieting habits, and perceptions of life satisfaction. After controlling for demographic factors such as sex, age, and class level, this study found that cyberbullying victimization was a predictor of cyberbullying perpetration, body image dissatisfaction, dieting behaviors, and life satisfaction. However, this study did not find a correlation between cyberbullying victimization and students' healthy eating behaviors. This study also discussed each of the findings in the context of previous research findings. In addition, the study provides the strengths, limitations, and future directions for the future examination of cyberbullying victimization in middle schools.

Sex differences in absolute myocardial perfusion. Non-invasive H2(15)O-PET in young healthy adults.

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Range, Felix T; Kies, Peter; Schäfers, Klaus P; Breithardt, Günter; Schober, Otmar; Wichter, Thomas; Schäfers, Michael A

2016-09-26

To investigate sex differences in myocardial perfusion especially in healthy individuals since former studies are rare and findings are controversial. Participants, methods: 26 subjects were enrolled: 16 healthy women (age: 34 ±7 years) were compared with 10 healthy men (age: 34 ± 3 years; p = ns). Myocardial blood flow (MBF) and coronary vascular resistance (CVR) were quantified at rest, during adenosine infusion and cold-pressor-testing, using positron emission tomography and radioactive-labelled water (H2(15)O-PET). Women showed higher MBF than men at rest (1.10 ± 0.18 vs. 0.85 ± 0.20 ml/min/ml; p = 0.003) and cold-stress (1.39 ± 0.38 vs. 1.06 ± 0.28 ml/min/ml; p = 0.026). Corrected for rate-pressure-product, baseline findings maintained significance (1.41 ± 0.33 vs. 1.16 ± 0.19 ml/min/ml; p = 0.024). CVR was lower in women at baseline (81 ± 14 vs. 107 ± 22 mmHg*ml(-1)*min*ml; p = 0.006) and during cold-pressor-testing (71 ± 17 vs. 91 ± 20 mmHg*ml(-1)*min*ml; p = 0.013). Under adenosine neither maximal MBF (4.06 ± 1.0 vs. 3.91 ± 0.88 ml/min/ml; p = ns) nor coronary flow reserve (3.07 ± 1.12 vs. 3.44 ± 0.92; p = ns) nor CVR (24 ± 8 vs. 24 ± 6 mmHg*ml(-1)*min*ml; p = ns) showed sex-related differences. Women show higher myocardial perfusion and lower coronary vascular resistance than men in physiologic states. Maximum perfusion and vasodilation under adenosine are not sex-specific.

Sex and the (older) single girl: experiences of sex and dating in later life.

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Fileborn, Bianca; Thorpe, Rachel; Hawkes, Gail; Minichiello, Victor; Pitts, Marian

2015-04-01

This study explored the sexual subjectivities of older Australian women. In this article we present findings from 15 qualitative interviews with Australian women aged 55-81 who were single at the time of interview. The majority of these women were single following divorce or separation, with a smaller number of women who were widowed or never in a long-term relationship. We found that these women's sexual desire and sexual activity were fluid and diverse across their life course. Although some participants desired a romantic or sexual relationship, they were also protective of their independence and reluctant to re-enter into a relationship in later life. Our findings indicate that these women's sexual subjectivities were shaped by dominant norms of ageing, sex, and gender. At the same time, older women are challenging and resisting these norms, and beginning to renegotiate sexuality in later life. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of Healthy Aging and Mild Cognitive Impairment on a Real-Life Decision-Making Task.

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Pertl, Marie-Theres; Benke, Thomas; Zamarian, Laura; Delazer, Margarete

2017-01-01

In this study, we investigated the effects of age and of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) on decision making under risk by adopting a task representing real-life health-related situations and involving complex numerical information. Moreover, we assessed the relationship of real-life decision making to other cognitive functions such as number processing, executive functions, language, memory, and attention. For this reason, we compared the performance of 19 healthy, relatively younger adults with that of 18 healthy older adults and the performance of the 18 healthy older adults with that of 17 patients with MCI. Results indicated difficulties in real-life decision making for the healthy older adults compared with the healthy, relatively younger adults. Difficulties of patients with MCI relative to the healthy older adults arose in particular in difficult items requiring processing of frequencies and fractions. Significant effects of age and of MCI in processing frequencies were also evident in a ratio number comparison task. Decision-making performance of healthy participants and of the patient group correlated significantly with number processing. There was a further significant correlation with executive functions for the healthy participants and with reading comprehension for the patients. Our results suggest that healthy older individuals and patients with MCI make less advantageous decisions when the information is complex and high demands are put on executive functions and numerical abilities. Moreover, we show that executive functions and numerical abilities are not only essential in laboratory gambling tasks but also in more realistic and ecological decision situations within the health context.

Sex life and the Oswestry Disability Index.

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Costa, Michelle; Marshman, Laurence A G

2015-06-01

Despite the option to not answer, there is widespread anecdotal belief that the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) Section 8 (ODI-8/sex life) is answered inaccurately (ie, in relation to psychosocial factors, not pain) or that it repels ODI participation. Oswestry Disability Index versions have therefore been created that omit ODI-8; however, no evidence base justifies this. Interestingly, one recent study reported an ODI-8 response rate (RR) of 97%. The aims of this study were to measure RR to sex life questions in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) and to validate that ODI-8 is answered appropriately and represents a specific measure of CLBP-mediated sexual inactivity. Original. Eighty-eight patients. The outcome measures used in this study were the ODI, the Sexual Quality of Life Scale-version 2 (SQOL-2), the Short Form-12 version 2 (mental and physical), the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale, the Coping Strategies Questionnaire, the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire-version 2, the Opioid Risk Tool, and the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (work and physical). Chronic low back pain patients older than 18 years attending a multicultural Western spinal clinic were prospectively offered the aforementioned questionnaires. Sex life disability questions--pain dependent (ODI-8) and pain independent (SQOL-2)--appeared first and fifth in every sequence. Results were obtained in 65 patients (male 29, female 36). Despite expected response attrition with battery progression (RRs for the first and eighth questionnaires were 100% and 64.61%, respectively), RRs for ODI-8 (52.31%) and SQOL-2 (52.31%) were equal and significantly lower than others (p<.001). Nonresponders to ODI-8 (60.57±13.3 years) and SQOL-2 (59.68±13.34 years) were significantly older than responders (ODI-8: 47.82±12.17 years, p<.001; SQOL-2: 48.27±12.76 years, p=.001). Among ODI-8 or SQOL-2 responders, ODI-8 and SQOL-2 were not correlated (r=-0.340, p=.104). Although ODI-8 significantly

Sex effects on spatial learning but not on spatial memory retrieval in healthy young adults.

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Piber, Dominique; Nowacki, Jan; Mueller, Sven C; Wingenfeld, Katja; Otte, Christian

2018-01-15

Sex differences have been found in spatial learning and spatial memory, with several studies indicating that males outperform females. We tested in the virtual Morris Water Maze (vMWM) task, whether sex differences in spatial cognitive processes are attributable to differences in spatial learning or spatial memory retrieval in a large student sample. We tested 90 healthy students (45 women and 45 men) with a mean age of 23.5 years (SD=3.5). Spatial learning and spatial memory retrieval were measured by using the vMWM task, during which participants had to search a virtual pool for a hidden platform, facilitated by visual cues surrounding the pool. Several learning trials assessed spatial learning, while a separate probe trial assessed spatial memory retrieval. We found a significant sex effect during spatial learning, with males showing shorter latency and shorter path length, as compared to females (all pretrieval (p=0.615). Furthermore, post-hoc analyses revealed significant sex differences in spatial search strategies (pretrieval. Our study raises the question, whether men and women use different learning strategies, which nevertheless result in equal performances of spatial memory retrieval. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enhancing a sustainable healthy working life: design of a clustered randomized controlled trial

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Koolhaas Wendy

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background To improve a sustainable healthy working life, we have developed the intervention 'Staying healthy at work', which endeavours to enhance work participation of employees aged 45 years and older by increasing their problem-solving capacity and stimulating their awareness of their role and responsibility towards a healthy working life. This research study aims to evaluate the process and the effectiveness of the intervention compared with care as usual. Methods/design The study is a cluster-randomized controlled trial design (randomized at the supervisor level, with a 1-year follow-up. Workers aged 45 years and older have been enrolled in the study. Workers in the intervention group are receiving the intervention 'Staying healthy at work'. The main focus of the intervention is to promote a healthy working life of ageing workers by: (1 changing workers awareness and behaviour, by emphasizing their own decisive role in attaining goals; (2 improving the supervisors' ability to support workers in taking the necessary action, by means of enhancing knowledge and competence; and (3 enhancing the use of the human resource professionals and the occupational health tools available within the organization. The supervisors in the intervention group have been trained how to present themselves as a source of support for the worker. Workers in the control group are receiving care as usual; supervisors in the control group have not participated in the training. Measurements have been taken at baseline and will be followed up at 3, 6 and 12 months. The primary outcome measures are vitality, work ability and productivity. The secondary outcomes measures include fatigue, job strain, work attitude, self-efficacy and work engagement. A process evaluation will be conducted at both the supervisor and the worker levels, and satisfaction with the content of the intervention will be assessed. Discussion The intervention 'Staying healthy at work' has the

Spatial Quantile Regression In Analysis Of Healthy Life Years In The European Union Countries

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Trzpiot Grażyna

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The paper investigates the impact of the selected factors on the healthy life years of men and women in the EU countries. The multiple quantile spatial autoregression models are used in order to account for substantial differences in the healthy life years and life quality across the EU members. Quantile regression allows studying dependencies between variables in different quantiles of the response distribution. Moreover, this statistical tool is robust against violations of the classical regression assumption about the distribution of the error term. Parameters of the models were estimated using instrumental variable method (Kim, Muller 2004, whereas the confidence intervals and p-values were bootstrapped.

The influence of age, sex, bulb position, visual feedback, and the order of testing on maximum anterior and posterior tongue strength and endurance in healthy belgian adults.

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Vanderwegen, Jan; Guns, Cindy; Van Nuffelen, Gwen; Elen, Rik; De Bodt, Marc

2013-06-01

This study collected data on the maximum anterior and posterior tongue strength and endurance in 420 healthy Belgians across the adult life span to explore the influence of age, sex, bulb position, visual feedback, and order of testing. Measures were obtained using the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument (IOPI). Older participants (more than 70 years old) demonstrated significantly lower strength than younger persons at the anterior and the posterior tongue. Endurance remains stable throughout the major part of life. Gender influence remains significant but minor throughout life, with males showing higher pressures and longer endurance. The anterior part of the tongue has both higher strength and longer endurance than the posterior part. Mean maximum tongue pressures in this European population seem to be lower than American values and are closer to Asian results. The normative data can be used for objective assessment of tongue weakness and subsequent therapy planning of dysphagic patients.

Women who sell sex in a Ugandan trading town: life histories, survival strategies and risk.

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Gysels, Marjolein; Pool, Robert; Nnalusiba, Betty

2002-01-01

Little is known about the background of commercial sex workers in Africa. This study investigated how women in a trading town on the trans-Africa highway in southwest Uganda become involved in commercial sex work, which factors contribute to their economic success or lack of success, and what effect life trajectories and economic success have on negotiating power and risk behaviour. Over the course of two years detailed life histories of 34 women were collected through recording open, in-depth interviews, the collection of sexual and income and expenditure diaries, visits to the women's native villages, and participant observation. The women share similar disadvantaged backgrounds and this has played a role in their move into commercial sex. They have divergent experiences, however, in their utilisation of opportunities and in the level of success they achieve. They have developed different life styles and a variety of ways of dealing with sexual relationships. Three groups of women were identified: (1) women who work in the back-street bars, have no capital of their own and are almost entirely dependent on selling sex for their livelihood; (2) waitresses in the bars along the main road who engage in a more institutionalised kind of commercial sex, often mediated by middlemen and (3) the more successful entrepreneurs who earn money from their own bars as well as from commercial sex. The three groups had different risk profiles. Due partly to their financial independence from men, women in the latter group have taken control of sexual relationships and can negotiate good sexual deals for themselves, both financially and in terms of safe sex. The poorer women were more vulnerable and less able to negotiate safer sex. A disadvantaged background and restricted access to economic resources are the major reasons for women gravitating to commercial sex work. Various aspects of personality play a role in utilising income from commercial sex to set up an economic basis that

Condom as a professional symbol among the persons engaged in sex work in Belgrade

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Baroš Slađana

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Based on qualitative research data, this article exams the meaning of condom among persons engaged in sex work. Sex-work is a specific activity, with a sex service being an object of economic transaction. In order to delineate private sexual relationship and business sexual relationship sex workers rely on a professional code. Abiding to this code is valued positively by the professional group whereas disrespecting it leads to stigmatization of the offender within the group. The basic markers separating professional and private life in a continuum of sexuality are money as a sign and condom as a symbol. Use of condom during the sex-work relation is a symbol of correct approach to work and as such marks the border between professional and unprofessional way for doing the job in addition to marking the border between work and private life. The data show that within this borderline area in real-life situations, complex interactive relationship between sex-workers and their immediate environment leads to discrepancies in the consistency of condom use. The lack of consistent condom is present when a client or type of service is perceived as safe, i.e. carries the meaning of the category "with condom", or when some ambiguous environmental circumstances are present such as influence of the police or pimps, protectors and people related to private life of sex-worker. In the field of sex-work, condom grows from an object of infection prevention into an object that symbolizes professional ethics within sex-work and, in that way, it keeps an atmosphere of a healthy and clean private life for sex-workers.

The male-female health-survival paradox and sex differences in cohort life expectancy in Utah, Denmark, and Sweden 1850-1910.

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Lindahl-Jacobsen, Rune; Hanson, Heidi A; Oksuzyan, Anna; Mineau, Geraldine P; Christensen, Kaare; Smith, Ken R

2013-04-01

In Utah, the prevalence of unhealthy male risk behaviors are lower than in most other male populations, whereas women experience higher mortality risk because of higher fertility rates. Therefore, we hypothesize that the Utah sex differential in mortality would be small and less than in Sweden and Denmark. Life tables from Utah, Denmark, and Sweden were used to calculate cohort life expectancies for men and women born in 1850-1910. The sex difference in cohort life expectancy was similar or larger in Utah when compared with Denmark and Sweden. The change over time in the sex differences in cohort life expectancy was approximately 2 years smaller for active Mormons in Utah than for other groups suggesting lifestyle as an important component for the overall change seen in cohort life expectancy. Sex differences in cohort life expectancy at the age of 50 years were similar for individuals actively affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and for Denmark and Sweden. The hypothesis that a smaller sex difference in cohort life expectancies in Utah would be detected in relation to Denmark and Sweden was not supported. In Utah, the male-female differences in life expectancy remain substantial pointing toward biological mechanisms or other unmeasured risk factors. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Long-term Shifting Patterns in Quality of Life After Distal Subtotal Gastrectomy: Preoperative- and Healthy-based Interpretations.

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Lee, Seung Soo; Chung, Ho Young; Kwon, Ohkyoung; Yu, Wansik

2015-06-01

The study assessed long-term shifting patterns in quality of life (QoL) after distal subtotal gastrectomy relative to an estimated healthy population QoL (HPQoL), and compared them to shifting patterns interpreted in terms of a preoperative QoL baseline. QoL data from 127 gastric cancer patients who underwent open distal subtotal gastrectomy were obtained at the preoperative period and at 6, 12, 18, 24, and 36 months after surgery. QoL data obtained from 127 age- and sex-adjusted healthy individuals were used to estimate HPQoL. The study used the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QoL Questionnaire Core 30 (QLQ-C30) and a gastric cancer module (QLQ-STO22) to assess QoL. Comparisons were made between preoperative-based and healthy-based interpretations of longitudinal QoL shifting patterns. Among the persistently deteriorated QoL variables indicated by the preoperative-based interpretation (physical functioning, role functioning, cognitive functioning, nausea and vomiting, dyspnea, diarrhea, dysphagia, eating restrictions, dry mouth, and body image), eating restrictions and body image concerns were the only factors indicated by a healthy-based interpretation. In this interpretation, financial difficulties were evident at the preoperative period and persisted for at least 36 months. When preoperative QoL was used as a baseline, decreased QoL due to financial difficulties was not revealed. Persistent QoL deterioration after distal subtotal gastrectomy is primarily due to financial difficulties, eating restrictions, and body image concerns. Preoperative-based interpretation of postoperative QoL may exaggerate the persistency of reduced QoL and conceal on-going QoL deterioration after surgery.

The interaction between dietary and life goals: using goal systems theory to explore healthy diet and life goals.

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Turner-McGrievy, Gabrielle M; Wright, Julie A; Migneault, Jeffrey P; Quintiliani, Lisa; Friedman, Robert H

2014-01-01

Objective : To examine the types of life and dietary goals individuals report and how these goal domains interact as framed by goal systems theory. Methods : This work is a cross-sectional survey study. Measures included the incidence of common life and dietary goals and how these goals interact with and facilitate each other. Results : The results of a quantitative survey ( n  = 46 participants), which was informed by two focus groups ( n  = 17 participants), showed that participants are trying to achieve several different life (e.g. achieving financial success) and dietary goals (e.g. eating more fruits and vegetables, drinking more water, and losing weight) and that these two types of goals interact to both facilitate and conflict with each other. Having a life goal of exercising was significantly associated with healthy eating goals when compared with other life goals ( p 's goals may be linked and help to facilitate one another. Being in the maintenance phase with the goal of healthy eating was associated with participants feeling like they were more successful in their other non-diet-related health goals ( p  goals can facilitate success in achieving other goals. Conclusions : Life goals can have an impact on a person's ability to achieve and maintain dietary and other health goals. Health educators may help to facilitate long-term behavior change by examining a person's life goals as well as dietary goals.

Topological organization of functional brain networks in healthy children: differences in relation to age, sex, and intelligence.

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Wu, Kai; Taki, Yasuyuki; Sato, Kazunori; Hashizume, Hiroshi; Sassa, Yuko; Takeuchi, Hikaru; Thyreau, Benjamin; He, Yong; Evans, Alan C; Li, Xiaobo; Kawashima, Ryuta; Fukuda, Hiroshi

2013-01-01

Recent studies have demonstrated developmental changes of functional brain networks derived from functional connectivity using graph theoretical analysis, which has been rapidly translated to studies of brain network organization. However, little is known about sex- and IQ-related differences in the topological organization of functional brain networks during development. In this study, resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) was used to map the functional brain networks in 51 healthy children. We then investigated the effects of age, sex, and IQ on economic small-world properties and regional nodal properties of the functional brain networks. At a global level of whole networks, we found significant age-related increases in the small-worldness and local efficiency, significant higher values of the global efficiency in boys compared with girls, and no significant IQ-related difference. Age-related increases in the regional nodal properties were found predominately in the frontal brain regions, whereas the parietal, temporal, and occipital brain regions showed age-related decreases. Significant sex-related differences in the regional nodal properties were found in various brain regions, primarily related to the default mode, language, and vision systems. Positive correlations between IQ and the regional nodal properties were found in several brain regions related to the attention system, whereas negative correlations were found in various brain regions primarily involved in the default mode, emotion, and language systems. Together, our findings of the network topology of the functional brain networks in healthy children and its relationship with age, sex, and IQ bring new insights into the understanding of brain maturation and cognitive development during childhood and adolescence.

Topological organization of functional brain networks in healthy children: differences in relation to age, sex, and intelligence.

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Kai Wu

Full Text Available Recent studies have demonstrated developmental changes of functional brain networks derived from functional connectivity using graph theoretical analysis, which has been rapidly translated to studies of brain network organization. However, little is known about sex- and IQ-related differences in the topological organization of functional brain networks during development. In this study, resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI was used to map the functional brain networks in 51 healthy children. We then investigated the effects of age, sex, and IQ on economic small-world properties and regional nodal properties of the functional brain networks. At a global level of whole networks, we found significant age-related increases in the small-worldness and local efficiency, significant higher values of the global efficiency in boys compared with girls, and no significant IQ-related difference. Age-related increases in the regional nodal properties were found predominately in the frontal brain regions, whereas the parietal, temporal, and occipital brain regions showed age-related decreases. Significant sex-related differences in the regional nodal properties were found in various brain regions, primarily related to the default mode, language, and vision systems. Positive correlations between IQ and the regional nodal properties were found in several brain regions related to the attention system, whereas negative correlations were found in various brain regions primarily involved in the default mode, emotion, and language systems. Together, our findings of the network topology of the functional brain networks in healthy children and its relationship with age, sex, and IQ bring new insights into the understanding of brain maturation and cognitive development during childhood and adolescence.

HIV and safe, healthy sex.

Science.gov (United States)

1997-01-01

If a woman wants to become pregnant, how can she reduce her risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections? When a young man is growing up and worried about his future, how can you expect him to be concerned about HIV? Many HIV prevention projects focus on HIV and other sexually transmitted infections without considering people's broader reproductive and sexual health concerns. HIV prevention depends on people being able to make choices about their sexual behavior. This means understanding how their bodies work, knowing what choices are available to them, and having the confidence and skills to discuss and make changes in their sexual and reproductive lives. HIV educators, family planning workers, youth counselors, and others need to be able to respond to a range of questions and concerns in a sensitive and supportive way. This special, double issue of AIDS Action provides basic facts about the reproductive system, fertility, sexually transmitted infections and contraception, and looks at the links between HIV, sex, and reproduction. Talking about sex can be difficult. Sex is a private matter and people often feel embarrassed talking about it. This issue also contains tips for communication and activities to find out what people know already and help them learn. You may find that not everything in this issue is necessary for the people you are working with. This is a 'pick and mix' issue for you to pick out what is useful, adapting it if you wish. full text

Comparing Sexual Function and Quality of Life in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Healthy Women

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Vida Shafti

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Objective: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS is one of the most common endocrine disorders that is associated with different metabolic, reproductive and psychological consequences. The main aim of this study was to compare the sexual function and quality of life in women with polycystic ovary syndrome and healthy women.Materials and methods: This is a causal-comparative study in which 129 women with polycystic ovary syndrome were qualified as the research group. The control group consisted of 125 healthy women. The sampling method was convenient and was done using Rotterdam criteria. Women of both research and control groups responded to the FSFI and WHOQOL-BREF questionnaires. Data were analyzed with SPSS software using MANOVA.Results: According to findings, all of quality of life subscales except environment domain were significantly lower in research group than healthy group (p < 0.01, but none of sexual function subscales were significantly different between two groups (p > 0.05.Conclusion: Women with PCOS in term of some quality of life parameters have lower performance than healthy women. Therefore, it seems to be essential to increase awareness about symptoms and psychological consequences and referring process in order to take advantage of the advisory services. 

Decennial trends and inequalities in healthy life expectancy: The HUNT Study, Norway.

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Storeng, Siri H; Krokstad, Steinar; Westin, Steinar; Sund, Erik R

2018-02-01

Norway is experiencing a rising life expectancy combined with an increasing dependency ratio - the ratio of those outside over those within the working force. To provide data relevant for future health policy we wanted to study trends in total and healthy life expectancy in a Norwegian population over three decades (1980s, 1990s and 2000s), both overall and across gender and educational groups. Data were obtained from the HUNT Study, and the Norwegian Educational Database. We calculated total life expectancy and used the Sullivan method to calculate healthy life expectancies based on self-rated health and self-reported longstanding limiting illness. The change in health expectancies was decomposed into mortality and disability effects. During three consecutive decades we found an increase in life expectancy for 30-year-olds (~7 years) and expected lifetime in self-rated good health (~6 years), but time without longstanding limiting illness increased less (1.5 years). Women could expect to live longer than men, but the extra life years for females were spent in poor self-rated health and with longstanding limiting illness. Differences in total life expectancy between educational groups decreased, whereas differences in expected lifetime in self-rated good health and lifetime without longstanding limiting illness increased. The increase in total life expectancy was accompanied by an increasing number of years spent in good self-rated health but more years with longstanding limiting illness. This suggests increasing health care needs for people with chronic diseases, given an increasing number of elderly. Socioeconomic health inequalities remain a challenge for increasing pensioning age.

Genotype by sex and genotype by age interactions with sedentary behavior: the Portuguese Healthy Family Study.

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Daniel M V Santos

Full Text Available Sedentary behavior (SB expression and its underlying causal factors have been progressively studied, as it is a major determinant of decreased health quality. In the present study we applied Genotype x Age (GxAge and Genotype x Sex (GxSex interaction methods to determine if the phenotypic expression of different SB traits is influenced by an interaction between genetic architecture and both age and sex. A total of 1345 subjects, comprising 249 fathers, 327 mothers, 334 sons and 325 daughters, from 339 families of The Portuguese Healthy Family Study were included in the analysis. SB traits were assessed by means of a 3-d physical activity recall, the Baecke and IPAQ questionnaires. GxAge and GxSex interactions were analyzed using SOLAR 4.0 software. Sedentary behaviour heritability estimates were not always statistically significant (p>0.05 and ranged from 3% to 27%. The GxSex and GxAge interaction models were significantly better than the single polygenic models for TV (min/day, EEsed (kcal/day, personal computer (PC usage and physical activty (PA tertiles. The GxAge model is also significantly better than the polygenic model for Sed (min/day. For EEsed, PA tertiles, PC and Sed, the GxAge interaction was significant because the genetic correlation between SB environments was significantly different from 1. Further, PC and Sed variance heterogeneity among distinct ages were observed. The GxSex interaction was significant for EEsed due to genetic variance heterogeneity between genders and for PC due to a genetic correlation less than 1 across both sexes. Our results suggest that SB expression may be influenced by the interactions between genotype with both sex and age. Further, different sedentary behaviors seem to have distinct genetic architectures and are differentially affected by age and sex.

Mind the gap--reaching the European target of a 2-year increase in healthy life years in the next decade.

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Jagger, Carol; McKee, Martin; Christensen, Kaare; Lagiewka, Karolina; Nusselder, Wilma; Van Oyen, Herman; Cambois, Emmanuelle; Jeune, Bernard; Robine, Jean-Marie

2013-10-01

The European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing seeks an increase of two healthy life years (HLY) at birth in the EU27 for the next 10 years. We assess the feasibility of doing so between 2010 and 2020 and the differential impact among countries by applying different scenarios to current trends in HLY. Data comprised HLY and life expectancy (LE) at birth 2004-09 from Eurostat. We estimated HLY in 2010 in each country by multiplying the Eurostat projections of LE in 2010 by the ratio HLY/LE obtained either from country and sex-specific linear regression models of HLY/LE on year (seven countries retaining same HLY question) or extrapolating the average of HLY/LE in 2008 and 2009 to 2010 (20 countries and EU27). The first scenario continued these trends with three other scenarios exploring different HLY gap reductions between 2010 and 2020. The estimated gap in HLY in 2010 was 17.5 years (men) and 18.9 years (women). Assuming current trends continue, EU27 HLY increased by 1.4 years (men) and 0.9 years (women), below the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing target, with the HLY gap between countries increasing to 18.3 years (men) and 19.5 years (women). To eliminate the HLY gap in 20 years, the EU27 must gain 4.4 HLY (men) and 4.8 HLY (women) in the next decade, which, for some countries, is substantially more than what the current trends suggest. Global targets for HLY move attention from inter-country differences and, alongside the current economic crisis, may contribute to increase health inequalities.

Tips for a Healthy Long-Life Learned from Space Medicine

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Ohshima, Hiroshi; Yamada, Shin; Matsuo, Tomoaki; Yamamoto, Masafumi; Mukai, Chiaki

2013-02-01

The field of space medicine is responsible for maintaining astronauts’ health and optimizing their performance. A prolonged stay in space with little gravity results in weakening of the bones and muscles that otherwise support body weight, which is precisely the problem faced by elderly people on Earth. Space medicine provides the means of alleviating such problems. Bone loss, muscle atrophy, and disturbed circadian rhythms are common issues for both astronauts and the elderly alike and can be prevented, if the risks are addressed correctly. To have a healthy long-life, it is important to practice effective health improvement techniques and take preventive measures. The space medicine technologies a for astronauts will provide helpful information to people living in a super aging society. and Japanese medical societies for health promotion. With the aids of the Japanese Society of Physical Fitness and Sports Medicine, the Japanese Orthopaedic Association, and the Japanese Association of Rehabilitation Medicine, JAXA has made a leaflet titled for general citizen to show the tips for a healthy long-life learned from space medicine from the viewpoints of their respective expertise.

Trends in healthy life expectancy among older Brazilian women between 1998 and 2008

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Marília Regina Nepomuceno

2015-01-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE To analyze conditional and unconditional healthy life expectancy among older Brazilian women. METHODS This cross-sectional study used the intercensal technique to estimate, in the absence of longitudinal data, healthy life expectancy that is conditional and unconditional on the individual’s current health status. The data used were obtained from the Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios (National Household Sample Survey of 1998, 2003, and 2008. This sample comprised 11,171; 13,694; and 16,259 women aged 65 years or more, respectively. Complete mortality tables from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics for the years 2001 and 2006 were also used. The definition of health status was based on the difficulty in performing activities of daily living. RESULTS The remaining lifetime was strongly dependent on the current health status of the older women. Between 1998 and 2003, the amount of time lived with disability for healthy women at age 65 was 9.8%. This percentage increased to 66.2% when the women already presented some disability at age 65. Temporal analysis showed that the active life expectancy of the women at age 65 increased between 1998-2003 (19.3 years and 2003-2008 (19.4 years. However, life years gained have been mainly focused on the unhealthy state. CONCLUSIONS Analysis of conditional and unconditional life expectancy indicated that live years gained are a result of the decline of mortality in unhealthy states. This pattern suggests that there has been no reduction in morbidity among older women in Brazil between 1998 and 2008.

Centenarians - a useful model for healthy aging?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Engberg, Henriette; Oksuzyan, Anna; Jeune, Bernard

2009-01-01

Centenarians surpass the current human life expectancy with about 20-25 years. However, whether centenarians represent healthy aging still remains an open question. Previous studies have been hampered by a number of methodological shortcomings such as a cross-sectional design and lack...... of an appropriate control group. In a longitudinal population-based cohort, it was examined whether the centenarian phenotype may be a useful model for healthy aging. The study was based on a completefollow up of 39 945 individuals alive in the Danish 1905 birth cohort on January 1, 1977 identified through...... with 68.4% among individuals who died in their early 80s. This trend was evident in both sexes. As a result of their lower hospitalization rates and length of stay in hospital compared with their contemporaries, who died at younger ages, Danish centenarians represent healthy agers. Centenarians constitute...

Sex differences in life span: Females homozygous for the X chromosome do not suffer the shorter life span predicted by the unguarded X hypothesis.

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Brengdahl, Martin; Kimber, Christopher M; Maguire-Baxter, Jack; Friberg, Urban

2018-03-01

Life span differs between the sexes in many species. Three hypotheses to explain this interesting pattern have been proposed, involving different drivers: sexual selection, asymmetrical inheritance of cytoplasmic genomes, and hemizygosity of the X(Z) chromosome (the unguarded X hypothesis). Of these, the unguarded X has received the least experimental attention. This hypothesis suggests that the heterogametic sex suffers a shortened life span because recessive deleterious alleles on its single X(Z) chromosome are expressed unconditionally. In Drosophila melanogaster, the X chromosome is unusually large (∼20% of the genome), providing a powerful model for evaluating theories involving the X. Here, we test the unguarded X hypothesis by forcing D. melanogaster females from a laboratory population to express recessive X-linked alleles to the same degree as males, using females exclusively made homozygous for the X chromosome. We find no evidence for reduced life span or egg-to-adult viability due to X homozygozity. In contrast, males and females homozygous for an autosome both suffer similar, significant reductions in those traits. The logic of the unguarded X hypothesis is indisputable, but our results suggest that the degree to which recessive deleterious X-linked alleles depress performance in the heterogametic sex appears too small to explain general sex differences in life span. © 2018 The Author(s). Evolution © 2018 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

The male-female health-survival paradox and sex differences in cohort life expectancy in Utah, Denmark, and Sweden 1850-1910

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lindahl-Jacobsen, Rune; Hanson, Heidi A; Oksuzyan, Anna

2013-01-01

PURPOSE: In Utah, the prevalence of unhealthy male risk behaviors are lower than in most other male populations, whereas women experience higher mortality risk because of higher fertility rates. Therefore, we hypothesize that the Utah sex differential in mortality would be small and less than...... in the sex differences in cohort life expectancy was approximately 2 years smaller for active Mormons in Utah than for other groups suggesting lifestyle as an important component for the overall change seen in cohort life expectancy. Sex differences in cohort life expectancy at the age of 50 years were...

Activational effects of sex hormones on cognition in men.

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Ulubaev, A; Lee, D M; Purandare, N; Pendleton, N; Wu, F C W

2009-11-01

Changing world demographic patterns, such as the increasing number of older people and the growing prevalence of cognitive impairment, present serious obstacles to preserving the quality of life and productivity of individuals. The severity of dementia varies from subclinical, mild cognitive impairment to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. In normally ageing men, these age-related cognitive declines are accompanied by gradual but marked decreases in androgen levels and changes in other hormone profiles. While developmental effects of sex hormones on cognition in the pre- and early postnatal period have been demonstrated, their activational effects in later life are still a focus of contemporary research. Although there is a plethora of published research on the topic, results have been inconsistent with different studies reporting positive, negative or no effects of sex hormones on various aspects of mental agility. This review summarizes the evidence supporting the biological plausibility of the activational effects of sex hormones upon cognition and describes the mechanisms of their actions. It offers a comprehensive summary of the studies of the effects of sex hormones on fluid intelligence in men utilizing elements from the Cochrane Collaboration Guidelines for Reviews. The results of both observational (cross-sectional and longitudinal) and interventional studies published to date are collated in table form and further discussed in the text. Factors contributing to the difficulties in understanding the effects of sex hormones on cognition are also examined. Although there is convincing evidence that steroid sex hormones play an organizational role in brain development in men, the evidence for activational effects of sex hormones affecting cognition in healthy men throughout adult life remains inconsistent. To address this issue, a new multifactorial approach is proposed which takes into account the status of other elements of the sex hormones axis

Living healthier for longer: Comparative effects of three heart-healthy behaviors on life expectancy with and without cardiovascular disease

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Peeters Anna

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Non-smoking, having a normal weight and increased levels of physical activity are perhaps the three key factors for preventing cardiovascular disease (CVD. However, the relative effects of these factors on healthy longevity have not been well described. We aimed to calculate and compare the effects of non-smoking, normal weight and physical activity in middle-aged populations on life expectancy with and without cardiovascular disease. Methods Using multi-state life tables and data from the Framingham Heart Study (n = 4634 we calculated the effects of three heart healthy behaviours among populations aged 50 years and over on life expectancy with and without cardiovascular disease. For the life table calculations, we used hazard ratios for 3 transitions (No CVD to CVD, no CVD to death, and CVD to death by health behaviour category, and adjusted for age, sex, and potential confounders. Results High levels of physical activity, never smoking (men, and normal weight were each associated with 20-40% lower risks of developing CVD as compared to low physical activity, current smoking and obesity, respectively. Never smoking and high levels of physical activity reduced the risks of dying in those with and without a history of CVD, but normal weight did not. Never-smoking was associated with the largest gains in total life expectancy (4.3 years, men, 4.1 years, women and CVD-free life expectancy (3.8 and 3.4 years, respectively. High levels of physical activity and normal weight were associated with lesser gains in total life expectancy (3.5 years, men and 3.4 years, women, and 1.3 years, men and 1.0 year women, respectively, and slightly lesser gains in CVD-free life expectancy (3.0 years, men and 3.1 years, women, and 3.1 years men and 2.9 years women, respectively. Normal weight was the only behaviour associated with a reduction in the number of years lived with CVD (1.8 years, men and 1.9 years, women. Conclusions Achieving high

Reference Values for Cardiac and Aortic Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Healthy, Young Caucasian Adults.

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Eikendal, Anouk L M; Bots, Michiel L; Haaring, Cees; Saam, Tobias; van der Geest, Rob J; Westenberg, Jos J M; den Ruijter, Hester M; Hoefer, Imo E; Leiner, Tim

2016-01-01

Reference values for morphological and functional parameters of the cardiovascular system in early life are relevant since they may help to identify young adults who fall outside the physiological range of arterial and cardiac ageing. This study provides age and sex specific reference values for aortic wall characteristics, cardiac function parameters and aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) in a population-based sample of healthy, young adults using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. In 131 randomly selected healthy, young adults aged between 25 and 35 years (mean age 31.8 years, 63 men) of the general-population based Atherosclerosis-Monitoring-and-Biomarker-measurements-In-The-YOuNg (AMBITYON) study, descending thoracic aortic dimensions and wall thickness, thoracic aortic PWV and cardiac function parameters were measured using a 3.0T MR-system. Age and sex specific reference values were generated using dedicated software. Differences in reference values between two age groups (25-30 and 30-35 years) and both sexes were tested. Aortic diameters and areas were higher in the older age group (all page or sex effect. This study provides age and sex specific reference values for cardiovascular MR parameters in healthy, young Caucasian adults. These may aid in MR guided pre-clinical identification of young adults who fall outside the physiological range of arterial and cardiac ageing.

Midlife Healthy-Diet Index and Late-Life Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease

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Marjo H. Eskelinen

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Aim: To study long-term effects of dietary patterns on dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD. Methods: Of 525 subjects randomly selected from population-based cohorts surveyed at midlife, a total of 385 (73% subjects were re-examined 14 years later in the CAIDE study. A healthy-diet index (range 0–17 was constructed including both healthy and unhealthy dietary components. Results: Persons with a healthy diet (healthy-diet index >8 points had a decreased risk of dementia (OR 0.12, 95% CI 0.02–0.85 and AD (OR 0.08, 95% CI 0.01–0.89 compared with persons with an unhealthy diet (0–8 points, adjusting for several possible confounders. Conclusions: Healthy diet at midlife is associated with a decreased risk of dementia/AD in late life. These findings highlight the importance of dietary patterns and may make more effective measures for dementia/AD prevention or postponement possible.

Adult ADHD Symptoms and Satisfaction With Life: Does Age and Sex Matter?

OpenAIRE

Ørbeck, Beate; Øvergaard, Kristin Romvig; Pripp, Are Hugo; Aase, Heidi; Reichborn-Kjennerud, Ted; Zeiner, Pål

2015-01-01

- Objective:To investigate adult ADHD symptoms and satisfaction with life, with a focus on age and sex differences. Method: This study is based on parents in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). The Adult Self- Report Scale (ASRS-6) and Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) scores were analyzed from 33,210 men and 41,983 women from young to middle adulthood. Results: Mean ASRS total score was significantly higher in men, where 5.1% scored above cutoff, compared wit...

Measuring the genetic influence on human life span: gene-environment interaction and sex-specific genetic effects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tan, Qihua; De Benedictis, G; Yashin, Annatoli

2001-01-01

New approaches are needed to explore the different ways in which genes affect the human life span. One needs to assess the genetic effects themselves, as well as gene–environment interactions and sex dependency. In this paper, we present a new model that combines both genotypic and demographicinf......New approaches are needed to explore the different ways in which genes affect the human life span. One needs to assess the genetic effects themselves, as well as gene–environment interactions and sex dependency. In this paper, we present a new model that combines both genotypic...

Breaking the bond between stimulant use and risky sex: a qualitative study.

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Lyons, Thomas; Chandra, Gopika; Goldstein, Jerome; Ostrow, David G

2010-10-01

Stimulant-using men who have sex with men (MSM) are at increased risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission, and are more likely to practice unprotected anal sex than MSM who do not use methamphetamine and/or crack cocaine. In this paper the authors report on interviews with stimulant-using men who have sex with men who have participated in Crystal Meth Anonymous and other 12-step groups, focusing on those who did not have unprotected anal intercourse during a 6-month follow-up period and their reasons for doing so. The authors find 4 common themes cited: a diminished sexual drive; exclusive sex with a primary partner; greater sense of responsibility/commitment to safer sex; and most commonly of the four, an overall healthier sex life. Participants' use of terms such as "healthy," "enjoyable," and "fulfilling" to describe sex not on stimulants, and avoidance of these terms for sex on stimulants, suggests a distinct dimension of sexual experience.

Sex differences in life history drive evolutionary transitions among maternal, paternal, and bi-parental care.

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Klug, Hope; Bonsall, Michael B; Alonzo, Suzanne H

2013-04-01

Evolutionary transitions among maternal, paternal, and bi-parental care have been common in many animal groups. We use a mathematical model to examine the effect of male and female life-history characteristics (stage-specific maturation and mortality) on evolutionary transitions among maternal, paternal, and bi-parental care. When males and females are relatively similar - that is, when females initially invest relatively little into eggs and both sexes have similar mortality and maturation - transitions among different patterns of care are unlikely to be strongly favored. As males and females become more different, transitions are more likely. If females initially invest heavily into eggs and this reduces their expected future reproductive success, transitions to increased maternal care (paternal → maternal, paternal → bi-parental, bi-parental → maternal) are favored. This effect of anisogamy (i.e., the fact that females initially invest more into each individual zygote than males) might help explain the predominance of maternal care in nature and differs from previous work that found no effect of anisogamy on the origin of different sex-specific patterns of care from an ancestral state of no care. When male mortality is high or male egg maturation rate is low, males have reduced future reproductive potential and transitions to increased paternal care (maternal → paternal, bi-parental → paternal, maternal → bi-parental) are favored. Offspring need (i.e., low offspring survival in the absence of care) also plays a role in transitions to paternal care. In general, basic life-history differences between the sexes can drive evolutionary transitions among different sex-specific patterns of care. The finding that simple life-history differences can alone lead to transitions among maternal and paternal care suggests that the effect of inter-sexual life-history differences should be considered as a baseline scenario when attempting to understand how other

Sex differences in cognitive ageing: testing predictions derived from life-history theory in a dioecious nematode.

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Zwoinska, Martyna K; Kolm, Niclas; Maklakov, Alexei A

2013-12-01

Life-history theory maintains that organisms allocate limited resources to different traits to maximize fitness. Learning ability and memory are costly and known to trade-off with longevity in invertebrates. However, since the relationship between longevity and fitness often differs between the sexes, it is likely that sexes will differentially resolve the trade-off between learning and longevity. We used an established associative learning paradigm in the dioecious nematode Caenorhabditis remanei, which is sexually dimorphic for lifespan, to study age-related learning ability in males and females. In particular, we tested the hypothesis that females (the shorter-lived sex) show higher learning ability than males early in life but senesce faster. Indeed, young females outperformed young males in learning a novel association between an odour (butanone) and food (bacteria). However, while learning ability and offspring production declined rapidly with age in females, males maintained high levels of these traits until mid-age. These results not only demonstrate sexual dimorphism in age-related learning ability but also suggest that it conforms to predictions derived from the life-history theory. © 2013.

Elevated serum IGF-I, but unaltered sex steroid levels, in healthy boys with pubertal gynaecomastia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mieritz, Mikkel G; Sorensen, Kaspar; Aksglaede, Lise

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE: Pubertal gynaecomastia is a very common condition. Although the underlying aetiology is poorly understood, it is generally accepted that excess of oestrogens and deficit of androgens are involved in the pathogenesis. Furthermore, adiposity as well as the GH/IGF-I axis may play a role....... In this study, we elucidate the association of adiposity and levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), testosterone, oestrogen, IGF-I and IGFBP-3 with the presence of pubertal gynaecomastia in a large cohort of healthy boys. PATIENTS: A total...... of 501 healthy Danish school boys (aged 6·1-19·8 year) from the COPENHAGEN Puberty Study. MEASUREMENTS: Anthropometry and pubertal stages (PH1-6 and G1-5) were evaluated, and the presence of gynaecomastia was assessed. Body fat percentage was calculated by means of four skin folds and impedance...

Socioeconomic differences in attitudes and beliefs about healthy lifestyles.

Science.gov (United States)

Wardle, J; Steptoe, A

2003-06-01

s: The factors underlying socioeconomic status differences in smoking, leisure time physical activity, and dietary choice are poorly understood. This study investigated attitudes and beliefs that might underlie behavioural choices, including health locus of control, future salience, subjective life expectancy, and health consciousness, in a nationally representative sample. Data were collected as part of the monthly Omnibus survey of the Office of National Statistics in Britain. A stratified, probability sample of 2728 households was selected by random sampling of addresses. One adult from each household was interviewed. Higher SES respondents were less likely to smoke and more likely to exercise and eat fruit and vegetables daily. Lower SES was associated with less health consciousness (thinking about things to do to keep healthy), stronger beliefs in the influence of chance on health, less thinking about the future, and lower life expectancies. These attitudinal factors were in turn associated with unhealthy behavioural choices, independently of age, sex, and self rated health. Socioeconomic differences in healthy lifestyles are associated with differences in attitudes to health that may themselves arise through variations in life opportunities and exposure to material hardship and ill health over the life course.

Sex-related differences in the muscarinic acetylcholinergic receptor in the healthy human brain. A positron emission tomography study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, Tsuyoshi; Kuwabara, Yasuo; Sasaki, Masayuki; Ichimiya, Atsushi; Takita, Masashi; Ogomori, Koji; Masuda, Kouji; Fukumura, Toshimitsu; Ichiya, Yuichi

2000-01-01

We evaluated the sex-related differences in the decline of the cerebral muscarinic acetylcholinergic receptor (mACh-R) due to aging by using 11 C-N-methyl-4-piperidyl benzilate ( 11 C-NMPB) and positron emission tomography (PET). The subjects consisted of 37 (20 males and 17 females) healthy volunteers. The 11 C-NMPB uptake was evaluated by the ratio method (regional 11 C-NMPB uptake/Cerebellar 11 C-NMPB uptake; rNMPB ratio). The correlation between sex, aging, and the rNMPB ratio in normal aging was evaluated by a multiple regression analysis. The rNMPB ratio was higher in females than in males throughout the entire cerebral region (p<0.01-p<0.0001) and the rNMPB ratio might thus possibly decline with age more rapidly in females. Our study therefore revealed the existence of sex-related differences in the cerebral mACh-R. (author)

Healthy Eating for Life English as a second language curriculum: primary outcomes from a nutrition education intervention targeting cancer risk reduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Duncan, Lindsay R; Martinez, Josefa L; Rivers, Susan E; Latimer, Amy E; Bertoli, Michelle C; Domingo, Samantha; Salovey, Peter

2013-07-01

We conducted a pre-post feasibility trial of Healthy Eating for Life, a theory-based, multimedia English as a second language curriculum that integrates content about healthy nutrition into an English language learning program to decrease cancer health disparities. Teachers in 20 English as a second language classrooms delivered Healthy Eating for Life to 286 adult English as a second language students over one semester. Postintervention data are available for 227 students. The results indicated that Healthy Eating for Life is effective for increasing fruit and vegetable intake as well as knowledge, action planning, and coping planning related to healthy eating. Participants also achieved higher reading scores compared to the state average.

Does the sex ratio at sexual maturity affect men's later-life mortality risks? Evidence from historical China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zang, Emma; Zheng, Hui

2018-04-01

This study examines the relationship between the male-to-female sex ratio (measured as the proportion male) at sexual maturity and later-life mortality risks in the context of pre-industrial northeast China, using registration data from the Qing Dynasty. We find that a higher male-to-female sex ratio at sexual maturity is associated with a higher later-life mortality risk among men. This association is likely due to the long-term adverse consequences of stress caused by low mate availability at sexual maturity. We further find that a high sex ratio at sexual maturity mitigates the health benefits of marriage and exacerbates the health disadvantages of holding an official position in Qing China. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quality of life and sex-differences in a South-Eastern Nigerian stroke ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study set out to provide preliminary data on the QOL of stroke survivors in South-Eastern Nigeria and also investigate sex-differences in the QOL. Methods One hundred and three volunteering stroke survivors (53 males, 50 females) were recruited from various settings. The Stroke-Specific Quality of Life (SS-QOL) scale ...

Serum-sex steroids, gonadotrophins and sex hormone-binding globulin inprostatic hyperplasia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ansari, Mohammad A. Jalil; Begum, D.; Islam, F.

2008-01-01

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) develops in elderly males when serumandrogens are relatively lower than in healthy younger males, but is not wellunderstood whether and how sex steroids are altered in prostatic hyperplasia.It is also uncertain that whether there is any change in sex steroids levelsin males older than 40 years of age. The use of androgens in elderly males isoften discouraged because of the probable worsening effect of androgens onprostatism. This study aimed to determine the relationship between prostatichyperplasia and sex steroid levels and whether there is any significantchange in these hormones after the age of 40 years. We studied healthy malesof >40 years with (n=92) or without (n=93) clinical prostatic hyperplasia.Serum testosterone, estradiol, gonadotrophins and sex hormone-bindingglobulin (SHBG) were compared. The hormones and SHGB were also correlatedwith age. No significant difference was found in any hormone in cases withprostatic hyperplasia as compared with the controls. There was no significantage-related change in any hormone except estradiol where as a negativecorrelation (P<0.003) with age was found. Serum sex steroids and SHGBremained unchanged in symptomatic prostatic hyperplasia and except forestrdoil there was no significant age-related change in serum testosterone,gonadotrophins and SHGB in healthy males after the fourth decade. Morestudies are needed to confirm the age-related decline of estrogens in males.(author)

Quality of Life and Patient Satisfaction Following Male-to-Female Sex Reassignment Surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Papadopulos, Nikolaos A; Lellé, Jean-Daniel; Zavlin, Dmitry; Herschbach, Peter; Henrich, Gerhard; Kovacs, Laszlo; Ehrenberger, Benjamin; Kluger, Anna-Katharina; Machens, Hans-Guenther; Schaff, Juergen

2017-05-01

Surveys on quality of life (QOL) of male-to-female (MTF) transsexuals have found low QOL scores before and increased satisfaction scores after sex-reassignment surgery (SRS). To our knowledge, many of them lack standardized questionnaires and comparisons with normative data to evaluate different vaginoplasty techniques. To analyze patient satisfaction and QOL after SRS. Forty-seven patients participated in this study. All patients had surgery with our self-developed combined technique on average 19 months before the survey. They completed a self-developed indication-specific questionnaire concerning demographic and socioeconomic issues and postoperative satisfaction. Furthermore, a standardized self-assessment questionnaire on satisfaction and QOL (Fragen zur Lebenszufriedenheit Module [FLZ M ]; Questions on Life Satisfaction Modules ) was used. The FLZ M consists of three modules (general life satisfaction, satisfaction with health, and satisfaction with body image) with scores of weighted satisfaction for each item. Results of the general and health modules were compared with normative data. Demographics, QOL, general life satisfaction, satisfaction with health, and satisfaction with body image. The self-developed indication-specific questionnaire showed that 91% experienced an improvement of QOL. All patients stated they would undergo SRS again and did not regret it at all. Patients stated their femininity significantly increased. For the FLZ M , the sum score for general life satisfaction (P patient satisfaction of this complex and non-standardized surgery. This is the first description of a new surgical technique (combined technique) for MTF SRS. QOL was assessed by a large number of patients by standardized questionnaires and could be compared with normative data. Because this is a retrospective study, we can draw only careful conclusions for pre- and postoperative changes. Our self-developed combined surgical technique seemed to have a positive influence on

Job strain and loss of healthy life years between ages 50 and 75 by sex and occupational position: analyses of 64 934 individuals from four prospective cohort studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Magnusson Hanson, Linda L; Westerlund, Hugo; Chungkham, Holendro S; Vahtera, Jussi; Rod, Naja H; Alexanderson, Kristina; Goldberg, Marcel; Kivimäki, Mika; Stenholm, Sari; Platts, Loretta G; Zins, Marie; Head, Jenny

2018-05-07

Poor psychosocial working conditions increase the likelihood of various types of morbidity and may substantially limit quality of life and possibilities to remain in paid work. To date, however, no studies to our knowledge have quantified the extent to which poor psychosocial working conditions reduce healthy or chronic disease-free life expectancy, which was the focus of this study. Data were derived from four cohorts with repeat data: the Finnish Public Sector Study (Finland), GAZEL (France), the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (Sweden) and Whitehall II (UK). Healthy (in good self-rated health) life expectancy (HLE) and chronic disease-free (free from cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory disease and diabetes) life expectancy (CDFLE) was calculated from age 50 to 75 based on 64 394 individuals with data on job strain (high demands in combination with low control) at baseline and health at baseline and follow-up. Multistate life table models showed that job strain was consistently related to shorter HLE (overall 1.7 years difference). The difference in HLE was more pronounced among men (2.0 years compared with 1.5 years for women) and participants in lower occupational positions (2.5 years among low-grade men compared with 1.7 years among high-grade men). Similar differences in HLE, although smaller, were observed among those in intermediate or high occupational positions. Job strain was additionally associated with shorter CDFLE, although this association was weaker and somewhat inconsistent. These findings suggest that individuals with job strain have a shorter health expectancy compared with those without job strain. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Topological Organization of Functional Brain Networks in Healthy Children: Differences in Relation to Age, Sex, and Intelligence

OpenAIRE

Wu, Kai; Taki, Yasuyuki; Sato, Kazunori; Hashizume, Hiroshi; Sassa, Yuko; Takeuchi, Hikaru; Thyreau, Benjamin; He, Yong; Evans, Alan C.; Li, Xiaobo; Kawashima, Ryuta; Fukuda, Hiroshi

2013-01-01

Recent studies have demonstrated developmental changes of functional brain networks derived from functional connectivity using graph theoretical analysis, which has been rapidly translated to studies of brain network organization. However, little is known about sex- and IQ-related differences in the topological organization of functional brain networks during development. In this study, resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) was used to map the functional brain networks in 51 healthy children. We then ...

[Healthy Life Years: a very promising indicator to be handled with caution].

Science.gov (United States)

Zauli Sajani, Stefano; Battista, Alessandra; Frova, Luisa; Lauriola, Paolo

2014-01-01

In several public debates, scientific conferences and, recently, also in the scientific literature, some figures from EUROSTAT have been presented; they show a relevant decrease in the healthy life expectancy in Italy. This idea is based on the analysis of the trend of Healthy Life Years (HLY), an indicator synthesizing the grade of functional limitation of individuals based on the answers to a self-completed questionnaire. In particular, the dramatic decrease of HLY in Italy from 2005 to 2007 raised concerns. This paper analyses the reasons suggesting caution in interpreting these data considering first and foremost the changes across years in the formulation of questions and answers. Even though HLY and the other indicators selected by the European Union have a great potential in terms of communication and synthetic view, caution is needed in using these data and in drawing conclusions from figures and instruments of recent application that are still evolving.

Correlation of liver stiffness measured by FibroScan with sex and age in healthy adults undergoing physical examination

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ZHAO Chongshan

2016-04-01

Full Text Available ObjectiveTo determine the reference range of liver stiffness in healthy population, and to investigate the influence of age and sex on liver stiffness. MethodsA total of 1794 healthy subjects who underwent physical examination in China National Petroleum Corporation Central Hospital from October 1, 2012 to October 31, 2014 were enrolled, and FibroScan was used to perform liver stiffness measurement (LSM. Since LSM value was not normally distributed, the Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to compare LSM value between male and female patients, the Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare LSM value between different age groups, and the Spearman's rank correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between LSM value and age. The one-sided percentile method was used to determine the range of normal reference values in male and female subjects or in different age groups. ResultsLSM was successfully performed in 1590 patients, and the rate of successful measurement was 88.63%. A total of 107 patients were excluded due to abnormal liver enzymes. The analysis showed that LSM value showed a significant difference between male and female subjects (Z=-4.980, P＜0.001, as well as between different age groups (χ2=16.983, P=0.001. Age was positively correlated with LSM value (r=0.087, P=0.001. The reference range was estimated to be ≤7.1 kPa in adults, ≤7.0 kPa in females, and ≤7.2 kPa in males. From the perspective of age, the reference range was estimated to be ≤6.8 kPa in persons aged 20-29 years, ≤6.7 kPa in persons aged 30-44 years, ≤7.8 kPa in persons aged 45-59 years, and ≤8.8 kPa in persons aged 60-74 years. ConclusionLiver stiffness value is influenced by sex and age. Sex and age should be taken into account while performing liver stiffness measurement in healthy subjects.

Life course vaccination and healthy aging.

Science.gov (United States)

Gusmano, Michael K; Michel, Jean-Pierre

2009-06-01

The authors notice the low vaccine coverage rate among European citizens and inventory the multiple reasons leading to the non-use of preventable infectious diseases vaccines in adults whose mortality consequences represent an important and unexpected burden of diseases. These facts are in close relation with the disruption of vaccine recommendations after the childhood vaccine program, the poor literacy knowledge concerning vaccines among the general population, but also unfortunately among physicians and other health care workers. Popular beliefs, fear of side-effects, fear of needles facilitated the constitution of active non-vaccine groups which conduct to the reappearance in non-vaccinated adults and with dramatic consequences of preventable childhood infectious diseases. This careful analysis of the current preventable infectious disease vaccine coverage in old adults leads to propose a life course vaccine programme including adult vaccinations as part of healthy aging as well as old adults' vaccine guidelines integrated in health prevention programs.

Sex-related differences in the muscarinic acetylcholinergic receptor in the healthy human brain. A positron emission tomography study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoshida, Tsuyoshi; Kuwabara, Yasuo; Sasaki, Masayuki; Ichimiya, Atsushi; Takita, Masashi; Ogomori, Koji; Masuda, Kouji [Kyushu Univ., Fukuoka (Japan). Graduate School of Medical Sciences; Fukumura, Toshimitsu; Ichiya, Yuichi

2000-04-01

We evaluated the sex-related differences in the decline of the cerebral muscarinic acetylcholinergic receptor (mACh-R) due to aging by using {sup 11}C-N-methyl-4-piperidyl benzilate ({sup 11}C-NMPB) and positron emission tomography (PET). The subjects consisted of 37 (20 males and 17 females) healthy volunteers. The {sup 11}C-NMPB uptake was evaluated by the ratio method (regional {sup 11}C-NMPB uptake/Cerebellar {sup 11}C-NMPB uptake; rNMPB ratio). The correlation between sex, aging, and the rNMPB ratio in normal aging was evaluated by a multiple regression analysis. The rNMPB ratio was higher in females than in males throughout the entire cerebral region (p<0.01-p<0.0001) and the rNMPB ratio might thus possibly decline with age more rapidly in females. Our study therefore revealed the existence of sex-related differences in the cerebral mACh-R. (author)

LIFE QUALITY IN CASES WITH CHRONICAL DEGENERATIVE ILLNESS OF LOCOMOTIVE SYSTEM REGARDING SEX, AGE AND OVERWEIGHT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Munevera Bećarević

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Disturbances of muscle and skeleton system are related to pain, functional damages and inability to work. Measure of life quality offers a sequence of data on illness influence on everyday functioning. The aim of this paper is evaluation of life quality in cases with degenerative illnesses of locomotive system and influence of sex, age, weist and BMI on life quality. Epidemiologic research was conducted on 71 tested subjects with diagnosis of chronical degenerative reumatical illness. Tested subject were measured weist values, BMI was determined and all of them fulfilled EQ5D questionnaire for life quality assessment. According to VAS scale their health condition was evaluated. Life quality of tested subjects was decreased especially in department of depression and increased concern (2.30 – 2.57 as well as pain and discomfort (2.11 – 2.31. We didn't determine statistically significant sex influence (p> 0,05, age, (p> 0,05 weist values (p> 0,05 or BMI (p> 0,05 our tested subjects life quality. According to VAS scale health condition of tested subjects is low (6, 76 ± 1,04.

Young Sex-Workers in Ho Chi Minh City Telling Their Life Stories

Science.gov (United States)

Rubenson, Birgitta; Hanh, Le Thi; Hojer, Bengt; Johansson, Eva

2005-01-01

In this study the life stories of 22 sex-workers (age 15-18 years) in Vietnam are organized into three thematic narratives depicting how the girls presented their lives. Poverty, lack of job alternatives and the responsibility to share in the support of their families led the girls into prostitution. Strong family ties gave many girls…

Allergy immunotherapy across the life cycle to promote active and healthy ageing: From research to policies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Calderon, M A; Demoly, P; Casale, T

2016-01-01

group of AIRWAYS integrated care pathways for airways diseases, the model of chronic respiratory diseases of the European Innovation Partnership on active and healthy ageing (DG CONNECT and DG Santé). It considered (1) the political background, (2) the rationale for allergen immunotherapy across...... the life cycle, (3) the unmet needs for the treatment, in particular in preschool children and old age adults, (4) the strategic framework and the practical approach to synergize current initiatives in allergen immunotherapy, its mechanisms and the concept of active and healthy ageing. © 2016 The Author(s).......Allergic diseases often occur early in life and persist throughout life. This life-course perspective should be considered in allergen immunotherapy. In particular it is essential to understand whether this al treatment may be used in old age adults. The current paper was developed by a working...

[Life cannot consist of dreams alone: reflections on advertising and a healthy diet].

Science.gov (United States)

Villagelim, Andréa Siliveste Brasil; Prado, Shirley Donizete; Freitas, Ricardo Ferreira; Carvalho, Maria Claudia da Veiga Soares; Cruz, Claudia Olsieski da; Klotz, Juliana; Freire, Gesseldo de Brito

2012-03-01

In this essay we present some thoughts on advertising and a healthy diet in the contemporary world, where consumption plays a highly relevant role. We seek to emphasize two aspects, among many others yet to be explored in the scientific literature in the food and nutritional field: the hegemony of the biomedical paradigm and the fragmentation of human life when advertising campaigns associate food with the idea of a healthy diet. We believe that we cannot merely live through advertisements in which our desires are triggered constantly and where the world is only dreams and the main goal is to sell more and earn more, even using some strategies for dissemination of biomedical and nutritional information. In our opinion, the merger between diet and health, i.e. a healthy diet, must involve enlightenment of the individual including information on quality in the context of social life in order to achieve the ideal of happiness. Individuals whose identities are fully formed both in dreams and reality can boldly seek knowledge and think about themselves in the world context, as well as zeal for their diet and health.

Impact of age, sex and body mass index on cortisol secretion in 143 healthy adults

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ferdinand Roelfsema

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Context: Studies on 24-h cortisol secretion are rare. The impact of sex, age and adiposity on cortisol levels, often restricted to one or a few samples, are well recognized, but conflicting. Objective: To investigate cortisol dynamics in 143 healthy men and women, spanning 7 decades and with a 2-fold body mass index (BMI range with different analytic tools. Setting: Clinical Research Unit. Design: Cortisol concentrations in 10-min samples collected for 24 h. Outcomes were mean levels, deconvolution parameters, approximate entropy (ApEn, regularity statistic and 24-h rhythms. Results: Total 24-h cortisol secretion rates estimated by deconvolution analysis were sex, age and BMI independent. Mean 24-h cortisol concentrations were lower in premenopausal women than those in men of comparable age (176 ± 8.2 vs 217 ± 9.4 nmol/L, P = 0.02, but not in subjects older than 50 years. This was due to lower daytime levels in women, albeit similar in the quiescent overnight period. Aging increased mean cortisol by 10 nmol/L per decade during the quiescent secretory phase and advanced the acrophase of the diurnal rhythm by 24 min/decade. However, total 24-h cortisol secretion rates estimated by deconvolution analysis were sex, age and BMI independent. ApEn of 24-h profiles was higher (more random in premenopausal women than those in men (1.048 ± 0.025 vs 0.933 ± 0.023, P = 0.001, but not in subjects older than 50 years. ApEn peaked during the daytime. Conclusion: Sex and age jointly determine the 24-h cortisol secretory profile. Sex effects are largely restricted to age <50 years, whereas age effects elevate concentrations in the late evening and early night and advance the timing of the peak diurnal rhythm.

Plasma biochemical reference values in clinically healthy captive bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) and the effects of sex and season.

Science.gov (United States)

Tamukai, Kenichi; Takami, Yoshinori; Akabane, Yoshihito; Kanazawa, Yuko; Une, Yumi

2011-09-01

Bearded dragons are one of the most popular pet lizard species, and biochemical reference values are useful for health management of these reptiles. The objectives of this study were to measure plasma biochemical values in healthy captive bearded dragons, determine reference values, and evaluate the effects of sex and season on the results. Blood samples were collected from 100 captive healthy bearded dragons in Tokyo during the summer and winter. Plasma biochemical measurements were performed using a dry-slide automated biochemical analyzer. The data were then compared based on sex and season using 2-way ANOVA. Globulin, cholesterol, and calcium concentrations of females were higher in both summer and winter compared with the values obtained for males. Both males and females had higher uric acid concentrations in winter than in summer. When compared with males, females had a higher chloride concentration in summer and a higher total protein concentration and aspartate aminotransferase activity in winter. Potassium concentration in males was lower in winter than in summer, whereas in females cholesterol concentration was lower in winter than in summer. Biochemical values that differed based on sex and season in bearded dragons were similar to those in other lizards. These differences reflect physiologic differences in reproductive status in females and seasonal changes in temperature and hydration status. Plasma biochemical values established for bearded dragons in this study will be useful in the diagnostic assessment of captive animals. ©2011 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.

Effects of age, sex and arm on the precision of arm position sense-left-arm superiority in healthy right-handers.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, Lena; Depper, Lena; Kerkhoff, Georg

2013-01-01

Position sense is an important proprioceptive ability. Disorders of arm position sense (APS) often occur after unilateral stroke, and are associated with a negative functional outcome. In the present study we assessed horizontal APS by measuring angular deviations from a visually defined target separately for each arm in a large group of healthy subjects. We analyzed the accuracy and instability of horizontal APS as a function of age, sex and arm. Subjects were required to specify verbally the position of their unseen arm on a 0-90° circuit by comparing the current position with the target position indicated by a LED lamp, while the arm was passively moved by the examiner. Eighty-seven healthy subjects participated in the study, ranging from 20 to 77 years, subdivided into three age groups. The results revealed that APS was not a function of age or sex, but was significantly better in the non-dominant (left) arm in absolute errors (AE) but not in constant errors (CE) across all age groups of right-handed healthy subjects. This indicates a right-hemisphere superiority for left APS in right-handers and neatly fits to the more frequent and more severe left-sided body-related deficits in patients with unilateral stroke (i.e. impaired APS in left spatial neglect, somatoparaphrenia) or in individuals with abnormalities of the right cerebral hemisphere. These clinical issues will be discussed.

Talk to Your Kids about Sex

Science.gov (United States)

... Topic En español Talk to Your Kids about Sex Browse Sections The Basics Overview Bodies and Puberty ... healthy expectations for their relationships. Talk about opposite-sex and same-sex relationships. When you talk about ...

A comparative study of negative life events and depressive symptoms among healthy older adults and older adults with chronic disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Han; Gao, Tingting; Gao, Jinglei; Kong, Yixi; Hu, Yueyang; Wang, Ruimei; Mei, Songli

2017-12-01

This study aims to study internal relations and functionary mechanism between social support, coping style, negative life events and depressive symptoms and compare these relations in healthy older adults and older adults with chronic disease. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2015. In total, 1,264 older adults with chronic disease and 749 healthy older adults participated in this investigation which consist of socio-demographic characters, negative life events, social support, coping style and depressive symptoms. The path and direction of variable function in healthy older adults were inconsistent with older adults with chronic disease. Older adults with chronic disease had more severe depressive symptoms and negative life events, and lower social support and positive coping style. Negative life events, subjective support, positive coping style and negative coping style were significantly predicted depressive symptoms. Objective support may weaken the influence of negative life events on depressive symptoms in chronic disease group. Utilization of support and positive coping style worsen the effect of negative life events on depressive symptoms in healthy older adults. This study implied that to improve their mental health, attention should be paid to the role of biological, psychological and social stress factors and its inherent law of interaction.

Genomewide Association Scan of a Mortality Associated Endophenotype for a Long and Healthy Life in the Long Life Family Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Singh, Jatinder; Minster, Ryan L; Schupf, Nicole

2017-01-01

Background: Identification of genes or fundamental biological pathways that regulate aging phenotypes and longevity could lead to possible interventions to increase healthy longevity. Methods: Using data from the Long Life Family Study, we performed genomewide association analyses on an endopheno...

Life event stress in duodenal ulcer compared with functional dyspepsia: A case-control study

OpenAIRE

Abdel Hafeiz Hassan; Al Quorain Abdulaziz; Karim Ahmed; Al-Mangoor Shuaa

1997-01-01

This is a prospective study of life event stress in 80 duodenal ulcer patients compared with 80 patients with functional dyspepsia and 80 healthy controls; matched for age, sex and marital status. A semi structured psychiatric interview was used in the psychiatric assessment of the dyspeptic patients and controls. A modified version of Life Events Scale by Tennant and Andrews was used in the assessment of life event stress. More dyspeptic patients reported life events than the controls, but, ...

The impact of a healthy lifestyle on Disability-Adjusted Life Years: a prospective cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

May, Anne M; Struijk, Ellen A; Fransen, Heidi P; Onland-Moret, N Charlotte; de Wit, G Ardine; Boer, Jolanda M A; van der Schouw, Yvonne T; Hoekstra, Jeljer; Bueno-de-Mesquita, H Bas; Peeters, Petra H M; Beulens, Joline W J

2015-02-27

The association between single health behaviours and incidence of and premature mortality from major chronic diseases, including myocardial infarction, stroke, diabetes mellitus, and cancer, has been demonstrated thoroughly. However, the association of several healthy behaviours with Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), which is a measure for total health combining Years Lost due to Disability and the Years of Life Lost due to premature mortality, has not been studied yet. A prospective cohort study was conducted among 33,066 healthy men and women aged 20 to 70 years recruited into the EPIC-NL study during 1993 to 1997. Participants' smoking status, BMI, physical activity, and adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet (excluding alcohol) were investigated separately and combined into a simple health behaviour score ranging from 0 to 4. Participants were followed until the end of 2007 for occurrence of and mortality from the most important chronic diseases. The association between lifestyle (separate lifestyle factors and a simple health behaviour score) and DALYs were adjusted for relevant confounders. After a median follow-up of 12.4 years, 6,647 disease incidences and 1,482 deaths were documented. Non-smoking, low BMI (BMI healthy lifestyle characteristics lived a minimum of 2 years longer in good health (DALYs: -2.13; 95% CI: -2.65 to -1.62) than persons with none. Due to our non-extinct cohort, the total number of DALYs, and consequently the estimates, is underestimated. Therefore, true lifetime health benefits of a healthy lifestyle will be even larger. Non-smoking, a low BMI, being physically active, and adherence to a Mediterranean diet were associated with a lower disease burden. Each additional healthy lifestyle factor contributed to a longer life in good health.

Learning about Sex in Later Life: Sources of Education and Older Australian Adults

Science.gov (United States)

Fileborn, Bianca; Lyons, Anthony; Hinchliff, Sharron; Brown, Graham; Heywood, Wendy; Minichiello, Victor

2017-01-01

This paper examines the preferred sexuality education sources of older Australian adults in later life. Drawing on findings from qualitative interviews with 30 men and 23 women aged 60 years and older, we consider the sources that participants currently use, or would like to use, in seeking information about sex. Where relevant, we examine…

Healthy Eating for Life English as a second language curriculum: Primary outcomes from a nutrition education intervention targeting cancer risk reduction

OpenAIRE

Duncan, Lindsay R; Martinez, Josefa L; Rivers, Susan E; Latimer, Amy E; Bertoli, Michelle C; Domingo, Samantha; Salovey, Peter

2012-01-01

We conducted a pre–post feasibility trial of Healthy Eating for Life, a theory-based, multimedia English as a second language curriculum that integrates content about healthy nutrition into an English language learning program to decrease cancer health disparities. Teachers in 20 English as a second language classrooms delivered Healthy Eating for Life to 286 adult English as a second language students over one semester. Postintervention data are available for 227 students. The results indica...

A Comparison of Coping Styles and Quality of Life in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease and Healthy People

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MT Salehi omran

2017-03-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: In the medical world one of the most interaction between body and mind are related to coronary heart disease and it is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the world. For this reason, identifying psychological risk factors in this context is necessary. In this regard, this study was performed with aimed to coping styles and quality of life in CHD patients and healthy individuals. METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional performed on 100 patients with coronary heart disease and 100 healthy subjects. Data was collected through Lazarus and Folkman coping styles questionnaires that included four problematic coping and  four emotion-focused coping style and quality of life of the World Health Organization in four aspects of  physical, psychological, environmental and social relationship with demographic characteristics were collected and compared. FINDINGS: The mean of direct confrontive coping style in patients (8.75±2.81 were significantly more than healthy individuals (7.95±2.86 (p=0.036, the mean of escape-avoidance coping style in patients (9.80±4.59 were significantly more than healthy individuals (8.38±4.25 (p=0.045, and was not found significant difference between two groups in Problem-focused coping style, Also there was a significant difference in quality of life between two groups, in the physical health domain (p=0.000, psychological domain(p=0.001, social relationship domain (p=0.007 and environmental domain (p=0.003. CONCLUSION: Result showed that the quality of life in CHD patients were lower than healthy individuals and CHD patients used direct confrontive coping style and escape-avoidance coping style, more than healthy individuals. Therefore this two styles can be considered as risk factors for CHD.

Sex-specific effects of early life stress on social interaction and prefrontal cortex dendritic morphology in young rats.

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Farrell, M R; Holland, F H; Shansky, R M; Brenhouse, H C

2016-09-01

Early life stress has been linked to depression, anxiety, and behavior disorders in adolescence and adulthood. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is implicated in stress-related psychopathology, is a target for stress hormones, and mediates social behavior. The present study investigated sex differences in early-life stress effects on juvenile social interaction and adolescent mPFC dendritic morphology in rats using a maternal separation (MS) paradigm. Half of the rat pups of each sex were separated from their mother for 4h a day between postnatal days 2 and 21, while the other half remained with their mother in the animal facilities and were exposed to minimal handling. At postnatal day 25 (P25; juvenility), rats underwent a social interaction test with an age and sex matched conspecific. Distance from conspecific, approach and avoidance behaviors, nose-to-nose contacts, and general locomotion were measured. Rats were euthanized at postnatal day 40 (P40; adolescence), and randomly selected infralimbic pyramidal neurons were filled with Lucifer yellow using iontophoretic microinjections, imaged in 3D, and then analyzed for dendritic arborization, spine density, and spine morphology. Early-life stress increased the latency to make nose-to-nose contact at P25 in females but not males. At P40, early-life stress increased infralimbic apical dendritic branch number and length and decreased thin spine density in stressed female rats. These results indicate that MS during the postnatal period influenced juvenile social behavior and mPFC dendritic arborization in a sex-specific manner. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Early-Life Telomere Dynamics Differ between the Sexes and Predict Growth in the Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica.

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Marco Parolini

Full Text Available Telomeres are conserved DNA-protein structures at the termini of eukaryotic chromosomes which contribute to maintenance of genome integrity, and their shortening leads to cell senescence, with negative consequences for organismal functions. Because telomere erosion is influenced by extrinsic and endogenous factors, telomere dynamics may provide a mechanistic basis for evolutionary and physiological trade-offs. Yet, knowledge of fundamental aspects of telomere biology under natural selection regimes, including sex- and context-dependent variation in early-life, and the covariation between telomere dynamics and growth, is scant. In this study of barn swallows (Hirundo rustica we investigated the sex-dependent telomere erosion during nestling period, and the covariation between relative telomere length and body and plumage growth. Finally, we tested whether any covariation between growth traits and relative telomere length depends on the social environment, as influenced by sibling sex ratio. Relative telomere length declined on average over the period of nestling maximal growth rate (between 7 and 16 days of age and differently covaried with initial relative telomere length in either sex. The frequency distribution of changes in relative telomere length was bimodal, with most nestlings decreasing and some increasing relative telomere length, but none of the offspring traits predicted the a posteriori identified group to which individual nestlings belonged. Tail and wing length increased with relative telomere length, but more steeply in males than females, and this relationship held both at the within- and among-broods levels. Moreover, the increase in plumage phenotypic values was steeper when the sex ratio of an individual's siblings was female-biased. Our study provides evidence for telomere shortening during early life according to subtly different dynamics in either sex. Furthermore, it shows that the positive covariation between growth and

Sex, love and gender norms: sexual life and experience of a group of young people in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

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Nguyen, Hoa Ngan; Liamputtong, Pranee

2007-03-01

This paper discusses the impacts of gender norms on the sexual life and experience of a group of young Vietnamese people. It is based on a qualitative study on sexuality and abortion among young people in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. There were two general attitudes towards premarital sex. One view supported young people in a serious, loving relationship engaging in sex before marriage; the other opposed premarital sex because it affected the reputation of girls and their families. These general attitudes were similar to the views on virginity: one group believed strongly in girls maintaining their virginity and the other group emphasised love, emotion and trust, not virginity, as the most important criteria for marriage. Among women there were more supporters than opponents of the traditional view of premarital sex and virginity. Premarital sex was more acceptable for young people in a serious, loving relationship with certain commitment to marriage. Young men considered sex a way to express their love and to become more intimate. Women's view was that premarital sex only occurred within a serious, loving relationship or when there was a serious commitment to marriage. It is clear that young people's sexual life is shaped and constrained by gender norms through political interventions, sexual education and moral judgements. Under the pressure of these norms, young people face many difficulties in order to fulfill a safe and satisfying sexual life.

Strong or Weak Handgrip? Normative Reference Values for the German Population across the Life Course Stratified by Sex, Age, and Body Height.

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Nadia Steiber

Full Text Available Handgrip strength is an important biomarker of healthy ageing and a powerful predictor of future morbidity and mortality both in younger and older populations. Therefore, the measurement of handgrip strength is increasingly used as a simple but efficient screening tool for health vulnerability. This study presents normative reference values for handgrip strength in Germany for use in research and clinical practice. It is the first study to provide normative data across the life course that is stratified by sex, age, and body height. The study used a nationally representative sample of test participants ages 17-90. It was based on pooled data from five waves of the German Socio-Economic Panel (2006-2014 and involved a total of 11,790 persons living in Germany (providing 25,285 observations. Handgrip strength was measured with a Smedley dynamometer. Results showed that peak mean values of handgrip strength are reached in men's and women's 30s and 40s after which handgrip strength declines in linear fashion with age. Following published recommendations, the study used a cut-off at 2 SD below the sex-specific peak mean value across the life course to define a 'weak grip'. Less than 10% of women and men aged 65-69 were classified as weak according to this definition, shares increasing to about half of the population aged 80-90. Based on survival analysis that linked handgrip strength to a relevant outcome, however, a 'critically weak grip' that warrants further examination was estimated to commence already at 1 SD below the group-specific mean value.

Satisfaction with sex life in sexually active heterosexual couples dealing with breast cancer: a nationwide longitudinal study.

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Rottmann, Nina; Gilså Hansen, Dorte; dePont Christensen, René; Hagedoorn, Mariët; Frisch, Morten; Nicolaisen, Anne; Kroman, Niels; Flyger, Henrik; Johansen, Christoffer

2017-02-01

A breast cancer (BC) diagnosis can profoundly affect the sex life of patient and partner within a couple. The purpose of the present study is to examine whether individual and partner sexual functioning, affectionate behavior, emotional closeness and depressive symptoms are associated with change over time in satisfaction with sex life of sexually active heterosexual couples dealing with BC and to explore whether the associations differ between patients and partners after adjustment for basic sociodemographic characteristics, comorbidity and BC treatment. Women with BC and their male partners participated in a longitudinal study (Time 1, ≤4 months after surgery; Time 2, 5 months later). Participants completed items from the PROMIS ® Sexual Function and Satisfaction measure (version 1.0), two items measuring affectionate behavior, a single item measuring emotional closeness and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale. Registers provided sociodemographic and medical information. Multilevel models were used, which take the interdependency of couples' scores into account. A total of 287 sexually active couples were included in the analyses. Less vaginal discomfort and more vaginal lubrication were associated with increases in patients' satisfaction with sex life. Patients' and partners' satisfaction increased with higher ratings of their own orgasm ability and of partners' timing of ejaculation. Patients' reports of affectionate behavior were positively associated with their partners' satisfaction, and vice versa for partners. Patients' satisfaction increased the more emotional closeness their partner experienced. Partners' depressive symptoms were negatively associated with their satisfaction. Sociodemographic factors and BC treatment were not significantly associated with change in satisfaction. Satisfaction with sex life in sexually active couples dealing with BC needs to be seen as a couple issue. Health professionals should take the partner into

Dental Status and Compression of Life Expectancy with Disability.

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Matsuyama, Y; Aida, J; Watt, R G; Tsuboya, T; Koyama, S; Sato, Y; Kondo, K; Osaka, K

2017-08-01

This study examined whether the number of teeth contributes to the compression of morbidity, measured as a shortening of life expectancy with disability, an extension of healthy life expectancy, and overall life expectancy. A prospective cohort study was conducted. A self-reported baseline survey was given to 126,438 community-dwelling older people aged ≥65 y in Japan in 2010, and 85,161 (67.4%) responded. The onset of functional disability and all-cause mortality were followed up for 1,374 d (follow-up rate = 96.1%). A sex-stratified illness-death model was applied to estimate the adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for 3 health transitions (healthy to dead, healthy to disabled, and disabled to dead). Absolute differences in life expectancy, healthy life expectancy, and life expectancy with disability according to the number of teeth were also estimated. Age, denture use, socioeconomic status, health status, and health behavior were adjusted. Compared with the edentulous participants, participants with ≥20 teeth had lower risks of transitioning from healthy to dead (adjusted HR, 0.58 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.50-0.68] for men and 0.70 [95% CI, 0.57-0.85] for women) and from healthy to disabled (adjusted HR, 0.52 [95% CI, 0.44-0.61] for men and 0.58 [95% CI, 0.49-0.68] for women). They also transitioned from disabled to dead earlier (adjusted HR, 1.26 [95% CI, 0.99-1.60] for men and 2.42 [95% CI, 1.72-3.38] for women). Among the participants aged ≥85 y, those with ≥20 teeth had a longer life expectancy (men: +57 d; women: +15 d) and healthy life expectancy (men: +92 d; women: +70 d) and a shorter life expectancy with disability (men: -35 d; women: -55 d) compared with the edentulous participants. Similar associations were observed among the younger participants and those with 1 to 9 or 10 to 19 teeth. The presence of remaining teeth was associated with a significant compression of morbidity: older Japanese adults' life expectancy with disability was

Health-related quality of life in pediatric patients with functional and organic gastrointestinal diseases

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The objective of our study was to compare health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in pediatric patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) and organic gastrointestinal (GI) diseases with an age-, sex-, and race/ethnicity-matched healthy sample across GI diagnostic groups and with one ...

Compensated for Life: Sex Work and Disease Risk

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Arunachalam, Raj; Shah, Manisha

2013-01-01

Sex workers draw a premium for engaging in unprotected sex. We theoretically motivate a test of whether this premium represents a compensating differential for disease, thereby mitigating sex workers' propensity to use condoms. Using transaction-level data and biological STI markers from sex workers in Ecuador, we exploit within-worker variation…

The Survey on Knowledge of Shiraz District Health Volunteers Over Healthy Life Style in Aging

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Masoomeh Saffari

2006-10-01

Full Text Available Objectives: The education promotion of elderly health is an Important preference of health that should be planned for it. Several problems of elderly are supposed to be due to life style so the community education of healthy life style should be considered. The appropriate approach to achieve those objectives is to use of female health volunteers for transformation of this education to families. Methods & Materials: To determine the level of knowledge of health voluntaries about healthy life style for prevention of problems in elderly period, in Shiraz. Method & Materials: In a cross-sectional study, 320 health voluntaries were selected by randomized method. The sample size was calculated with the results.  A pilot study on one hundred with use of a questionnaire contain of 5 demographic questions and 32 questions about life style including nutrition, prevention of disease, oral health's and health advices. They filled the questionaries' and the data were entered in EPI 2002 software and were analyzed by descriptive tests. Results: The mean age all of 320 health were 33.7 years, with standard deviation of 8.6 years. The knowledge level of them in health advices were 15% weak, 66.9% medium and 18.2% well. In oral health 21.6% well, 61.3% medium & 7.2% well. In prevention of disease 37% weak, 62.2% medium and 9% well, in nutrition 24.6% weak, 69.3% medium and 5.9% well. Overall the level of knowledge of health volunteers about life style were 20.9% weak, 65.5% medium and 13.8% well. Conclusion: In the aim achieving to their approaches program of health, volunteers was started by Ministry of Health in 1990. This program was performed by the aim of health promotion in these group with participation of themselves. Till now they have trained in the recognition of health problems and healthy approach to them. So, the volunteers transfer their knowledge to community specially to under their coverage. At present the health problems are not only due to

Family Life and Human Development (Sex Education): The Prince George's County Public Schools Experience.

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Schaffer, Michael J.

1981-01-01

The Prince George's County schools' sex education program for grades K-12 was developed and implemented in the late 1960s and has three focus areas: family life and interpersonal relationships; the physiological and personality changes during puberty; and advanced physiology and psychology of human sexual behavior. The program augments what the…

Gut resistome development in healthy twin pairs in the first year of life.

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Moore, Aimee M; Ahmadi, Sara; Patel, Sanket; Gibson, Molly K; Wang, Bin; Ndao, Malick I; Deych, Elena; Shannon, William; Tarr, Phillip I; Warner, Barbara B; Dantas, Gautam

2015-01-01

The early life of the human host marks a critically important time for establishment of the gut microbial community, yet the developmental trajectory of gut community-encoded resistance genes (resistome) is unknown. We present a longitudinal study of the fecal antibiotic resistome of healthy amoxicillin-exposed and antibiotic-naive twins and their mothers during the first year of life. We extracted metagenomic DNA (mgDNA) from fecal samples collected from three healthy twin pairs at three timepoints (1 or 2 months, 6 or 7 months, and 11 months) and from their mothers (collected at delivery). The mgDNA was used to construct metagenomic expression libraries in an Escherichia coli host. These libraries were screened for antibiotic resistance, and functionally selected resistance genes were sequenced and annotated. A diverse fecal resistome distinct from the maternal resistome was apparent by 2 months of age, and infants' fecal resistomes included resistance to clinically important broad-spectrum beta-lactam antibiotics (e.g., piperacillin-tazobactam, aztreonam, cefepime) not found in their mothers. Dissemination of resistance genes among members of a given family was positively correlated with sharing of those same resistance genes between unrelated families, potentially identifying within-family sharing as a marker of resistance genes emerging in the human community at large. Finally, we found a distinct developmental trajectory for a community-encoded function: chloramphenicol resistance. All study subjects at all timepoints harbored chloramphenicol resistance determinants, but multidrug efflux pumps (rarely found in mothers) were the primary effectors of chloramphenicol resistance in young infants. Chloramphenicol acetyltransferases were more common in mothers than in infants and were found in nearly all the infants at later timepoints. Our results suggest that healthy 1-2-month-old infants' gut microbes harbor clinically relevant resistance genes distinct from

Socioeconomic, remoteness and sex differences in life expectancy in New South Wales, Australia, 2001-2012: a population-based study.

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Stephens, Alexandre S; Gupta, Leena; Thackway, Sarah; Broome, Richard A

2017-01-10

Despite being one of the healthiest countries in the world, Australia displays substantial mortality differentials by socioeconomic disadvantage, remoteness and sex. In this study, we examined how these mortality differentials translated to differences in life expectancy between 2001 and 2012. Population-based study using mortality and estimated residential population data from Australia's largest state, New South Wales (NSW), between 2001 and 2012. Age-group-specific death rates by socioeconomic disadvantage quintile, remoteness (major cities vs regional and remote areas), sex and year were estimated via Poisson regression, and inputted into life table calculations to estimate life expectancy. Life expectancy decreased with increasing socioeconomic disadvantage in males and females. The disparity between the most and least socioeconomically deprived quintiles was 3.77 years in males and 2.39 years in females in 2012. Differences in life expectancy by socioeconomic disadvantage were mostly stable over time. Gender gaps in life expectancy ranged from 3.50 to 4.93 years (in 2012), increased with increasing socioeconomic disadvantage and decreased by ∼1 year for all quintiles between 2001 and 2012. Overall, life expectancy varied little by remoteness, but was 1.8 years higher in major cities compared to regional/remote areas in the most socioeconomically deprived regions in 2012. Socioeconomic disadvantage and sex were strongly associated with life expectancy. The disparity in life expectancy across the socioeconomic spectrum was larger in males and was stable over time. In contrast, gender gaps reduced for all quintiles between 2001 and 2012, and a remoteness effect was evident in 2012, but only for those living in the most deprived areas. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Sex-specific impact of early-life adversity on chronic pain: a large population-based study in Japan

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Yamada K

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Keiko Yamada,1,2 Ko Matsudaira,3,4 Eizaburo Tanaka,1,5 Hiroyuki Oka,3 Junji Katsuhira,3,6 Hiroyasu Iso1 1Public Health, Department of Social Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, 2Center for Pain Management, Osaka University Hospital, Suita, Osaka, 3Department of Medical Research and Management for Musculoskeletal Pain, 22nd Century Medical and Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 4Japan Labour Health & Welfare Organization, Tokyo, 5Hyogo Institute for Traumatic Stress, Kobe, 6Department of Prosthetics & Orthotics and Assistive Technology, Faculty of Medical Technology, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan Background: Responses to early-life adversity may differ by sex. We investigated the ­sex-specific impact of early-life adversity on chronic pain, chronic multisite pain, and somatizing tendency with chronic pain. Methods: We examined 4229 respondents aged 20–79 years who participated in the Pain Associated Cross-Sectional Epidemiological Survey in Japan. Outcomes were: 1 chronic pain prevalence, 2 multisite pain (≥3 sites prevalence, and 3 multiple somatic symptoms (≥3 symptoms among respondents with chronic pain related to the presence or absence of early-life adversity. Multivariable-adjusted odds ratios (ORs were calculated with 95% confidence intervals using a logistic regression model including age, smoking status, exercise routine, sleep time, body mass index, household expenditure, and the full distribution of scores on the Mental Health Inventory-5. We further adjusted for pain intensity when we analyzed the data for respondents with chronic pain. Results: The prevalence of chronic pain was higher among respondents reporting the presence of early-life adversity compared with those reporting its absence, with multivariable ORs of 1.62 (1.22–2.15, p<0.01 in men and 1.47 (1.13–1.90, p<0.01 in women. Among women with chronic pain, early-life

Body-image, quality of life and psychological distress: a comparison between kidney transplant patients and a matching healthy sample.

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Yagil, Yaron; Geller, Shulamit; Levy, Sigal; Sidi, Yael; Aharoni, Shiri

2018-04-01

The purpose of the current study was to assess the uniqueness of the condition of kidney transplant recipients in comparison to a sample of matching healthy peers in relation to body-image dissatisfaction and identification, quality of life and psychological distress. Participants were 45 kidney transplant recipients who were under follow-up care at a Transplant Unit of a major Medical Center, and a sample of 45 matching healthy peers. Measures were taken using self-report questionnaires [Body-Image Ideals Questionnaire (BIIQ), Body Identification Questionnaire (BIQ), Brief Symptoms Inventory (BSI), and the SF-12]. The major findings were the following: (i) kidney transplant recipients reported lower levels of quality of life and higher levels of PsD when compared to their healthy peers; (ii) no difference in body-image dissatisfaction was found between the two studied groups; (iii) significant correlations between body-image dissatisfaction quality of life and PsD were found only in the kidney transplant recipients. The kidney transplantation condition has a moderating effect in the association between body-image dissatisfaction PsD but not in the association between body-image dissatisfaction and quality of life; (iv) kidney transplant recipients experienced higher levels of body identification than did their healthy peers. Taken together, these findings highlight the unique condition of kidney transplant recipients, as well as the function that body-image plays within the self.

Healthy life style and food, beverages and cigarettes consumption in the Czech Republic

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Miroslav Foret

2007-01-01

Full Text Available In the first part of the article, the authors analyze the term healthy life style. Information sources focusing on health and factors influencing it and having the final impact on it are mostly of medicine character. Together with the development of medicinal diagnostic and curing procedures, the importance of health conditions influenced by infectious diseases is decreasing. On the other hand, the importance of factors related to the life style (eating habits in particular is growing.In the second part of the article, the authors analyze and interpret the data of the Czech Statistical Office about the consumption of selected foods in the form of secondary analysis. The effort was to take into account the assessment of the trends as well as to deduce their possible impact on the health condition of the individual. From the analyses mentioned it is obvious that in the selected statistical data of the development of food and beverages consumption in the Czech Republic the tendencies towards healthy life style have not been unambiguous or significant within the last eight years.In certain areas such as consumption of alcoholic beverages, milk and diary products and meat there have been noted changes for better. In most of the areas analyzed (alcoholic beverages, fruit and vegetable, oil, fish these tendencies are not obvious or significant. Alarming is the growing consumption of cigarettes.

The evolution of sex roles in birds is related to adult sex ratio

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Liker, András; Freckleton, Robert P.; Székely, Tamás

2013-01-01

Sex-role reversal represents a formidable challenge for evolutionary biologists, since it is not clear which ecological, life-history or social factors facilitated conventional sex roles (female care and male-male competition for mates) to be reversed (male care and female-female competition). Classic theories suggested ecological or life-history predictors of role reversal, but most studies failed to support these hypotheses. Recent theory however predicts that sex-role reversal should be dr...

Future healthy life expectancy among older adults in the US: a forecast based on cohort smoking and obesity history.

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Cao, Bochen

2016-01-01

In the past three decades, the elderly population in the United States experienced increase in life expectancy (LE) and disability-free life expectancy (LE(ND)), but decrease in life expectancy with disability (LE(D)). Smoking and obesity are two major risk factors that had negative impacts on these trends. While smoking prevalence continues to decline in recent decades, obesity prevalence has been growing and is currently at a high level. This study aims to forecast the healthy life expectancy for older adults aged 55 to 85 in the US from 2011 to 2040, in relation to their smoking and obesity history. First, population-level mortality data from the Human Mortality Database (HMD) and individual-level disability data from the US National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) were used to estimate the transition rates between different health states from 1982 to 2010, using a multi-state life table (MSLT) model. Second, the estimated transition rates were fitted and projected up to 2040, using a modified Lee-Carter model that incorporates cohort smoking and obesity history from NHIS. Mortality and morbidity for both sexes will continue to decline in the next decades. Relative to 2010, men are expected to have 3.2 years gain in LE(ND) and 0.8 years loss in LE(D). For women, there will be 1.8 years gain in LE(ND) and 0.8 years loss in LE(D). By 2040, men and women are expected to spend respectively 80 % and 75 % of their remaining life expectancy between 55 and 85 disability-free. Smoking and obesity have independent negative impacts on both the survival and disability of the US older population in the coming decades, and are responsible for the present and future gender disparity in mortality and morbidity. Overall, the US older population is expected to enjoy sustained health improvements and compression of disability, largely due to decline in smoking.

Transgender women and the sex work industry: roots in systemic, institutional, and interpersonal discrimination.

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Nadal, Kevin L; Davidoff, Kristin C; Fujii-Doe, Whitney

2014-01-01

Because transgender people face discrimination on systemic, institutional, and interpersonal levels, the previous literature has supported that many transgender women view the sex work industry as their only viable career option. The current article reviews the literature on discrimination against transgender people, explores how discrimination influences their participation in sex work, and discusses how institutional discrimination against transgender women manifests within the criminal justice system. Furthermore, recommendations are provided for advocating for the rights of transgender people while promoting healthy behaviors and higher quality of life. Throughout the article, quotes from previous qualitative research are used to illustrate the experiences of transgender women through their own voices and perspectives.

Developmental aspects of a life course approach to healthy ageing

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Cooper, C.; Aihie Sayer, A.; Eendebak, R. J.; Clough, G. F.; Beard, J. R.

2016-01-01

Abstract We examine the mechanistic basis and wider implications of adopting a developmental perspective on human ageing. Previous models of ageing have concentrated on its genetic basis, or the detrimental effects of accumulated damage, but also have raised issues about whether ageing can be viewed as adaptive itself, or is a consequence of other adaptive processes, for example if maintenance and repair processes in the period up to reproduction are traded off against later decline in function. A life course model places ageing in the context of the attainment of peak capacity for a body system, starting in early development when plasticity permits changes in structure and function induced by a range of environmental stimuli, followed by a period of decline, the rate of which depends on the peak attained as well as the later life conditions. Such path dependency in the rate of ageing may offer new insights into its modification. Focusing on musculoskeletal and cardiovascular function, we discuss this model and the possible underlying mechanisms, including endothelial function, oxidative stress, stem cells and nutritional factors such as vitamin D status. Epigenetic changes induced during developmental plasticity, and immune function may provide a common mechanistic process underlying a life course model of ageing. The life course trajectory differs in high and low resource settings. New insights into the developmental components of the life course model of ageing may lead to the design of biomarkers of later chronic disease risk and to new interventions to promote healthy ageing, with important implications for public health. PMID:26518329

Digestive Symptoms in Healthy People and Subjects With Irritable Bowel Syndrome

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Guyonnet, Denis; Donazzolo, Yves; Gendre, David; Tanguy, Jérôme; Guarner, Francisco

2015-01-01

Goals: The aim of this study was to validate the ability of symptom frequency questionnaire to differentiate between irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients and healthy subjects. Background: A digestive symptom frequency questionnaire (DSFQ) was previously used in a food efficacy trial in a non-IBS population with mild gastrointestinal symptoms. Study: We compared 2 well-defined populations: 100 IBS patients fulfilling Rome III criteria (mean age 32 y; range, 18 to 59 y), and 100 sex-matched and age-matched healthy subjects. Frequency of individual digestive symptoms (abdominal pain/discomfort, bloating, flatulence, borborygmi) was assessed using a 5-point Likert scale (from none to everyday of the week) and the IBS severity with the IBS-SSS questionnaire. Health-Related Quality of life (HRQoL) was assessed with the Food and Benefits Assessment (FBA) and Functional Digestive Disorders Quality of Life (FDDQL) questionnaires. The digestive (dis)comfort dimension of these questionnaires was considered as the main dimension for HRQoL. Results: The DSFQ discriminated IBS from healthy subjects with a significant difference (Pdigestive discomfort measured by FDDQL (−0.816), digestive comfort measured by FBA (−0.789), and the IBS-SSS score (0.762). Conclusions: Measurement of digestive symptom frequency by means of the DSFQ can differentiate IBS from healthy subjects, and shows a good correlation with other validated questionnaires (clinical trial #NCT01457378). PMID:25014236

Sex differences in adult outcomes by changes in weight status from adolescence to adulthood: results from Add Health.

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Chung, Arlene E; Skinner, Asheley Cockrell; Maslow, Gary R; Halpern, Carolyn T; Perrin, Eliana M

2014-01-01

Changes in weight status from adolescence to adulthood may be associated with varying social, vocational, economic, and educational outcomes, which may differ by sex. We studied whether there are differences in adult outcomes by sex for different weight status changes in the transition to adulthood. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, participants were categorized by weight status from adolescence into adulthood. We examined self-reported outcomes in adulthood for living with parents, being married, being a parent, employment, receipt of public assistance, income, and college graduation by weight groupings (healthy-healthy, healthy-overweight/obese, overweight/obese-overweight/obese, overweight/obese-healthy). The effect of changes in weight status on the adult outcomes was modeled, controlling for sex, age, parental education, and race/ethnicity. There were differences by sex for many of the self-reported outcomes, especially educational and economic outcomes. Female subjects who became overweight/obese between adolescence and adulthood or remained so had worse economic and educational findings as adults compared to male subjects. Overall, for female subjects, becoming and remaining overweight/obese was associated with worse outcomes, while for male subjects, adolescent obesity was more important than isolated adult obesity. The relationship between obesity and life situations may be more negative for female subjects in the transition to adulthood. The findings emphasize that adolescent obesity, and not just obesity isolated in adulthood, is important for characteristics achieved in adulthood. Copyright © 2014 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of experimentally induced mild hyperthyroidism on growth hormone and insulin secretion and sex steroid levels in healthy young men.

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Lovejoy, J C; Smith, S R; Bray, G A; Veldhuis, J D; Rood, J C; Tulley, R

1997-12-01

Although triiodothyronine (T3) exerts major regulatory actions in both animals and humans, most clinical studies of T3 administration have been relatively short-term. The present study examined the effects of more than 2 months (63 days) of low-dose T3 treatment on overnight pulsatile growth hormone (GH) secretion, short-term insulin secretion, and of sex steroid levels in seven healthy, lean men studied at an inpatient metabolic unit. At baseline, there were strong correlations between sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and several measures of GH production, including total GH production (r = .99), GH interburst interval (r = -.75), and GH mass (r = .82). SHBG was also inversely correlated with basal insulin secretion (r = -.74). There was a 42% increase in serum levels of total testosterone (18.5 +/- 1.3 to 26.3 +/- 1.8 nmol/L, P = .005) and a 150% increase in SHBG (18.0 +/- 2.2 to 44.9 +/- 7.0 nmol/L, P = .008) following T3 treatment. Estradiol and free testosterone levels were unchanged by treatment, although free testosterone decreased from 142.8 +/- 18.4 to 137.3 +/- 19.5 pmol/L. T3 treatment significantly reduced the GH interburst interval (P secretion. There were no statistically significant effects of T3 treatment on insulin secretion, although insulin peak amplitude, mass secreted per burst, and total production all decreased. We conclude that experimentally induced T3 excess in healthy men produces significant and sustained changes in sex hormone levels and GH secretion. Furthermore, there are strong associations between SHBG and both GH and insulin secretion independent of thyroid hormone excess that require additional study.

Comparison of body composition between professional sportswomen and apparently healthy age- and sex-matched controls

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Raman K Marwaha

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: In view of the relationship between physical activity and nutrition on body composition, we assessed lean and fat mass and BMC (total and regional in professional Indian sportswomen and compared it with apparently healthy age- and sex-matched females. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 104 sportswomen and an equal number of age-matched normal healthy females (controls. They were evaluated for anthropometry and body composition (fat, lean mass, and bone mineral content (BMC by DXA. Results: Mean age (19.1 ± 1.3 vs. 19.4 ± 1.5 years and body mass index (21.34 ± 3.02 vs. 21.26 ± 4.05 kg/m 2 were comparable in both groups. Sportswomen had higher intake of energy, macronutrients, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. Total lean mass (33.67 ± 3.49 vs. 31.14 ± 3.52 kg, P < 0.0001, appendicular skeletal muscle index (5.84 ± 0.57 vs. 5.46 ± 0.63 kg/m 2 ; P < 0.0001 and BMC (2.27 ± 0.32 vs. 2.13 ± 0.34 kg, P < 0.002 was significantly higher and percentage fat mass was significantly lower (33.1 ± 7.5 vs. 37.0 ± 8.3; P < 0.0001 among sportswomen when compared to controls. Conclusions: Indian sportswomen have a higher total and regional lean mass, BMC, and lower percentage fat mass when compared with healthy females. Physical activity, energy, protein and calcium intake were positively associated with lean mass and BMC.

Dealing with the Margins of Law: Adult Sex Workers' Resistance in Everyday Life

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marisa Natalia Fassi

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This article looks at the way sex workers in Córdoba, Argentina, have dealt with legal marginalization, focusing on their understandings and associated practices of resistance. Sex workers position in law shows the group is on the margins of law, which means that their activity is not considered to be legal but is not illegal either. Since 2000 a group of sex workers started to organize to stop the constant detentions and humiliations by police officers. The organization called AMMAR (Asociación de Mujeres Meretrices Argentinas implied a major shift from an oppression of consciousness to a consciousness of oppression, modifying in this process the terms of their resistance from mere tactics of survival to a struggle for redefinition of their position in law and society. This article firstly explores the idea of margins of law, consciousness, power and resistance, and also describes the regulation of sex work in the city of Córdoba; secondly, it refers to sex workers experiences, perceptions and practices of resistance before the organization in relation to the police, the Judiciary, as well as with other institutions, and relates this experiences with their practices of resistance in that period; thirdly, it explains the process of organization and the way it has influenced their reflective awareness and practices of resistance, it describes as well the heterogeneity of understandings regarding law. Lastly, the Conclusion revisits the outcomes and literature to propose final reflections about dealing with the margins of law in everyday life.

Health-related quality of life in children with disorders of sex development (DSD).

Science.gov (United States)

Jürgensen, Martina; Lux, Anke; Wien, Sebastian Benedikt; Kleinemeier, Eva; Hiort, Olaf; Thyen, Ute

2014-07-01

Disorders of sex development (DSD) are rare genetic conditions resulting in atypical development of the sex organs. While some evidence is available on psychosexual outcomes, much less is known about the quality of life in this population, especially in children. Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is a widely accepted endpoint for assessment and evaluation of interventions and medical care. Within the German DSD Network study, 86 children aged 8-12 years with several subtypes of DSD were recruited from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Demographic, medical and psychosocial variables were collected through interviews of the attending physicians, the children and the parents. HRQOL was the primary outcome. It was assessed by the KINDL-R Questionnaire [2001]. Psychosexual determinants included gender identity/gender dysphoria, gender role behaviour, the child's knowledge about the condition and number/timing of genital surgery. A significant reduction of HRQOL was reported in children's self-report (p self-esteem (p gender dysphoria reported lower HRQOL scores compared to the study group at large. Atypical gender role behaviour was not associated with HRQOL. Psychosocial support of children with DSD and their families appears to be necessary in at least some cases and must be accessible for all patients.

Cohort profile: the Healthy Life in an Urban Setting (HELIUS) study in Amsterdam, The Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Snijder, Marieke B.; Galenkamp, Henrike; Prins, Maria; Derks, Eske M.; Peters, Ron J. G.; Zwinderman, Aeilko H.; Stronks, Karien

2017-01-01

Purpose Ethnic minority groups usually have a more unfavourable disease risk profile than the host population. In Europe, ethnic inequalities in health have been observed in relatively small studies, with limited possibilities to explore underlying causes. The aim of the Healthy Life in an Urban

Healthy life expectancy and the correlates of self-rated health in Bangladesh in 1996 and 2002.

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Tareque, Md Ismail; Saito, Yasuhiko; Kawahara, Kazuo

2015-03-31

Life expectancy (LE) at birth has increased steadily in Bangladesh since its independence. When people live longer, quality of life becomes a central issue. This study examines whether healthy life expectancy (HLE) at ages 15, 25, 35, and 45 is keeping pace with LE at those ages between 1996 and 2002. It also seeks to investigate the correlates of self-rated health (SRH) in 1996 and 2002. We used data from the World Values Survey conducted in 1996 and 2002 among individuals 15 years and older. The Sullivan method was used to compute HLE. Socio-demographic differences and their association with different states of health were examined by chi-square and Pearson's correlation tests. Multiple linear regression models were fitted to examine the correlates of SRH. The results show that perceived health improved between 1996 and 2002. For males, statistically significant increases in the expected number of years lived in good SRH were found. Proportionally, in 2002, both males and females at ages 15, 25, 35 and 45 expected more life years in good health and fewer life years in fair and poor health than did their counterparts in 1996. Comparatively, males expected fewer life years spent in good health but a much larger proportion of expected life in good health than did females. Finally, in multivariate analyses, life satisfaction was the only factor found to be significantly and positively associated with SRH for males and females in both years, although in both years the association was much more pronounced for females than for males. This study documented changes in HLE during 1996-2002. Women outlive men, but they have a lower quality of life and are more likely to live a greater part of their remaining life in poor SRH. Life satisfaction as well as other significant factors associated with SRH should be promoted, with special attention given to women, to improve healthy life expectancy and the quality of life of the Bangladeshi people.

The evolution of sex roles in birds is related to adult sex ratio.

Science.gov (United States)

Liker, András; Freckleton, Robert P; Székely, Tamás

2013-01-01

Sex-role reversal represents a formidable challenge for evolutionary biologists, since it is not clear which ecological, life-history or social factors facilitated conventional sex roles (female care and male-male competition for mates) to be reversed (male care and female-female competition). Classic theories suggested ecological or life-history predictors of role reversal, but most studies failed to support these hypotheses. Recent theory however predicts that sex-role reversal should be driven by male-biased adult sex ratio (ASR). Here we test this prediction for the first time using phylogenetic comparative analyses. Consistent with theory, both mating system and parental care are strongly related to ASR in shorebirds: conventional sex roles are exhibited by species with female-biased ASR, whereas sex-role reversal is associated with male-biased ASR. These results suggest that social environment has a strong influence on breeding systems and therefore revealing the causes of ASR variation in wild populations is essential for understanding sex role evolution.

Developmental aspects of a life course approach to healthy ageing.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanson, M A; Cooper, C; Aihie Sayer, A; Eendebak, R J; Clough, G F; Beard, J R

2016-04-15

We examine the mechanistic basis and wider implications of adopting a developmental perspective on human ageing. Previous models of ageing have concentrated on its genetic basis, or the detrimental effects of accumulated damage, but also have raised issues about whether ageing can be viewed as adaptive itself, or is a consequence of other adaptive processes, for example if maintenance and repair processes in the period up to reproduction are traded off against later decline in function. A life course model places ageing in the context of the attainment of peak capacity for a body system, starting in early development when plasticity permits changes in structure and function induced by a range of environmental stimuli, followed by a period of decline, the rate of which depends on the peak attained as well as the later life conditions. Such path dependency in the rate of ageing may offer new insights into its modification. Focusing on musculoskeletal and cardiovascular function, we discuss this model and the possible underlying mechanisms, including endothelial function, oxidative stress, stem cells and nutritional factors such as vitamin D status. Epigenetic changes induced during developmental plasticity, and immune function may provide a common mechanistic process underlying a life course model of ageing. The life course trajectory differs in high and low resource settings. New insights into the developmental components of the life course model of ageing may lead to the design of biomarkers of later chronic disease risk and to new interventions to promote healthy ageing, with important implications for public health. © 2015 The Authors. The Journal of Physiology © 2015 The Physiological Society.

Quality of life in healthy children and in children with tension headaches--a comparative analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Talarska, D

2005-01-01

The aim of this study was the assessment of the quality of life of children and adolescents with tension headaches in comparison with healthy peers. The study was conducted on 135 middle school and high school students in Poznań and on 86 children with tension headaches, that were treated in the out-patient clinic of The Chair and Clinic of Development Age Neurology of Karol Marcinkowski University of Medical Sciences in Poznań. The research tool for both groups was Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, version 4.0 (PedsQL 4.0) questionnaire. In the analysed groups dominated 14- and 16-year-old children. Among children with tension headaches, the ailments usually appeared once or twice a week in 39 (45%) of them. With the use of the PedsQL 4.0 questionnaire the following fields of activity were analyzed: biological, emotional, social functioning and mood. The biggest discrepancies between the group of healthy children and those with headaches were noted in the field of emotional functioning and mood. Adolescents with tension headaches more frequently reported the feeling of fear and sleep disorders in comparison to healthy students. Children with headaches look at the future in a more pessimistic way and are less satisfied with their lives.

The Social Distribution of Health: Estimating Quality-Adjusted Life Expectancy in England.

Science.gov (United States)

Love-Koh, James; Asaria, Miqdad; Cookson, Richard; Griffin, Susan

2015-07-01

To model the social distribution of quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE) in England by combining survey data on health-related quality of life with administrative data on mortality. Health Survey for England data sets for 2010, 2011, and 2012 were pooled (n = 35,062) and used to model health-related quality of life as a function of sex, age, and socioeconomic status (SES). Office for National Statistics mortality rates were used to construct life tables for age-sex-SES groups. These quality-of-life and length-of-life estimates were then combined to predict QALE as a function of these characteristics. Missing data were imputed, and Monte-Carlo simulation was used to estimate standard errors. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to explore alternative regression models and measures of SES. Socioeconomic inequality in QALE at birth was estimated at 11.87 quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), with a sex difference of 1 QALY. When the socioeconomic-sex subgroups are ranked by QALE, a differential of 10.97 QALYs is found between the most and least healthy quintile groups. This differential can be broken down into a life expectancy difference of 7.28 years and a quality-of-life adjustment of 3.69 years. The methods proposed in this article refine simple binary quality-adjustment measures such as the widely used disability-free life expectancy, providing a more accurate picture of overall health inequality in society than has hitherto been available. The predictions also lend themselves well to the task of evaluating the health inequality impact of interventions in the context of cost-effectiveness analysis. Copyright © 2015 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of age, sex and arm on the precision of arm position sense—left-arm superiority in healthy right-handers

OpenAIRE

Schmidt, Lena; Depper, Lena; Kerkhoff, Georg

2013-01-01

Position sense is an important proprioceptive ability. Disorders of arm position sense (APS) often occur after unilateral stroke, and are associated with a negative functional outcome. In the present study we assessed horizontal APS by measuring angular deviations from a visually defined target separately for each arm in a large group of healthy subjects. We analyzed the accuracy and instability of horizontal APS as a function of age, sex and arm. Subjects were required to specify verbally th...

Sex workers talk about sex work: six contradictory characteristics of legalised sex work in Melbourne, Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Begum, Sufia; Hocking, Jane S; Groves, Jan; Fairley, Christopher K; Keogh, Louise A

2013-01-01

Despite research suggesting that legal sex work is safe and that emotional risks and social stigma are of greater concern than health risks, much research on sex work has focused on health risks. Given the legalisation of sex work in Victoria, Australia, it is timely to look beyond health. Three focus groups were conducted with a total of 14 female sex workers on their experience of legal sex work, both positive and negative, and the social acceptability of their profession. Thematic analysis was used to identify the key ways that sex workers described sex work. Women saw legal sex work as safer than illegal sex work, but still not socially acceptable. However, they also described six contradictory elements of sex work, which was seen as: financially rewarding and entrapping; empowering and demeaning; increasing some opportunities while reducing others; flexible and demanding; offering both intimacy and competition; and leading to a 'double life'. While legalisation has improved the safety of sex work, stigma and discrimination persist.

Fitness: You Know Exercise Is Good for You, but Do You Know How Good? From Boosting Your Mood to Improving Your Sex Life

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... good? From boosting your mood to improving your sex life, find out how exercise can improve your ... ignore. Everyone benefits from exercise, regardless of age, sex or physical ability. Need more convincing to get ...

Beyond the 'safe sex' propaganda.

Science.gov (United States)

Hadzic, Maja; Khajehei, Marjan

2010-01-01

In this paper, we discuss sexual relationships among teenagers, the related issues, and suggest addressing the issues through effective education programs for both teenagers and their parents. We also discuss the main issues resulting from initiation of sexual relationship during adolescence such as unwanted pregnancy, maternal mortality, abortion, sexually transmitted diseases and damaged mental health. In addition, we highlight the lack of adequate sex education in teenagers and emphasize on the negative influence of TV programs and the harmful effects of dysfunctional families. Moreover, this article proposes equipping teenagers with knowledge that will help them understand not only physical but also emotional, social, and mental dynamics of sexual relationships. We believe that this approach would intervene much earlier in their life, help teenagers make healthy decision and minimize negative consequences of their personal choices.

Early Life Lung Antioxidant Levels and Response to Ozone: Influence of Sex and Maturation in Wistar Rats

Science.gov (United States)

Abstract. Epidemiologic studies of air pollution effects on respiratory health report significant modification by sex. Studies of children suggest stronger effects among boys in early life and girls in later childhood. In adults, particularly the elderly, studies report stronger...

Risk of epilepsy in opposite-sex and same-sex twins

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mao, Yanyan; Ahrenfeldt, Linda Juel; Christensen, Kaare

2018-01-01

Background: There is a complex interaction between female and male sex hormones and the risk of epilepsy. Whether prenatal exposure to higher levels of sex hormones affects the development of epilepsy in childhood or later in life is not well known. The sex hormone environment of fetuses may...... be affected by the sex of the co-twin. We estimated the risk of epilepsy for twins with an opposite-sex (OS) co-twin compared with twins with a same-sex (SS) co-twin. Methods: From the Danish Twin Registry, we identified OS female twins (n = 11,078), SS female twins (n = 19,186), OS male twins (n = 11...

C-peptide, IGF-I, sex-steroid hormones and adiposity : a cross-sectional study in healthy women within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bezemer, ID; Rinaldi, S; Dossus, L; van Gils, CH; Peeters, PHM; Noord, PAH; Bueno-de-Mesquita, HB; Johnsen, SP; Overvad, K; Olsen, A; Tjonneland, A; Boeing, H; Lahmann, PH; Linseisen, J; Nagel, G; Allen, N; Roddam, A; Bingham, S; Khaw, KT; Kesse, E; Tehard, B; Clavel-Chapelon, F; Agudo, A; Ardanaz, E; Quiros, [No Value; Amiano, P; Martinez-Garcia, C; Tormo, MJ; Pala, [No Value; Panico, S; Vineis, P; Palli, D; Tumino, R; Trichopoulou, A; Baibas, N; Zilis, D; Hemon, B; Norat, T; Riboli, E; Kaaks, R

Objectives: The risk of some cancers is positively associated with body weight, which may influence circulating levels of sex-steroid hormones, insulin and IGF-I. Interrelationships between these hormones and the associations with adiposity were evaluated in healthy women participating in the

Bioelectrical impedance vector distribution in the first year of life.

Science.gov (United States)

Savino, Francesco; Grasso, Giulia; Cresi, Francesco; Oggero, Roberto; Silvestro, Leandra

2003-06-01

We assessed the bioelectrical impedance vector distribution in a sample of healthy infants in the first year of life, which is not available in literature. The study was conducted as a cross-sectional study in 153 healthy Caucasian infants (90 male and 63 female) younger than 1 y, born at full term, adequate for gestational age, free from chronic diseases or growth problems, and not feverish. Z scores for weight, length, cranial circumference, and body mass index for the study population were within the range of +/-1.5 standard deviations according to the Euro-Growth Study references. Concurrent anthropometrics (weight, length, and cranial circumference), body mass index, and bioelectrical impedance (resistance and reactance) measurements were made by the same operator. Whole-body (hand to foot) tetrapolar measurements were performed with a single-frequency (50 kHz), phase-sensitive impedance analyzer. The study population was subdivided into three classes of age for statistical analysis: 0 to 3.99 mo, 4 to 7.99 mo, and 8 to 11.99 mo. Using the bivariate normal distribution of resistance and reactance components standardized by the infant's length, the bivariate 95% confidence limits for the mean impedance vector separated by sex and age groups were calculated and plotted. Further, the bivariate 95%, 75%, and 50% tolerance intervals for individual vector measurements in the first year of life were plotted. Resistance and reactance values often fluctuated during the first year of life, particularly as raw measurements (without normalization by subject's length). However, 95% confidence ellipses of mean vectors from the three age groups overlapped each other, as did confidence ellipses by sex for each age class, indicating no significant vector migration during the first year of life. We obtained an estimate of mean impedance vector in a sample of healthy infants in the first year of life and calculated the bivariate values for an individual vector (95%, 75%, and 50

Fish consumption, not fatty acid status, is related to quality of life in a healthy population

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schiepers, Olga; De Groot, Renate; Jolles, Jelle; Van Boxtel, Martin

2010-01-01

Schiepers, O. J., De Groot, R. H. M., Jolles, J., & Van Boxtel, M. P. J. (2010). Fish consumption, not fatty acid status, is related to quality of life in a healthy population. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids, 83(1), 31-35.

Influence of age, sex and life style factors (smoking habits) on the spontaneous and radiation induced micronuclei frequencies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Di Giorgio, M.; Nasazzi, N.; Heredia, M.L.

1995-01-01

Several endpoints have been used for monitoring human populations for environmental or occupational exposure to genotoxic agents, particularly ionizing radiation. The cytokinesis-block micronucleus (MN) assay in peripheral lymphocytes is a reliable method for assessing radiation induced chromosomal damage (DNA breaks and mitotic spindle disturbances) and thus, a suitable dosimeter for estimating in vivo whole body exposures. To further define the use of this assay in Biological Dosimetry, a study to determine the influence of age, sex and life style factors (smoking habit) on the spontaneous and radiation induced MN frequencies was performed. The estimation of MN frequencies was analyzed in lymphocytes cultures from 50 healthy donors aged between 4 and 62 years. On the basis of their smoking habit they were divided into 2 groups. A fraction of the sample was irradiated in vitro with γ rays in the range of 0.35 Gy to 4 Gy. A statistically significant influence on the spontaneous MN frequency was observed (R 2 = 0.59) when the variables age and smoking habit were analyzed and also a statistically significant influence on the radiation induced MN frequency was obtained (R 2 = 0.86) when dose, age and smoking habit were studied. Sex did not influence MN variability significantly but there was a greater dispersion in the results for females when compared to males, possibly due to the loss of X chromosomes. The comparison of the data from smoking donors to non smoking donors supports the convenience of taking into account the smoking habit for estimating in vivo whole body exposure to γ rays for doses below 2 Gy. (author). 8 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab

Characterization of age/sex and the regional distribution of mGluR5 availability in the healthy human brain measured by high-resolution [11C]ABP688 PET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DuBois, Jonathan M.; Porras-Betancourt, Manuel; Massarweh, Gassan; Soucy, Jean-Paul; Kobayashi, Eliane; Rousset, Olivier G.; Rowley, Jared; Reader, Andrew J.; Labbe, Aurelie; Rosa-Neto, Pedro

2016-01-01

Metabotropic glutamate receptor type 5 (mGluR5) is a G protein-coupled receptor that has been implicated in several psychiatric and neurological diseases. The radiopharmaceutical [ 11 C]ABP688 allows for in vivo quantification of mGluR5 availability using positron emission tomography (PET). In this study, we aimed to detail the regional distribution of [ 11 C]ABP688 binding potential (BP ND ) and the existence of age/sex effects in healthy individuals. Thirty-one healthy individuals aged 20 to 77 years (men, n = 18, 45.3 ± 18.2 years; females, n = 13, 41.5 ± 19.6 years) underwent imaging with [ 11 C]ABP688 using the high-resolution research tomograph (HRRT). We developed an advanced partial volume correction (PVC) method using surface-based analysis in order to accurately estimate the regional variation of radioactivity. BP ND was calculated using the simplified reference tissue model, with the cerebellum as the reference region. Surface-based and volume-based analyses were performed for 39 cortical and subcortical regions of interest per hemisphere. We found the highest [ 11 C]ABP688 BP ND in the lateral prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices. The lowest [ 11 C]ABP688 BP ND was observed in the pre- and post-central gyri as well as the occipital lobes and the thalami. No sex effect was observed. Associations between age and [ 11 C]ABP688 BP ND without PVC were observed in the right amygdala and left putamen, but were not significant after multiple comparisons correction. The present results highlight complexities underlying brain adaptations during the aging process, and support the notion that certain aspects of neurotransmission remain stable during the adult life span. (orig.)

Influence of level of education on disability free life expectancy by sex: the ILSA study.

Science.gov (United States)

Minicuci, N; Noale, M

2005-12-01

To assess the effect of education on Disability Free Life Expectancy among older Italians, using a hierarchical model as indicator of disability, with estimates based on the multistate life table method and IMaCh software. Data were obtained from the Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging which considered a random sample of 5632 individuals. Total life expectancy ranged from 16.5 years for men aged 65 years to 6 years for men aged 80. The age range for women was 19.6 and 8.4 years, respectively. For both sexes, increasing age was associated with a lower probability of recovery from a mild state of disability, with a greater probability of worsening for all individuals presenting an independent state at baseline, and with a greater probability of dying except for women from a mild state of disability. A medium/high educational level was associated with a greater probability of recovery only in men with a mild state of disability at baseline, and with a lower probability of worsening in both sexes, except for men with a mild state of disability at baseline. The positive effects of high education are well established in most research work and, being a modifiable factor, strategies focused on increasing level of education and, hence strengthening access to information and use of health services would produce significant benefits.

Satisfaction with sex life in sexually active heterosexual couples dealing with breast cancer : a nationwide longitudinal study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rottmann, Nina; Hansen, Dorte Gilsa; Christensen, Rene dePont; Hagedoorn, Mariet; Frisch, Morten; Nicolaisen, Anne; Kroman, Niels; Flyger, Henrik; Johansen, Christoffer

2017-01-01

Background: A breast cancer (BC) diagnosis can profoundly affect the sex life of patient and partner within a couple. The purpose of the present study is to examine whether individual and partner sexual functioning, affectionate behavior, emotional closeness and depressive symptoms are associated

Comparison of Diabetes Type II Patients Life Style Effective Factors With That of Healthy People.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D Mostafaei

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Introduction:Diabetes is a significant and expensive health problem which had influenced all the ages in almost all the countries. Increasing prevalence of this disease has been caused by continued changes in lifestyle such as unsuitable nutrition, lack of physical activities and fatness which is often related to modern city life, mechanization and industrialization. It is an expensive disease, both for patients and the health and hygienic care systems. This research tried to examine the relationship between lifestyle risk factors and type II diabetes. Methods: This research was a case-control type by random sampling and studying140 diabetes type II patients as case group and 140 healthy people accompanying some other patients as the control group at Tonekabon Shahid Rajaei hospital. People were of both sexes, between 30 and 64 years of age and Tonekabon residents. The questionnaire used included demographic, nutritional, physical activities, stress tolerance and smoking status information. The SPSS 11.5 and excel software were used for statistic calculation and for analysis of data, T and Chi-Square tests were applied. Results: By analyzing the data collected, there was a meaningful statistical relationship between physical activities, stress residence, nutrition, smoking and the diabetes type II disease (P-value0.05. Conclusion: Results imply that some risk factors important in diabetes type II include unsuitable nutrition such as having too much of sweets and sugar,lack of fruits, vegetables, fish, proteins and also lack of physical activities, stress tolerance and control.

Cross-sex hormone treatment does not change sex-sensitive cognitive performance in gender identity disorder patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Haraldsen, Ira R; Egeland, Thore; Haug, Egil; Finset, Arnstein; Opjordsmoen, Stein

2005-12-15

Cognitive performance in untreated early onset gender identity disorder (GID) patients might correspond to their born sex and not to their perceived gender. As a current mode of intervention, cross-sex hormone treatment causes considerable physical changes in GID patients. We asked, as has been suggested, whether this treatment skews cognitive performance towards that of the acquired sex. Somatically healthy male and female early onset GID patients were neuropsychologically tested before, 3 and 12 months after initiating cross-sex hormone treatment, whereas untreated healthy subjects without GID served as controls (C). Performance was assessed by testing six cognitive abilities (perception, arithmetic, rotation, visualization, logic, and verbalization), and controlled for age, education, born sex, endocrine differences and treatment by means of repeated measures analysis of variance. GID patients and controls showed an identical time-dependent improvement in cognitive performance. The slopes were essentially parallel for males and females. There was no significant three-way interaction of born sex by group by time for the six investigated cognitive abilities. Only education and age significantly influenced this improvement. Despite the substantial somatic cross-sex changes in GID patients, no differential effect on cognition over time was found between C and GID participants. The cognitive performance of cross-sex hormone-treated GID patients was virtually identical to that of the control group. The documented test-retest effect should be taken into consideration when evaluating treatment effects generally in psychiatry.

Age- and Sex-Associated Changes in Cerebral Glucose Metabolism in Normal Healthy Subjects: Statistical Parametric Mapping Analysis of F-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose Brain Positron Emission Tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, In-Ju; Kim, Seong-Jang; Kim, Yong-Ki

2009-01-01

Background: The age- and sex-associated changes of brain development are unclear and controversial. Several previous studies showed conflicting results of a specific pattern of cerebral glucose metabolism or no differences of cerebral glucose metabolism in association with normal aging process and sex. Purpose: To investigate the effects of age and sex on changes in cerebral glucose metabolism in healthy subjects using fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (F-18 FDG) brain positron emission tomography (PET) and statistical parametric mapping (SPM) analysis. Material and Methods: Seventy-eight healthy subjects (32 males, mean age 46.6±18.2 years; 46 females, mean age 40.6±19.8 years) underwent F-18 FDG brain PET. Using SPM, age- and sex-associated changes in cerebral glucose metabolism were investigated. Results: In males, a negative correlation existed in several gray matter areas, including the right temporopolar (Brodmann area [BA] 38), right orbitofrontal (BA 47), left orbitofrontal gyrus (BA 10), left dorsolateral frontal gyrus (BA 8), and left insula (BA 13) areas. A positive relationship existed in the left claustrum and left thalamus. In females, negative changes existed in the left caudate body, left temporopolar area (BA 38), right orbitofrontal gyri (BA 47 and BA 10), and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (BA 46). A positive association was demonstrated in the left subthalamic nucleus and the left superior frontal gyrus. In white matter, an age-associated decrease in FDG uptake in males was shown in the left insula, and increased FDG uptake was found in the left corpus callosum. The female group had an age-associated negative correlation of FDG uptake only in the right corpus callosum. Conclusion: Using SPM, we found not only similar areas of brain, but also sex-specific cerebral areas of age-associated changes of FDG uptake

Age- and Sex-Associated Changes in Cerebral Glucose Metabolism in Normal Healthy Subjects: Statistical Parametric Mapping Analysis of F-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose Brain Positron Emission Tomography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, In-Ju; Kim, Seong-Jang; Kim, Yong-Ki (Dept. of Nuclear Medicine, Pusan National Univ. Hospital, Busan (Korea); Medical Research Institute, Pusan National Univ., Busan (Korea)). e-mail: growthkim@daum.net/growthkim@pusan.ac.kr)

2009-12-15

Background: The age- and sex-associated changes of brain development are unclear and controversial. Several previous studies showed conflicting results of a specific pattern of cerebral glucose metabolism or no differences of cerebral glucose metabolism in association with normal aging process and sex. Purpose: To investigate the effects of age and sex on changes in cerebral glucose metabolism in healthy subjects using fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (F-18 FDG) brain positron emission tomography (PET) and statistical parametric mapping (SPM) analysis. Material and Methods: Seventy-eight healthy subjects (32 males, mean age 46.6+-18.2 years; 46 females, mean age 40.6+-19.8 years) underwent F-18 FDG brain PET. Using SPM, age- and sex-associated changes in cerebral glucose metabolism were investigated. Results: In males, a negative correlation existed in several gray matter areas, including the right temporopolar (Brodmann area [BA] 38), right orbitofrontal (BA 47), left orbitofrontal gyrus (BA 10), left dorsolateral frontal gyrus (BA 8), and left insula (BA 13) areas. A positive relationship existed in the left claustrum and left thalamus. In females, negative changes existed in the left caudate body, left temporopolar area (BA 38), right orbitofrontal gyri (BA 47 and BA 10), and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (BA 46). A positive association was demonstrated in the left subthalamic nucleus and the left superior frontal gyrus. In white matter, an age-associated decrease in FDG uptake in males was shown in the left insula, and increased FDG uptake was found in the left corpus callosum. The female group had an age-associated negative correlation of FDG uptake only in the right corpus callosum. Conclusion: Using SPM, we found not only similar areas of brain, but also sex-specific cerebral areas of age-associated changes of FDG uptake

Kids: Passing on Healthy Habits to Your Children

Science.gov (United States)

... should I start talking to my kids about sex? What are examples of healthy rewards? Resources American Academy of Family Physicians, Healthy Habits for TV, Video Games, and the Internet American Academy of Family ...

Sleep Duration and Sleep Disturbances as Predictors of Healthy and Chronic Disease-Free Life Expectancy between Ages 50 and 75

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stenholm, Sari; Head, Jenny; Kivimäki, Mika

2018-01-01

Background: The aim of this study was to examine the associations of sleep duration and sleep disturbances with healthy and chronic disease-free life expectancy (LE) between ages 50 and 75. Methods: Data were drawn from repeated waves of three occupational cohort studies in England, Finland...... and Sweden (n=55,494) and the follow-up ranged from 6 to 18 years. Self-reported sleep duration was categorized into healthy LE based on years in good self-rated health...... and chronic disease-free LE based on years without chronic diseases. Multistate life table models were used to estimate healthy and chronic disease-free LE from age 50 to 75 years for each category of sleep measures in each cohort. Fixed-effects meta-analysis was used to pool the cohort-specific results...

Size and type of places, geographical region, satisfaction with life, age, sex and place attachment

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Mandal Alan

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The topic of the article concerns the issue of place attachment and its determinants. An analysis of place attachment was performed in terms of place identity and place dependence (Williams, Vaske, 2003. Moreover, links between place attachment and selected geographical (size and type of place, geographical region, demographic (age, sex and psychological (satisfaction with life variables were investigated.

Transcutaneous Bilirubin Nomogram for Healthy Term and Late Preterm Neonates in First 96 Hours of Life.

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Thakkar, Pareshkumar; Chavda, Hardas; Doshi, Vikas

2017-05-15

To develop nomogram of Transcutaneous Bilirubin among healthy term and late-preterm neonates during first 96 hours of age. Longitudinal observational study. Neonatal unit of a tertiary care Hospital of Central Gujarat, India. 1075 healthy term and late preterm neonates (≥35weeks). Six-hourly transcutaneous bilirubin was obtained from birth to 96 hour of life using Drager JM 103 Transcutaneous Bilirubinometer. Main outcome measures: Nomogram of Transcutaneous Bilirubin with percentile values was obtained, rate of rise of bilirubin was calculated and predictive ability of normative data was analyzed for subsequent need of phototherapy. The age-specific percentile curves and nomogram were developed from the transcutaneous bilirubin readings of 1,010 neonates. Rate of rise in first 12 hour was 0.2 mg/dL and was 0.17 mg/dL in 12 to 24 hour of life which decreased on second day of life. Neonates who required phototherapy had consistently higher readings of transcutaneous bilirubin and also higher rate of rise in first 48 hrs. Neonates whose transcutaneous bilirubin is above the 50th percentile should be monitored for the development of significant hyperbilirubinemia.

Sex differences in neuropsychological performance and social functioning in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

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Vaskinn, Anja; Sundet, Kjetil; Simonsen, Carmen; Hellvin, Tone; Melle, Ingrid; Andreassen, Ole A

2011-07-01

To investigate sex differences in neurocognition and social functioning in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and the possible role of sex as a moderator of this relationship. Participants with schizophrenia (60 women/94 men), bipolar I disorder (55 women/51 men), and healthy controls (158 women/182 men) were assessed with an extensive neuropsychological test battery and a social functioning questionnaire. We found significant main effects of sex for neuropsychological tests (p neuropsychological tests (except attention and working memory). Both clinical groups performed below healthy controls for all neuropsychological tests (except attention). Post hoc comparisons of persons with schizophrenia and healthy controls yielded significant interaction effects (p neuropsychological tests (California Verbal Learning Test II [CVLT-II], Color-Word Interference, and Interference/Switching), with men with schizophrenia being disproportionally disadvantaged compared with their female counterparts. Regression analyses investigating sex as a moderator between neurocognition and social functioning showed that neurocognition predicted social functioning in schizophrenia, whereas sex predicted social functioning in healthy controls. Sex was not a moderator in any of the three groups. This study is the first to find neurocognitive sex differences for bipolar disorder and replicated previous findings for schizophrenia. The data did not support the hypothesis that sex is a moderator between neurocognition and social functioning. Clinical implications include the use of different cognitive remediation strategies based on sex. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved.

Questions and Answers about Sex (For Parents)

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... español Preguntas y respuestas sobre sexo Answering their kids' questions about sex is a responsibility that many parents dread. Otherwise ... avoided. Parents can help foster healthy feelings about sex if they answer kids' questions in an age-appropriate way. When do ...

Characterization of age/sex and the regional distribution of mGluR5 availability in the healthy human brain measured by high-resolution [{sup 11}C]ABP688 PET

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DuBois, Jonathan M.; Porras-Betancourt, Manuel; Massarweh, Gassan; Soucy, Jean-Paul; Kobayashi, Eliane [McGill University, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal, Quebec (Canada); Rousset, Olivier G. [Johns Hopkins University, The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Baltimore, MD (United States); Rowley, Jared [McGill University, Translational Neuroimaging Laboratory, McGill Center for Studies in Aging, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal (Canada); Reader, Andrew J. [McGill University, PET Unit, McConnell Brain Imaging Center, Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal (Canada); King' s College London, St. Thomas' Hospital, Division of Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, London (United Kingdom); Labbe, Aurelie [McGill University, Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational health, Montreal (Canada); Douglas Mental Health University Institute / Douglas Institut Universitaire en Sante Mentale, Department of Psychiatry, Montreal (Canada); Rosa-Neto, Pedro [McGill University, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal, Quebec (Canada); McGill University, Translational Neuroimaging Laboratory, McGill Center for Studies in Aging, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal (Canada)

2016-01-15

Metabotropic glutamate receptor type 5 (mGluR5) is a G protein-coupled receptor that has been implicated in several psychiatric and neurological diseases. The radiopharmaceutical [{sup 11}C]ABP688 allows for in vivo quantification of mGluR5 availability using positron emission tomography (PET). In this study, we aimed to detail the regional distribution of [{sup 11}C]ABP688 binding potential (BP{sub ND}) and the existence of age/sex effects in healthy individuals. Thirty-one healthy individuals aged 20 to 77 years (men, n = 18, 45.3 ± 18.2 years; females, n = 13, 41.5 ± 19.6 years) underwent imaging with [{sup 11}C]ABP688 using the high-resolution research tomograph (HRRT). We developed an advanced partial volume correction (PVC) method using surface-based analysis in order to accurately estimate the regional variation of radioactivity. BP{sub ND} was calculated using the simplified reference tissue model, with the cerebellum as the reference region. Surface-based and volume-based analyses were performed for 39 cortical and subcortical regions of interest per hemisphere. We found the highest [{sup 11}C]ABP688 BP{sub ND} in the lateral prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices. The lowest [{sup 11}C]ABP688 BP{sub ND} was observed in the pre- and post-central gyri as well as the occipital lobes and the thalami. No sex effect was observed. Associations between age and [{sup 11}C]ABP688 BP{sub ND} without PVC were observed in the right amygdala and left putamen, but were not significant after multiple comparisons correction. The present results highlight complexities underlying brain adaptations during the aging process, and support the notion that certain aspects of neurotransmission remain stable during the adult life span. (orig.)

Demographic origins of skewed operational and adult sex ratios: perturbation analyses of two-sex models.

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Veran, Sophie; Beissinger, Steven R

2009-02-01

Skewed sex ratios - operational (OSR) and Adult (ASR) - arise from sexual differences in reproductive behaviours and adult survival rates due to the cost of reproduction. However, skewed sex-ratio at birth, sex-biased dispersal and immigration, and sexual differences in juvenile mortality may also contribute. We present a framework to decompose the roles of demographic traits on sex ratios using perturbation analyses of two-sex matrix population models. Metrics of sensitivity are derived from analyses of sensitivity, elasticity, life-table response experiments and life stage simulation analyses, and applied to the stable stage distribution instead of lambda. We use these approaches to examine causes of male-biased sex ratios in two populations of green-rumped parrotlets (Forpus passerinus) in Venezuela. Female local juvenile survival contributed the most to the unbalanced OSR and ASR due to a female-biased dispersal rate, suggesting sexual differences in philopatry can influence sex ratios more strongly than the cost of reproduction.

Influence of motive activity on forming of proof skills of healthy way of life of students of higher educational establishments.

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Trotsenko V.V.

2010-08-01

Full Text Available The estimation and the analysis of impellent activity of students is considered. The importance of impellent activity in forming a healthy way of life of students is shown. In research the data of questionnaire of students are used. sports priorities of students are revealed should to undertake in attention by development of the program of physical training. The wide spectrum of the reasons which interfere with exercises is revealed. These reasons should be considered during individual work with each student. It is proved, that impellent activity influences forming of proof skills of a healthy way of life of students.

Early stress causes sex-specific, life-long changes in behaviour, levels of gonadal hormones, and gene expression in chickens.

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Magnus Elfwing

Full Text Available Early stress can have long-lasting phenotypic effects. Previous research shows that male and female chickens differ in many behavioural aspects, and respond differently to chronic stress. The present experiment aimed to broadly characterize long-term sex differences in responses to brief events of stress experienced during the first weeks of life. Chicks from a commercial egg-laying hybrid were exposed to stress by inducing periods of social isolation during their first three weeks of life, followed by a broad behavioural, physiological and genomic characterization throughout life. Early stressed males, but not females, where more anxious in an open field-test, stayed shorter in tonic immobility and tended to have delayed sexual maturity, as shown by a tendency for lower levels of testosterone compared to controls. While early stressed females did not differ from non-stressed in fear and sexual maturation, they were more socially dominant than controls. The differential gene expression profile in hypothalamus was significantly correlated from 28 to 213 days of age in males, but not in females. In conclusion, early stress had a more pronounced long-term effect on male than on female chickens, as evidenced by behavioral, endocrine and genomic responses. This may either be attributed to inherent sex differences due to evolutionary causes, or possibly to different stress related selection pressures on the two sexes during commercial chicken breeding.

Sex differences in cognitive functioning in at-risk mental state for psychosis, first episode psychosis and healthy control subjects.

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Ittig, S; Studerus, E; Papmeyer, M; Uttinger, M; Koranyi, S; Ramyead, A; Riecher-Rössler, A

2015-02-01

Several sex differences in schizophrenia have been reported including differences in cognitive functioning. Studies with schizophrenia patients and healthy controls (HC) indicate that the sex advantage for women in verbal domains is also present in schizophrenia patients. However, findings have been inconsistent. No study focused on sex-related cognitive performance differences in at-risk mental state for psychosis (ARMS) individuals yet. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate sex differences in cognitive functioning in ARMS, first episode psychosis (FEP) and HC subjects. We expected a better verbal learning and memory performance of women in all groups. The neuropsychological data analysed in this study were collected within the prospective Früherkennung von Psychosen (FePsy) study. In total, 118 ARMS, 88 FEP individuals and 86 HC completed a cognitive test battery covering the domains of executive functions, attention, working memory, verbal learning and memory, IQ and speed of processing. Women performed better in verbal learning and memory regardless of diagnostic group. By contrast, men as compared to women showed a shorter reaction time during the working memory task across all groups. The results provide evidence that women generally perform better in verbal learning and memory, independent of diagnostic group (ARMS, FEP, HC). The finding of a shorter reaction time for men in the working memory task could indicate that men have a superior working memory performance since they responded faster during the target trials, while maintaining a comparable overall working memory performance level. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Social Determinants of Active Aging: Differences in Mortality and the Loss of Healthy Life between Different Income Levels among Older Japanese in the AGES Cohort Study

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Hiroshi Hirai

2012-01-01

Full Text Available We examined the relationship between income, mortality, and loss of years of healthy life in a sample of older persons in Japan. We analyzed 22,829 persons aged 65 or older who were functionally independent at baseline as a part of the Aichi Gerontological Evaluation Study (AGES. Two outcome measures were adopted, mortality and loss of healthy life. Independent variables were income level and age. The occurrence of mortality and need for care during these 1,461 days were tracked. Cox regressions were used to calculate the hazard ratio for mortality and loss of healthy life by income level. We found that people with lower incomes were more likely than those with higher incomes to report worse health. For the overall sample, using the governmental administrative data, the hazard ratios of mortality and loss of healthy life-years comparing the lowest to the highest income level were 3.50 for men and 2.48 for women for mortality and 3.71 for men and 2.27 for women for loss of healthy life. When only those who responded to questions about income on the mail survey were included in the analysis, the relationships became weaker and lost statistical significance.

Age and Sex Effects on Plasma Metabolite Association Networks in Healthy Subjects

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Vignoli, Alessia; Tenori, Leonardo; Luchinat, Claudio; Saccenti, Edoardo

2018-01-01

In the era of precision medicine, the analysis of simple information like sex and age can increase the potential to better diagnose and treat conditions that occur more frequently in one of the two sexes, present sex-specific symptoms and outcomes, or are characteristic of a specific age group. We

Emotion and sex of facial stimuli modulate conditional automaticity in behavioral and neuronal interference in healthy men.

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Kohn, Nils; Fernández, Guillén

2017-12-06

Our surrounding provides a host of sensory input, which we cannot fully process without streamlining and automatic processing. Levels of automaticity differ for different cognitive and affective processes. Situational and contextual interactions between cognitive and affective processes in turn influence the level of automaticity. Automaticity can be measured by interference in Stroop tasks. We applied an emotional version of the Stroop task to investigate how stress as a contextual factor influences the affective valence-dependent level of automaticity. 120 young, healthy men were investigated for behavioral and brain interference following a stress induction or control procedure in a counter-balanced cross-over-design. Although Stroop interference was always observed, sex and emotion of the face strongly modulated interference, which was larger for fearful and male faces. These effects suggest higher automaticity when processing happy and also female faces. Supporting behavioral patterns, brain data show lower interference related brain activity in executive control related regions in response to happy and female faces. In the absence of behavioral stress effects, congruent compared to incongruent trials (reverse interference) showed little to no deactivation under stress in response to happy female and fearful male trials. These congruency effects are potentially based on altered context- stress-related facial processing that interact with sex-emotion stereotypes. Results indicate that sex and facial emotion modulate Stroop interference in brain and behavior. These effects can be explained by altered response difficulty as a consequence of the contextual and stereotype related modulation of automaticity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Relationship between Personality Traits and Life Expectancy in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

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Leila Zaghari

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Objectives: Multiple Sclerosis is an incurable and chronic disease of the central nervous system. The main purpose of this survey is to compare the character types and life expectancy of patients suffering from M. S as compared with normal people. This survey was conducted using the Persian translation of NEO-FFI (NEO-Five Factor Inventory and Herth Life Expectancy. Methods:Thirty nine people suffering from multiple sclerosis, who were hospitalized in anursing home, were chosen. As a control group there were 39 healthy people who had no background of physical or mental diseases. These people were selected from educational centre scientific and the personnel of Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Campus. Healthy people were matched to control group according, to sex, gender, marital status and education. Results: To analyze the data, T tests were used. The results of the survey show that people suffering from multiple sclerosis were significantly different from healthy people in three factors, neuroticism, extraversion and openness. For life expectancy there was no significant difference between the two groups. Discussion: Peopleaffected by Multiple Sclerosis achieve higher marks levels of the function of neuroticism compared with the healthy people. They are also agreeableness in a lower state, due to the function of openness to experience compared with the safe ones and in a lower state compared with the healthy persons.

In patients suffering from idiopathic central serous chorioretinopathy, anxiety scores are higher than in healthy controls, but do not vary according to sex or repeated central serous chorioretinopathy.

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Bazzazi, Nooshin; Ahmadpanah, Mohammad; Akbarzadeh, Siamak; Seif Rabiei, Mohammad Ali; Holsboer-Trachsler, Edith; Brand, Serge

2015-01-01

Idiopathic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) is a relatively common ophthalmic disorder characterized by the development of a serous detachment of the sensory retina. Psychophysiological factors may trigger or maintain CSCR, though, surprisingly, the association between CSCR and anxiety has yet to be studied. The aims of the present study were threefold: to determine whether 1) Iranian patients with CSCR have higher scores for anxiety, 2) anxiety is lower, if CSCR has been experienced twice, and whether 3) anxiety scores differ between sexes. A total of 30 patients with CSCR and 30 healthy age-and sex-matched controls took part in the study. A brief face-to-face interview was conducted covering demographic variables and history and occurrence of CSCR and assessing anxiety. Compared to healthy controls, anxiety was significantly higher in both first-time and second-time CSCR patients. In CSCR patients, anxiety scores did not differ between sexes. Higher anxiety scores were observed in Iranian patients with CSCR, irrespective of whether this was the first or second occurrence of CSCR. This suggests there is no psychological adaptation in terms of reduced anxiety among patients with repeated CSCR.

Assessing the feasibility of the Healthy Life in Suriname Study: using advanced hemodynamics to evaluate cardiovascular risk

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aartman, Jet Q.; Diemer, Frederieke S.; Karamat, Fares A.; Bohte, Evelien; Baldew, Sergio M.; Jarbandhan, Ameerani V.; van Montfrans, Gert A.; Oehlers, Glenn P.; Brewster, Lizzy M.

2017-01-01

Objectives. To determine the feasibility of assessing population cardiovascular risk with advanced hemodynamics in the Healthy Life in Suriname (HELISUR) study. Methods. This was a preliminary study conducted in May - June 2012 using the Technical-Economic-Legal-Operational-Scheduling (TELOS) method

A genetic-demographic approach reveals a gender-specific association of SLC6A3/DAT1 40 bp-VNTR with life-expectancy.

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Hadi, Fazal; Dato, Serena; Carpi, Francesco M; Prontera, Paolo; Crucianelli, Francesca; Renda, Federica; Passarino, Giuseppe; Napolioni, Valerio

2015-06-01

Several recent lines of evidence are proving an important role for dopamine in the aging process and in the determination of life span. Components of the dopaminergic system may represent good candidates for longevity studies. Herein, we tested the possible association of the functional SLC6A3/DAT1 40-bp VNTR with life-expectancy in a healthy population of Central Italy (N = 993) by applying a genetic-demographic approach that takes into account the demographic information and different survival rates between sexes for modeling the survival of specific allele carriers in the population. Male carriers of S*/S* genotype showed a lower survival chance across most of the lifespan respect to the survival of DAT1*L-carriers (P = 0.021). The same analyses gave non-significant results in females. Several studies already reported significant sex differences in dopamine metabolism and its related biological pathways. Thus, we can hypothesize that the SLC6A3/DAT1 40 bp-VNTR may affect life expectancy in a sex-specific way. Moreover, it is conceivable that DAT1 S*/S* carriers, who are prone to assume "risk" type behaviors, may be dropped out of the "healthy" population by a sort of "demographic selection".

Sex differences in the pro-inflammatory cytokine response to endotoxin unfold in vivo but not ex vivo in healthy humans.

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Wegner, Alexander; Benson, Sven; Rebernik, Laura; Spreitzer, Ingo; Jäger, Marcus; Schedlowski, Manfred; Elsenbruch, Sigrid; Engler, Harald

2017-07-01

Clinical data indicate that inflammatory responses differ across sexes, but the mechanisms remain elusive. Herein, we assessed in vivo and ex vivo cytokine responses to bacterial endotoxin in healthy men and women to elucidate the role of systemic and cellular factors underlying sex differences in inflammatory responses. Participants received an i.v. injection of low-dose endotoxin (0.4 ng/kg body mass), and plasma TNF-α and IL-6 responses were analyzed over a period of 6 h. In parallel, ex vivo cytokine production was measured in endotoxin-stimulated blood samples obtained immediately before in vivo endotoxin administration. As glucocorticoids (GCs) play an important role in the negative feedback regulation of the inflammatory response, we additionally analyzed plasma cortisol concentrations and ex vivo GC sensitivity of cytokine production. Results revealed greater in vivo pro-inflammatory responses in women compared with men, with significantly higher increases in plasma TNF-α and IL-6 concentrations. In addition, the endotoxin-induced rise in plasma cortisol was more pronounced in women. In contrast, no sex differences in ex vivo cytokine production and GC sensitivity were observed. Together, these findings demonstrate major differences in in vivo and ex vivo responses to endotoxin and underscore the importance of systemic factors underlying sex differences in the inflammatory response.

Sex difference and Allee effects shape the dynamics of sex-structured invasions.

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Shaw, Allison K; Kokko, Hanna; Neubert, Michael G

2018-01-01

The rate at which a population grows and spreads can depend on individual behaviour and interactions with others. In many species with two sexes, males and females differ in key life-history traits (e.g. growth, survival and dispersal), which can scale up to affect population rates of growth and spread. In sexually reproducing species, the mechanics of locating mates and reproducing successfully introduce further complications for predicting the invasion speed (spread rate), as both can change nonlinearly with density. Most models of population spread are based on one sex, or include limited aspects of sex differences. Here we ask whether and how the dynamics of finding mates interact with sex-specific life-history traits to influence the rate of population spread. We present a hybrid approach for modelling invasions of populations with two sexes that links individual-level mating behaviour (in an individual-based model) to population-level dynamics (in an integrodifference equation model). We find that limiting the amount of time during which individuals can search for mates causes a demographic Allee effect which can slow, delay, or even prevent an invasion. Furthermore, any sex-based asymmetries in life history or behaviour (skewed sex ratio, sex-biased dispersal, and sex-specific mating behaviours) amplify these effects. In contrast, allowing individuals to mate more than once ameliorates these effects, enabling polygynandrous populations to invade under conditions where monogamously mating populations would fail to establish. We show that details of individuals' mating behaviour can impact the rate of population spread. Based on our results, we propose a stricter definition of a mate-finding Allee effect, which is not met by the commonly used minimum mating function. Our modelling approach, which links individual- and population-level dynamics in a single model, may be useful for exploring other aspects of individual behaviour that are thought to impact the

Quality of life and functional impairment in obsessive-compulsive disorder: a comparison of patients with and without comorbidity, patients in remission, and healthy controls.

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Huppert, Jonathan D; Simpson, H Blair; Nissenson, Kore J; Liebowitz, Michael R; Foa, Edna B

2009-01-01

Several studies have demonstrated that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is associated with interference in quality of life (QOL) and functional impairment. However, these studies did not compare individuals in remission to individuals who continue to have the disorder, predominantly used comparisons with norms and not with a matched normal sample, and did not always consider the impact of comorbidity. We administered multiple measures that assess QOL and functional impairment to 66 OCD patients who had previously consented for a clinical trial and to 36 age and sex matched individuals who denied any psychiatric history. Results confirm that OCD was associated with significantly lower QOL and functional impairment compared to healthy controls (HCs) in areas of work, social life, and family life. Individuals with OCD and other comorbid psychiatric diagnoses showed the poorest QOL and functioning, with comorbid depression accounting for much of the variance. The levels of QOL and functioning in individuals in remission tended to lie in between HCs and individuals with current OCD: their QOL or functioning did not differ significantly from HCs nor did they consistently differ significantly from those who had current OCD. These results suggest that individuals who are in remission have improved levels of QOL and functioning, whereas individuals with OCD are significantly impaired, and individuals with OCD and comorbid disorders are the most impaired. Treatment strategies should be focused on achieving remission of all symptoms to have the greatest impact on functioning and QOL. Published 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Sex differences in itch perception and modulation by distraction--an FMRI pilot study in healthy volunteers.

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Astrid Stumpf

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Even though itch is a common syndrome of many diseases there is only little knowledge about sex and gender differences in pruritus, especially in central itch perception and modulation. To our knowledge, this is the first fMRI study examining sex differences in perception and its modulation by distraction. METHODS: Experimental itch was induced by application of histamine (0.1 mM via microdialysis fibers twice at the left forearm and twice at the left lower leg in 33 healthy volunteers (17 females, 16 males. The brain activation patterns were assessed by fMRI during itch without and with distraction (Stroop task. Between the various conditions, subjects were asked to rate itch intensity, desire to scratch and pain intensity. In a second experiment in 10 of the 33 volunteers histamine was replaced by saline solution to serve as control for the 'Stroop' condition. RESULTS: Women generally presented higher itch intensities compared to men during itch over the course of the experiment. A more specific analysis revealed higher itch intensities and desire to scratch in women during experimental induced itch that can be reduced by distraction at the lower legs when itch is followed by 'Stroop'. In contrast, men depicted significant reduction of 'itch' by 'Stroop' at the forearms. Women depicted higher brain activation of structures responsible for integration of sensory, affective information and motor integration/planning during 'itch' and 'Stroop' condition when compared to men. No sex differences were seen in the saline control condition. CONCLUSION: Women and men exhibited localisation dependent differences in their itch perception with women presenting higher itch intensities and desire to scratch. Our findings parallel clinical observations of women reporting higher itch intensities depending on itch localisation and suffering more from itch as compared to men.

Evidence of sex-bias in gene expression in the brain transcriptome of two populations of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) with divergent life histories.

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Hale, Matthew C; McKinney, Garrett J; Thrower, Frank P; Nichols, Krista M

2018-01-01

Sex-bias in gene expression is a mechanism that can generate phenotypic variance between the sexes, however, relatively little is known about how patterns of sex-bias vary during development, and how variable sex-bias is between different populations. To that end, we measured sex-bias in gene expression in the brain transcriptome of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) during the first two years of development. Our sampling included from the fry stage through to when O. mykiss either migrate to the ocean or remain resident and undergo sexual maturation. Samples came from two F1 lines: One from migratory steelhead trout and one from resident rainbow trout. All samples were reared in a common garden environment and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was used to estimate patterns of gene expression. A total of 1,716 (4.6% of total) genes showed evidence of sex-bias in gene expression in at least one time point. The majority (96.7%) of sex-biased genes were differentially expressed during the second year of development, indicating that patterns of sex-bias in expression are tied to key developmental events, such as migration and sexual maturation. Mapping of differentially expressed genes to the O. mykiss genome revealed that the X chromosome is enriched for female upregulated genes, and this may indicate a lack of dosage compensation in rainbow trout. There were many more sex-biased genes in the migratory line than the resident line suggesting differences in patterns of gene expression in the brain between populations subjected to different forces of selection. Overall, our results suggest that there is considerable variation in the extent and identity of genes exhibiting sex-bias during the first two years of life. These differentially expressed genes may be connected to developmental differences between the sexes, and/or between adopting a resident or migratory life history.

Vitamin D Status and Quality of Life in Healthy Male High-Tech Employees

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Sigal Tepper

2016-06-01

Full Text Available While low vitamin D status has been shown to be associated with decreased quality of life in unhealthy populations and women, only limited data are available regarding healthy adult men. Our aim was to evaluate the associations between health-related quality of life (QoL and vitamin D status in adult men. High-tech employees aged 25–65 year were recruited from an occupational periodic examination clinic at Rambam Health Campus. QoL was assessed using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC Health-related quality of life questionnaire (HRQOL-4. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OHD and Body Mass Index (BMI were measured; further information was collected about physical activity, education, sun exposure, sick-days, and musculoskeletal pain severity (visual analog scale. Three hundred and fifty-eight men were enrolled in the study; mean serum 25(OHD level was 22.1 ± 7.9 ng/mL (range 4.6–54.5 ng/mL. In a multivariate logistic regression model, 25(OHD was a significant independent determinant of self-rated health; Odds Ratio (OR for self-rated health was 0.91 (95% confidence interval (CI 0.85–0.97, p = 0.004, adjusted for age, BMI, pain severity, physical activity, and sun exposure. Every 1 ng/mL increase of 25(OHD was associated with 9% reduction in the odds of reporting self-rated health as fair or poor. Poisson regression model demonstrated an association between physically unhealthy days and 25(OHD levels (rate ratio 0.95, p < 0.001. In conclusion, serum levels of 25(OHD were associated with self-rated health and with physically unhealthy days of HRQOL in healthy high-tech male workers. Future intervention studies are required to test the impact of vitamin D supplementation on QoL.

Vitamin D Status and Quality of Life in Healthy Male High-Tech Employees.

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Tepper, Sigal; Dabush, Yael; Shahar, Danit R; Endevelt, Ronit; Geva, Diklah; Ish-Shalom, Sofia

2016-06-15

While low vitamin D status has been shown to be associated with decreased quality of life in unhealthy populations and women, only limited data are available regarding healthy adult men. Our aim was to evaluate the associations between health-related quality of life (QoL) and vitamin D status in adult men. High-tech employees aged 25-65 year were recruited from an occupational periodic examination clinic at Rambam Health Campus. QoL was assessed using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Health-related quality of life questionnaire (HRQOL-4). Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and Body Mass Index (BMI) were measured; further information was collected about physical activity, education, sun exposure, sick-days, and musculoskeletal pain severity (visual analog scale). Three hundred and fifty-eight men were enrolled in the study; mean serum 25(OH)D level was 22.1 ± 7.9 ng/mL (range 4.6-54.5 ng/mL). In a multivariate logistic regression model, 25(OH)D was a significant independent determinant of self-rated health; Odds Ratio (OR) for self-rated health was 0.91 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.85-0.97, p = 0.004), adjusted for age, BMI, pain severity, physical activity, and sun exposure. Every 1 ng/mL increase of 25(OH)D was associated with 9% reduction in the odds of reporting self-rated health as fair or poor. Poisson regression model demonstrated an association between physically unhealthy days and 25(OH)D levels (rate ratio 0.95, p health and with physically unhealthy days of HRQOL in healthy high-tech male workers. Future intervention studies are required to test the impact of vitamin D supplementation on QoL.

Quality of life and religious-spiritual coping in palliative cancer care patients

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Ticiane Dionizio de Sousa Matos

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Objectives: to compare the quality of life and religious-spiritual coping of palliative cancer care patients with a group of healthy participants; assess whether the perceived quality of life is associated with the religious-spiritual coping strategies; identify the clinical and sociodemographic variables related to quality of life and religious-spiritual coping. Method: cross-sectional study involving 96 palliative outpatient care patient at a public hospital in the interior of the state of São Paulo and 96 healthy volunteers, using a sociodemographic questionnaire, the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire and the Brief Religious-Spiritual Coping scale. Results: 192 participants were interviewed who presented good quality of life and high use of Religious-Spiritual Coping. Greater use of negative Religious-Spiritual Coping was found in Group A, as well as lesser physical and psychological wellbeing and quality of life. An association was observed between quality of life scores and Religious-Spiritual Coping (p<0.01 in both groups. Male sex, Catholic religion and the Brief Religious-Spiritual Coping score independently influenced the quality of life scores (p<0.01. Conclusion: both groups presented high quality of life and Religious-Spiritual Coping scores. Male participants who were active Catholics with higher Religious-Spiritual Coping scores presented a better perceived quality of life, suggesting that this coping strategy can be stimulated in palliative care patients.

Impacts of stress and sex hormones on dopamine neurotransmission in the adolescent brain.

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Sinclair, Duncan; Purves-Tyson, Tertia D; Allen, Katherine M; Weickert, Cynthia Shannon

2014-04-01

Adolescence is a developmental period of complex neurobiological change and heightened vulnerability to psychiatric illness. As a result, understanding factors such as sex and stress hormones which drive brain changes in adolescence, and how these factors may influence key neurotransmitter systems implicated in psychiatric illness, is paramount. In this review, we outline the impact of sex and stress hormones at adolescence on dopamine neurotransmission, a signaling pathway which is critical to healthy brain function and has been implicated in psychiatric illness. We review normative developmental changes in dopamine, sex hormone, and stress hormone signaling during adolescence and throughout postnatal life, then highlight the interaction of sex and stress hormones and review their impacts on dopamine neurotransmission in the adolescent brain. Adolescence is a time of increased responsiveness to sex and stress hormones, during which the maturing dopaminergic neural circuitry is profoundly influenced by these factors. Testosterone, estrogen, and glucocorticoids interact with each other and have distinct, brain region-specific impacts on dopamine neurotransmission in the adolescent brain, shaping brain maturation and cognitive function in adolescence and adulthood. Some effects of stress/sex hormones on cortical and subcortical dopamine parameters bear similarities with dopaminergic abnormalities seen in schizophrenia, suggesting a possible role for sex/stress hormones at adolescence in influencing risk for psychiatric illness via modulation of dopamine neurotransmission. Stress and sex hormones may prove useful targets in future strategies for modifying risk for psychiatric illness.

Systematic approach to the foundation of healthy way of life and popularization of physical culture in modern university.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Goncharuk S.V.

2012-11-01

Full Text Available The factors of popularization of physical culture are considered among students young people. Directions of development of optimum method of employments are shown by a physical culture, which will provide the systematic going and attaching near the healthy way of life. 815 students took part in research. It is set that optimization of educational process of student and creation of educational base will allow students to get necessary for the maintenance of optimum health level physical loading. Directions of technologism of an educate work are offered with students. Possibilities of university are shown in conditioning for forming for the students of positive motivation to the healthy way of life. Directions organization of relaxation measures are recommended for students. Attention is accented on the financial skilled providing of employments in the sporting halls of university.

Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for 315 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE), 1990-2015 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kassebaum, Nicholas J.; Arora, Megha; Barber, Ryan M.; Bhutta, Zulfigar A.; Carter, Austin; Casey, Daniel C.; Charlson, Fiona J.; Coates, Matthew M.; Coggeshall, Megan; Cornaby, Leslie; Dandona, Lalit; Dicker, Daniel J.; Erskine, Holly E.; Ferrari, Alize J.; Fitzmaurice, Christina; Foreman, Kyle; Forouzanfar, Mohammad H.; Fullman, Nancy; Gething, Peter W.; Goldberg, Ellen M.; Graetz, Nicholas; Haagsma, Juanita A.; Johnson, Catherine; Kemmer, Laura; Khalil, Ibrahim A.; Kinfu, Yohannes; Kutz, Michael J.; Kyu, Hmwe H.; Leung, Janni; Liang, Xiaofeng; Lim, Stephen S.; Lim, Stephen S.; Lozano, Rafael; Mensah, George A.; Mikesell, Joe; Mokdad, Ali H.; Mooney, Meghan D.; Naghavi, Mohsen; Nguyen, Grant; Nsoesie, Elaine; Pigott, David M.; Pinho, Christine; Rankin, Zane; Reinig, Nikolas; Salomon, Joshua A.; Sandar, Logan; Amare, Azmeraw T.; Hoek, Hans W.; Singh, Abhishek; Tura, Abera Kenay

2016-01-01

Background Healthy life expectancy (HALE) and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) provide summary measures of health across geographies and time that can inform assessments of epidemiological patterns and health system performance, help to prioritise investments in research and development, and

Sex work: a comparative study.

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McCarthy, Bill; Benoit, Cecilia; Jansson, Mikael

2014-10-01

Explanations of adult involvement in sex work typically adopt one of two approaches. One perspective highlights a variety of negative experiences in childhood and adolescence, including physical and sexual abuse, family instability, poverty, associations with "pimps" and other exploiters, homelessness, and drug use. An alternative account recognizes that some of these factors may be involved, but underscores the contribution of more immediate circumstances, such as current economic needs, human capital, and employment opportunities. Prior research offers a limited assessment of these contrasting claims: most studies have focused exclusively on people working in the sex industry and they have not assessed the independent effects of life course variables central to these two perspectives. We add to this literature with an analysis that drew on insights from life course and life-span development theories and considered the contributions of factors from childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Our comparative approach examined predictors of employment in sex work relative to two other low-income service or care work occupations: food and beverage serving and barbering and hairstyling. Using data from a study of almost 600 workers from two cities, one in Canada and the other in the United States, we found that both immediate circumstances and negative experiences from early life are related to current sex work involvement: childhood poverty, abuse, and family instability were independently associated with adult sex work, as were limited education and employment experience, adult drug use, and marital status.

Social representations of adolescents on quality of life: structurally-based study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ramon Missias Moreira

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This study sought to conduct a comparatively analysis and describe the contents of the structure of the social representations of adolescents on quality of life. It involves descriptive, quantitative research, with the benchmark of a structural approach to social representations. The informants included 316 adolescents from three public schools in Jequié in the State of Bahia. The Spontaneous Word-Choice Eliciting Technique using the key expression "Quality of Life" was used for data collection. The responses were processed using Evoc 2003 software, which generated the Four-House Chart. The results reveal the core nucleus of the terms: healthy eating; physical activity; money; and sex. In the 1st outer circle, the words absence of disease, condoms, liberty, marijuana, housing, work and living well are featured. In the 2nd outer circle, there appeared the words difficulty, family, peace and power, and the contrasting elements of well-being and soccer. The overall consensus is that adolescents associate quality of life with sports and other healthy behavior activities, and are influenced by the desires and curiosities of adolescence.

Using RAD-seq to recognize sex-specific markers and sex chromosome systems.

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Gamble, Tony

2016-05-01

Next-generation sequencing methods have initiated a revolution in molecular ecology and evolution (Tautz et al. ). Among the most impressive of these sequencing innovations is restriction site-associated DNA sequencing or RAD-seq (Baird et al. ; Andrews et al. ). RAD-seq uses the Illumina sequencing platform to sequence fragments of DNA cut by a specific restriction enzyme and can generate tens of thousands of molecular genetic markers for analysis. One of the many uses of RAD-seq data has been to identify sex-specific genetic markers, markers found in one sex but not the other (Baxter et al. ; Gamble & Zarkower ). Sex-specific markers are a powerful tool for biologists. At their most basic, they can be used to identify the sex of an individual via PCR. This is useful in cases where a species lacks obvious sexual dimorphism at some or all life history stages. For example, such tests have been important for studying sex differences in life history (Sheldon ; Mossman & Waser ), the management and breeding of endangered species (Taberlet et al. ; Griffiths & Tiwari ; Robertson et al. ) and sexing embryonic material (Hacker et al. ; Smith et al. ). Furthermore, sex-specific markers allow recognition of the sex chromosome system in cases where standard cytogenetic methods fail (Charlesworth & Mank ; Gamble & Zarkower ). Thus, species with male-specific markers have male heterogamety (XY) while species with female-specific markers have female heterogamety (ZW). In this issue, Fowler & Buonaccorsi () illustrate the ease by which RAD-seq data can generate sex-specific genetic markers in rockfish (Sebastes). Moreover, by examining RAD-seq data from two closely related rockfish species, Sebastes chrysomelas and Sebastes carnatus (Fig. ), Fowler & Buonaccorsi () uncover shared sex-specific markers and a conserved sex chromosome system. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[Analysis of knowledge about healthy breakfast and its relation to life style habits and academic performance in compulsory secondary students].

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Córdoba Caro, Luis Gonzalo; Luengo Pérez, Luis Miguel; García Preciado, Ventura

2014-05-01

The main objective of the study is to analyze whether students of Compulsory Secondary Education (ESO) of Badajoz city known foods that are part of a healthy breakfast. It also intends to see the relationship of this knowledge with lifestyle habits and academic performance. A representative sample of 1197 secondary students in the city of Badajoz (Spain) (50.1% female) was calculated their Body Mass Index (BMI) and were asked to fill in a questionnaire, previously validated in a pilot study, which included sociodemographic items as well as others related with life style habits. They were also asked to choose among a series of food, which of them were a part of a healthy breakfast. 49.2% of adolescents know foods which are a part of a healthy breakfast. Very low correlations were obtained between all the variables analyzed and knowledge of foods that make up a healthy breakfast. However, within a few variables are significant differences (Phabit, passing lot of time with friends, who have been on a diet, make less than 3 meals a day and spend less than 10minutes for breakfast and know the amount of fruit that should be consumed daily. Life style habits of adolescents are not related to the knowledge about the foods that are part of a healthy breakfast. Copyright © 2013 SEEN. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Conservative Christianity, partnership, hormones, and sex in late life.

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Das, Aniruddha; Nairn, Stephanie

2014-10-01

Using nationally representative data from the 2005-2006 U.S. National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, this study queried relationship, sexual, and sex hormone patterns among married evangelical women and men aged 57-85, relative to those in other religions. Results suggested that despite potentially more unequal gender roles, evangelical older women may have better marital quality, perhaps due to the recent transformation of their male counterparts into authoritative, yet-supportive, "soft patriarchs." Correspondingly, these women, especially those with greater subjective religiosity or more support from a spouse, reported consistently better sexual outcomes than their counterparts in other religions. In addition, they also had lower estradiol, whether due to psychobiological effects of their better relationships or self-selection of those with differential hormone levels into particular partnership patterns. While older men in these communities also experienced more satisfactory marriages, and had lower androgens (testosterone, DHEA), their relational assets were less uniformly matched by better sexual outcomes, perhaps reflecting a gender disparity in the linkage between these factors.

Healthy Places

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

Every person has a stake in environmental public health. As the environment deteriorates, so does the physical and mental health of the people within it. Healthy places are those designed and built to improve the quality of life for all people who live, work, worship, learn, and play within their borders -- where every person is free to make choices amid a variety of healthy, available, accessible, and affordable options. The CDC recognizes significant health issues and places that are vital in developing the Healthy Places program and provides examples in this report.

Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for 315 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE), 1990–2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Moesgaard Iburg, Kim

2016-01-01

Summary Background Healthy life expectancy (HALE) and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) provide summary measures of health across geographies and time that can inform assessments of epidemiological patterns and health system performance, help to prioritise investments in research and develop......Summary Background Healthy life expectancy (HALE) and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) provide summary measures of health across geographies and time that can inform assessments of epidemiological patterns and health system performance, help to prioritise investments in research...... birth defects, and skin, oral, and sense organ diseases) either increased or remained unchanged, leading to increases in their relative ranking in many geographies. From 2005 to 2015, HALE at birth increased by an average of 2·9 years (95% uncertainty interval 2·9–3·0) for men and 3·5 years (3...

Quality of Life for Individuals with Hearing Impairment Who Have Not Consulted for Services and Their Significant Others: Same- and Different-Sex Couples

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Kelly, Rebecca J.; Atcherson, Samuel R.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this exploratory study was to assess perceptions of quality of life for individuals with hearing impairment who have not consulted for services and their significant others who are in same-sex relationships vs. those who are in different-sex relationships. Data were collected on a total of 20 older couples: 10 in same-sex…

Quality of life after surgery for intractable partial epilepsy in children: a cohort study with controls.

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Mikati, Mohamad A; Ataya, Nour; Ferzli, Jessica; Kurdi, Rana; El-Banna, Diana; Rahi, Amal; Shamseddine, Alhan; Sinno, Durriyah; Comair, Youssef

2010-08-01

Investigate if quality of life (QOL) normalizes on long-term follow-up after surgery for partial epilepsy in children. This is a cohort study with controls in which a consecutive cohort of nineteen 2-14-year-old children who underwent focal resections for intractable partial seizures between 1996 and 2006, were matched with 19 non-surgery intractable partial epilepsy patients, and with 19 healthy subjects. The two epilepsy groups were matched for age, sex, socio-economic status (SES), cognitive level, seizure type, and seizure frequency. The healthy group was matched with the two epilepsy groups for age, sex, SES, and cognitive level. QOL was assessed using the QOLCE (Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy Questionnaire). In the surgery group (follow-up 3.84+/-2.26 years), 78.9% had Engel class-I versus 21.1% in non-surgery (p=0.01) (follow-up 3.44+/-2.95 years). Surgery patients were similar to healthy subjects in the social, emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and overall QOL (p>0.05) but had lower scores in the total QOL, physical, and health domains (p0.05, power>0.8). Our data indicate that epilepsy surgery for partial seizures in children is associated with better QOL as compared to children with intractable epilepsy who are not operated on, and suggest that in those who achieve seizure freedom normal QOL may at least potentially be possible.

Genomewide Association Scan of a Mortality Associated Endophenotype for a Long and Healthy Life in the Long Life Family Study.

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Singh, Jatinder; Minster, Ryan L; Schupf, Nicole; Kraja, Aldi; Liu, YongMei; Christensen, Kaare; Newman, Anne B; Kammerer, Candace M

2017-10-01

Identification of genes or fundamental biological pathways that regulate aging phenotypes and longevity could lead to possible interventions to increase healthy longevity. Using data from the Long Life Family Study, we performed genomewide association analyses on an endophenotype construct, LF1, comprising a linear combination of traits across health domains. LF1 primarily reflected traits from the pulmonary and physical activity domains. We detected a significant association between LF1 and a locus on chromosome 10p15 (p-value = 4.65 × 10-8) and suggestive evidence (p-value physical function domains may be located on chromosome 1p13 near the NBPF6 locus. Further investigation of this possible locus and other suggestive loci may reveal novel biological pathways that influence healthy aging. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Evolving knowledge of sex differences in brain structure, function, and chemistry.

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Cosgrove, Kelly P; Mazure, Carolyn M; Staley, Julie K

2007-10-15

Clinical and epidemiologic evidence demonstrates sex differences in the prevalence and course of various psychiatric disorders. Understanding sex-specific brain differences in healthy individuals is a critical first step toward understanding sex-specific expression of psychiatric disorders. Here, we evaluate evidence on sex differences in brain structure, chemistry, and function using imaging methodologies, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in mentally healthy individuals. MEDLINE searches of English-language literature (1980-November 2006) using the terms sex, gender, PET, SPECT, MRI, fMRI, morphometry, neurochemistry, and neurotransmission were performed to extract relevant sources. The literature suggests that while there are many similarities in brain structure, function, and neurotransmission in healthy men and women, there are important differences that distinguish the male from the female brain. Overall, brain volume is greater in men than women; yet, when controlling for total volume, women have a higher percentage of gray matter and men a higher percentage of white matter. Regional volume differences are less consistent. Global cerebral blood flow is higher in women than in men. Sex-specific differences in dopaminergic, serotonergic, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic markers indicate that male and female brains are neurochemically distinct. Insight into the etiology of sex differences in the normal living human brain provides an important foundation to delineate the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying sex differences in neuropsychiatric disorders and to guide the development of sex-specific treatments for these devastating brain disorders.

Same-Sex and Different-Sex Cohabiting Couple Relationship Stability.

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Manning, Wendy D; Brown, Susan L; Stykes, J Bart

2016-08-01

Relationship stability is a key indicator of well-being, but most U.S.-based research has been limited to different-sex couples. The 2008 panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) provides an untapped data resource to analyze relationship stability of same-sex cohabiting, different-sex cohabiting, and different-sex married couples (n = 5,701). The advantages of the SIPP data include the recent, nationally representative, and longitudinal data collection; a large sample of same-sex cohabitors; respondent and partner socioeconomic characteristics; and identification of a state-level indicator of a policy stating that marriage is between one man and one woman (i.e., DOMA). We tested competing hypotheses about the stability of same-sex versus different-sex cohabiting couples that were guided by incomplete institutionalization, minority stress, relationship investments, and couple homogamy perspectives (predicting that same-sex couples would be less stable) as well as economic resources (predicting that same-sex couples would be more stable). In fact, neither expectation was supported: results indicated that same-sex cohabiting couples typically experience levels of stability that are similar to those of different-sex cohabiting couples. We also found evidence of contextual effects: living in a state with a constitutional ban against same-sex marriage was significantly associated with higher levels of instability for same- and different-sex cohabiting couples. The level of stability in both same-sex and different-sex cohabiting couples is not on par with that of different-sex married couples. The findings contribute to a growing literature on health and well-being of same-sex couples and provide a broader understanding of family life.

Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for 315 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE), 1990–2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kassebaum, N.J.; Arora, Megha; Barber, R.M.; Bhutta, Zulfiqar; Brown, J.; Carter, Austin; Casey, Daniel C.; Charlson, Fiona J.; Coates, M.; Coggeshall, M.S.; Geleijnse, J.M.

2016-01-01

Background
Healthy life expectancy (HALE) and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) provide summary measures of health across geographies and time that can inform assessments of epidemiological patterns and health system performance, help to prioritise investments in research and development,

Life extension and the position of the hormetic zone depends on sex and genetic background in Drosophila melanogaster

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sarup, Pernille Merete; Loeschcke, Volker

2011-01-01

but not in females. Here we investigated the interaction between the hormetic response and genetic background, sex and duration of a mild heat stress in D. melanogaster, using three replicate lines that have been selected for increased longevity and their respective control lines. We found that genetic background......Hormesis, the beneficial effect of a mild stress, has been proposed as a means to prolong the period of healthy ageing as it can increase the average lifespan of a cohort. However, if we want to use hormesis therapeutically it is important that the treatment is beneficial on the individual level...... and not just on average at the population level. Long lived lines have been shown not to benefit from a, in other lines, hormesis inducing heat treatment in Drosophila melanogaster, D. buzzatii and mice. Also in many experiments hormesis has been reported to occur in one sex only, usually males...

A survey study comparing young adults with MS and healthy controls on self-esteem, self-efficacy, mood and quality of life.

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Messmer Uccelli, Michele; Traversa, Silvia; Ponzio, Michela

2016-09-15

Studies have shown that people with multiple sclerosis (MS) report low levels of self-efficacy and self-esteem, high levels of anxiety and depression and reduced quality of life. The study aims to assess self-esteem, self-efficacy, mood and quality of life in young adults with MS and to compare them to a healthy control group. The age range for inclusion in the study was between 18 and 35years of age for both groups. Subjects with MS were recruited through the Italian MS Society. Healthy controls were recruited through social media and from a university undergraduate program. Subjects completed an anonymous online questionnaire combining various scales. Group differences on demographic data were assessed using parametric and non-parametric tests. Analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) were performed to evaluate differences between the two groups on scales of self-perception, mood and quality of life, adjusting for potentially confounding factors. Eighty-nine subjects with MS and 109 HC were included in the analysis. ANCOVA failed to demonstrate statistically significant differences between groups on self-esteem (F=0.11, p=0.743), self-efficacy (F=2.22, p=0.138), mood (anxiety F=0.03, p=0.855; depression F=0.06, p=0.812) and quality of life (F=0.08, p=0.772). This study demonstrated that young adults with MS and healthy controls have similar levels of self-esteem and self-efficacy and that they do not differ significantly on measures of mood and quality of life, as previously reported. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Metabonomics of ageing - Towards understanding metabolism of a long and healthy life.

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Martin, Francois-Pierre J; Montoliu, Ivan; Kussmann, Martin

2017-07-01

Systems biology approaches have been increasingly employed in clinical studies to enhance our understanding of the role of genetics, environmental factors and their interactions on nutritional, health and disease status. Amongst the new omics technologies, metabonomics has emerged as a robust platform to capture metabolic and nutritional requirements by enabling, in a minimally invasive fashion, the monitoring of a wide range of biochemical compounds. Their variations reflect comprehensively the various molecular regulatory processes, which are tightly controlled and under the influence of genetics, diet, gut microbiota and other environmental factors. They are providing key insights into complex metabolic phenomena as well as into differences and specificities at individual and population level. The aim of this review is to evaluate promising metabolic insights towards understanding metabolism of a long and healthy life from pre-clinical and clinical metabonomics studies. We will also discuss analytical approaches to enable data integration, with an emphasis on the longitudinal component. Herein, we will illustrate current examples, challenges and perspectives in the applications of metabonomics monitoring and modelling approaches in the context of healthy ageing research. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Poorer right ventricular systolic function and exercise capacity in women after repair of tetralogy of fallot: a sex comparison of standard deviation scores based on sex-specific reference values in healthy control subjects.

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Sarikouch, Samir; Boethig, Dietmar; Peters, Brigitte; Kropf, Siegfried; Dubowy, Karl-Otto; Lange, Peter; Kuehne, Titus; Haverich, Axel; Beerbaum, Philipp

2013-11-01

In repaired congenital heart disease, there is increasing evidence of sex differences in cardiac remodeling, but there is a lack of comparable data for specific congenital heart defects such as in repaired tetralogy of Fallot. In a prospective multicenter study, a cohort of 272 contemporary patients (158 men; mean age, 14.3±3.3 years [range, 8-20 years]) with repaired tetralogy of Fallot underwent cardiac magnetic resonance for ventricular function and metabolic exercise testing. All data were transformed to standard deviation scores according to the Lambda-Mu-Sigma method by relating individual values to their respective 50th percentile (standard deviation score, 0) in sex-specific healthy control subjects. No sex differences were observed in age at repair, type of repair conducted, or overall hemodynamic results. Relative to sex-specific controls, repaired tetralogy of Fallot in women had larger right ventricular end-systolic volumes (standard deviation scores: women, 4.35; men, 3.25; P=0.001), lower right ventricular ejection fraction (women, -2.83; men, -2.12; P=0.011), lower right ventricular muscle mass (women, 1.58; men 2.45; P=0.001), poorer peak oxygen uptake (women, -1.65; men, -1.14; Pstandard deviation scores in repaired tetralogy of Fallot suggest that women perform poorer than men in terms of right ventricular systolic function as tested by cardiac magnetic resonance and exercise capacity. This effect cannot be explained by selection bias. Further outcome data are required from longitudinal cohort studies.

Motivational Interviewing Targeting Risky Sex in HIV-Positive Young Thai Men Who Have Sex with Men

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Rongkavilit, Chokechai; Wang, Bo; Naar-King, Sylvie; Bunupuradah, Torsak; Parsons, Jeffrey T.; Panthong, Apirudee; Koken, Juline A.; Saengcharnchai, Pichai; Phanuphak, Praphan

2014-01-01

Motivational interviewing (MI) has been shown to reduce sexual risks among HIV-positive men who have sex with men (HMSM) in the U.S. We conducted a randomized trial of Healthy Choices, a 4-session MI intervention, targeting sexual risks among 110 HIV-positive youth ages 16–25 years in Thailand. Risk assessments were conducted at baseline, 1 month, and 6 months post-intervention. This report presents the analysis of 74 HMSM in the study. There were 37 HMSM in the Intervention group and 37 in the control group. The proportions of participants having anal sex and having sex with either HIV-uninfected or unknown partners in past 30 days were significantly lower in Intervention group than in control group at 6 months post-intervention (38% vs. 65%, p = .04; and 27% vs. 62%, p Thai HMSM was associated with sexual risk reduction. Improvements in mental health and HIV stigma were noted in Intervention group. Healthy Choices is a promising behavioral intervention and should be further developed to serve the needs of young HMSM in resource-limited countries. PMID:24668304

Influence of sex, migration distance, and latitude on life history expression in steelhead and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Science.gov (United States)

Ohms, Haley A.; Sloat, Matthew R.; Reeves, Gordon H.; Jordan, Chris E.; Dunham, Jason B.

2014-01-01

Abstract:In partially migratory species, such as Oncorhynchus mykiss, the emergence of life history phenotypes is often attributed to fitness trade-offs associated with growth and survival. Fitness trade-offs can be linked to reproductive tactics that vary between the sexes, as well as the influence of environmental conditions. We found that O. my kiss outmigrants are more likely to be female in nine populations throughout western North America (grand mean 65% female), in support of the hypothesis that anadromy is more likely to benefit females. This bias was not related to migration distance or freshwater productivity, as indicated by latitude. Within one O. my kiss population we also measured the resident sex ratio and did not observe a male bias, despite a high female bias among out migrants in that system. We provide a simulation to demonstrate the relationship between sex ratios and

Labor force participation and secondary education of gender inequality index (GII) associated with healthy life expectancy (HLE) at birth.

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Kim, Jong In; Kim, Gukbin

2014-11-18

What is the factor that affects healthy life expectancy? Healthy life expectancy (HLE) at birth may be influenced by components of the gender inequality index (GII). Notably, this claim is not tested on the between components of the GII, such as population at least secondary education (PLSE) with ages 25 and older, labor force participation rate (LFPR) with ages 15 and older, and the HLE in the world's countries. Thus, this study estimates the associations between the PLSE, LFPR of components of the GII and the HLE. The data for the analysis of HLE in 148 countries were obtained from the World Health Organization. Information regarding the GII indicators for this study was obtained from the United Nations database. Associations between these factors and HLE were assessed using Pearson correlation coefficients and regression models. Although significant negative correlations were found between HLE and the LFPR, positive correlations were found between HLE and PLSE. Finally, the HLE predictors were used to form a model of the components of the GII, with higher PLSE as secondary education and lower LFPR as labor force (R(2) = 0.552, P <0.001). Gender inequality of the attainment secondary education and labor force participation seems to have an important latent effect on healthy life expectancy at birth. Therefore, in populations with high HLE, the gender inequalities in HLE are smaller because of a combination of a larger secondary education advantage and a smaller labor force disadvantage in male-females.

Why sex hormones matter for neuroscience: A very short review on sex, sex hormones, and functional brain asymmetries.

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Hausmann, Markus

2017-01-02

Biological sex and sex hormones are known to affect functional cerebral asymmetries (FCAs). Men are generally more lateralized than women. The effect size of this sex difference is small but robust. Some of the inconsistencies in the literature may be explained by sex-related hormonal differences. Most studies focusing on neuromodulatory properties of sex hormones on FCAs have investigated women during the menstrual cycle. Although contradictions exist, these studies have typically shown that levels of estradiol and/or progesterone correlate with the degree of FCAs, suggesting that sex differences in FCAs partially depend on hormonal state and day of testing. The results indicate that FCAs are not fixed but are hormone dependent, and as such they can dynamically change within relatively short periods throughout life. Many issues raised in this Mini-Review refer not only to FCAs but also to other aspects of functional brain organization, such as functional connectivity within and between the cerebral hemispheres. Our understanding of sex differences in brain and behavior as well as their clinical relevance will improve significantly if more studies routinely take sex and sex hormones into account. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Sex differences in gut microbiota in patients with major depressive disorder.

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Chen, Jian-Jun; Zheng, Peng; Liu, Yi-Yun; Zhong, Xiao-Gang; Wang, Hai-Yang; Guo, Yu-Jie; Xie, Peng

2018-01-01

Our previous studies found that disturbances in gut microbiota might have a causative role in the onset of major depressive disorder (MDD). The aim of this study was to investigate whether there were sex differences in gut microbiota in patients with MDD. First-episode drug-naïve MDD patients and healthy controls were included. 16S rRNA gene sequences extracted from the fecal samples of the included subjects were analyzed. Principal-coordinate analysis and partial least squares-discriminant analysis were used to assess whether there were sex-specific gut microbiota. A random forest algorithm was used to identify the differential operational taxonomic units. Linear discriminant-analysis effect size was further used to identify the dominant sex-specific phylotypes responsible for the differences between MDD patients and healthy controls. In total, 57 and 74 differential operational taxonomic units responsible for separating female and male MDD patients from their healthy counterparts were identified. Compared with their healthy counterparts, increased Actinobacteria and decreased Bacteroidetes levels were found in female and male MDD patients, respectively. The most differentially abundant bacterial taxa in female and male MDD patients belonged to phyla Actinobacteria and Bacteroidia, respectively. Meanwhile, female and male MDD patients had different dominant phylotypes. These results demonstrated that there were sex differences in gut microbiota in patients with MDD. The suitability of Actinobacteria and Bacteroidia as the sex-specific biomarkers for diagnosing MDD should be further explored.

Single-sex schooling and labour market outcomes

OpenAIRE

Sullivan, A.; Joshi, H.; Leonard, D.

2011-01-01

One quarter of the 1958 British Birth cohort attended single-sex secondary schools. This paper asks whether sex-segregated schooling had any impact on the experience of gender differences in the labour market in mid-life. We examine outcomes at age 42, allowing for socio-economic origins and abilities measured in childhood. We find no net impact of single-sex schooling on the chances of being employed in 2000, nor on the horizontal or social class segregation of mid-life occupations. But we d...

Sex hormones in postmenopausal women with primary biliary cirrhosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Becker, U; Almdal, Thomas Peter; Christensen, E

1991-01-01

To evaluate serum sex hormone profiles in nonalcoholic postmenopausal women with liver disease, 25 women with primary biliary cirrhosis (11 in cirrhotic stage) and 46 healthy controls were studied. The patients had significantly (p less than 0.05) elevated serum concentrations of estrone and andr......To evaluate serum sex hormone profiles in nonalcoholic postmenopausal women with liver disease, 25 women with primary biliary cirrhosis (11 in cirrhotic stage) and 46 healthy controls were studied. The patients had significantly (p less than 0.05) elevated serum concentrations of estrone...... and androstenedione and significantly (p less than 0.05) lower concentrations of estrone sulfate, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone compared with the 46 controls. Serum concentrations of sex hormone binding globulin, testosterone, non-sex hormone binding globulin-bound testosterone...... and non-protein-bound testosterone did not differ significantly (p greater than 0.05) between primary biliary cirrhosis patients and controls. Patients in the cirrhotic stage had significantly (p less than 0.05) higher concentrations of sex hormone binding globulin than did controls. Patients...

Healthy Life Style Beheviours of The Nurses and The Determination of Affecting Factors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehtap Curcani

2010-10-01

Full Text Available AIM: This study was carried out descriptively with the aim of determining the variables affecting healthy life style behaviors of the nurses. METHOD: The study was carried on between the date’s may-June 2007 at Ataturk University Yakutiye Research Hospital on Suleyman Demirel Training and Research Hospitals. The research was carried out with 205 nurses. In the collection of the data survey form including personal behaviors of the nurses, and the Health Promotion Life-Style Profile prepared by researchers were used in the direction of literature. RESULTS: Total score of Health Promotion Life-Style Profile of the nurses participating in the research was 121.20±18.30, and sub-group scale scores; health responsibility is 20.88±3.76 and physical activities is 14.04±4.22, and nutritional habit is 19.57±3.80, and mental development is 25.36±4.47, and relations between persons is 24.04±4.07, and stress management is 17.09±3.59. There was statistically significant distinction between total score average and the situation of hawing children, and working duration and education level of the nurses (p<0.05. CONCLUSION: At the end of the result, it was determined that average of Health Promotion Life-Style Profile of the nurses was middle level and that the most common and most noticeable health life style behaviors of the nurses was mental development, and that the least applied health life style behaviors of the nurses was physical activities. [TAF Prev Med Bull 2010; 9(5.000: 487-492

Mass HIV Treatment and Sex Disparities in Life Expectancy: Demographic Surveillance in Rural South Africa.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacob Bor

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Women have better patient outcomes in HIV care and treatment than men in sub-Saharan Africa. We assessed--at the population level--whether and to what extent mass HIV treatment is associated with changes in sex disparities in adult life expectancy, a summary metric of survival capturing mortality across the full cascade of HIV care. We also determined sex-specific trends in HIV mortality and the distribution of HIV-related deaths in men and women prior to and at each stage of the clinical cascade.Data were collected on all deaths occurring from 2001 to 2011 in a large population-based surveillance cohort (52,964 women and 45,688 men, ages 15 y and older in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Cause of death was ascertained by verbal autopsy (93% response rate. Demographic data were linked at the individual level to clinical records from the public sector HIV treatment and care program that serves the region. Annual rates of HIV-related mortality were assessed for men and women separately, and female-to-male rate ratios were estimated in exponential hazard models. Sex-specific trends in adult life expectancy and HIV-cause-deleted adult life expectancy were calculated. The proportions of HIV deaths that accrued to men and women at different stages in the HIV cascade of care were estimated annually. Following the beginning of HIV treatment scale-up in 2004, HIV mortality declined among both men and women. Female adult life expectancy increased from 51.3 y (95% CI 49.7, 52.8 in 2003 to 64.5 y (95% CI 62.7, 66.4 in 2011, a gain of 13.2 y. Male adult life expectancy increased from 46.9 y (95% CI 45.6, 48.2 in 2003 to 55.9 y (95% CI 54.3, 57.5 in 2011, a gain of 9.0 y. The gap between female and male adult life expectancy doubled, from 4.4 y in 2003 to 8.6 y in 2011, a difference of 4.3 y (95% CI 0.9, 7.6. For women, HIV mortality declined from 1.60 deaths per 100 person-years (95% CI 1.46, 1.75 in 2003 to 0.56 per 100 person-years (95% CI 0.48, 0.65 in

Relationship of life style choices on body fat mass in young adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Rehman, Rehana; ullah Shaikh, Saif; Syed, Sadiqa; Shakeel, Nayyab

2010-01-01

Healthy diets and regular, adequate physical activity are major factors in the promotion and maintenance of good health throughout entire life course. Accumulation of fat occurs whenever energy consumed by food and drinks exceeds that which can be utilised by an individual's metabolism and physical activity. The objective of this study was to estimate the effect of lifestyle characteristics of a representative segment of medical students in terms of fast food preferences and participation in physical activity with respect to Body Mass Index (BMI). This cross-sectional study was carried out in Physiology Department, Bahria University Medical & Dental College, Karachi on 192 students of 1st and 2nd year MBBS. Body Mass index of students was calculated. They were classified into 4 groups with BMI or = 25 respectively. A life style questionnaire, based on preferences for healthy/unhealthy food, dietary habits and participation in physical activity was filled. Most of medical students (65%) had BMI less than 23. It was because of selection of healthy dietary pattern with nutritious food (p < 0.09) and participation in outdoor games (p < 0.03). Males who had high BMI showed a tendency to daily intake of fast food (p < 0.03). Walking in both the sexes had a positive impact in maintaining normal BMI (p = Males < 0.04, females < 0.001). Obesity can be prevented by innovative approaches, easiest of which is to promote active life styles with intake of healthy diet and involvement in physical activity.

Sex differences in objective measures of sleep in post-traumatic stress disorder and healthy control subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Richards, Anne; Metzler, Thomas J; Ruoff, Leslie M; Inslicht, Sabra S; Rao, Madhu; Talbot, Lisa S; Neylan, Thomas C

2013-12-01

A growing literature shows prominent sex effects for risk for post-traumatic stress disorder and associated medical comorbid burden. Previous research indicates that post-traumatic stress disorder is associated with reduced slow wave sleep, which may have implications for overall health, and abnormalities in rapid eye movement sleep, which have been implicated in specific post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, but most research has been conducted in male subjects. We therefore sought to compare objective measures of sleep in male and female post-traumatic stress disorder subjects with age- and sex-matched control subjects. We used a cross-sectional, 2 × 2 design (post-traumatic stress disorder/control × female/male) involving83 medically healthy, non-medicated adults aged 19-39 years in the inpatient sleep laboratory. Visual electroencephalographic analysis demonstrated that post-traumatic stress disorder was associated with lower slow wave sleep duration (F(3,82)  = 7.63, P = 0.007) and slow wave sleep percentage (F(3,82)  = 6.11, P = 0.016). There was also a group × sex interaction effect for rapid eye movement sleep duration (F(3,82)  = 4.08, P = 0.047) and rapid eye movement sleep percentage (F(3,82)  = 4.30, P = 0.041), explained by greater rapid eye movement sleep in post-traumatic stress disorder females compared to control females, a difference not seen in male subjects. Quantitative electroencephalography analysis demonstrated that post-traumatic stress disorder was associated with lower energy in the delta spectrum (F(3,82)  = 6.79, P = 0.011) in non-rapid eye movement sleep. Slow wave sleep and delta findings were more pronounced in males. Removal of post-traumatic stress disorder subjects with comorbid major depressive disorder, who had greater post-traumatic stress disorder severity, strengthened delta effects but reduced rapid eye movement effects to non-significance. These findings support previous evidence that post

Autism spectrum disorder symptoms in juvenile suspects of sex offenses.

Science.gov (United States)

't Hart-Kerkhoffs, Lisette A; Jansen, Lucres M; Doreleijers, Theo A; Vermeiren, Robert; Minderaa, Ruud B; Hartman, Catharina A

2009-02-01

To investigate autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms in juvenile suspects of sex offenses. A group of 175 juvenile suspected sex offenders (all males, mean +/- SD age = 14.9 +/- 1.4 years) was compared with a matched healthy control group (N = 500, mean +/- SD age = 14.0 +/- 1.4 years) and a group of children with DSM-IV-diagnosed ASD (N = 114, mean +/- SD age = 14.2 +/- 1.9 years) with respect to autistic symptoms as measured by means of a standardized questionnaire, the Children's Social Behavior Questionnaire. Furthermore, specific subgroups of sexual offenders, i.e., child molesters, solo peer offenders, and group offenders, were compared with regard to levels of ASD symptoms. The study was conducted from May 2003 to December 2006. Significantly higher levels of ASD symptoms were found in juvenile sex offenders than in healthy controls, while levels were lower than in the ASD group (F = 148.259, p symptoms than group offenders (F = 5.127, p symptoms are higher in juvenile suspects of sex offenses as compared to the healthy population, which argues for considering specific diagnostic assessment in this population, especially in solo offenders and child molesters. Copyright 2009 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

Osho - Insights on sex.

Science.gov (United States)

Nagaraj, Anil Kumar Mysore

2013-01-01

Sex is a mysterious phenomenon, which has puzzled even great sages. Human beings have researched and mastered the biology of sex. But that is not all. Sex needs to be understood from the spiritual perspective too. The vision of Osho is an enlightening experience in this regard. Out of the thousands of lectures, five lectures on sex made Osho most notorious. Born into a Jain family of Madhya Pradesh, Rajneesh, who later wanted himself to be called Osho, is a great master. He has spoken volumes on a wide range of topics ranging from sex to super-consciousness. His contributions in the area of sex are based on the principles of "Tantra" which has its origin from Buddhism. This article focuses on his life and insights on sex, which if understood properly, can be a stepping stone for enlightenment.

In patients suffering from idiopathic central serous chorioretinopathy, anxiety scores are higher than in healthy controls, but do not vary according to sex or repeated central serous chorioretinopathy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bazzazi N

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Nooshin Bazzazi,1 Mohammad Ahmadpanah,2 Siamak Akbarzadeh,1 Mohammad Ali Seif Rabiei,3 Edith Holsboer-Trachsler,4 Serge Brand4,5 1Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran; 2Research Center for Behavioral Disorders and Substance Abuse, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences; Hamadan, Iran; 3Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran; 4Psychiatric Clinics of the University of Basel, Center for Affective, Stress and Sleep Disorders, Basel, Switzerland; 5Department of Sport and Health Science, Sport Science Section, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland Introduction: Idiopathic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR is a relatively common ophthalmic disorder characterized by the development of a serous detachment of the sensory retina. Psychophysiological factors may trigger or maintain CSCR, though, surprisingly, the association between CSCR and anxiety has yet to be studied. The aims of the present study were threefold: to determine whether 1 Iranian patients with CSCR have higher scores for anxiety, 2 anxiety is lower, if CSCR has been experienced twice, and whether 3 anxiety scores differ between sexes.Methods: A total of 30 patients with CSCR and 30 healthy age- and sex-matched controls took part in the study. A brief face-to-face interview was conducted covering demographic variables and history and occurrence of CSCR and assessing anxiety.Results: Compared to healthy controls, anxiety was significantly higher in both first-time and second-time CSCR patients. In CSCR patients, anxiety scores did not differ between sexes.Conclusion: Higher anxiety scores were observed in Iranian patients with CSCR, irrespective of whether this was the first or second occurrence of CSCR. This suggests there is no psychological adaptation in terms of reduced anxiety among patients with repeated CSCR. Keywords: idiopathic central

The influence of sex on life shortening and tumor induction in CBA/Cne mice exposed to x rays or fission neutrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Di Majo, V.; Coppola, M.; Rebessi, S.; Saran, A.

1996-01-01

An experimental study of male and female CBA/Cne mice was set up at Casaccia primarily to investigate the influence of sex on long-term survival and tumor induction after exposure to high- and low-LET radiation. Mice were whole-body-irradiated at 3 months of age with fission-neutron doses of 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8, 1.2 and 1.8 Gy at the RSV-TAPIRO reactor (mean neutron energy 0.4 MeV, in terms of kerma, y D = 51.5 KeV/μm), or with 250 KVp X-ray doses of 1, 3, 5 and 7 Gy. Control and irradiated animals were then followed for their entire life span. As a general finding, male CBA/Cne mice appear more susceptible to tumori-genesis than females. In particular, the incidences of induced acute myeloid leukemia and malignant lymphomas are significant only in male mice. Benign and malignant solid tumors of many types are observed in mice of both sexes, the most frequent being in the lung, liver and ovary. However, evidence for a radiation response is limited to the case of Harderian gland neoplasms. In addition, a comparison of the observed frequency of all irradiated compared to unirradiated animals bearing solid tumors shows that the total tumor occurrence is not altered markedly by radiation exposure. A decrease in survival time is observed for both sexes and radiation types and correlates well with increasing dose. Moreover, both sex and radiation quality appear to influence the life shortening. A similar dose dependence of survival time is found when tumor-free animals alone are considered, suggesting a non-specific component of life-shortening. 18 refs., 3 figs., 5 tabs

Sex hormone binding globulin phenotypes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cornelisse, M M; Bennett, Patrick; Christiansen, M

1994-01-01

Human sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) is encoded by a normal and a variant allele. The resulting SHBG phenotypes (the homozygous normal SHBG, the heterozygous SHBG and the homozygous variant SHBG phenotype) can be distinguished by their electrophoretic patterns. We developed a novel detection....... This method of detection was used to determine the distribution of SHBG phenotypes in healthy controls of both sexes and in five different pathological conditions characterized by changes in the SHBG level or endocrine disturbances (malignant and benign ovarian neoplasms, hirsutism, liver cirrhosis...... on the experimental values. Differences in SHBG phenotypes do not appear to have any clinical significance and no sex difference was found in the SHBG phenotype distribution....

Sex ratios of Mountain Plovers from egg production to fledging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Margaret M. Riordan

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Skewed sex ratios can have negative implications for population growth if they do not match a species' life history. A skewed tertiary sex ratio has been detected in a population of Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus, a grassland shorebird experiencing population declines. To study the cause of the observed male skew, we examined three early life stages between egg and fledgling in eastern Colorado from 2010 to 2012. This allows us to distinguish between egg production and chick survival as an explanation for the observed skew. We examined the primary sex ratio in eggs produced and the secondary sex ratio in hatched chicks to see if the sex ratio bias occurs before hatching. We also determined the sex ratio at fledging to reveal sex-specific mortality of nestlings. The primary sex ratio was 1.01 (± 0.01 males per female. The secondary sex ratio consisted of 1.10 (± 0.02 males per female. The probability of a chick surviving to fledging differed between males (0.55 ± 0.13 and females (0.47 ± 0.15, but the precision of these survival estimates was low. Sex ratios in early life stages of the Mountain Plover do not explain the skewed sex ratio observed in adults in this breeding population.

Quality of life in Arab Muslim cancer survivors following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: comparison with matched healthy group.

Science.gov (United States)

Alaloul, Fawwaz; Brockopp, Dorothy Y; Andrykowski, Michael A; Hall, Lynne A; Al Nusairat, Taghreed S

2015-07-01

The aims of this study were to determine if quality of life (QOL) among Arab Muslim hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) survivors differs from that of a healthy matched comparison group and to examine the relationships of demographic and medical variables and perceived social support with post-HSCT QOL. HSCT survivors (n = 63) were recruited from the King Hussein Cancer Center outpatient clinic. A matched (age, gender, education), healthy comparison group (n = 63) was recruited through public advertisements. Participants completed the EORTC-30 QOL scale and the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey. Differences were found between the Arab Muslim HSCT survivor and healthy comparison groups for physical functioning (p Western HSCT survivors in the social and emotional QOL domains. Given growing numbers of Arab and Muslim cancer survivors in the USA and other Western countries, future research is warranted.

Motivations for entry into sex work and HIV risk among mobile female sex workers in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Saggurti, Niranjan; Verma, Ravi K; Halli, Shiva S; Swain, Suvakanta N; Singh, Rajendra; Modugu, Hanimi Reddy; Ramarao, Saumya; Mahapatra, Bidhubhusan; Jain, Anrudh K

2011-09-01

This paper assesses the reasons for entry into sex work and its association with HIV risk behaviours among mobile female sex workers (FSWs) in India. Data were collected from a cross-sectional survey conducted in 22 districts across four high HIV prevalence states in India during 2007-2008. Analyses were limited to 5498 eligible mobile FSWs. The reasons given by FSWs for entering sex work and associations with socio-demographic characteristics were assessed. Reported reasons for entering sex work include poor or deprived economic conditions; negative social circumstances in life; own choice; force by an external person; and family tradition. The results from multivariate analyses indicate that those FSWs who entered sex work due to poor economic conditions or negative social circumstances in life or force demonstrated elevated levels of current inconsistent condom use as well as in the past in comparison with those FSWs who reported entering sex work by choice or family tradition. This finding indicates the need for a careful assessment of the pre-entry contexts among HIV prevention interventions since these factors may continue to hinder the effectiveness of efforts to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS in India and elsewhere.

Validation of reaction time as a measure of cognitive function and quality of life in healthy subjects and patients

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jakobsen, Lene Holm; Sorensen, Janice Marie; Rask, Ingeborg Krarup

2011-01-01

Malnutrition is a common problem in hospitalized patients and is related to decreased cognitive function and impaired quality of life (QoL). We investigated the validity of reaction time as a simple bedside tool for measuring cognitive function in healthy subjects and patients, and additionally...

Prevalence of dyslipidaemia amongst apparently healthy staff of a ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The aim of this study is to determine the serum lipid profile of apparently healthy staff of University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Benin City. Consenting staff of UBTH who were apparently healthy were recruited for the study. Data extracted included the patient's age, sex, body mass index, weight, height, waist ...

Study of change of sex hormone receptors in diabetic impotent patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Yong; Chen Weizhen; Zhang Zikang; Hu Xiaoke

2002-01-01

To study the relationship between diabetic impotence and sex hormones as well as sex hormone receptors. 32 diabetic impotent patients, 32 diabetic patients with normal sex function, 32 impotent patients without diabetes, and 40 healthy men were enrolled. The plasma sex hormone levels were examined by radioimmunoassay, and sex hormone receptors in white blood cells by radioreceptor assay. Compared with healthy men and impotent patients without diabetes, PRL levels in both diabetic impotent patients and diabetic patients with normal sex function increased markedly, T and AR levels decreased, and the ratio of E 2 /T and ER/AR increased. Compared with diabetic patients with normal sex function, while there was no significant difference in PRL, T and E 2 /T ratio, the AR level of diabetic impotent patients further decreased, and the ER/AR ratio further increased. Negative correlation was found between age and AR as well as T. The decline of AR and the increase of ER/AR ratio might be one main cause of diabetic impotence. And the decline of T and AR might be an important cause of the increase of diabetic impotence incidence with age

Stress and sex: does cortisol mediate sex change in fish?

Science.gov (United States)

Goikoetxea, Alexander; Todd, Erica V; Gemmell, Neil J

2017-12-01

Cortisol is the main glucocorticoid (GC) in fish and the hormone most directly associated with stress. Recent research suggests that this hormone may act as a key factor linking social environmental stimuli and the onset of sex change by initiating a shift in steroidogenesis from estrogens to androgens. For many teleost fish, sex change occurs as a usual part of the life cycle. Changing sex is known to enhance the lifetime reproductive success of these fish and the modifications involved (behavioral, gonadal and morphological) are well studied. However, the exact mechanism behind the transduction of the environmental signals into the molecular cascade that underlies this singular process remains largely unknown. We here synthesize current knowledge regarding the role of cortisol in teleost sex change with a focus on two well-described transformations: temperature-induced masculinization and socially regulated sex change. Three non-mutually exclusive pathways are considered when describing the potential role of cortisol in mediating teleost sex change: cross-talk between GC and androgen pathways, inhibition of aromatase expression and upregulation of amh (the gene encoding anti-Müllerian hormone). We anticipate that understanding the role of cortisol in the initial stages of sex change will further improve our understanding of sex determination and differentiation across vertebrates, and may lead to new tools to control fish sex ratios in aquaculture. © 2017 Society for Reproduction and Fertility.

Effects of tributyltin on early life-stage, reproduction, and gonadal sex differentiation in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes).

Science.gov (United States)

Horie, Yoshifumi; Yamagishi, Takahiro; Shintaku, Yoko; Iguchi, Taisen; Tatarazako, Norihisa

2018-07-01

Tributyltin, an organotin compound, was used worldwide as an antifouling agent in aquatic environments and there has been much concern about the toxicological and ecotoxicological properties of organotin compounds. Even though it has been prohibited worldwide, tributyltin is still detected at low concentrations in aquatic environments. Here we investigated the effects of tributyltin on the early life-stage, reproduction, and gonadal sex differentiation in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes). In adults, exposure to tributyltin at 3.82 μg/L suppressed fecundity and fertility and increased mortality. At 10.48 μg/L all medaka died by the sixth day of exposure. Exposure to tributyltin during early life-stages induced no significant differences in mortality or embryonic development, but growth was suppressed in groups exposed to 0.13 and 0.68 μg/L. Furthermore, there was no abnormal gonadal development in Japanese medaka exposed to tributyltin. These results provide evidence of the negative effects of tributyltin on reproduction in a teleost fish. Tributyltin did not affect gonadal sex differentiation in Japanese medaka, but fecundity and fertility were suppressed, although it is not clear whether this suppression resulted from the endocrine-disrupting action of tributyltin or its toxicity. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evolution of gut Bifidobacterium population in healthy Japanese infants over the first three years of life: a quantitative assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Nagpal, Ravinder; Kurakawa, Takashi; Tsuji, Hirokazu; Takahashi, Takuya; Kawashima, Kazunari; Nagata, Satoru; Nomoto, Koji; Yamashiro, Yuichiro

2017-08-30

Bifidobacteria are important members of human gut microbiota; however, quantitative data on their early-life dynamics is limited. Here, using a sensitive reverse transcription-qPCR approach, we demonstrate the carriage of eight signature infant-associated Bifidobacterium species (B. longum, B. breve, B. bifidum, B. catenulatum group, B. infantis, B. adolescentis, B. angulatum and B. dentium) in 76 healthy full-term vaginally-born infants from first day to three years of life. About 21% babies carry bifidobacteria at first day of life (6.2 ± 1.9 log 10  cells/g feces); and this carriage increases to 64% (8.0 ± 2.2), 79% (8.5 ± 2.1), 97% (9.3 ± 1.8), 99% (9.6 ± 1.6), and 100% (9.7 ± 0.9) at age 7 days, 1, 3 and 6 months, and 3 years, respectively. B. longum, B. breve, B. catenulatum group and B. bifidum are among the earliest and abundant bifidobacterial clades. Interestingly, infants starting formula-feed as early as first week of life have higher bifidobacterial carriage compared to exclusively breast-fed counterparts. Bifidobacteria demonstrate an antagonistic correlation with enterobacteria and enterococci. Further analyses also reveal a relatively lower/ delayed bifidobacterial carriage in cesarean-born babies. The study presents a quantitative perspective of the early-life gut Bifidobacterium colonization and shows how factors such as birth and feeding modes could influence this acquisition even in healthy infants.

Childhood Adversity, Daily Stress, and Marital Strain in Same-Sex and Different-Sex Marriages

Science.gov (United States)

Donnelly, Rachel; Umberson, Debra; Kroeger, Rhiannon A.

2017-01-01

Childhood adversity has enduring consequences for individuals throughout life, including increased reactivity to stress that may contribute to marital strain in adulthood. Past research on gendered experiences of heterosexual spouses raises questions about how the influence of childhood adversity might differ for men and women in same-sex marriages. We analyze dyadic diary data from 756 individuals in 106 male same-sex, 157 female same-sex, and 115 different-sex marriages to consider how childhood adversity moderates the association between daily stress and marital strain. Results suggest that the negative consequences of daily stress for marital strain are amplified by past childhood adversity with variation for men and women in same- and different-sex unions, such that women and those in same-sex marriages may experience some protection from the adverse consequences of childhood adversity.

Healthy Places

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2007-04-10

Every person has a stake in environmental public health. As the environment deteriorates, so does the physical and mental health of the people within it. Healthy places are those designed and built to improve the quality of life for all people who live, work, worship, learn, and play within their borders -- where every person is free to make choices amid a variety of healthy, available, accessible, and affordable options. The CDC recognizes significant health issues and places that are vital in developing the Healthy Places program and provides examples in this report.  Created: 4/10/2007 by CDC National Center for Environmental Health.   Date Released: 4/13/2007.

Patterns of neuroendocrine coupling in 9-year-old children: Effects of sex, body-mass index, and life stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Black, Sarah R; Lerner, Matthew D; Shirtcliff, Elizabeth A; Klein, Daniel N

2018-02-01

Previous investigations have explored stress and pubertal hormones in parallel; it has been a recent development, however, to explore the relationships between different hormones during puberty, and how this hormonal cross-talk may be influenced by the environment. The current study investigated neuroendocrine coupling, or the extent to which hormones are correlated within the individual, and also investigated early life stressors that may influence coupling. Participants were 405 adrenarcheal children (mean Tanner stage=1.73 for girls and 1.38 for boys) from a longitudinal study who provided saliva samples for analysis of cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and testosterone. Saliva was collected when children were 9-years-old, while early life stressors were assessed at each longitudinal assessment (ages 3, 6, and 9). Results from multi-level modeling (MLM) analyses provided evidence of positive cortisol-dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and cortisol-testosterone coupling in middle childhood, and identified body mass index as a predictor of the strength of hormone coordination. While exposure to stressful life events did not impact cortisol-DHEA coupling patterns, stress interacted with sex to predict looser cortisol-testosterone coupling in girls, but not boys. The current study adds to the existing literature on the development of neuroendocrine coupling, and provided further evidence of sex differences in the impact of stress. Furthermore, hormone coupling may be investigated in the future as a mechanism by which puberty is associated with negative behavioral outcomes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sex differences in social focus across the life cycle in humans

Science.gov (United States)

Bhattacharya, Kunal; Ghosh, Asim; Monsivais, Daniel; Dunbar, Robin I. M.; Kaski, Kimmo

2016-04-01

Age and gender are two important factors that play crucial roles in the way organisms allocate their social effort. In this study, we analyse a large mobile phone dataset to explore the way life history influences human sociality and the way social networks are structured. Our results indicate that these aspects of human behaviour are strongly related to age and gender such that younger individuals have more contacts and, among them, males more than females. However, the rate of decrease in the number of contacts with age differs between males and females, such that there is a reversal in the number of contacts around the late 30s. We suggest that this pattern can be attributed to the difference in reproductive investments that are made by the two sexes. We analyse the inequality in social investment patterns and suggest that the age- and gender-related differences we find reflect the constraints imposed by reproduction in a context where time (a form of social capital) is limited.

Same sex families and children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mršević Zorica

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction comprises the information on two main forms of same sex families, civic partnership (same sex partnership and same sex marriage. Countries and various status modalities of legal regulations are mentioned. The main part of the text is dedicated to presentation of the findings of the most recent research on various aspects regarding children of same sex partnerships. It comprises presentations grouped in four main chapters: acceptance of same sex partnerships, acceptance of legal recognition of the same sex partnerships, family plans of homosexual teenagers, and raising children within and by the same sex partners. Also the real life cases mirroring legal changes through their life destinies are presented, such is e.g. the Irish way to legalization of the same sex partnerships. In addition, a love story of two women crowned by giving birth of their four children is mentioned. Reasons against and negative reactions the author puts under the title Homophobia. In the Concluding remarks, the author presents the most recent examples of legal changes happened in Norway, Ecuador, and in the American states of California and Connecticut. It was also stated that in European countries of low birth rate, the same sex families are inevitably identified as one of demographically valuable source of creating and raising children, which is worthy to be supported, rather than being hindered without reason and discriminated. Although different than a model of heterosexual family, same sex partnerships neither are harrowing to traditional family values, nor reflex of any kind of promiscuous, antisocial behavior, avoidance of parenthood, and negation of family. Quite opposite, these families are an outcome of endeavors of homosexuals not to be deprived of family, parenthood and all of other values of stabile, monogamous, emotional/sexual socially accepted and legally recognized and regulated conventional family. .

Reference Values for the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory and the Multidimensional Fatigue Scale in Adolescent Athletes by Sport and Sex.

Science.gov (United States)

Snyder Valier, Alison R; Welch Bacon, Cailee E; Bay, R Curtis; Molzen, Eileen; Lam, Kenneth C; Valovich McLeod, Tamara C

2017-10-01

Effective use of patient-rated outcome measures to facilitate optimal patient care requires an understanding of the reference values of these measures within the population of interest. Little is known about reference values for commonly used patient-rated outcome measures in adolescent athletes. To determine reference values for the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) and the Multidimensional Fatigue Scale (MFS) in adolescent athletes by sport and sex. Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. A convenience sample of interscholastic adolescent athletes from 9 sports was used. Participants completed the PedsQL and MFS during one testing session at the start of their sport season. Data were stratified by sport and sex. Dependent variables included the total PedsQL score and the 5 PedsQL subscale scores: physical functioning, psychosocial functioning, emotional functioning, social functioning, and school functioning. Dependent variables for the MFS included 3 subscale scores: general functioning, sleep functioning, and cognitive functioning. Summary statistics were reported for total and subscale scores by sport and sex. Among 3574 males and 1329 female adolescent athletes, the PedsQL scores (100 possible points) generally indicated high levels of health regardless of sport played. Mean PedsQL total and subscales scores ranged from 82.6 to 95.7 for males and 83.9 to 95.2 for females. Mean MFS subscale scores (100 possible points) ranged from 74.2 to 90.9 for males and 72.8 to 87.4 for females. Healthy male and female adolescent athletes reported relatively high levels of health on the PedsQL subscales and total scores regardless of sport; no mean scores were lower than 82.6 points for males or 83.9 points for females. On the MFS, males and females tended to report low effect of general and cognitive fatigue regardless of sport; mean scores were higher than 83.5 points for males and 83.8 points for females. Clinically, athletes who score below the

Devastating consequences of sex trafficking on women's health.

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McTavish, Fr James

2017-11-01

Sex trafficking has devastating consequences on the physical and mental well-being of millions of women around the world. These trafficking victims often come in contact with medical personnel, and these encounters with suitably prepared staff can be a step toward healing of the victims. The Catholic Church, especially through Pope Francis, is making strenuous efforts to curb the spread of sex trafficking. Same-sex feelings and behavior may arise post-trafficking in individuals, although this does not appear to be mentioned thus far in the literature. Here, we are most likely dealing with a type of "pseudo-lesbianism" post-trauma. The trafficking survivor can be helped to understand some of the likely roots of her feelings such as anti-male sentiments following abuse. She needs to be patiently, and expertly, accompanied to process the trauma she has experienced, and learn how to meet her genuine needs for female affection and affirmation in healthy, chaste, and non-erotic ways. Around the world, millions of female victims of human trafficking are forced into sex "work," often resulting in serious physical and mental-health problems. Healthcare staff should be alert to spot victims of sex trafficking and be ready to assist them. The Catholic Church, especially through Pope Francis, has been vocal in denouncing this form of modern slavery. Some female victims of sex trafficking may experience same-sex feelings afterward. Healing for such young women involves helping them to process their traumatic experiences, as well as patiently accompanying them as they seek to develop healthy, chaste friendships with other females and males.

Sex Reversal in Birds.

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Major, Andrew T; Smith, Craig A

2016-01-01

Sexual differentiation in birds is controlled genetically as in mammals, although the sex chromosomes are different. Males have a ZZ sex chromosome constitution, while females are ZW. Gene(s) on the sex chromosomes must initiate gonadal sex differentiation during embryonic life, inducing paired testes in ZZ individuals and unilateral ovaries in ZW individuals. The traditional view of avian sexual differentiation aligns with that expounded for other vertebrates; upon sexual differentiation, the gonads secrete sex steroid hormones that masculinise or feminise the rest of the body. However, recent studies on naturally occurring or experimentally induced avian sex reversal suggest a significant role for direct genetic factors, in addition to sex hormones, in regulating sexual differentiation of the soma in birds. This review will provide an overview of sex determination in birds and both naturally and experimentally induced sex reversal, with emphasis on the key role of oestrogen. We then consider how recent studies on sex reversal and gynandromorphic birds (half male:half female) are shaping our understanding of sexual differentiation in avians and in vertebrates more broadly. Current evidence shows that sexual differentiation in birds is a mix of direct genetic and hormonal mechanisms. Perturbation of either of these components may lead to sex reversal. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Sex-specific interaction effects of age, occupational status, and workplace stress on psychiatric symptoms and allostatic load among healthy Montreal workers.

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Juster, Robert-Paul; Moskowitz, D S; Lavoie, Joel; D'Antono, Bianca

2013-11-01

Socio-demographics and workplace stress may affect men and women differently. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess sex-specific interactions among age, occupational status, and workplace Demand-Control-Support (D-C-S) factors in relation to psychiatric symptoms and allostatic load levels representing multi-systemic "wear and tear". It was hypothesized that beyond main effects, D-C-S factors would be moderated by occupational status and age in sex-specific directions predictive of subjective psychiatric symptoms and objective physiological dysregulations. Participants included healthy male (n = 81) and female (n = 118) Montreal workers aged 20 to 64 years (Men: M = 39.4 years, SD = 11.3; Women: M = 42.8 years, SD = 11.38). The Job Content Questionnaire was administered to assess workplace D-C-S factors that included psychological demands, decisional latitude, and social support. Occupational status was coded using the Nam--Powers--Boyd system derived from the Canadian census. Psychiatric symptoms were assessed using the Beck Anxiety Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory II. Sex-specific allostatic load indices were calculated based on fifteen biomarkers. Regression analyses revealed that higher social support was associated with less depressive symptoms in middle aged (p = 0.033) and older men (p = 0.027). Higher occupational status was associated with higher allostatic load levels for men (p = 0.035), while the reverse occurred for women (p = 0.048). Women with lower occupational status but with higher decision latitude had lower allostatic load levels, as did middle-aged (p = 0.031) and older women (p = 0.003) with higher psychological demands. In summary, age and occupational status moderated workplace stress in sex-specific ways that have occupational health implications.

Previous experiences and emotional baggage as barriers to lifestyle change - a qualitative study of Norwegian Healthy Life Centre participants.

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Følling, Ingrid S; Solbjør, Marit; Helvik, Anne-S

2015-06-23

Changing lifestyle is challenging and difficult. The Norwegian Directorate of Health recommends that all municipalities establish Healthy Life Centres targeted to people with lifestyle issues. Little is known about the background, experiences and reflections of participants. More information is needed about participants to shape effective lifestyle interventions with lasting effect. This study explores how participants in a lifestyle intervention programme describe previous life experiences in relation to changing lifestyle. Semi-structured qualitative in-depth interviews were performed with 23 participants (16 women and 7 men) aged 18 - 70 years. The data were analysed using systematic text condensation searching for issues describing participants' responses, and looking for the essence, aiming to share the basis of life-world experiences as valid knowledge. Participants identified two main themes: being stuck in old habits, and being burdened with emotional baggage from their previous negative experiences. Participants expressed a wish to change their lifestyles, but were unable to act in accordance with the health knowledge they possessed. Previous experiences with lifestyle change kept them from initiating attempts without professional assistance. Participants also described being burdened by an emotional baggage with problems from childhood and/or with family, work and social life issues. Respondents said that they felt that emotional baggage was an important explanation for why they were stuck in old habits and that conversely, being stuck in old habits added load to their already emotional baggage and made it heavier. Behavioural change can be hard to perform as psychological distress from life baggage can influence the ability to change. The study participants' experience of being stuck in old habits and having substantial emotional baggage raises questions as to whether or not Healthy Life Centres are able to help participants who need to make a lifestyle

Educational and sex differentials in life expectancies and disability-free life expectancies in São Paulo, Brazil, and urban areas in Mexico.

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Beltrán-Sánchez, Hiram; Andrade, Flávia Cristina Drumond

2013-08-01

To estimate transition probabilities between disability states, total life expectancy, and the latter's decomposition into years spent disabled and disability-free by age, sex, and education among older adults in São Paulo, Brazil, and urban areas in Mexico. Applied a micro-simulation method (Interpolative Markov Chains) using longitudinal data. We found large between-country educational differences in incidence of and recovery from disability with higher rates in Mexico than in São Paulo, but no differences in mortality. Older adults in Mexico spent longer time being disability-free than in São Paulo for both levels of education. Males and females in São Paulo spent a larger fraction of their remaining life disabled at every age than their counterparts in urban areas in Mexico. There were educational differences in the prevalence of disability in São Paulo and urban areas in Mexico, and significant educational differences in disability incidence and recovery across sites.

Associations of psychosocial factors with pregnancy healthy life styles.

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Shabnam Omidvar

Full Text Available Healthy behaviors in pregnant women have a major effect on pregnancy outcomes; however, only few studies have explored the relationship of multiple psychosocial factors with healthy lifestyles during pregnancy. The objective of this study was to investigate whether the five psychosocial factors of anxiety, stress, depression, marital dissatisfaction, and social support are associated with six domains of healthy lifestyles in pregnant women, including nutrition, physical activity, health responsibility, stress management, interpersonal relationships, and self-actualization. In this cross-sectional study, 445 pregnant women from the obstetrics clinics of the teaching hospitals of Babol University of Medical Sciences were included. The subjects answered six questionnaires, including the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile, Beck Depression Inventory, Prenatal Distress Questionnaire, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Social Support Questionnaire, and Marital Satisfaction Scale. We developed a series of simple linear regression models based on each subscale of lifestyle (nutrition, physical activity, health responsibility, stress management, interpersonal relationships, and self-actualization as the dependent variables and the five psychological variables (anxiety, stress, depression, marital dissatisfaction, and social support as the independent variables. State and trait anxieties were the strongest negative predictors of all aspects of a healthy lifestyle. Furthermore, depression was negatively associated with all of the six subscales of a healthy lifestyle. Pregnancy-specific stress was the only negative predictor of stress management and self-actualization. Marital dissatisfaction was negatively associated with nutrition, stress management, health responsibility, and self-actualization. Social support had negative and positive associations with healthy behaviors. The study suggests that more attention should be paid to identifying the psychological

Associations of psychosocial factors with pregnancy healthy life styles

Science.gov (United States)

Hajian-Tilak, Karimallah; Nasiri Amiri, Fatemeh

2018-01-01

Healthy behaviors in pregnant women have a major effect on pregnancy outcomes; however, only few studies have explored the relationship of multiple psychosocial factors with healthy lifestyles during pregnancy. The objective of this study was to investigate whether the five psychosocial factors of anxiety, stress, depression, marital dissatisfaction, and social support are associated with six domains of healthy lifestyles in pregnant women, including nutrition, physical activity, health responsibility, stress management, interpersonal relationships, and self-actualization. In this cross-sectional study, 445 pregnant women from the obstetrics clinics of the teaching hospitals of Babol University of Medical Sciences were included. The subjects answered six questionnaires, including the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile, Beck Depression Inventory, Prenatal Distress Questionnaire, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Social Support Questionnaire, and Marital Satisfaction Scale. We developed a series of simple linear regression models based on each subscale of lifestyle (nutrition, physical activity, health responsibility, stress management, interpersonal relationships, and self-actualization) as the dependent variables and the five psychological variables (anxiety, stress, depression, marital dissatisfaction, and social support) as the independent variables. State and trait anxieties were the strongest negative predictors of all aspects of a healthy lifestyle. Furthermore, depression was negatively associated with all of the six subscales of a healthy lifestyle. Pregnancy-specific stress was the only negative predictor of stress management and self-actualization. Marital dissatisfaction was negatively associated with nutrition, stress management, health responsibility, and self-actualization. Social support had negative and positive associations with healthy behaviors. The study suggests that more attention should be paid to identifying the psychological risk factors in

Quality of life and health behaviours of patients with tuberculosis - sex differences.

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Jankowska-Polanska, Beata Katarzyna; Kamińska, Małgorzata; Uchmanowicz, Izabella; Rycombel, Anna

2015-01-01

Despite the introduction of effective antituberculosis drugs, tuberculosis (TB) is still a serious health problem and one of the most significant causes of death among infectious diseases. Current publications indicate an increase of tuberculosis cases among smokers, diabetics, malnurished subjects and those abusing alcohol and drugs. In the literature, there are only few studies raising the topic of the quality of life (QoL), stress management and health behaviour among patients with tuberculosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate QoL of patients with tuberculosis taking into account gender differences. In the study, the analysis of knowledge, health behaviour and stress management among TB patients depending on sex was carried out. The study included 80 subjects diagnosed with TB (including 38 females) who were hospitalised at the Regional Hospital Centre of Kotlina Jeleniogórska, Medical Unit Wysoka Łąka, Pulmonology and Phthisiology Department in Kowary between August 2012 and January 2013. The following questionnaires were used in the study: Mini-COPE - evaluating stress management, WHOQoL - assessing the quality of life of patients, IZZ - assessing health behaviour. A difference with regards to sociodemographic profile between females and males was observed. Half of the women surveyed were working (50% vs 19% of men), whereas half of men were entitled to unemployment benefit (50% vs 18.4% of women). More than half of women lived with their family (55.3%), whereas 47.6% of men lived alone. The majority of the subjects consumed alcohol occasionally (60.2% of women vs 45.2% of men), but as many as 31% of male patients vs 7.9% of females admitted that they consumed alcohol frequently. Among the respondents, people who consumed alcohol occasionally dominated (60.2% women vs. 45.2% of men), but as many as 31% of male patients vs. 7.9% of women admitted to consume alcohol frequently. Quality of life (QoL) assessment has shown no statistically significant

Quality of life in patients with oral lichen planus.

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López-Jornet, Pía; Camacho-Alonso, Fabio

2010-02-01

Oral lichen planus (OLP) can seriously affect the quality of life of patients because it has a strong impact on social relations, psychological status and daily activities. To study the quality of life using the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-49) (validated Spanish version) in patients with OLP. A total of 74 patients with a minimum age of 18 years who had lichen planus were recruited into the study, along with 74 'healthy' subjects matched by sex and age who acted as control. Both groups completed the OHIP-49. Higher scores were obtained on the OHIP-49 index in patients with OLP for all the subgroups and for the overall total than in the control group. Furthermore, there were statistically significant differences in the items concerning psychological discomfort, social disability and handicap in patients with OLP. The study shows that the quality of life in patients with OLP is reduced and that patient-centred measures should be considered in the management of patients with OLP.

Sex: a sensitive issue.

Science.gov (United States)

1997-01-01

Health care workers and educators may need to improve their skills in discussing sensitive issues in order to elicit and understand what influences people's attitudes toward sex. While the health worker may be bent upon preventing HIV infection, advising on family planning, or teaching youth about sexual relationships, his or her audience may have other priorities. A good counselor/teacher must learn what people's concerns are and discuss sexual health within that context. It can be difficult talking about sex because sex is a private concern and many people are embarrassed discussing it. Even sex partners often find it difficult to talk to each other about sex. Appropriate communication techniques vary depending upon the situation. It depends upon whether one is addressing people on an individual basis or in groups, which people are being addressed, which organization one is representing, and what one's role is. Good communication is a two-way sharing of information. The different stages of life, common beliefs and myths, culture and religion, relationships between men and women, reasons for having sex, and sex practices are discussed.

The healthy donor effect impacts self-reported physical and mental health - results from the Danish Blood Donor Study (DBDS)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rigas, A S; Skytthe, A; Erikstrup, C

2017-01-01

AIMS: This study aimed at quantifying the healthy donor effect by comparing self-perceived mental and physical health between blood donors and non-donors. BACKGROUND: In theory, the selection process known as the healthy donor effect should result in better self-perceived, health-related quality...... of life in donors than in non-donors. METHODS: The Short Form-12 data from the Danish Twin Registry (DTR) was compared with the data from the Danish Blood Donor Study (DBDS). Data on age, sex and smoking status were included in the analyses. The multivariable linear regression analysis was stratified......-perceived mental health was associated with a blood donor. With the increase in age, better self-perceived physical health was associated with blood donation....

Ageing and healthy sexuality among women living with HIV.

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Narasimhan, Manjulaa; Payne, Caitlin; Caldas, Stephanie; Beard, John R; Kennedy, Caitlin E

2016-11-01

Populations around the world are rapidly ageing and effective treatment for HIV means women living with HIV (WLHIV) can live longer, healthier lives. HIV testing and screening programmes and safer sex initiatives often exclude older sexually active WLHIV. Systematically reviewing the literature to inform World Health Organization guidelines on the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of WLHIV, identified four studies examining healthy sexuality among older WLHIV. In Uganda, WLHIV reported lower rates of sexual activity and rated sex as less important than men. In the United States, HIV stigma, disclosure, and body image concerns, among other issues, were described as inhibiting relationship formation and safer sexual practices. Sexual activity declined similarly over time for all women, including for WLHIV who reported more protected sex, while a significant minority of WLHIV reported unprotected sex. A single intervention, the "ROADMAP" intervention, demonstrated significant increases in HIV knowledge and decreases in HIV stigma and high risk sexual behaviour. WLHIV face ageist discrimination and other barriers to remaining sexually active and maintaining healthy sexual relationships, including challenges procuring condoms and seeking advice on safe sex practices, reduced ability to negotiate safer sex, physical and social changes associated with menopause, and sexual health challenges due to disability and comorbidities. Normative guidance does not adequately address the SRHR of older WLHIV, and while this systematic review highlights the paucity of data, it also calls for additional research and attention to this important area. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Healthy eating for life: rationale and development of an English as a second language (ESL) curriculum for promoting healthy nutrition.

Science.gov (United States)

Martinez, Josefa L; Rivers, Susan E; Duncan, Lindsay R; Bertoli, Michelle; Domingo, Samantha; Latimer-Cheung, Amy E; Salovey, Peter

2013-12-01

Low health literacy contributes significantly to cancer health disparities disadvantaging minorities and the medically underserved. Immigrants to the United States constitute a particularly vulnerable subgroup of the medically underserved, and because many are non-native English speakers, they are pre-disposed to encounter language and literacy barriers across the cancer continuum. Healthy Eating for Life (HE4L) is an English as a second language (ESL) curriculum designed to teach English language and health literacy while promoting fruit and vegetable consumption for cancer prevention. This article describes the rationale, design, and content of HE4L. HE4L is a content-based adult ESL curriculum grounded in the health action process approach to behavior change. The curriculum package includes a soap opera-like storyline, an interactive student workbook, a teacher's manual, and audio files. HE4L is the first teacher-administered, multimedia nutrition-education curriculum designed to reduce cancer risk among beginning-level ESL students. HE4L is unique because it combines adult ESL principles, health education content, and behavioral theory. HE4L provides a case study of how evidence-based, health promotion practices can be implemented into real-life settings and serves as a timely, useful, and accessible nutrition-education resource for health educators.

Can We Really (All Work Longer?Trends in Healthy Life Expectancy According to Social Stratum in Germany

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rainer Unger

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Against the background of raising the retirement age to 67 years and the associated lengthening of working lifetimes in higher age groups, this article examines the question of the extent to which this political objective is covered by the health assets of the population. Here, we will first trace trends in “healthy” life expectancy among the total population for different points in time 1989, 1999 and 2009 on the basis of the data from the Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP and analyse these against the background of social strata indicators such as income and educational levels. Among others, one significant result is the fact that social differences have a far greater effect on healthy life expectancy than on general life expectancy and that these differences increase further over the course of time. This effect can be found particularly in men. One mandatory uniform working lifetime for all persons would however not do justice to these findings of socially highly unequally distributed life opportunities. Instead, the findings support a flexible arrangement of retirement age limits.

Reproducibility of the 133Xe inhalation technique in resting studies: task order and sex related effects in healthy young adults

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Warach, S.; Gur, R.C.; Gur, R.E.; Skolnick, B.E.; Obrist, W.D.; Reivich, M.

1987-01-01

Repeated applications of the 133 Xe inhalation technique for measuring regional CBF (rCBF) were made during consecutive resting conditions in a sample of young healthy subjects. Subjects were grouped by order and by sex [nine had resting studies as the initial two measurements in a series of four measurement (six men, three women) and six had these measurements later (two men, four women)]. Three flow parameters were examined: f1 (fast flow) and IS (initial slope) for gray matter CBF, and CBF-15 for mean CBF (gray and white matter over 15-min integration), as well as w1, the percentage of tissue with fast clearing characteristics. With all groups combined, there were no significant differences between the two resting measurements, and high test-retest correlations were obtained for the flow parameters and w1. Analyses by order and sex grouping revealed, for the flow parameters, significant interactions of test-retest difference with order. Repeated initial studies showed reduced CBF from the first to second measurement, whereas resting studies performed later in the series showed no reduction. Interactions for test-retest difference with sex indicated that reduced CBF in serial measures was more pronounced for women. No hemispheric or regional specificity to account for these effects was found. Correction for PaCO 2 differences did not alter these results. The results resemble data regarding habituation effects measured for other psychophysiologic measures, and suggest that reduction in CBF for consecutive measurements made on the same day may reflect habituation. This underscores the importance of controlling for effects of habituation on serial measurements of CBF and metabolism

Caffeine exposure during rat brain development causes memory impairment in a sex selective manner that is offset by caffeine consumption throughout life.

Science.gov (United States)

Ardais, Ana Paula; Rocha, Andréia S; Borges, Maurício Felisberto; Fioreze, Gabriela T; Sallaberry, Cássia; Mioranzza, Sabrina; Nunes, Fernanda; Pagnussat, Natália; Botton, Paulo Henrique S; Cunha, Rodrigo A; Porciúncula, Lisiane de Oliveira

2016-04-15

Caffeine is the psychostimulant most consumed worldwide. In moderate doses, it affords a beneficial effect in adults and upon aging, but has a deleterious effect during brain development. We now tested if caffeine consumption by rats (0.1, 0.3, 1.0 g/L in the drinking water, only during active cycle and weekdays) during adulthood could revert the potentially negative effects of caffeine during early life. Thus, we compared caffeine intake starting 15 days before mating and lasting either up to weaning (development) or up to adulthood, on behavior and synaptic proteins in male and female rats. Recognition memory was impaired only in female rats receiving caffeine (0.3 and 1.0 g/L) during development, coincident with increased proBDNF and unchanged BDNF levels in the hippocampus. Caffeine in both treatment regimens caused hyperlocomotion only in male rats, whereas anxiety-related behavior was attenuated in both sexes by caffeine (1.0 g/L) throughout life. Both caffeine treatment regimens decreased GFAP (as an astrocyte marker) and SNAP-25 (as a nerve terminals marker) in the hippocampus from male rats. TrkB receptor was decreased in the hippocampus from both sexes and treatment regimens. These findings revealed that caffeine intake during a specific time window of brain development promotes sex-dependent behavioral outcomes related to modification in BDNF signaling. Furthermore, caffeine throughout life can overcome the deleterious effects of caffeine on recognition memory during brain development in female rats. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Healthy Skin Matters

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... skin. If you’re helping out in the kitchen, make sure you use hot pads or wear ... in humans, plants, and animals, while others are essential for a healthy life. Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) ( ...

Marrow Fat Quality Differences by Sex in Healthy Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Maciel, Jamilly G; de Araújo, Iana M; Carvalho, Adriana L; Simão, Marcelo N; Bastos, Clara M; Troncon, Luiz E A; Salmon, Carlos E G; de Paula, Francisco J A; Nogueira-Barbosa, Marcello H

Several studies have demonstrated the relationship between bone marrow adiposity (BMAT) and bone mass. 1 H magnetic resonance spectroscopy is a noninvasive technique able to assess both BMAT quantity and quality. The aim of our study was to perform quantitative and qualitative analyses of BMAT and to investigate its association with bone mineral density (BMD) in healthy nonobese volunteers. Fifty-one healthy volunteers, 21 men and 30 women, underwent 1.5 T 1 H magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the lumbar spine. BMD was determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry of the lumbar spine. Correlation analysis was performed to evaluate association among lipids fractions, BMD, and age. The female and male volunteers had similar body mass index and BMD (p > 0.05). Our data demonstrated an inverse correlation of BMD and BMAT with age, with a stronger correlation of saturated lipids (r = 0.701; p BMAT and other factors that influence bone integrity. Copyright © 2016 The International Society for Clinical Densitometry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Healthy living

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... living URL of this page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002393.htm Healthy living To use the sharing features on this page, please enable JavaScript. Good health habits can allow you to avoid illness and improve your quality of life. The following steps will help you ...

Perception of quality of life and social adjustment of patients with recurrent depression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stanković Žana

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Depression is the most commonly present psychiatric entity in clinical practice, accompanied by significant impairment of both social and professional functioning. In addition, depression frequently develops as complication of other psychiatric disorders and various somatic diseases. Objective: To investigate subjective perception of quality of life and social adjustment, severity of depressive symptoms as well as level of correlation of severity of depressive symptoms and quality of life and social adjustment of patients with recurrent depression in comparison to the group of patients with diabetes and healthy subjects. Method: The study included 45 subjects of both sexes, ranging from 18 to 60 years of age, divided in three groups of 15 subjects each. The experimental group comprised the patients diagnosed with recurrent depression in remission (DSM-IV, one control group was consisted of patients diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes mellitus and another one comprised healthy subjects. The instruments of assessment were: The Beck Depression Inventory- BDI, The Social Adaptation Self -evaluation scale - SASS, The Psychological General Well-Being Scale - WBQ. Results: Significant difference of both BDI and WBQ scales was found between the experimental and the control group of healthy subjects (ANOVA, Mann Whitney; p≤0.01, as well as between two control groups (p≤0.02. The level of inverse correlation of mean score values of BDI and SASS scales was significant in the control group of patients with diabetes while such levels of BDI and WBQ scales (Spearman correlation coefficient, p<0.01 were found in all groups of our study. Conclusion: In the group of patients with recurrent depression, significant decline of quality of life and significantly higher severity of depressive symptoms were present in comparison to the group of healthy subjects as well as significant level of inverse correlation of severity of depressive symptoms and

Age-Stage, Two-Sex Life Table Characteristics of Aedes albopictus and Aedes Aegypti in Penang Island, Malaysia.

Science.gov (United States)

Maimusa, Hamisu A; Ahmad, Abu Hassan; Kassim, Nur Faeza A; Rahim, Junaid

2016-03-01

The life table developmental attributes of laboratory colonies of wild strains of Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti were analyzed and compared based on the age-stage, two-sex life table. Findings inclusive in this study are: adult preoviposition periods, total preoviposition period, mean intrinsic rate of increase (r), mean finite rate of increase (λ), net reproductive rates (R0), and mean generation time (T). The total preadult development time was 9.47 days for Ae. albopictus and 8.76 days for Ae. aegypti. The life expectancy was 19.01 days for Ae. albopictus and 19.94 days for Ae. aegypti. Mortality occurred mostly during the adult stage. The mean development time for each stage insignificantly correlated with temperature for Ae. albopictus (r  =  -0.208, P > 0.05) and (r  =  -0.312, P > 0.05) for Ae. aegypti. The population parameters suggest that Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti populations are r-strategists characterized by a high r, a large R0, and short T. This present study provides the first report to compare the life parameters of Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti strains from Penang island, Malaysia.

A Transcriptome Survey Spanning Life Stages and Sexes of the Harlequin Bug, Murgantia histrionica

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael E. Sparks

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The harlequin bug, Murgantia histrionica (Hahn, is an agricultural pest in the continental United States, particularly in southern states. Reliable gene sequence data are especially useful to the development of species-specific, environmentally friendly molecular biopesticides and effective biolures for this insect. Here, mRNAs were sampled from whole insects at the 2nd and 4th nymphal instars, as well as sexed adults, and sequenced using Illumina RNA-Seq technology. A global assembly of these data identified 72,540 putative unique transcripts bearing high levels of similarity to transcripts identified in other taxa, with over 99% of conserved single-copy orthologs among insects being detected. Gene ontology and protein family analyses were conducted to explore the functional potential of the harlequin bug’s gene repertoire, and phylogenetic analyses were conducted on gene families germane to xenobiotic detoxification, including glutathione S-transferases, carboxylesterases and cytochrome P450s. Genic content in harlequin bug was compared with that of the closely related invasive pest, the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål. Quantitative analyses of harlequin bug gene expression levels, experimentally validated using quantitative real-time PCR, identified genes differentially expressed between life stages and/or sexes.

Quality of life after cancer-How the extent of impairment is influenced by patient characteristics.

Science.gov (United States)

Peters, Elisabeth; Mendoza Schulz, Laura; Reuss-Borst, Monika

2016-10-10

Although this effect is well known, tailored treatment methods have not yet been broadly adopted. The aim of this study was to identify those patient characteristics that most influence the impairment of quality of life and thus to identify those patients who need and can benefit most from specific intervention treatment. 1879 cancer patients were given the EORTC QLQ C-30 questionnaire at the beginning and end of their inpatient rehabilitation. Patients' scores were compared to those of 2081 healthy adults (Schwarz and Hinz, Eur J Cancer 37:1345-1351, 2001). Furthermore, differences in quality of life corresponding to sex, age, tumor site, TNM stage, interval between diagnosis and rehabilitation, and therapy method were examined. Compared to the healthy population, the study group showed a decreased quality of life in all analyzed domains. This difference diminished with increasing age. Women reported a lower quality of life then men in general. Patients with prostate cancer showed the least impairment in several domains. Patients having undergone chemotherapy as well as radiotherapy were impaired the most. Surprisingly, TNM stage and interval between diagnosis and rehabilitation did not significantly influence quality of life. Global quality of life and all functional domains significantly improved after a 3-week rehabilitation program. Despite an individualized and increasingly better tolerable therapy, the quality of life of cancer patients is still considerably impaired. However, systematic screening of psychosocial aspects of cancer, e.g. quality of life, could enable improved intervention.

The rate of change in declining steroid hormones: a new parameter of healthy aging in men?

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Walther, Andreas; Philipp, Michel; Lozza, Niclà; Ehlert, Ulrike

2016-09-20

Research on healthy aging in men has increasingly focused on age-related hormonal changes. Testosterone (T) decline is primarily investigated, while age-related changes in other sex steroids (dehydroepiandrosterone [DHEA], estradiol [E2], progesterone [P]) are mostly neglected. An integrated hormone parameter reflecting aging processes in men has yet to be identified. 271 self-reporting healthy men between 40 and 75 provided both psychometric data and saliva samples for hormone analysis. Correlation analysis between age and sex steroids revealed negative associations for the four sex steroids (T, DHEA, E2, and P). Principal component analysis including ten salivary analytes identified a principal component mainly unifying the variance of the four sex steroid hormones. Subsequent principal component analysis including the four sex steroids extracted the principal component of declining steroid hormones (DSH). Moderation analysis of the association between age and DSH revealed significant moderation effects for psychosocial factors such as depression, chronic stress and perceived general health. In conclusion, these results provide further evidence that sex steroids decline in aging men and that the integrated hormone parameter DSH and its rate of change can be used as biomarkers for healthy aging in men. Furthermore, the negative association of age and DSH is moderated by psychosocial factors.

Mental State Decoding in Adolescent Boys with Major Depressive Disorder versus Sex-Matched Healthy Controls.

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Mellick, William; Sharp, Carla

2016-01-01

Several adult depression studies have investigated mental state decoding, the basis for theory of mind, using the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test. Findings have been mixed, but a comprehensive study found a greater severity of depression to be associated with poorer mental state decoding. Importantly, there has yet to be a similar study of adolescent depression. Converging evidence suggests that atypical mental state decoding may have particularly profound effects for psychosocial functioning among depressed adolescent boys. Adolescent boys with major depressive disorder (MDD, n = 33) and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs, n = 84) completed structured clinical interviews, self-report measures of psychopathology and the Child Eyes Test (CET). The MDD group performed significantly better than HCs on the CET overall (p = 0.002), underscored by greater accuracy for negatively valenced items (p = 0.003). Group differences on items depicting positive (p = 0.129) and neutral mental states (p = 0.081) were nonsignificant. Enhanced mental state decoding among depressed adolescent boys may play a role in the maintenance of and vulnerability to adolescent depression. Findings and implications are discussed. Limitations of this study include a reliance on self-report data for HC boys, as well as a lack of 'pure' depression among the boys with MDD. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Sex-specific local life-history adaptation in surface- and cave-dwelling Atlantic mollies (Poecilia mexicana).

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Riesch, Rüdiger; Reznick, David N; Plath, Martin; Schlupp, Ingo

2016-03-10

Cavefishes have long been used as model organisms showcasing adaptive diversification, but does adaptation to caves also facilitate the evolution of reproductive isolation from surface ancestors? We raised offspring of wild-caught surface- and cave-dwelling ecotypes of the neotropical fish Poecilia mexicana to sexual maturity in a 12-month common garden experiment. Fish were raised under one of two food regimes (high vs. low), and this was crossed with differences in lighting conditions (permanent darkness vs. 12:12 h light:dark cycle) in a 2 × 2 factorial design, allowing us to elucidate potential patterns of local adaptation in life histories. Our results reveal a pattern of sex-specific local life-history adaptation: Surface molly females had the highest fitness in the treatment best resembling their habitat of origin (high food and a light:dark cycle), and suffered from almost complete reproductive failure in darkness, while cave molly females were not similarly affected in any treatment. Males of both ecotypes, on the other hand, showed only weak evidence for local adaptation. Nonetheless, local life-history adaptation in females likely contributes to ecological diversification in this system and other cave animals, further supporting the role of local adaptation due to strong divergent selection as a major force in ecological speciation.

Sex-Steroid Hormone Manipulation Reduces Brain Response to Reward

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Macoveanu, Julian; Henningsson, Susanne; Pinborg, Anja

2016-01-01

's vulnerability for mood disorders is linked to sex-steroid dynamics by investigating the effects of a pharmacologically induced fluctuation in ovarian sex steroids on the brain response to monetary rewards. In a double-blinded placebo controlled study, healthy women were randomized to receive either placebo...... or the gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) goserelin, which causes a net decrease in sex-steroid levels. Fifty-eight women performed a gambling task while undergoing functional MRI at baseline, during the mid-follicular phase, and again following the intervention. The gambling task enabled us to map...

Individual and sex-related differences in pain and relief responsiveness are associated with differences in resting-state functional networks in healthy volunteers.

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Galli, Giulia; Santarnecchi, Emiliano; Feurra, Matteo; Bonifazi, Marco; Rossi, Simone; Paulus, Martin P; Rossi, Alessandro

2016-02-01

Pain processing is associated with neural activity in a number of widespread brain regions. Here, we investigated whether functional connectivity at rest between these brain regions is associated with individual and sex-related differences in thermal pain and relief responsiveness. Twenty healthy volunteers (ten females) were scanned with functional magnetic resonance imaging in resting conditions. Half an hour after scanning, we administered thermal pain on the back of their right hand and collected pain and relief ratings in two separate runs of twelve stimuli each. Across the whole group, mean pain ratings were associated with decreased connectivity at rest between brain regions belonging to the default mode and the visual resting-state network. In men, pain measures correlated with increased connectivity within the visual resting-state network. In women, in contrast, decreased connectivity between this network and parietal and prefrontal brain regions implicated in affective cognitive control were associated with both pain and relief ratings. Our findings indicate that the well documented individual variability and sex differences in pain sensitivity may be explained, at least in part, by network dynamics at rest in these brain regions. © 2015 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Quality of life in mentally ill, physically ill and healthy individuals: the validation of the Greek version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-100) questionnaire.

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Ginieri-Coccossis, Maria; Triantafillou, Eugenia; Tomaras, Vlasis; Liappas, Ioannis A; Christodoulou, George N; Papadimitriou, George N

2009-10-13

The World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-100) questionnaire is a generic quality of life (QoL) measurement tool used in various cultural and social settings and across different patient and healthy populations. The present study examines the psychometric properties of the Greek version, with an emphasis on the ability of the instrument to capture QoL differences between mentally ill, physically ill and healthy individuals. A total of 425 Caucasian participants were tested, as to form 3 groups: (a) 124 psychiatric patients (schizophrenia n = 87, alcohol abuse/dependence n = 37), (b) 234 patients with physical illness (hypertension n = 139, cancer n = 95), and (c) 67 healthy control individuals. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed indicating that a four-factor model can provide an adequate instrument structure for the participating groups (GFI 0.92). Additionally, internal consistency of the instrument was shown to be acceptable, with Cronbach's alpha values ranging from 0.78 to 0.90 regarding the four -domain model, and from 0.40 to 0.90 regarding the six-domain one. Evidence based on Pearson's r and Independent samples t-test indicated satisfactory test/retest reliability, as well as good convergent validity tested with the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and the Life Satisfaction Inventory (LSI). Furthermore, using Independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA, the instrument demonstrated good discriminatory ability between healthy, mentally ill and physically ill participants, as well as within the distinct patient groups of schizophrenic, alcohol dependent, hypertensive and cancer patients. Healthy individuals reported significantly higher QoL, particularly in the physical health domain and in the overall QoL/health facet. Mentally ill participants were distinctively differentiated from physically ill in several domains, with the greatest difference and reduction observed in the social relationships domain and in the overall Qo

Quality of life in mentally ill, physically ill and healthy individuals: The validation of the Greek version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-100 questionnaire

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Liappas Ioannis A

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Objective The World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-100 questionnaire is a generic quality of life (QoL measurement tool used in various cultural and social settings and across different patient and healthy populations. The present study examines the psychometric properties of the Greek version, with an emphasis on the ability of the instrument to capture QoL differences between mentally ill, physically ill and healthy individuals. Methods A total of 425 Caucasian participants were tested, as to form 3 groups: (a 124 psychiatric patients (schizophrenia n = 87, alcohol abuse/dependence n = 37, (b 234 patients with physical illness (hypertension n = 139, cancer n = 95, and (c 67 healthy control individuals. Results Confirmatory factor analysis was performed indicating that a four-factor model can provide an adequate instrument structure for the participating groups (GFI 0.92. Additionally, internal consistency of the instrument was shown to be acceptable, with Cronbach's α values ranging from 0.78 to 0.90 regarding the four -domain model, and from 0.40 to 0.90 regarding the six-domain one. Evidence based on Pearson's r and Independent samples t-test indicated satisfactory test/retest reliability, as well as good convergent validity tested with the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28 and the Life Satisfaction Inventory (LSI. Furthermore, using Independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA, the instrument demonstrated good discriminatory ability between healthy, mentally ill and physically ill participants, as well as within the distinct patient groups of schizophrenic, alcohol dependent, hypertensive and cancer patients. Healthy individuals reported significantly higher QoL, particularly in the physical health domain and in the overall QoL/health facet. Mentally ill participants were distinctively differentiated from physically ill in several domains, with the greatest difference and reduction observed in the social

'And next, just for your enjoyment!': sex, technology and the constitution of desire.

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Dowsett, Gary W

2015-01-01

In the 1976 sci-fi film Logan's Run, actor Michael York, relaxing in a fetching caftan after a day hunting 'Runners', logs-in to the 'Circuit', a de- and re-materialisation technology that allows those seeking sex to select partners. Logan's first candidate, a young man, is passed over with a smile. The second is co-star Jenny Agutter; she is accepted and we join a sexual ride in the future. Online dating sites such as Gaydar® and RSVP® would seem to have a long way to go to achieve that, and Microsoft™ needs some fast apps development to get us there. Against this background, this paper examines some starting points in our fascination with technosex, long before the Internet, in books and magazines, the creative arts and other media and cultural forms. It focuses upon gay men's contribution to this fascination, and looks at the queering of heterosexuality and the part technology has played in that process. Online technologies are examined, particularly in relation to the 'publicisation' of sexual life and to shifts in sexual identity and practice related to changing processes of sexual objectification, self-objectification and subjectification. Finally, the transformation of sex into health and healthy sex is discussed.

Characteristics of a Healthy Family.

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Lin, Phylis Lan

The reason for studying the characteristics of a healthy family is to encourage and strengthen the family and to move toward an enriched family life by using the characteristics as bench marks. Six characteristics are discussed as the essence of a healthy family: (1) commitment; (2) togetherness; (3) appreciation; (4) good communication; (5)…

Sex differences in the quality of life of patients with acute coronary syndrome treated with percutaneous coronary intervention after a 3-year follow-up

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Jankowska-Polańska B

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Beata Jankowska-Polańska,1 Izabella Uchmanowicz,1 Krzysztof Dudek,2 Krystyna Łoboz-Grudzień1,3 1Department of Clinical Nursing, Wrocław Medical University, 2Department of Logistics and Transport Systems, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Wrocław University of Technology, 3Cardiology Unit, T Marciniak Lower Silesian Specialist Hospital, Emergency Medicine Centre, Wrocław, Poland Background: The aims of this study were to analyze the dynamics of quality of life (QoL changes after 36 months from the percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI depending on sex and identify baseline predictors of the follow-up QoL of patients hospitalized for acute coronary syndrome (ACS and subjected to PCI.Methods and results: The study included 137 patients, females (n=67 and males (n=70, with ACS who underwent PCI. The QoL was assessed using the MacNew Heart Disease Health-Related Quality of Life questionnaire. The group of females scored lower in all the domains of the MacNew Heart Disease Health-Related Quality of Life questionnaire in the initial measurement (B1, in the measurement after 6 months (B2, and in the long-term follow-up measurement (36 months – B3. Despite the fact that both groups achieved improved QoL, its values were higher in the males. The average growth rate of the QoL score in the period from the sixth month to 36th month was higher in females than in males. In the univariate and multivariate analyses, significant independent predictors with a negative influence on the long-term QoL score included female sex (Ρ=−0.190, β=−0.21, age >60 years (Ρ=−0.255, β=−0.186, and diabetes (Ρ=−0.216, β=−0.216.Conclusion: In a 36-month follow-up of ACS patients treated with PCI, there were no statistically significant differences in QoL between sexes. In the entire cohort, there was improvement in QoL, which was higher in the case of the females studied. For the entire group, significant independent determinants of lower QoL 3�

The sex and sex determination in Pyropia haitanensis (Bangiales, Rhodophyta).

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Zhang, Yuan; Yan, Xing-hong; Aruga, Yusho

2013-01-01

Pyropia haitanensis has a biphasic life cycle with macroscopic gametophytic blade (n) and microscopic filamentous conchocelis (2n) phase. Its gametophytic blades have long been believed to be mainly dioecious. However, when crossing the red mutant (R, ♀) with the wild type (W, ♂), the parental colors were segregated in F1 blades, of which 96.1% were linearly sectored with 2-4 color sectors. When color sectors were excised from the color-sectored blades and cultured singly, 99.7% of the color sectors appeared to be unisexual with an equal sex ratio. Although the sex of color sector did not genetically link with its color, the boundaries of both sex and color sectors coincided precisely. About 87.9% of the examined color-sectored blades were monoecious and the percentage increased with the number of color sectors of a blade. The gametophytic blades from each conchocelis strain produced by parthenogenesis of the excised color sectors were unisexual and unicolor, showing the same sex and color as their original sectors. These results indicate that most of the sexually reproduced Py. haitanensis blades are monoecious, and their sex is controlled by segregation of a pair of alleles during meiosis of conchospore, forming a sex-sectored tetrad. During the subsequent development of blades, one or two lower cell(s) of the tetrad contribute mainly to rhizoid formation, and rarely show their sexual phenotype, leading to reduced frequency of full sex phenotype of the meiotic blades. Moreover, the aberrant segregations of sex genes or color genes in a few of F1 blades were probably due to gene conversions, but there was no sex transfer in Py. haitanensis.

Developmental trajectories of the fronto-temporal lobes from infancy to early adulthood in healthy individuals.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Chiaki; Matsui, Mie; Uematsu, Akiko; Noguchi, Kyo; Miyawaki, Toshio

2012-01-01

Brain development during early life in healthy individuals is rapid and dynamic, indicating that this period plays a very important role in neural and functional development. The frontal and temporal lobes are known to play a particularly important role in cognition. The study of healthy frontal and temporal lobe development in children is therefore of considerable importance. A better understanding of how these brain regions develop could also aid in the diagnosis and treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders. Some developmental studies have used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine infant brains, but it remains the case that relatively little is known about cortical brain development in the first few years of life. In the present study we examined whole brain, temporal lobe and frontal lobe developmental trajectories from infancy to early adulthood in healthy individuals, considering gender and brain hemisphere differences. We performed a cross-sectional, longitudinal morphometric MRI study of 114 healthy individuals (54 females and 60 males) aged 1 month to 25 years old (mean age ± SD 8.8 ± 6.9). We measured whole brain, temporal and frontal lobe gray matter (GM)/white matter (WM) volumes, following previously used protocols. There were significant non-linear age-related volume changes in all regions. Peak ages of whole brain, temporal lobe and frontal lobe development occurred around pre-adolescence (9-12 years old). GM volumes for all regions increased significantly as a function of age. Peak age was nevertheless lobe specific, with a pattern of earlier peak ages for females in both temporal and frontal lobes. Growth change in whole brain GM volume was larger in males than in females. However, GM volume growth changes for the temporal and frontal lobes showed a somewhat different pattern. GM volume for both temporal and frontal lobes showed a greater increase in females until around 5-6 years old, at which point this tendency reversed (GM volume

Perceived early-life maternal care and the cortisol response to repeated psychosocial stress.

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Engert, Veronika; Efanov, Simona I; Dedovic, Katarina; Duchesne, Annie; Dagher, Alain; Pruessner, Jens C

2010-11-01

In the past decade, a body of animal and human research has revealed a profound influence of early-life experiences, ranging from variations in parenting behaviour to severe adversity, on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis regulation in adulthood. In our own previous studies, we have shown how variations in early-life parental care influence the development of the hippocampus and modify the cortisol awakening response. In the present study, we investigated the influence of early-life maternal care on cortisol, heart rate and subjective psychological responses to the repeated administration of a psychosocial laboratory stressor in a population of 63 healthy young adults. Low, medium and high early-life maternal care groups were identified using the Parental Bonding Instrument. Controlling for the effect of sex, we found an inverted u-shaped relation between increasing levels of maternal care and cortisol stress responsivity. Specifically, overall and stress-induced cortisol levels went from below normal in the low maternal care, to normal in the medium care, back to below normal in the high maternal care groups. We found no group differences with respect to heart rate and subjective psychological stress measures. Whereas low and high maternal care groups exhibited similarly low endocrine stress responses, their psychological profiles were opposed with increased levels of depression and anxiety and decreased self-esteem in the low care group. Sex was unequally distributed among maternal care groups, whereby the number of men with low maternal care was too small to allow introducing sex as a second between-group variable. We discuss the potential significance of this dissociation between endocrine and psychological parameters with respect to stress vulnerability and resistance for each maternal care group.

Her versus his migraine: multiple sex differences in brain function and structure.

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Maleki, Nasim; Linnman, Clas; Brawn, Jennifer; Burstein, Rami; Becerra, Lino; Borsook, David

2012-08-01

Migraine is twice as common in females as in males, but the mechanisms behind this difference are still poorly understood. We used high-field magnetic resonance imaging in male and female age-matched interictal (migraine free) migraineurs and matched healthy controls to determine alterations in brain structure. Female migraineurs had thicker posterior insula and precuneus cortices compared with male migraineurs and healthy controls of both sexes. Furthermore, evaluation of functional responses to heat within the migraine groups indicated concurrent functional differences in male and female migraineurs and a sex-specific pattern of functional connectivity of these two regions with the rest of the brain. The results support the notion of a 'sex phenotype' in migraine and indicate that brains are differentially affected by migraine in females compared with males. Furthermore, the results also support the notion that sex differences involve both brain structure as well as functional circuits, in that emotional circuitry compared with sensory processing appears involved to a greater degree in female than male migraineurs.

Future perspective and healthy lifestyle choices in adulthood.

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Tasdemir-Ozdes, Aylin; Strickland-Hughes, Carla M; Bluck, Susan; Ebner, Natalie C

2016-09-01

Regardless of age, making healthy lifestyle choices is prudent. Despite that, individuals of all ages sometimes have difficulty choosing the healthy option. We argue that individuals' view of the future and position in the life span affects their current lifestyle choices. We capture the multidimensionality of future thinking by assessing 3 types of future perspective. Younger and older men and women (N = 127) reported global future time perspective, future health perspective, and perceived importance of future health-related events. They also rated their likelihood of making healthy lifestyle choices. As predicted, older participants indicated greater intention to make healthy choices in their current life than did younger participants. Compared to younger participants, older participants reported shorter global future time perspective and anticipated worse future health but perceived future health-related events as more important. Having a positive view of one's future health and seeing future health-related events as important were related to greater intention to make healthy lifestyle choices, but greater global future time perspective was not directly related to healthy choices. However, follow-up analyses suggested that greater global future time perspective indirectly affected healthy choices via a more positive view of future health. None of these relations were moderated by age. Individuals' perspective on the future is shown to be an important multidimensional construct affecting everyday healthy lifestyle choices for both younger and older adults. Implications for encouraging healthy choices across the adult life span are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Effects of a healthy-eater self-schema and nutrition literacy on healthy-eating behaviors among Taiwanese college students.

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Lee, Chia-Kuei; Liao, Li-Ling; Lai, I-Ju; Chang, Li-Chun

2017-11-14

Unhealthy eating behaviors contribute to obesity and chronic illness. This study examined the relative contributions of a healthy-eater self-schema (a self-conception as a healthy eater) and nutrition literacy on healthy-eating behaviors and whether nutrition literacy was a mediator among Taiwanese college students. A total of 1216 undergraduate students from six universities in Taiwan participated in the study from April to June 2016. Healthy-eating behaviors, nutrition literacy, healthy-eater self-schema and known determinants of eating behaviors (e.g. nutrition-related information, health status, nutrition knowledge needs, sex, year in college and residence) were measured by a self-report questionnaire. A hierarchical multiple regression and mediation analysis were conducted with the known determinants of eating behaviors as covariates. Results showed that a healthy-eater self-schema and nutrition literacy explained 9% and 12% of the variance in healthy-eating behaviors, respectively, and both had unique effects on healthy-eating behaviors. The effect of a healthy-eater self-schema on healthy-eating behaviors was partially mediated through nutrition literacy. Findings suggest that both a healthy-eater self-schema and nutrition literacy should be considered when promoting healthy-eating behaviors. Additionally, nutrition literacy interventions should be tailored to the healthy-eater self-schema status and emphasize the personal relevance of being a healthy-eater to improve the intervention's effectiveness. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Viral Transmissions: Safer Sex Videos, Disability, and Queer Politics

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Karisa Butler-Wall

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Bringing disability studies into conversation with queer histories of AIDS activism, this article examines the relationship between disability and queer politics in safer sex videos created by AIDS activists in the 1980s. As a form of what the author terms "guerrilla biopolitics," safer sex videos insisted on the viability of queer life and sexual expression at a historical moment of intense homophobia and sex negativity. At the same time, the vision of sexual health and identity they offered risked reproducing racialized and classed ideologies of ableism. Seeking to "crip" our understandings of safer sex discourses and practices, this study explores how risk reduction techniques have been historically linked to imperatives of compulsory able-bodiedness, precluding alternative expressions of queer/crip life.

Lower Self-Reported Quality of Life in HIV-Infected Patients on cART and With Low Comorbidity Compared With Healthy Controls

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Karin K; Eiersted, Morten R; Gaardbo, Julie C

2015-01-01

replication and with low comorbidity, compared with healthy controls. We furthermore aimed to identify factors associated with QoL. DESIGN AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study of 52 HIV-infected patients and 23 healthy controls matched on age, gender, education, and comorbidity. HIV-infected patients...... and healthy controls had previously been examined regarding cognitive, physical, metabolic, and immunological parameters. QoL was investigated using the Medical Outcomes Study HIV Health Survey (MOS-HIV). Linear multiple regression models were created to find factors associated with mental health summary......BACKGROUND: Self-reported quality of life (QoL) has previously been found to be impaired in patients living with HIV and associated with viral replication, degree of immunodeficiency, and comorbidity. We aimed at investigating QoL in a group of HIV-infected patients with suppressed viral...

The Effects of Depression and Stressful Life Events on the Development and Maintenance of Syndromal Social Anxiety: Sex and Age Differences

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Aune, Tore; Stiles, Tore C.

2009-01-01

This study assessed age and sex differences in the prevalence and incidence rates of syndromal social anxiety (SSA), as well as the predictive role of depressive symptoms and stressful life events on the development and persistence of SSA. A sample of 1,439 young people, between 11 and 14 years of age, was assessed twice within a 12-month…

Predictors of healthy ageing: public health policy targets.

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Sowa, Agnieszka; Tobiasz-Adamczyk, Beata; Topór-Mądry, Roman; Poscia, Andrea; la Milia, Daniele Ignazio

2016-09-05

The public health policy agenda oriented towards healthy ageing becomes the highest priority for the European countries. The article discusses the healthy ageing concept and its possible determinants with an aim to identify behavioral patterns related to healthy ageing in selected European countries. The healthy ageing is assessed based on a composite indicator of self-assessed health, functional capabilities and life meaningfulness. The logistic regression models are used to assess the impact of the healthy lifestyle index, psycho-social index and socio-economic status on the probability of healthy ageing (i.e. being healthy at older age). The lifestyle and psychosocial indexes are created as a sum of behaviors that might be important for healthy ageing. Models are analyzed for three age groups of older people: 60-67, 68-79 and 80+ as well as for three groups of countries representing Western, Southern and Central-Eastern Europe. The lifestyle index covering vigorous and moderate physical activity, consumption of vegetables and fruits, regular consumption of meals and adequate consumption of liquids is positively related to healthy ageing, increasing the likelihood of being healthy at older age with each of the items specified in the index. The score of the index is found to be significantly higher (on average by 1 point for men and 1.1 for women) for individuals ageing healthily. The psychosocial index covering employment, outdoor social participation, indoor activities and life satisfaction is also found to be significantly related to health increasing the likelihood of healthy ageing with each point of the index score. There is an educational gradient in healthy ageing in the population below the age of 68 and in Southern and Central-Eastern European countries. In Western European countries, income is positively related to healthy ageing for females. Stimulation physical activity and adequate nutrition are crucial domains for a well-defined public health policy

Serum hepcidin levels, iron status, and HFE gene alterations during the first year of life in healthy Spanish infants.

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Aranda, Nuria; Bedmar, Cristina; Arija, Victoria; Jardí, Cristina; Jimenez-Feijoo, Rosa; Ferré, Natalia; Tous, Monica

2018-06-01

The aims of this study were to describe hepcidin levels and to assess their associations with iron status and the main variants in the HFE gene in healthy and full-term newborns during the first year of life, as a longitudinal study conducted on 140 infants. Anthropometric and biochemical parameters, hepcidin, hemoglobin (Hb), serum ferritin (SF), transferrin saturation (TS), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and C-reactive protein (CRP), were assessed in 6- and 12-month-olds. Infants were genotyped for the three main HFE variants: C282Y, H63D, and S65C. Hepcidin levels increased from 6 to 12 months of age (43.7 ± 1.5 to 52.0 ± 1.5 ng/mL; p HFE gene (p = 0.046 and p = 0.048 in 6- and 12-month-olds, respectively). However, this association was not found in HFE-alteration-carrying infants. Hepcidin levels increased in healthy infants during the first year of life and were positively associated with iron levels only in infants with wild-type HFE gene, a situation that requires further investigation.

Healthy food choices are happy food choices : evidence from a real life sample using smartphone based assessments

OpenAIRE

Wahl, Deborah R.; Villinger, Karoline; König, Laura M.; Ziesemer, Katrin; Schupp, Harald T.; Renner, Britta

2017-01-01

Research suggests that "healthy" food choices such as eating fruits and vegetables have not only physical but also mental health benefits and might be a long-term investment in future well-being. This view contrasts with the belief that high-caloric foods taste better, make us happy, and alleviate a negative mood. To provide a more comprehensive assessment of food choice and well-being, we investigated in-the-moment eating happiness by assessing complete, real life dietary behaviour across ei...

Relationship Between the Remaining Years of Healthy Life Expectancy in Older Age and National Income Level, Educational Attainment, and Improved Water Quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jong In; Kim, Gukbin

2016-10-01

The remaining years of healthy life expectancy (RYH) at age 65 years can be calculated as RYH (65) = healthy life expectancy-aged 65 years. This study confirms the associations between socioeconomic indicators and the RYH (65) in 148 countries. The RYH data were obtained from the World Health Organization. Significant positive correlations between RYH (65) in men and women and the socioeconomic indicators national income, education level, and improved drinking water were found. Finally, the predictors of RYH (65) in men and women were used to build a model of the RYH using higher socioeconomic indicators (R(2 )= 0.744, p educational attainment, national income level, and improved water quality influenced the RYH at 65 years. Therefore, policymaking to improve these country-level socioeconomic factors is expected to have latent effects on RYH in older age. © The Author(s) 2016.

SEX EDUCATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R N Srivastava

1994-06-01

Full Text Available Sex, though not everything in life, is a profoundly important aspect of human existence. It has evolved to serve more than reproductive functions; relational and recreational functions having taken precedence over procrea­tional. Sex has come to play a much wider socio-psychological function.Human sexuality is complex and multidimensional. It is subject to influence by multitude of factors often grouped as biological (e.g. genes, hormones, psychological (e.g. fear, anxiety, mood and socio-cultural (e.g. sex roles, values- religious/moral/ethical, customs. It is the interaction and interrelationship of these factors from the time of conception, through intrauterine life, infancy, childhood and adolescence, till adulthood (even later in life that determine the sexual development expressed as sexual attitudes and behaviour of the people. Learning, both social and cognitive, plays a significantly important role in such development.Sexual dysfunctions in men and women, result from factors often categorised as physical or organic and psychological; more often a combination may be involved. Experience has shown that in majority of men and women in India having sexual problems, ignorance misconceptions and prevailing myths are invariably responsible in the causation of Ihese problems. Sexual problems in individual man (e.g. erectile failure and woman (e.g. vaginismus cause anxiety, feelings of frustration, lowered self esteem and symptoms of depression. The condition may also affect the spouse; he/she, as a reaction to the problem in the partner, may develop sexual and psychosocial problems including distressed marital relationship. This may also have influence on general couple relationship, effecting adversely the quality of family life.Modern therapeutic endevours have made it possible now to offer effective therapy to most people who seek help for their sexual problems, thus preventing the consequences on couple relationship. However, there is also

Sex Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R N Srivastava

1994-06-01

Full Text Available Sex, though not everything in life, is a profoundly important aspect of human existence. It has evolved to serve more than reproductive functions; relational and recreational functions having taken precedence over procrea­tional. Sex has come to play a much wider socio-psychological function. Human sexuality is complex and multidimensional. It is subject to influence by multitude of factors often grouped as biological (e.g. genes, hormones, psychological (e.g. fear, anxiety, mood and socio-cultural (e.g. sex roles, values- religious/moral/ethical, customs. It is the interaction and interrelationship of these factors from the time of conception, through intrauterine life, infancy, childhood and adolescence, till adulthood (even later in life that determine the sexual development expressed as sexual attitudes and behaviour of the people. Learning, both social and cognitive, plays a significantly important role in such development. Sexual dysfunctions in men and women, result from factors often categorised as physical or organic and psychological; more often a combination may be involved. Experience has shown that in majority of men and women in India having sexual problems, ignorance misconceptions and prevailing myths are invariably responsible in the causation of Ihese problems. Sexual problems in individual man (e.g. erectile failure and woman (e.g. vaginismus cause anxiety, feelings of frustration, lowered self esteem and symptoms of depression. The condition may also affect the spouse; he/she, as a reaction to the problem in the partner, may develop sexual and psychosocial problems including distressed marital relationship. This may also have influence on general couple relationship, effecting adversely the quality of family life. Modern therapeutic endevours have made it possible now to offer effective therapy to most people who seek help for their sexual problems, thus preventing the consequences on couple relationship. However, there is

Sex-specific mediation effect of the right fusiform face area volume on the association between variants in repeat length of AVPR1A RS3 and altruistic behavior in healthy adults.

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Wang, Junping; Qin, Wen; Liu, Feng; Liu, Bing; Zhou, Yuan; Jiang, Tianzi; Yu, Chunshui

2016-07-01

Microsatellite variants in the arginine vasopressin receptor 1A gene (AVPR1A) RS3 have been associated with normal social behaviors variation and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in a sex-specific manner. However, neural mechanisms underlying these associations remain largely unknown. We hypothesized that AVPR1A RS3 variants affect altruistic behavior by modulating the gray matter volume (GMV) of specific brain regions in a sex-specific manner. We investigated 278 young healthy adults using the Dictator Game to assess altruistic behavior. All subjects were genotyped and main effect of AVPR1A RS3 repeat polymorphisms and interaction of genotype-by-sex on the GMV were assessed in a voxel-wise manner. We observed that male subjects with relatively short repeats allocated less money to others and exhibited a significantly smaller GMV in the right fusiform face area (FFA) compared with male long homozygotes. In male subjects, the GMV of the right FFA exhibited a significant positive correlation with altruistic behavior. A mixed mediation and moderation analysis further revealed both a significant mediation effect of the GMV of the right FFA on the association between AVPR1A RS3 repeat polymorphisms and allocation sums and a significant moderation effect of sex (only in males) on the mediation effect. Post hoc analysis showed that the GMV of the right FFA was significantly smaller in male subjects carrying allele 426 than in non-426 carriers. These results suggest that the GMV of the right FFA may be a potential mediator whereby the genetic variants in AVPR1A RS3 affect altruistic behavior in healthy male subjects. Hum Brain Mapp 37:2700-2709, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A Population-based Prospective Birth Cohort Study of Childhood Neurocognitive and Psychological Functioning in Healthy Survivors of Early-life Meningitis

Science.gov (United States)

Khandaker, Golam M.; Stochl, Jan; Zammit, Stanley; Lewis, Glyn; Jones, Peter B.

2015-01-01

PURPOSE To determine neurocognitive, educational and psychological functioning during childhood and early-adolescence among survivors of early-life meningitis who are apparently healthy. METHODS In the general population-based Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children birth cohort, meningitis exposure was determined at age 18 months. The outcomes of IQ, short-term memory, working memory, reading and spelling abilities, psychological and behavioural problems, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and psychotic experiences at ages 9 to 13 years were compared between those exposed and unexposed to meningitis. Individuals with special educational needs were excluded. RESULTS By age 18 months, 67 out of 11,035 children were reported to have suffered from meningitis (0.61%). These children, compared with the unexposed, performed worse on all neurocognitive and educational measures; mean difference in total IQ 7.36 (95% CI 1.60-13.11). Meningitis was associated with higher depressive and anxiety symptoms (p=0.02), psychological and behavioural problems (p=0.09), and increased risk of psychotic experiences; risk ratio 2.22 (95% CI 1.12-4.38). CONCLUSIONS Exposure to meningitis in the early-life is associated with neurocognitive, educational and psychological difficulties during childhood and early-adolescence among survivors who are apparently healthy. Therefore, focusing only on serious neurologic disabilities may underestimate the true impact of early-life meningitis. PMID:25794764

A population-based prospective birth cohort study of childhood neurocognitive and psychological functioning in healthy survivors of early life meningitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Khandaker, Golam M; Stochl, Jan; Zammit, Stanley; Lewis, Glyn; Jones, Peter B

2015-04-01

To determine neurocognitive, educational, and psychological functioning during childhood and early adolescence among survivors of early life meningitis who are apparently healthy. In the general population-based Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children birth cohort, meningitis exposure was determined at age of 18 months. The outcomes of intelligence quotient, short-term memory, working memory, reading and spelling abilities, psychological and behavioral problems, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and psychotic experiences at ages 9 to 13 years were compared between those exposed and unexposed to meningitis. Individuals with special educational needs were excluded. By age of 18 months, 67 of 11,035 children were reported to have suffered from meningitis (0.61%). These children, compared with the unexposed, performed worse on all neurocognitive and educational measures; mean difference in total intelligence quotient 7.36 (95% confidence interval, 1.60-13.11). Meningitis was associated with higher depressive and anxiety symptoms (P = .02), psychological and behavioral problems (P = .09), and increased risk of psychotic experiences; risk ratio 2.22 (95% confidence interval, 1.12-4.38). Exposure to meningitis in the early life is associated with neurocognitive, educational, and psychological difficulties during childhood and early adolescence among survivors who are apparently healthy. Therefore, focusing only on serious neurologic disabilities may underestimate the true impact of early life meningitis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sex differences in depression-like behavior after nerve injury are associated with differential changes in brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in mice subjected to early life stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Nishinaka, Takashi; Kinoshita, Megumi; Nakamoto, Kazuo; Tokuyama, Shogo

2015-04-10

We recently demonstrated that exposure to early life stress exacerbates nerve injury-induced thermal and mechanical hypersensitivity in adult male and female mice. Accumulating evidence suggests that chronic pain causes emotional dysfunction, such as anxiety and depression. In the present study, we investigated the impact of early life stress on depression-like behavior after nerve injury in mice. In addition, we examined the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is known to be involved in the pathogenesis of depression. Early life stress was induced by maternal separation between 2 and 3 weeks of age combined with social isolation after weaning (MSSI). At 9 weeks of age, the sciatic nerve was partially ligated to elicit neuropathic pain. Depression-like behavior was evaluated using the forced swim test at 12 weeks of age. Tissue samples from different regions of the brain were collected at the end of maternal separation (3 weeks of age) or after the forced swim test (12 weeks of age). At 12 weeks of age, immobility time in the forced swim test was increased only in MSSI-stressed female mice with nerve injury. BDNF expression was increased in male, but not female, MSSI-stressed mice at 3 weeks of age. However, MSSI stress did not impact BDNF expression in male or female mice at 12 weeks of age. Our findings suggest that exposure to early life stress exacerbates emotional dysfunction induced by neuropathic pain in a sex-dependent manner. Changes in BDNF expression after early life stress may be associated with neuropathic pain-induced depression-like behavior in adulthood. Furthermore, sex differences in BDNF expression after exposure to early life stress may contribute to sex-specific susceptibility to neuropathic pain-induced emotional dysfunction. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Hypogonadism and the quality of life in male patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Lu-Yao; He, Wei; Wan, Jian-Xin; Yin, Qi-Qi; Cheng, Zhen; Chen, Guan-Ming; Ji, Wen; Li, Hai; Li, Yan-Bing; Liao, Zhi-Hong

2016-12-01

To compare the level of testosterone between type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients and healthy controls and to investigate the status of hypogonadism and the influence of hypopgonadism on the quality of life. We collected serum total testosterone (TT), free testosterone (FT), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), and other clinical data from 166 T2DM patients aged over 30 years and 186 age-matched healthy controls. We investigated the quality of life (QoL) of the two groups of subjects using the questionnaires of Androgen Deficiency in Aging Males (ADAM), Aging Male Symptoms (AMS), 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), and Special Quality of Life for Diabetes Mellitus (DSQL). The level of calculated FT (cFT) was remarkably lower in the T2DM patients than in the healthy controls (Pmales with hypogonadism showed significant differences from those without in age, height, systolic blood pressure, and creatinine (Phypogonadism was 51.81% in the T2DM patients, 31.58% in the 30－39 yr group, 32.50% in the 40－49 yr group, 50% in the 50－59 yr group, 69.23% in the 60－69 yr group, and 77.27% in the ≥70 yr group, elevated by 77.4% with the increase of 10 years of age (OR = 1.774, Phypogonadism. Age is a main risk factor of hypogonadism. Severer testosterone deficiency symptoms are associated with lower scores of QoL in T2DM males.

Pedagogical terms of forming of healthy method of life of modern pupils

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Odarchenko V.I.

2012-10-01

Full Text Available The questions of conditioning forming of healthy method of life of pupils of general educational educational establishments are probed. In an experiment 156 pupils took part in age from 6 to 17 years. It is set that the characteristic feature of bodily condition of health of pupils is a result of the protracted unfavorable influence of socio-economic, ecological and pedagogical factors. An idea speaks out, that search of the new going near organization of an educational educate process at school it is necessary to send educations to humanizing. It will provide creation of optimum terms for spiritual growth of personality, valuable realization of psychophysical possibilities, maintainance and strengthening of health. It is well-proven that realization of the personality oriented approach taking into account basic valeological principles positively influences on the process of education of responsible attitude toward an own health as to the greatest individual and public value.

Sex differences in the relationships between parasympathetic activity and pain modulation.

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Nahman-Averbuch, Hadas; Dayan, Lior; Sprecher, Elliot; Hochberg, Uri; Brill, Silviu; Yarnitsky, David; Jacob, Giris

2016-02-01

Higher parasympathetic activity is related to lower pain perception in healthy subjects and pain patients. We aimed to examine whether this relationship depends on sex, in healthy subjects. Parasympathetic activity was assessed using time- and frequency-domain heart rate variability indices and deep breathing ratio. Pain perception parameters, consisting of heat pain thresholds and pain ratings of supra-thresholds stimuli, as well as pain modulation parameters of mechanical temporal summation, pain adaptation, offset analgesia and conditioned pain modulation (CPM) response were examined. Forty healthy subjects were examined (20 men). Women demonstrated higher parasympathetic activity compared to men (high frequency power of 0.55±0.2 and 0.40±0.2, respectively, p=0.02) and less pain reduction in the offset analgesia paradigm (-35.4±29.1 and -55.0±31.2, respectively, p=0.046). Separate slopes models analyses revealed sex differences such that a significant negative correlation was observed between higher rMSSD (the root mean square of successive differences) and higher pain adaptation in men (r=-0.649, p=0.003) but not in women (r=0.382, p=0.106). Similarly, a significant negative correlation was found between higher rMSSD and higher efficiency of the CPM response in men (r=-0.510, p=0.026) but not in women (r=0.406, p=0.085). Sex hormones levels, psychological factors or baseline autonomic activity can be possible explanations for these sex differences. Future autonomic interventions destined to change pain modulation should consider sex as an important intervening factor. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Worth the Wait? The Consequences of Abstinence-Only Sex Education for Marginalized Students

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Hoefer, Sharon E.; Hoefer, Richard

2017-01-01

"Abstinence-only" sex education, which is still widely used across the United States, does not prepare students to engage in healthy adult relationships. Prior research evidence indicates that abstinence-only education is less effective at preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) than comprehensive sex education.…

From violence to sex work: agency, escaping violence, and HIV risk among establishment-based female sex workers in Tijuana, Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Choudhury, Shonali M; Anglade, Debbie; Park, Kyuwon

2013-01-01

Violence experienced by female sex workers has been found to affect the HIV risk and quality of life of these women. Research on this topic has dealt with female sex workers and current experiences of violence with partners, clients, and in the workplace. In this study, we used feminist constructivist grounded theory to explore perceptions of violence among establishment-based female sex workers in Tijuana, Mexico. A key concept that emerged from 20 semi-structured in-depth interviews was "escaping violence with a romantic partner by becoming independent through sex work." The women also emphasized the negative impact of violence in the workplace but felt that achieving separation from a violent partner gave them strength to protect their lives and health. Interventions to help these women protect themselves from HIV infection and improve their quality of life should aim to build upon their strengths and the agency they have already achieved. Copyright © 2013 Association of Nurses in AIDS Care. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The ethics of sex selection and family balancing.

Science.gov (United States)

Macklin, Ruth

2010-07-01

Ethical concerns about the ethics of selecting the sex of a child predate current techniques of prenatal genetic diagnosis (PGD) and sperm sorting. The only methods previously available were highly problematic, as they involved infanticide or abortion of an unwanted sex. PGD is less problematic than the earlier methods, yet still troubling to some because it involves destruction of a healthy embryo and risks to women. The technique of sperm sorting, still in an experimental phase, is the least ethically problematic method, yet opponents argue that sex selection by any means involves sex discrimination and can have undesirable consequences. One such consequence is an imbalance in the sex ratio. This imbalance already exists in some Asian countries that favor male children, but is less likely in Western Europe and North America. There is increasing acceptance of family balancing as a reason for sex selection, but some people remain opposed to broadening the indications for sex selection of offspring beyond family balancing. Nevertheless, parents may have good reasons other than family balancing for choosing the sex of a future child. Such reasons may be justified by the principle of reproductive liberty. Thieme Medical Publishers.

Activity and Quality of Life after Total Hip Arthroplasty.

Science.gov (United States)

Świtoń, Anna; Wodka-Natkaniec, Ewa; Niedźwiedzki, Łukasz; Gaździk, Tadeusz; Niedźwiedzki, Tadeusz

2017-10-31

Coxarthrosis is a chronic musculoskeletal condition that causes severe pain and considerable limi-tation of the patient's motor performance. Total hip arthroplasty is one of the most common and effective methods used in the treatment of advanced degenerative changes. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the activity and quality of life of patients after unilateral total hip arthroplasty. The study was conducted in a group of 189 patients who had undergone unilateral total hip arthroplasty. Goniometry was used to determine the range of motion of both hip joints. Patients' physical ability and pain severity were assessed based on the Harris Hip Score (HHS) questionnaire. The examination of the range of motion in the lower extremities revealed statistically significant diffe-rences in flexion (p<0.01), abduction (p=<0.01), adduction (p<0.01) and external rotation (p<0.01) between the operated and the healthy extremity. The greatest limitation of motion was demonstrated for external rotation (<14°). Approximately 14% of the patients were not able to perform this motion in their healthy hip joint, while 17.5% of them could not do so in the affected hip joint. Analysis of HHS results (mean = 79 pts) revealed that more than 50% of the patients described their functional ability and quality of life as good and excellent. It was demonstrated that 54% of patients did not suffer from pain, whereas minor or mild pain was noted in 35%. 1. A subjective clinical assessment of patients after total hip arthroplasty showed that their quality of life had improved. 2. It is necessary to perform physiotherapy after total hip arthroplasty, on both the operated and healthy side. 3. Exacerbation of pain and impaired activity in patients after total hip arthroplasty were associated with the female sex to a considerable extent.

The Gendered Nature of South African Teachers' Discourse on Sex Education

Science.gov (United States)

DePalma, R.; Francis, D. A.

2014-01-01

In South Africa, high pregnancy and infection rates show that many teenagers are having sex, and that they are not adequately protecting themselves against undesired pregnancies and disease. Sex education is usually taught as part of the subject area Life Orientation. In a qualitative study of 25 Life Orientation teachers in the South African Free…

Population projection and development of the loreyi leafworm, Mythimna loreyi, as affected by temperature: application of an age-stage, two-sex life table

Science.gov (United States)

The loreyi leafworm, Mythimna (=Leucania) loreyi (Duponchel), has recently emerged as a major pest of grain crops in China. Little is known about its basic biology and ecology, making it difficult to predict its population dynamics. An age-stage, two-sex life table was constructed for this insect wh...

Can preoperative sex-related differences in hemostatic parameters predict bleeding in orthognathic surgery?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jared Olsen, Jesper; Ingerslev, Janne; Thorn, Jens Jørgen

2016-01-01

PURPOSE: Bleeding volume in orthognathic surgery (OS) varies considerably, although OS comprises standardized procedures and the patient population consists of young healthy individuals. The aim of this prospective cohort study was to investigate the influence of preoperative sex-related differen......PURPOSE: Bleeding volume in orthognathic surgery (OS) varies considerably, although OS comprises standardized procedures and the patient population consists of young healthy individuals. The aim of this prospective cohort study was to investigate the influence of preoperative sex......-related differences in hemostatic parameters on intraoperative bleeding (IOB) volume in OS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients scheduled for routine OS in our department in Esbjerg, Denmark, were included as study patients in this short-term cohort study. The primary predictor variable was patient sex, and the primary...... the χ(2) test, Mann-Whitney U test, Pearson product moment correlation analysis, and analysis of covariance for analyses of dichotomous variables, comparison between sex, correlations between IOB volume and secondary predictors, and adjustment for confounders, respectively. RESULTS: Forty...

Sex hormone activity in alcohol addiction: integrating organizational and activational effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Lenz, Bernd; Müller, Christian P; Stoessel, Christina; Sperling, Wolfgang; Biermann, Teresa; Hillemacher, Thomas; Bleich, Stefan; Kornhuber, Johannes

2012-01-01

There are well-known sex differences in the epidemiology and etiopathology of alcohol dependence. Male gender is a crucial risk factor for the onset of alcohol addiction. A directly modifying role of testosterone in alcohol addiction-related behavior is well established. Sex hormones exert both permanent (organizational) and transient (activational) effects on the human brain. The sensitive period for these effects lasts throughout life. In this article, we present a novel early sex hormone activity model of alcohol addiction. We propose that early exposure to sex hormones triggers structural (organizational) neuroadaptations. These neuroadaptations affect cellular and behavioral responses to adult sex hormones, sensitize the brain's reward system to the reinforcing properties of alcohol and modulate alcohol addictive behavior later in life. This review outlines clinical findings related to the early sex hormone activity model of alcohol addiction (handedness, the second-to-fourth-finger length ratio, and the androgen receptor and aromatase) and includes clinical and preclinical literature regarding the activational effects of sex hormones in alcohol drinking behavior. Furthermore, we discuss the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and -gonadal axes and the opioid system in mediating the relationship between sex hormone activity and alcohol dependence. We conclude that a combination of exposure to sex hormones in utero and during early development contributes to the risk of alcohol addiction later in life. The early sex hormone activity model of alcohol addiction may prove to be a valuable tool in the development of preventive and therapeutic strategies. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Changes in healthy childhood lifestyle behaviors in Japanese rural areas.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakano, Takahiro; Kasuga, Kosho; Murase, Tomohiko; Suzuki, Kazuhiro

2013-04-01

Unhealthy lifestyles during childhood constitute a public health problem in Japan. However, current health education in Japan is ineffective in counteracting them. Previous studies contend that healthy lifestyles in children vary by academic grade and sex. This study examined changes throughout childhood suggests some intervention points for lifestyle education. The participants were 2833 elementary and junior high school students living in Japanese rural areas. Data on 26 variables assigned to 5 subfactors were collected. We estimated the composite score of each subfactor on the basis of item response theory. A 2-way ANOVA and a graph review were performed to explore the differences and changes by sex and grade. Most of the main effects for sex and grade were statistically significant. Lifestyle behaviors acquired early in elementary school were lost as students progressed to higher grades. The research indicated the following emphases: (1) Physical activity and leisure habits should be focused on girls and hygiene habits on boys; (2) Continuous education for a healthy lifestyle is essential to maintain good health among children; (3) Education for healthy lifestyle can be classified into 2 important stages such as for dietary and sleeping habits, education from the upper grades of elementary school is important, whereas for other routine activities, reeducation in junior high school is effective. © 2013, American School Health Association.

Sex work among men who have sex with men and transgender women in Bogotá.

Science.gov (United States)

Bianchi, Fernanda T; Reisen, Carol A; Zea, Maria Cecilia; Vidal-Ortiz, Salvador; Gonzales, Felisa A; Betancourt, Fabián; Aguilar, Marcela; Poppen, Paul J

2014-11-01

This qualitative study examined sex work among internally displaced male and transgender female sex workers in Bogotá, Colombia. Internal displacement has occurred in Colombia as a result of decades of conflict among armed groups and has created large-scale migration from rural to urban areas. Informed by the polymorphous model of sex work, which posits that contextual conditions shape the experience of sex work, we examined three main research questions. The first dealt with how internal displacement was related to the initiation of sex work; the second concerned the effect of agency on sex worker satisfaction; and the third examined how sex work in this context was related to HIV and other risks. Life history interviews were conducted with 26 displaced individuals who had done sex work: 14 were men who have sex with men and 12 were transgender women (natal males). Findings revealed that many participants began doing sex work in the period immediately after displacement, because of a lack of money, housing, and social support. HIV risk was greater during this time due to limited knowledge of HIV and inexperience negotiating safer sex with clients. Other findings indicated that sex workers who exerted more control and choice in the circumstances of their work reported greater satisfaction. In addition, we found that although many sex workers insisted on condom use with clients, several noted that they would sometimes have unprotected sex for additional money. Specific characteristics affecting the experience of sex work among the transgender women were also discussed.

Healthy lifestyle in teachers

OpenAIRE

Pirzadeh, Asiyeh; Sharifirad, Gholamreza; Kamran, Aziz

2012-01-01

Introduction: The role of individual healthy behaviors like physical activity, nutrition and stress management on reduction of rate of disease mortality and morbidity is well known. The aim of this study is to determine healthy life style in teachers employed in district No.4 in Isfahan, Iran, in 2010. Materials and Methods: The participants of this cross-sectional study were 96 teachers in district No. 4, selected via random sampling method. The data collection was performed using a question...

Sex differences in long-term quality of life after stroke: Influence of mood and functional status.

Science.gov (United States)

López Espuela, F; Portilla Cuenca, J C; Leno Díaz, C; Párraga Sánchez, J M; Gamez-Leyva, G; Casado Naranjo, I

2017-12-19

To evaluate long-term quality of life (QoL) in patients who have experienced a stroke and to analyse differences in QoL between sexes. We conducted a descriptive, cross-sectional, observational study to gather sociodemographic variables and risk factors; data were also obtained on QoL, mood, and functional status using validated scales. The study was approved by our centre's ethics committee. Our final sample included 124 patients; mean age was 71.30±11.99 years. In the QoL study, the EuroQol-5D dimensions in which participants presented most problems were anxiety/depression (66.7%) and pain/discomfort (62.2%). We found significant inter-sex differences in the dimensions of mobility and usual activities (P=.016 and P=.005, respectively). Women also achieved substantially poorer EuroQoL-5D index values than men (0.45±0.45 vs. 0.65±0.38; P=.013). QoL was found to be associated with dependence for the activities of daily living (r=0.326; P=.001) and depressed mood (r=-0.514; Pde Neurología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Mind the gap - reaching the European target of a 2-year increase in healthy life years in the next decade

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jagger, Carol; McKee, Martin; Christensen, Kaare

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND: The European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing seeks an increase of two healthy life years (HLY) at birth in the EU27 for the next 10 years. We assess the feasibility of doing so between 2010 and 2020 and the differential impact among countries by applying different...... of HLY/LE on year (seven countries retaining same HLY question) or extrapolating the average of HLY/LE in 2008 and 2009 to 2010 (20 countries and EU27). The first scenario continued these trends with three other scenarios exploring different HLY gap reductions between 2010 and 2020. RESULTS......: The estimated gap in HLY in 2010 was 17.5 years (men) and 18.9 years (women). Assuming current trends continue, EU27 HLY increased by 1.4 years (men) and 0.9 years (women), below the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing target, with the HLY gap between countries increasing to 18.3 years...

Healthy food choices are happy food choices: Evidence from a real life sample using smartphone based assessments.

Science.gov (United States)

Wahl, Deborah R; Villinger, Karoline; König, Laura M; Ziesemer, Katrin; Schupp, Harald T; Renner, Britta

2017-12-06

Research suggests that "healthy" food choices such as eating fruits and vegetables have not only physical but also mental health benefits and might be a long-term investment in future well-being. This view contrasts with the belief that high-caloric foods taste better, make us happy, and alleviate a negative mood. To provide a more comprehensive assessment of food choice and well-being, we investigated in-the-moment eating happiness by assessing complete, real life dietary behaviour across eight days using smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment. Three main findings emerged: First, of 14 different main food categories, vegetables consumption contributed the largest share to eating happiness measured across eight days. Second, sweets on average provided comparable induced eating happiness to "healthy" food choices such as fruits or vegetables. Third, dinner elicited comparable eating happiness to snacking. These findings are discussed within the "food as health" and "food as well-being" perspectives on eating behaviour.

Give Your Baby a Healthy Start to Life

Science.gov (United States)

All parents want their children to grow up happy and healthy. But, did you know that smoking during pregnancy has been linked to a higher chance of having a baby with certain birth defects and health problems?

The Effects of Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Positive and Negative Life Events on a One-Year Course of Depressive Symptoms in Euthymic Previously Depressed Patients Versus Healthy Controls

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Spinhoven, Philip; Elzinga, Bernet; Roelofs, Karin; Hovens, Jacqueline G. F. M.; van Oppen, Patricia; Zitman, Frans G.; Penninx, Brenda W. J. H.

We investigated a) the concurrent impact of positive and negative life events on the course of depressive symptoms in persons remitted from depression and healthy controls, b) whether the impact of life events on symptom course is moderated by the history of depression and the personality traits of

Dopamine and cognitive control: sex-by-genotype interactions influence the capacity to switch attention.

Science.gov (United States)

Gurvich, C; Rossell, S L

2015-03-15

Cognitive performance in healthy persons varies widely between individuals. Sex differences in cognition are well reported, and there is an emerging body of evidence suggesting that the relationship between dopaminergic neurotransmission, implicated in many cognitive functions, is modulated by sex. Here, we examine the influence of sex and genetic variations along the dopaminergic pathway on aspects of cognitive control. A total of 415 healthy individuals, selected from an international consortium linked to Brain Research and Integrative Neuroscience Network (BRAINnet), were genotyped for two common and functional genetic variations of dopamine regulating genes: the catechol-O-methyltransferase [COMT] gene (rs4680) and the dopamine receptor D2 [DRD2] gene (rs6277). Cognitive measures were selected to explore sustained attention (using a continuous performance task), switching of attention (using a Trails B adaptation) and working memory (a visual computerised adaptation of digit span). While there were no main effects for genotype across any tasks, analyses revealed significant sex by genotype interactions for the capacity to switch attention. In relation to COMT, superior performance was noted in females with the Val/Val genotype and for DRD2, superior performance was seen for TT females and CC males. These findings highlight the importance of considering genetic variation in baseline dopamine levels in addition to sex, when considering the impact of dopamine on cognition in healthy populations. These findings also have important implications for the many neuropsychiatric disorders that implicate dopamine, cognitive changes and sex differences. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sex Differences in Stroke Incidence, Prevalence, Mortality and Disability-Adjusted Life Years

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barker-Collo, Suzanne; Bennett, Derrick A; Krishnamurthi, Rita V

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: Accurate information on stroke burden in men and women are important for evidence-based healthcare planning and resource allocation. Previously, limited research suggested that the absolute number of deaths from stroke in women was greater than in men, but the incidence and mortality...... incidence, prevalence, mortality, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and healthy years lost due to disability were estimated as part of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2013 Study. Data inputs included all available information on stroke incidence, prevalence and death and case fatality rates...... ischemic stroke (IS) and hemorrhagic stroke (HS) incidence (per 100,000) in men (IS 132.77 (95% UI 125.34-142.77); HS 64.89 (95% UI 59.82-68.85)) exceeded those of women (IS 98.85 (95% UI 92.11-106.62); HS 45.48 (95% UI 42.43-48.53)). IS incidence rates were lower in 2013 compared with 1990 rates for both...

Healthy lifestyles and school life

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Circe Sánchez-Rodríguez

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Promoting a culture in health not only towards the physical but mental health of the human being is a priority in the training of the professionals of the Preschool Education, evidenced in the diagnosis implemented, that provided the necessary information of the real and desired state in terms of the insufficiencies that present the students of 1st, 2nd and 3rd year of the day course of the Degree in Pre-school Education; in their lifestyles for the formation of coexistence in the university context. It demonstrates the need to develop an educational strategy that contributes to the formation of coexistence based on the promotion of healthy lifestyles, which in the hands of teachers will help to transform the behavioral attitudes of students, which will allow them to interact in a positive way with society and be better people and professionals.

ERICA: prevalence of healthy eating habits among Brazilian adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Barufaldi, Laura Augusta; Abreu, Gabriela de Azevedo; Oliveira, Juliana Souza; dos Santos, Debora França; Fujimori, Elizabeth; Vasconcelos, Sandra Mary Lima; de Vasconcelos, Francisco de Assis Guedes; Tavares, Bruno Mendes

2016-02-01

OBJECTIVE To describe the prevalence of eating habits considered healthy in adolescents according to sex, age, education level of the mother, school type, session of study, and geographic region. METHODS The assessed data come from the Study of Cardiovascular Risks in Adolescents (ERICA), a cross-sectional, national and school-based study. Adolescents of 1,247 schools of 124 Brazilian municipalities were evaluated using a self-administered questionnaire with a section on aspects related to eating behaviors. The following eating behaviors were considered healthy: consuming breakfast, drinking water, and having meals accompanied by parents or legal guardians. All prevalence estimates were presented proportionally, with their respective 95% confidence intervals. The Chi-square test was used to evaluate the differences in healthy eating habits prevalences according to other variables. The module survey of the Stata program version 13.0 was used to analyze complex data. RESULTS We evaluated 74,589 adolescents (72.9% of the eligible students). Of these, 55.2% were female, average age being 14.6 years (SD = 1.6). Among Brazilian adolescents, approximately half of them showed healthy eating habits when consuming breakfast, drinking five or more glasses of water a day, and having meals with parents or legal guardians. All analyzed healthy eating habits showed statistically significant differences by sex, age, type of school, session of study, or geographic region . CONCLUSIONS We suggest that specific actions of intersectoral approach are implemented for the dissemination of the benefits of healthy eating habits. Older female adolescents (15 to 17 years old) who studied in public schools, resided in the Southeast region, and whose mothers had lower education levels, should be the focus of these actions since they present lower frequencies concerning the evaluated healthy habits.

The Sex Education Debates: Teaching "Life Style" in West Bengal, India

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Chakravarti, Paromita

2011-01-01

This paper examines the recent controversies surrounding the decision to introduce sex education in secondary schools in India to combat the rapid spread of HIV and AIDS in the country. While 11 Indian states have banned it, the Left-ruled state of West Bengal has designed a teachers' manual to impart sex education. However, a close analysis of…

A Comparison of Quality of Life between Adolescences with Beta Thalassemia Major and their Healthy Peers

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Shahram Baraz

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background The chronic genetic blood disorder, thalassemia, affects Quality of life (QOL negatively. Regarding this, if adolescences with thalassemia are treated well, they will grow into an adult who will have a good potential for participating in society. Objectives: to determine the strongest predictor of QOL, compare QOL between the adolescents with beta-type major and their peers in Abadan city. Materials and Methods This was a cross-sectional study; the population consisted of 65 beta thalassemia major patients and 65  healthy peers with the same ages as the witness group. The data collection tools included SF-36 questionnaire and a questionnaire for demographic information. Data analysis was performed using independent t-test, correlation and linear regression by SPSS-16. Results The results of the study revealed that there is a significant difference (P < 0.05 in the average quality of life between the two groups of the study. On the other hand, the results showed that there was a meaningful relation between different aspects of life quality and family history of thalassemia            (P< 0.05. Also, there was a negative correlation between quality of life and the frequency of blood transfusion per year (P< 0.05. Conclusion Adolescences with beta thalassemia major do not have a desirable quality of life, therefore, this fact shows the necessity of serious reforming in various fields of health care, treatment, family, social and financial support, and rehabilitation that need more attention from health care policymakers.

Adolescent Major Depressive Disorder: Neuroimaging Evidence of Sex Difference during an Affective Go/No-Go Task

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Jie-Yu Chuang

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Compared to female major depressive disorder (MDD, male MDD often receives less attention. However, research is warranted since there are significant sex differences in the clinical presentation of MDD and a higher rate of suicide in depressed men. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI study with a large sample addressing putative sex differences in MDD during adolescence, a period when one of the most robust findings in psychiatric epidemiology emerges; that females are twice as likely to suffer from MDD than males. Twenty-four depressed and 10 healthy male adolescents, together with 82 depressed and 24 healthy female adolescents, aged 11–18 years, undertook an affective go/no-go task during fMRI acquisition. In response to sad relative to neutral distractors, significant sex differences (in the supramarginal gyrus and group-by-sex interactions (in the supramarginal gyrus and the posterior cingulate cortex were found. Furthermore, in contrast to the healthy male adolescents, depressed male adolescents showed decreased activation in the cerebellum with a significant group-by-age interaction in connectivity. Future research may consider altered developmental trajectories and the possible implications of sex-specific treatment and prevention strategies for MDD.

Adolescent Major Depressive Disorder: Neuroimaging Evidence of Sex Difference during an Affective Go/No-Go Task.

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Chuang, Jie-Yu; Hagan, Cindy C; Murray, Graham K; Graham, Julia M E; Ooi, Cinly; Tait, Roger; Holt, Rosemary J; Elliott, Rebecca; van Nieuwenhuizen, Adrienne O; Bullmore, Edward T; Lennox, Belinda R; Sahakian, Barbara J; Goodyer, Ian M; Suckling, John

2017-01-01

Compared to female major depressive disorder (MDD), male MDD often receives less attention. However, research is warranted since there are significant sex differences in the clinical presentation of MDD and a higher rate of suicide in depressed men. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study with a large sample addressing putative sex differences in MDD during adolescence, a period when one of the most robust findings in psychiatric epidemiology emerges; that females are twice as likely to suffer from MDD than males. Twenty-four depressed and 10 healthy male adolescents, together with 82 depressed and 24 healthy female adolescents, aged 11-18 years, undertook an affective go/no-go task during fMRI acquisition. In response to sad relative to neutral distractors, significant sex differences (in the supramarginal gyrus) and group-by-sex interactions (in the supramarginal gyrus and the posterior cingulate cortex) were found. Furthermore, in contrast to the healthy male adolescents, depressed male adolescents showed decreased activation in the cerebellum with a significant group-by-age interaction in connectivity. Future research may consider altered developmental trajectories and the possible implications of sex-specific treatment and prevention strategies for MDD.

Life Science Teachers' Decision Making on Sex Education

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Gill, Puneet Singh

2013-01-01

The desires of young people and especially young bodies are constructed at the intersections of policies that set the parameters of sex education policies, the embodied experiences of students in classrooms, and the way bodies are discussed in the complex language of science. Moreover, more research points to the lack of scientifically and…

Sex differences in primary hypertension

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Men have higher blood pressure than women through much of life regardless of race and ethnicity. This is a robust and highly conserved sex difference that it is also observed across species including dogs, rats, mice and chickens and it is found in induced, genetic and transgenic animal models of hypertension. Not only do the differences between the ovarian and testicular hormonal milieu contribute to this sexual dimorphism in blood pressure, the sex chromosomes also play a role in and of themselves. This review primarily focuses on epidemiological studies of blood pressure in men and women and experimental models of hypertension in both sexes. Gaps in current knowledge regarding what underlie male-female differences in blood pressure control are discussed. Elucidating the mechanisms underlying sex differences in hypertension may lead to the development of anti-hypertensives tailored to one's sex and ultimately to improved therapeutic strategies for treating this disease and preventing its devastating consequences. PMID:22417477

Gain and loss learning differentially contribute to life financial outcomes.

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Brian Knutson

Full Text Available Emerging findings imply that distinct neurobehavioral systems process gains and losses. This study investigated whether individual differences in gain learning and loss learning might contribute to different life financial outcomes (i.e., assets versus debt. In a community sample of healthy adults (n = 75, rapid learners had smaller debt-to-asset ratios overall. More specific analyses, however, revealed that those who learned rapidly about gains had more assets, while those who learned rapidly about losses had less debt. These distinct associations remained strong even after controlling for potential cognitive (e.g., intelligence, memory, and risk preferences and socioeconomic (e.g., age, sex, ethnicity, income, education confounds. Self-reported measures of assets and debt were additionally validated with credit report data in a subset of subjects. These findings support the notion that different gain and loss learning systems may exert a cumulative influence on distinct life financial outcomes.

Candidate gene resequencing to identify rare, pedigree-specific variants influencing healthy aging phenotypes in the long life family study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Druley, Todd E; Wang, Lihua; Lin, Shiow J

2016-01-01

from six pedigrees. OBFC1 (chromosome 10) is involved in telomere maintenance, and falls within a linkage peak recently reported from an analysis of telomere length in LLFS families. Two different algorithms for single gene associations identified three genes with an enrichment of variation......BACKGROUND: The Long Life Family Study (LLFS) is an international study to identify the genetic components of various healthy aging phenotypes. We hypothesized that pedigree-specific rare variants at longevity-associated genes could have a similar functional impact on healthy phenotypes. METHODS......: We performed custom hybridization capture sequencing to identify the functional variants in 464 candidate genes for longevity or the major diseases of aging in 615 pedigrees (4,953 individuals) from the LLFS, using a multiplexed, custom hybridization capture. Variants were analyzed individually...

Single-Sex Schooling and Labour Market Outcomes

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Sullivan, Alice; Joshi, Heather; Leonard, Diana

2011-01-01

One quarter of the 1958 British Birth cohort attended single-sex secondary schools. This paper asks whether sex-segregated schooling had any impact on the experience of gender differences in the labour market in mid-life. We examine outcomes at age 42, allowing for socio-economic origins and abilities measured in childhood. We find no net impact…

FEMALE SEX WORKERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARD HIV TESTING: A STUDY AMONG INDIRECT SEX WORKERS IN BANTUL, YOGYAKARTA, INDONESIA

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Dhesi Ari Astuti

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Background: HIV prevalence among female sex workers in Indonesia is among the highest in Asia after Papua New Guinea and Malaysia. Indirect sex workers posed a heightened risk of HIV infection compared to direct sex workers because they usually earn less than their direct counterpart and have lower bargaining power in condom use. Objective: This study aims to examine the factors influencing indirect sex workers’ attitudes toward HIV testing. Methods: This study employed a quantitative method with a cross-sectional approach involved 67 indirect sex workers from massage parlors and beauty salons in Bantul district. Descriptive analysis of respondents’ attitude, perceive threat and expectation was drawn from Health Belief Model Theory. Results: The majority of indirect sex workers had positive attitude towards HIV testing. They are aware to the importance of condom in every commercial sex works, but the majority believe themselves were not susceptible to HIV-AIDS due to their preference to healthy-looking clients to serve sex. Personal expenses to visit the health center for HIV testing are less considered compared to public opinion and discrimination. Peers encouraged the workers to get tested. Disseminating HIV/AIDS information to sex workers through media and mobile phone are not successful. Conclusion: The findings of the study carrying an expectation that when individuals’ attitudes toward HIV testing are positive, the likelihood of getting themselves tested would also be higher. Since the perception is driven by information as stimulus, it is important to provide continuous information to create stimulus which eventually will influence their perception.

Consistent Condom Use by Female Sex Workers in Kolkata, India: Testing Theories of Economic Insecurity, Behavior Change, Life Course Vulnerability and Empowerment.

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Fehrenbacher, Anne E; Chowdhury, Debasish; Ghose, Toorjo; Swendeman, Dallas

2016-10-01

Consistent condom use (CCU) is the primary HIV/STI prevention option available to sex workers globally but may be undermined by economic insecurity, life-course vulnerabilities, behavioral factors, disempowerment, or lack of effective interventions. This study examines predictors of CCU in a random household survey of brothel-based female sex workers (n = 200) in two neighborhoods served by Durbar (the Sonagachi Project) in Kolkata, India. Multivariate logistic regression analyses indicated that CCU was significantly associated with perceived HIV risk, community mobilization participation, working more days in sex work, and higher proportion of occasional clients to regular clients. Exploratory analyses stratifying by economic insecurity indicators (i.e., debt, savings, income, housing security) indicate that perceived HIV risk and community mobilization were only associated with CCU for economically secure FSW. Interventions with FSW must prioritize economic security and access to social protections as economic insecurity may undermine the efficacy of more direct condom use intervention strategies.

Comparative optimism about healthy eating.

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Sproesser, Gudrun; Klusmann, Verena; Schupp, Harald T; Renner, Britta

2015-07-01

The present study investigated people's perception of their own as compared to their peers' healthy eating and related these perceptions to actual healthy eating, BMI, and subsequent healthy eating behavior. Data were collected within the framework of the longitudinal cohort study Konstanz Life Study (T1: N = 770; T2: N = 510). Our results demonstrated an optimistic bias on the group level. Specifically, people rated their own eating behavior as healthier on average than that of their average peers. This comparative optimism occurred even when actual healthy eating was unfavorable and BMI was high. However, it increased with actual healthy eating behavior. Importantly, optimistic perceptions were positively related to the intention to eat healthily and healthy eating six months later. Hence, the results suggest that an optimistic comparative view of one's own healthy eating is grounded in reality and boosts rather than deters subsequent health behavior. This implies that there might not be a need to reduce optimistic perceptions of healthy eating behavior. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Does organized sport participation during youth predict healthy habits in adulthood? A 28-year longitudinal study.

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Palomäki, S; Hirvensalo, M; Smith, K; Raitakari, O; Männistö, S; Hutri-Kähönen, N; Tammelin, T

2018-04-26

Health behaviors in youth can predict the same behaviors later in life, but the role of sport participation in predicting healthy lifestyle habits is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association between participation in organized youth sport and adult healthy lifestyle habits. Data from the longitudinal Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study (YFS) with a 28-year follow-up were used. The participation in sport-club training sessions was self-reported by 9-18-year-olds in 1983 and 1986 (n = 1285). During 2011, participants (aged 37-43-year old) reported their smoking status, alcohol consumption, fruit and vegetable consumption, and physical activity. Odd ratios (OR) were calculated using logistic regression, to examine how participation in organized youth sport was associated with having three or four versus fewer (0-2) healthy habits in adulthood. Participants who were active in youth sport in both 1983 and 1986 had almost two times greater odds of having three or four healthy habits in adulthood than those who were not active at both time points (OR: 1.75, 95%CI: 1.11-2.76). When the analyses were stratified by sex, the findings were statistically significant among women (OR: 2.13, 95%Cl: 1.13-3.99) but not men (OR: 1.27, 95%CI: 0.63-2.58). The results suggest that participation in organized youth sport could promote healthy lifestyle choices. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Female street sex workers in Hong Kong: moving beyond sexual health.

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Wong, William C W; Holroyd, Eleanor A; Gray, Ann; Ling, Davina C

2006-05-01

For many years, the sex industry in Hong Kong has appeared to be an integral and ever-expanding component of the city's sociocultural and economic structure. Accordingly, the physical and psychological health of sex workers is becoming an increasing concern for the workers themselves, the public, and government policy. A cross-sectional survey on the quality of life (World Health Organization Quality of Life [WHOQOL]) of female sex workers (FSWs) in Hong Kong was used to investigate the physical and psychological well-being of street FSWs, and the results were compared with those of non-sex-working Hong Kong women after adjusting for age, educational level, marital status, and health status. The 89 FSWs surveyed scored significantly lower on QOL--WHOQOL-BREF (HK)--measures compared with the non-sex-working women. One common aspect among these sex workers was their negative view of themselves and of life. Many sex workers were at risk of being abused while at work, and many women worked without legal protection. Most of the women surveyed engaged in sex work to support their families. Because their income was often insufficient, some of their needs, especially those concerning health, were often neglected. The low WHOQOL-BREF (HK) scores in FSWs indicate feelings of helplessness and entrapment, which may well result in detrimental effects on sex workers' health, self-esteem, and confidence when asserting their basic rights, such as access to healthcare and safety. The conclusion highlights the vulnerability of this population to apparent weaknesses in Hong Kong's current healthcare system.

Associations between quality of life, physical activity, worry, depression and insomnia: A cross-sectional designed study in healthy pregnant women.

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Danielle Mourady

Full Text Available Health-related quality of life (QOL is reported to be reduced during pregnancy. Associations between QOL, physical activity (PA, insomnia, depression and worry are insufficiently investigated among pregnant women. The aim of this study was to evaluate QOL and PA patterns among healthy pregnant women, and to examine how QOL might correlate to PA, sleep, worry and depression. This is an observational cross-sectional study, conducted among a convenient sample of 141 healthy pregnant women using five questionnaires: WHOQOL-brief (WHO quality of life questionnaire, brief version, ISI (Insomnia Severity Index, PSWQ (Penn State Worry Questionnaire, ZSRDS (Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, and Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire (PPAQ. Pre-gestational BMI was inversely correlated to overall health while education was positively correlated to psychological health, social relationships and environment domains. Smoking before and during pregnancy significantly impacted the general health and psychological health. Total and light PA were positively correlated to psychological health and social relationships. Sports/exercise showed positive correlations with several QOL domains. Insomnia and depression were significantly associated with a decrease in all domains of QOL, while worries were associated with a decrease in physical, psychological and environmental domains. There were significant negative correlations between ZSRDS scores and total activity. PA, worries, depression and insomnia affected QOL during pregnancy. Furthermore, pregnant women presenting depression had a reduced total PA. Sleep and mental health as well as encouraging PA during pregnancy are necessary to improve the quality of life of pregnant women.

Consumption of healthy foods and associated socio-demographic factors among Russian, Somali and Kurdish immigrants in Finland.

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Adebayo, Folasade A; Itkonen, Suvi T; Koponen, Päivikki; Prättälä, Ritva; Härkänen, Tommi; Lamberg-Allardt, Christel; Erkkola, Maijaliisa

2017-05-01

We evaluated the consumption of healthy foods among Russian, Somali and Kurdish immigrants in Finland, and examined the relationship between socio-demographic factors and food consumption. We used data from the Migrant Health and Wellbeing Study (Maamu), a population-based health interview and examination survey in six different municipalities in Finland between 2010 and 2012. Altogether, 635 men and 737 women, aged 18-64 years, of Russian ( n = 527), Somali ( n = 337) and Kurdish ( n = 508) origin were included. The important socio-demographic determinants of healthy food consumption - sex, age, education, place of residence and household size - were assessed by logistic regression. Based on the consumption frequencies of recommended healthy foods - fruits, berries, vegetables, fish and rye bread - immigrants of Russian origin had higher consumption of healthy foods than their peers of Kurdish and Somali origin. Low consumption of fresh vegetables, fruits and berries was found among Somali immigrants. Sex and age were the most important determinants of healthy food consumption, as women and older age groups had diets closer to the national nutrition recommendations. High educational level was also positively associated with healthy food consumption. We found ethnic differences in the consumption of healthy foods among the immigrant groups of Russian, Somali and Kurdish origin in Finland. Socio-demographic factors, especially age, sex and education, seem to also play an important role in immigrants' food consumption. Further studies examining the consumption of fruits, berries and fresh vegetables among Somali immigrants in Finland are needed.

Investigating sex differences in psychological predictors of snack intake among a large representative sample.

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Adriaanse, Marieke A; Evers, Catharine; Verhoeven, Aukje A C; de Ridder, Denise T D

2016-03-01

It is often assumed that there are substantial sex differences in eating behaviour (e.g. women are more likely to be dieters or emotional eaters than men). The present study investigates this assumption in a large representative community sample while incorporating a comprehensive set of psychological eating-related variables. A community sample was employed to: (i) determine sex differences in (un)healthy snack consumption and psychological eating-related variables (e.g. emotional eating, intention to eat healthily); (ii) examine whether sex predicts energy intake from (un)healthy snacks over and above psychological variables; and (iii) investigate the relationship between psychological variables and snack intake for men and women separately. Snack consumption was assessed with a 7d snack diary; the psychological eating-related variables with questionnaires. Participants were members of an Internet survey panel that is based on a true probability sample of households in the Netherlands. Men and women (n 1292; 45 % male), with a mean age of 51·23 (sd 16·78) years and a mean BMI of 25·62 (sd 4·75) kg/m2. Results revealed that women consumed more healthy and less unhealthy snacks than men and they scored higher than men on emotional and restrained eating. Women also more often reported appearance and health-related concerns about their eating behaviour, but men and women did not differ with regard to external eating or their intentions to eat more healthily. The relationships between psychological eating-related variables and snack intake were similar for men and women, indicating that snack intake is predicted by the same variables for men and women. It is concluded that some small sex differences in psychological eating-related variables exist, but based on the present data there is no need for interventions aimed at promoting healthy eating to target different predictors according to sex.

Vasopressin and oxytocin receptor systems in the brain: Sex differences and sex-specific regulation of social behavior.

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Dumais, Kelly M; Veenema, Alexa H

2016-01-01

The neuropeptides vasopressin (VP) and oxytocin (OT) and their receptors in the brain are involved in the regulation of various social behaviors and have emerged as drug targets for the treatment of social dysfunction in several sex-biased neuropsychiatric disorders. Sex differences in the VP and OT systems may therefore be implicated in sex-specific regulation of healthy as well as impaired social behaviors. We begin this review by highlighting the sex differences, or lack of sex differences, in VP and OT synthesis in the brain. We then discuss the evidence showing the presence or absence of sex differences in VP and OT receptors in rodents and humans, as well as showing new data of sexually dimorphic V1a receptor binding in the rat brain. Importantly, we find that there is lack of comprehensive analysis of sex differences in these systems in common laboratory species, and we find that, when sex differences are present, they are highly brain region- and species-specific. Interestingly, VP system parameters (VP and V1aR) are typically higher in males, while sex differences in the OT system are not always in the same direction, often showing higher OT expression in females, but higher OT receptor expression in males. Furthermore, VP and OT receptor systems show distinct and largely non-overlapping expression in the rodent brain, which may cause these receptors to have either complementary or opposing functional roles in the sex-specific regulation of social behavior. Though still in need of further research, we close by discussing how manipulations of the VP and OT systems have given important insights into the involvement of these neuropeptide systems in the sex-specific regulation of social behavior in rodents and humans. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Vasopressin and oxytocin receptor systems in the brain: sex differences and sex-specific regulation of social behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Dumais, Kelly M.; Veenema, Alexa H.

2015-01-01

The neuropeptides vasopressin (VP) and oxytocin (OT) and their receptors in the brain are involved in the regulation of various social behaviors and have emerged as drug targets for the treatment of social dysfunction in several sex-biased neuropsychiatric disorders. Sex differences in the VP and OT systems may therefore be implicated in sex-specific regulation of healthy as well as impaired social behaviors. We begin this review by highlighting the sex differences, or lack of sex differences, in VP and OT synthesis in the brain. We then discuss the evidence showing the presence or absence of sex differences in VP and OT receptors in rodents and humans, as well as showing new data of sexually dimorphic V1a receptor binding in the rat brain. Importantly, we find that there is lack of comprehensive analysis of sex differences in these systems in common laboratory species, and we find that, when sex differences are present, they are highly brain region- and species- specific. Interestingly, VP system parameters (VP and V1aR) are typically higher in males, while sex differences in the OT system are not always in the same direction, often showing higher OT expression in females, but higher OT receptor expression in males. Furthermore, VP and OT receptor systems show distinct and largely non-overlapping expression in the rodent brain, which may cause these receptors to have either complementary or opposing functional roles in the sex-specific regulation of social behavior. Though still in need of further research, we close by discussing how manipulations of the VP and OT systems have given important insights into the involvement of these neuropeptide systems in the sex-specific regulation of social behavior in rodents and humans. PMID:25951955

Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for 333 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE) for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2016

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Moesgaard Iburg, Kim

2017-01-01

Background Measurement of changes in health across locations is useful to compare and contrast changing epidemiological patterns against health system performance and identify specific needs for resource allocation in research, policy development, and programme decision making. Using the Global...... Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016, we drew from two widely used summary measures to monitor such changes in population health: disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) and healthy life expectancy (HALE). We used these measures to track trends and benchmark progress compared...... from expected trends when compared with the SDI: the geometric mean of income per person, educational attainment in the population older than age 15 years, and total fertility rate. Findings The highest globally observed HALE at birth for both women and men was in Singapore, at 75·2 years (95...

Cultural, religious and socio-economic factors affecting sex education in Turkey.

Science.gov (United States)

Koral, S

1991-05-01

Although professional pressure groups attempted to address the need for formal sex education in the 1970's, the Family Planning Association of Turkey (FPAT) has successfully introduced sex education subjects into school programs. It has also been endorsed as a major resource by the Ministry of Health; however, the Ministry of Education has been backsliding recently on sex education and in general has not generated zealous supporters of sex education. Different attitudes and practices prevail. Sex education is not usually discussed in the home, but there is support for sex education in schools. Its importance is recognized. Turkish society tends to be conservative particularly among middle socioeconomic stratum. Upper classes tend to be more liberal, and lower classes perceive sexuality as the normal way of life. The term sex is associated with eroticism, sex education as sex techniques; so sexuality must fall within the confines of health education. Within the Muslim faith, views on sex support discussion of sexual issues with couples, for example, or among students of Islamic jurisprudence. According to Quaranic teachings, women have a right to a sex life, including divorce options if sexuality is not fulfilled. Misinterpretations of Quaranic teachings have hindered the effort to plan an appropriate sex education program. Islamic values are liberal in their support for family planning. The FPAT's objective is to change the image of sex education and eliminate the fear that established values will be challenged by sex education.

Greek students' knowledge and sources of information regarding sex education.

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Matziou, V; Perdikaris, P; Petsios, K; Gymnopoulou, E; Galanis, P; Brokalaki, H

2009-09-01

Human sexuality is a complex part of life and is considered a multidimensional phenomenon. Therefore there is an increased need for adequate and comprehensive sex education, especially for teenagers and young adults. The main aim of the study was to evaluate the level of students' sexual knowledge, as well as to identify their sources of information regarding sexual life and reproduction. A cross-sectional study using a designed self-report questionnaire was performed. The study population consisted of 936 students who were attending 10 high schools and four medical schools in Attica. Data were collected after obtaining permission from the Pedagogic Institute of the Greek Ministry of Education. The main sources of students' sexual information about reproduction were friends (29.1%) and parents (24.0%), whereas school was reported by 14.3% of them. The preferred sources of information, according to students' perceptions, were sex education specialists (65.6%), followed by school (39.1%), parents (32.2%) and friends (27.7%). The importance of school, peer and parent support upon adolescents' sexual life was revealed by the results of the study. Students' knowledge level on sex topics is not satisfactory and therefore there is a need for sex education specialists and special courses regarding sex education in Greek schools.

The effect of urban green on small-area (healthy) life expectancy.

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Jonker, M F; van Lenthe, F J; Donkers, B; Mackenbach, J P; Burdorf, A

2014-10-01

Several epidemiological studies have investigated the effect of the quantity of green space on health outcomes such as self-rated health, morbidity and mortality ratios. These studies have consistently found positive associations between the quantity of green and health. However, the impact of other aspects, such as the perceived quality and average distance to public green, and the effect of urban green on population health are still largely unknown. Linear regression models were used to investigate the impact of three different measures of urban green on small-area life expectancy (LE) and healthy life expectancy (HLE) in The Netherlands. All regressions corrected for average neighbourhood household income, accommodated spatial autocorrelation, and took measurement uncertainty of LE, HLE as well as the quality of urban green into account. Both the quantity and the perceived quality of urban green are modestly related to small-area LE and HLE: an increase of 1 SD in the percentage of urban green space is associated with a 0.1-year higher LE, and, in the case of quality of green, with an approximately 0.3-year higher LE and HLE. The average distance to the nearest public green is unrelated to population health. The quantity and particularly quality of urban green are positively associated with small-area LE and HLE. This concurs with a growing body of evidence that urban green reduces stress, stimulates physical activity, improves the microclimate and reduces ambient air pollution. Accordingly, urban green development deserves a more prominent place in urban regeneration and neighbourhood renewal programmes. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Variations in disability and quality of life with age and sex between eight lower income and middle-income countries: data from the INDEPTH WHO-SAGE collaboration.

Science.gov (United States)

Gomez-Olive, Francesc Xavier; Schröders, Julia; Aboderin, Isabella; Byass, Peter; Chatterji, Somnath; Davies, Justine I; Debpuur, Cornelius; Hirve, Siddhivinayak; Hodgson, Abraham; Juvekar, Sanjay; Kahn, Kathleen; Kowal, Paul; Nathan, Rose; Ng, Nawi; Razzaque, Abdur; Sankoh, Osman; Streatfield, Peter K; Tollman, Stephen M; Wilopo, Siswanto A; Witham, Miles D

2017-01-01

Disability and quality of life are key outcomes for older people. Little is known about how these measures vary with age and gender across lower income and middle-income countries; such information is necessary to tailor health and social care policy to promote healthy ageing and minimise disability. We analysed data from participants aged 50 years and over from health and demographic surveillance system sites of the International Network for the Demographic Evaluation of Populations and their Health Network in Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Vietnam, India, Indonesia and Bangladesh, using an abbreviated version of the WHO Study on global AGEing survey instrument. We used the eight-item WHO Quality of Life (WHOQoL) tool to measure quality of life and theWHO Disability Assessment Schedule, version 2 (WHODAS-II) tool to measure disability. We collected selected health status measures via the survey instrument and collected demographic and socioeconomic data from linked surveillance site information. We performed regression analyses to quantify differences between countries in the relationship between age, gender and both quality of life and disability, and we used anchoring vignettes to account for differences in interpretation of disability severity. We included 43 935 individuals in the analysis. Mean age was 63.7 years (SD 9.7) and 24 434 (55.6%) were women. In unadjusted analyses across all countries, WHOQoL scores worsened by 0.13 points (95% CI 0.12 to 0.14) per year increase in age and WHODAS scores worsened by 0.60 points (95% CI 0.57 to 0.64). WHODAS-II and WHOQoL scores varied markedly between countries, as did the gradient of scores with increasing age. In regression analyses, differences were not fully explained by age, socioeconomic status, marital status, education or health factors. Differences in disability scores between countries were not explained by differences in anchoring vignette responses. The relationship between age, sex and

Health-related quality of life among long-term rectal cancer survivors with an ostomy: manifestations by sex.

Science.gov (United States)

Krouse, Robert S; Herrinton, Lisa J; Grant, Marcia; Wendel, Christopher S; Green, Sylvan B; Mohler, M Jane; Baldwin, Carol M; McMullen, Carmit K; Rawl, Susan M; Matayoshi, Eric; Coons, Stephen Joel; Hornbrook, Mark C

2009-10-01

Intestinal stomas can pose significant challenges for long-term (> or = 5 years) rectal cancer (RC) survivors. Specifying common challenges and sociodemographic or clinical differences will further the development of tailored interventions to improve health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This was a matched cross-sectional study of long-term RC survivors conducted in three Kaiser Permanente regions. The mailed questionnaire included the modified City of Hope Quality of Life-Ostomy (mCOH-QOL-Ostomy) and Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey, version 2 (SF-36v2). Groups surveyed were permanent ostomates (cases) and those who did not require an ostomy (controls). RC survivors were matched on sex, age, and time since diagnosis. Comparisons between groups used regression analysis with adjustment for age, comorbidity score, history of radiation therapy, income, and work status. Response rate was 54% (491 of 909). Cases and controls had similar demographic characteristics. On the basis of the mCOH-QOL-Ostomy, both male and female cases had significantly worse social well-being compared with controls, while only female cases reported significantly worse overall HRQOL and psychological well-being. For younger females (ostomy had a greater impact on physical well-being compared with older females. Based on the SF-36v2, statistically significant and meaningful differences between female cases and controls were observed for seven of the eight scales and on the physical and mental component summary scores. Men and women report a different profile of challenges, suggesting the need for targeted or sex-specific interventions to improve HRQOL in this population. This may include focus on physical HRQOL for female ostomy survivors younger than age 75.

Reference values of electrocardiogram repolarization variables in a healthy population

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Haarmark, Christian; Graff, Claus; Andersen, Mads P

2010-01-01

Reference values for T-wave morphology analysis and evaluation of the relationship with age, sex, and heart rate are lacking in the literature. In this study, we characterized T-wave morphology in a large sample of healthy individuals....

Instrument adaptation and validation to evaluate psychosocial skills and healthy habits in schoolchildren

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucila Niño-Bautista

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Objective: To adapt and validate an evaluation tool on psychosocial skills for life and healthy habits in Schoolchildren from a locality in Bogota, Colombia. Materials and methods: This quantitative transversal with empirical analytical non-experimental approach study evaluated responses of schoolchildren in third and fourth grade of primary school with the instrument adapted and reconstructed to establish technical quality of items, reliability and validity of it. The instrument (18 psychosocial skills and 19 healthy habits, plus 4 identification items was self-diligence with Yes, No dichotomous answer option. It had evidence of apparent validity with schoolchildren from other peer institutions and was tested at 32 Public schools and analyzed using the Rasch model. Results: 1,066 schoolchildren participated in total. The items of the two constructs showed a good fit to the Rasch model as well as unidimensionality, reliability and separation measures above the recommended values. There was no differential functioning of the item by sex. Conclusion: The instrument of 37 items presented good properties of validity, reliability and adjustment to Rasch; although it does not have enough items of high difficulty level, which can be corrected in future applications.

The Importance of Sex and the Meaning of Sex and Sexual Pleasure for Men Aged 60 and Older Who Engage in Heterosexual Relationships: Findings from a Qualitative Interview Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Fileborn, Bianca; Hinchliff, Sharron; Lyons, Anthony; Heywood, Wendy; Minichiello, Victor; Brown, Graham; Malta, Sue; Barrett, Catherine; Crameri, Pauline

2017-10-01

That many older individuals continue to engage in various forms of sexual expression well into later life is now well established in the literature. To date, however, only a small body of qualitative research has examined older men's experiences and understandings of sex in later life. Likewise, the ways in which older men's discussions on sex may be used as an avenue for "doing" masculinity remain underexplored. Older men are particularly interesting in this regard, as they inhabit an increasingly subordinated position in relation to hegemonic masculine ideals because of their age. To what extent might this limit or, alternatively, open up the possibilities for sexual expression and subjectivity in later life? Drawing on a subset of findings from Sex, Age, and Me: A National Study with Australian Women and Men Aged 60 and Older, data from qualitative interviews with 27 Australian men were explored in this article. The first Australian study of its kind, we argue that older men who engage in heterosexual relationships draw on a diverse and complex array of discursive positions regarding sex, relationships, and masculinity in making sense of their experiences of sex in later life. Older men are a heterogeneous group, and their experiences and understandings of sex do not simplistically follow "decline" or "success" narratives of aging. The findings of this research build upon and extend emerging research illustrating the centrality of intimacy to older men's sexual lives, while simultaneously highlighting the ways in which the body and discursive constructions of sex intersect to shape older men's sexual subjectivities.

Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for 315 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE), 1990-2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-10-08

Healthy life expectancy (HALE) and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) provide summary measures of health across geographies and time that can inform assessments of epidemiological patterns and health system performance, help to prioritise investments in research and development, and monitor progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We aimed to provide updated HALE and DALYs for geographies worldwide and evaluate how disease burden changes with development. We used results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2015 (GBD 2015) for all-cause mortality, cause-specific mortality, and non-fatal disease burden to derive HALE and DALYs by sex for 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2015. We calculated DALYs by summing years of life lost (YLLs) and years of life lived with disability (YLDs) for each geography, age group, sex, and year. We estimated HALE using the Sullivan method, which draws from age-specific death rates and YLDs per capita. We then assessed how observed levels of DALYs and HALE differed from expected trends calculated with the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a composite indicator constructed from measures of income per capita, average years of schooling, and total fertility rate. Total global DALYs remained largely unchanged from 1990 to 2015, with decreases in communicable, neonatal, maternal, and nutritional (Group 1) disease DALYs offset by increased DALYs due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Much of this epidemiological transition was caused by changes in population growth and ageing, but it was accelerated by widespread improvements in SDI that also correlated strongly with the increasing importance of NCDs. Both total DALYs and age-standardised DALY rates due to most Group 1 causes significantly decreased by 2015, and although total burden climbed for the majority of NCDs, age-standardised DALY rates due to NCDs declined. Nonetheless, age-standardised DALY rates due to several high

Assessing the efficacy of the healthy eating and lifestyle programme (HELP compared with enhanced standard care of the obese adolescent in the community: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christie Deborah

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The childhood obesity epidemic is one of the foremost UK health priorities. Childhood obesity tracks into adult life and places individuals at considerable risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, liver disease and other morbidities. There is widespread need for paediatric lifestyle programmes as change may be easier to accomplish in childhood than later in life. Study Design/Method The study will evaluate the management of adolescent obesity by conducting a Medical Research Council complex intervention phase III efficacy randomised clinical trial of the Healthy Eating Lifestyle Programme within primary care. The study tests a community delivered multi-component intervention designed for adolescents developed from best practice as identified by National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. The hospital based pilot reduced body mass index and improved health-related quality of life. Subjects will be individually randomised to receiving either the Healthy Eating Lifestyle Programme (12 fortnightly family sessions or enhanced standard care. Baseline and follow up assessments will be undertaken blind to allocation status. A health economic evaluation is also being conducted. 200 obese young people (13-17 years, body mass index > 98th centile for age and sex will be recruited from primary care within the greater London area. The primary hypothesis is that a motivational and solution-focused family-based weight management programme delivered over 6 months is more efficacious in reducing body mass index in obese adolescents identified in the community than enhanced standard care. The primary outcome will be body mass index at the end of the intervention, adjusted for baseline body mass index, age and sex. The secondary hypothesis is that the Healthy Eating Lifestyle Programme is more efficacious in improving quality of life and psychological function and reducing waist circumference and cardiovascular risk factors in

Sex differences in the hypothalamus in the different stages of human life

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Swaab, Dick F.; Chung, Wilson C. J.; Kruijver, Frank P. M.; Hofman, Michel A.; Hestiantoro, Andon

2003-01-01

Quite a number of structural and functional sex differences have been reported in the human hypothalamus and adjacent structures that may be related to not only reproduction, sexual orientation and gender identity, but also to the often pronounced sex differences in prevalence of psychiatric and

Sex differences of human cortical blood flow and energy metabolism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aanerud, Joel; Borghammer, Per; Rodell, Anders

2017-01-01

cerebral blood flow and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen as functions of age in healthy volunteers of both sexes. Cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen did not change with age for either sex and there were no differences of mean values of cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen between men and women in cerebral...... cortex. Women had significant decreases of cerebral blood flow as function of age in frontal and parietal lobes. Young women had significantly higher cerebral blood flow than men in frontal and temporal lobes, but these differences had disappeared at age 65. The absent sex difference of cerebral energy...... turnover suggests that the known differences of synaptic density between the sexes are counteracted by opposite differences of individual synaptic activity....

HIV-related behaviors, social support and health-related quality of life among men who have sex with men and women (MSMW): a cross-sectional study in Chongqing, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jiang-Peng; Han, Ming-Ming; Liao, Zi-Jun; Dai, Zhen-Zhen; Liu, Liang; Chen, Hua; Wen, Xiao-Yan; Hu, Shan; Que, Ping; Wen, Wen; Peng, Bin

2015-01-01

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has become commonly used both as a concept and as a field of research. However, little is known about the HRQOL of men who have sex with men and women (MSMW). The aim of this study was to examine HIV-related behaviors, social support, and HRQOL status and explore its predictors among MSMW. An anonymous cross-sectional study was conducted by snowball sampling method in 2013. A total of 563 Chinese MSM completed a structured questionnaire. The HRQOL and social support were measured with the Chinese version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale (WHOQOL-BRFE) and the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), respectively. Of the 563 MSM analyzed, 77 (13.68%) were MSMW who had a higher proportion of in-marriage and preference for an insertive role as compared with the men who have sex with men only (MSMO) (Ppaid to those with low social support, low-income, the old and those prefer a receptive role during anal sex populations.

Supermarket Healthy Eating for Life (SHELf: protocol of a randomised controlled trial promoting healthy food and beverage consumption through price reduction and skill-building strategies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Le Ha ND

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In the context of rising food prices, there is a need for evidence on the most effective approaches for promoting healthy eating. Individually-targeted behavioural interventions for increasing food-related skills show promise, but are unlikely to be effective in the absence of structural supports. Fiscal policies have been advocated as a means of promoting healthy eating and reducing obesity and nutrition-related disease, but there is little empirical evidence of their effectiveness. This paper describes the Supermarket Healthy Eating for LiFe (SHELf study, a randomised controlled trial to investigate effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a tailored skill-building intervention and a price reduction intervention, separately and in combination, against a control condition for promoting purchase and consumption of healthy foods and beverages in women from high and low socioeconomic groups. Methods/design SHELf comprises a randomised controlled trial design, with participants randomised to receive either (1 a skill-building intervention; (2 price reductions on fruits, vegetables and low-joule soft drink beverages and water; (3 a combination of skill-building and price reductions; or (4 a control condition. Five hundred women from high and low socioeconomic areas will be recruited through a store loyalty card program and local media. Randomisation will occur on receipt of informed consent and baseline questionnaire. An economic evaluation from a societal perspective using a cost-consequences approach will compare the costs and outcomes between intervention and control groups. Discussion This study will build on a pivotal partnership with a major national supermarket chain and the Heart Foundation to investigate the effectiveness of intervention strategies aimed at increasing women's purchasing and consumption of fruits and vegetables and decreased purchasing and consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. It will be among the

Sex, spite, and selfish genes

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Nature's oracle: the life and work of W. D. Hamilton. Ullica Segerstrale .... Stemming partly from his study of sex ratios, Hamilton later began moving on to .... any scientific biography, has to strike a balance between sci- ence and the personal ...

Parents' views on sex education in schools: How much do Democrats and Republicans agree?

Science.gov (United States)

Kantor, Leslie; Levitz, Nicole

2017-01-01

More than 93 percent of parents place high importance on sex education in both middle and high school. Sex education in middle and high school is widely supported by parents regardless of their political affiliation. Using data from a large diverse sample of 1,633 parents of children aged 9 to 21 years, we examined whether views on sex education differed by parents' political affiliation. More than 89 percent of parents that identified as Republicans or Democrats support including a wide range of topics in sex education including puberty, healthy relationships, abstinence, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and birth control in high school. In middle school, 78 percent or more of both parents that identified as Republicans and Democrats support the inclusion of those topics. Controlling for key demographic factors, parents that identified as Democrats are more likely than those that identified as Republicans to support the inclusion of the topics of healthy relationships, birth control, STDs, and sexual orientation in both middle and high school. However, a strong majority of Republican parents want all these topics included in sex education. Sex education which includes a broad set of topics represents an area of strong agreement between parents of both political parties.

Parents' views on sex education in schools: How much do Democrats and Republicans agree?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leslie Kantor

Full Text Available More than 93 percent of parents place high importance on sex education in both middle and high school. Sex education in middle and high school is widely supported by parents regardless of their political affiliation. Using data from a large diverse sample of 1,633 parents of children aged 9 to 21 years, we examined whether views on sex education differed by parents' political affiliation. More than 89 percent of parents that identified as Republicans or Democrats support including a wide range of topics in sex education including puberty, healthy relationships, abstinence, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs and birth control in high school. In middle school, 78 percent or more of both parents that identified as Republicans and Democrats support the inclusion of those topics. Controlling for key demographic factors, parents that identified as Democrats are more likely than those that identified as Republicans to support the inclusion of the topics of healthy relationships, birth control, STDs, and sexual orientation in both middle and high school. However, a strong majority of Republican parents want all these topics included in sex education. Sex education which includes a broad set of topics represents an area of strong agreement between parents of both political parties.

Circumstances, experiences and processes surrounding women's entry into sex work in India.

Science.gov (United States)

McClarty, Leigh M; Bhattacharjee, Parinita; Blanchard, James F; Lorway, Robert R; Ramanaik, Satyanarayana; Mishra, Sharmistha; Isac, Shajy; Ramesh, B M; Washington, Reynold; Moses, Stephen; Becker, Marissa L

2014-01-01

Evidence suggests that in India, the early stages of a woman's career as a sex worker may be an important period to target for HIV and sexually transmitted infection prevention. Before such an intervention is designed and implemented, it is necessary to first understand the life circumstances of women at the start of their sex work careers. We performed a review to bring together available literature pertaining to entry into sex work in India and to highlight knowledge gaps. We found that historical traditions of dedication into sex work, financial insecurity, family discord, violence and coercion, and desire for financial independence are commonly reported reasons for entering into sex work. We also found that families and the broader sex worker community play an important role in the early stages of a woman's sex work career. We suggest that HIV-prevention programmes in India would substantially benefit from a deeper understanding of the life circumstances of new and young women sex workers. Further research should be conducted focusing on family and community involvement in women's entry into sex work, and on the important period of time after a woman's first commercial sex encounter, but before self-identification as a sex worker.

Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for 333 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE) for 195 countries and territories, 1990-2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016

OpenAIRE

Hay, Simon I; Abajobir, Amanuel Alemu; Abate, Kalkidan Hassen; Abbafati, Cristiana; Abbas, Kaja M; Abd-Allah, Foad; Abdulle, Abdishakur M; Abebo, Teshome Abuka; Abera, Semaw Ferede; Aboyans, Victor; Abu-Raddad, Laith J; Ackerman, Ilana N; Adedeji, Isaac A; Adetokunboh, Olatunji; Afshin, Ashkan

2017-01-01

Measurement of changes in health across locations is useful to compare and contrast changing epidemiological patterns against health system performance and identify specific needs for resource allocation in research, policy development, and programme decision making. Using the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016, we drew from two widely used summary measures to monitor such changes in population health: disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) and healthy life expec...

Sex differences and stress across the lifespan

Science.gov (United States)

Bale, Tracy L; Epperson, C Neill

2015-01-01

Sex differences in stress responses can be found at all stages of life and are related to both the organizational and activational effects of gonadal hormones and to genes on the sex chromosomes. As stress dysregulation is the most common feature across neuropsychiatric diseases, sex differences in how these pathways develop and mature may predict sex-specific periods of vulnerability to disruption and increased disease risk or resilience across the lifespan. The aging brain is also at risk to the effects of stress, where the rapid decline of gonadal hormones in women combined with cellular aging processes promote sex biases in stress dysregulation. In this Review, we discuss potential underlying mechanisms driving sex differences in stress responses and their relevance to disease. Although stress is involved in a much broader range of diseases than neuropsychiatric ones, we highlight here this area and its examples across the lifespan. PMID:26404716

Sex differences and stress across the lifespan.

Science.gov (United States)

Bale, Tracy L; Epperson, C Neill

2015-10-01

Sex differences in stress responses can be found at all stages of life and are related to both the organizational and activational effects of gonadal hormones and to genes on the sex chromosomes. As stress dysregulation is the most common feature across neuropsychiatric diseases, sex differences in how these pathways develop and mature may predict sex-specific periods of vulnerability to disruption and increased disease risk or resilience across the lifespan. The aging brain is also at risk to the effects of stress, where the rapid decline of gonadal hormones in women combined with cellular aging processes promote sex biases in stress dysregulation. In this Review, we discuss potential underlying mechanisms driving sex differences in stress responses and their relevance to disease. Although stress is involved in a much broader range of diseases than neuropsychiatric ones, we highlight here this area and its examples across the lifespan.

Eating a Balanced Diet: A Healthy Life through a Balanced Diet in the Age of Longevity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Soo Lim

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Recently, trends in the Korean diet have favored westernized and unbalanced meals that mainly provide a single nutrient. To stop this unfavorable trend, the Committee of the Ten Guidelines for a Health Life: Korean Medical Association released three best practices to follow for the healthy and balanced diet in 2017. The purpose of these guidelines is to encourage people to eat a balanced diet that meets the recommended caloric intake, thereby reducing the risk of obesity and obesity-related diseases. First, eat a carbohydrate:protein:fat ratio of 55:20:25. Middle-aged and elderly Koreans consume a high proportion of carbohydrates as part of their total caloric intake, and those ≥65 years consume a low proportion of fat as part of the total caloric intake. Second, reduce consumption of soda and sugar-sweetened beverages. The recent World Health Organization recommendation for added sugar is less than 10% of a person’s total daily energy intake (<50 g/day. Koreans currently consume 72.1 g of added sugar per day. Koreans between the ages of 6 and 29 years consume sugar mostly through sodas, and those ≥30 years consume sugar mostly through coffee. Third, maintain the recommended caloric intake for a healthy diet. Rapid weight gain increases blood sugar levels and blood pressure, which can lead to diabetes and hypertension, as well as increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and colorectal cancer. To help prevent these conditions, people should maintain a healthy weight by avoiding overeating and being physically active starting at a young age.

Are Sex Robots as Bad as Killing Robots

OpenAIRE

Richardson, Kathleen

2016-01-01

In 2015 the Campaign Against Sex Robots was launched to draw attention to the technological production of new kinds of objects: sex robots of women and children. The campaign was launched shortly after the Future of Life Institute published an online petition: “Autonomous Weapons: An Open Letter From AI and Robotics Researchers” which was signed by leading luminaries in the field of AI and Robotics. In response to the Campaign, an academic at Oxford University opened an ethics thread “Are sex...

An Allometric Analysis of Sex and Sex Chromosome Dosage Effects on Subcortical Anatomy in Humans

Science.gov (United States)

Clasen, Liv; Giedd, Jay N.; Blumenthal, Jonathan; Lerch, Jason P.; Chakravarty, M. Mallar; Raznahan, Armin

2016-01-01

Structural neuroimaging of humans with typical and atypical sex-chromosome complements has established the marked influence of both Yand X-/Y-chromosome dosage on total brain volume (TBV) and identified potential cortical substrates for the psychiatric phenotypes associated with sex-chromosome aneuploidy (SCA). Here, in a cohort of 354 humans with varying karyotypes (XX, XY, XXX, XXY, XYY, XXYY, XXXXY), we investigate sex and SCA effects on subcortical size and shape; focusing on the striatum, pallidum and thalamus. We find large effect-size differences in the volume and shape of all three structures as a function of sex and SCA. We correct for TBV effects with a novel allometric method harnessing normative scaling rules for subcortical size and shape in humans, which we derive here for the first time. We show that all three subcortical volumes scale sublinearly with TBV among healthy humans, mirroring known relationships between subcortical volume and TBV among species. Traditional TBV correction methods assume linear scaling and can therefore invert or exaggerate sex and SCA effects on subcortical anatomy. Allometric analysis restricts sex-differences to: (1) greater pallidal volume (PV) in males, and (2) relative caudate head expansion and ventral striatum contraction in females. Allometric analysis of SCA reveals that supernumerary X- and Y-chromosomes both cause disproportionate reductions in PV, and coordinated deformations of striatopallidal shape. Our study provides a novel understanding of sex and sex-chromosome dosage effects on subcortical organization, using an allometric approach that can be generalized to other basic and clinical structural neuroimaging settings. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Sex and sex-chromosome dosage (SCD) are known to modulate human brain size and cortical anatomy, but very little is known regarding their impact on subcortical structures that work with the cortex to subserve a range of behaviors in health and disease. Moreover

Potential impact of pre-exposure prophylaxis for female sex workers and men who have sex with men in Bangalore, India: a mathematical modelling study.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, Kate M; Prudden, Holly J; Washington, Reynold; Isac, Shajy; Rajaram, Subramanian P; Foss, Anna M; Terris-Prestholt, Fern; Boily, Marie-Claude; Vickerman, Peter

2016-01-01

In Bangalore, new HIV infections of female sex workers and men who have sex with men continue to occur, despite high condom use. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has high anti-HIV efficacy for men who have sex with men. PrEP demonstration projects are underway amongst Indian female sex workers. We estimated the impact and efficiency of prioritizing PrEP to female sex workers and/or men who have sex with men in Bangalore. A mathematical model of HIV transmission and treatment for female sex workers, clients, men who have sex with men and low-risk groups was parameterized and fitted to Bangalore data. The proportion of transmission attributable (population attributable fraction) to commercial sex and sex between men was calculated. PrEP impact (infections averted, life-years gained) and efficiency (life-years gained/infections averted per 100 person-years on PrEP) were estimated for different levels of PrEP adherence, coverage and prioritization strategies (female sex workers, high-risk men who have sex with men, both female sex workers and high-risk men who have sex with men, or female sex workers with lower condom use), under current conditions and in a scenario with lower baseline condom use amongst key populations. Population attributable fractions for commercial sex and sex between men have declined over time, and they are predicted to account for 19% of all new infections between 2016 and 2025. PrEP could prevent a substantial proportion of infections amongst female sex workers and men who have sex with men in this setting (23%/27% over 5/10 years, with 60% coverage and 50% adherence), which could avert 2.9%/4.3% of infections over 5/10 years in the whole Bangalore population. Impact and efficiency in the whole population was greater if female sex workers were prioritized. Efficiency increased, but impact decreased, if only female sex workers with lower condom use were given PrEP. Greater impact and efficiency was predicted for the scenario with lower condom use

Early traumatic life events, parental attitudes, family history, and birth risk factors in patients with depressive disorder and healthy controls.

Science.gov (United States)

Bandelow, Borwin; Gutermann, Julia; Peter, Helmut; Wedekind, Dirk

2013-02-01

Only few studies have compared the frequency of traumatic life events during childhood in inpatients with depression with a healthy control group. Consecutively admitted inpatients with depression (n = 79), most of whom belonged to the melancholic subtype (n = 73; 92.4%), and healthy controls (n = 110) were investigated using a comprehensive retrospective interview with 203 questions regarding childhood traumatic life events, parental attitudes, family history of psychiatric disorders and birth risk factors. Depressed patients had significantly more severe traumatic events (mean score 1.33; SD 1.4) than control subjects (0.85; SD 1.2) on a 0-10 point "severe trauma scale". 70.9% (n = 56) of the depressed patients, but only 48.2% (n = 53) of the controls reported at least one severe traumatic event. When looking at single events, only few differences were found between patients and controls. Compared to controls, patients described significantly higher rates of psychiatric disorders in their families, in particular depression. Parental rearing styles were rated as more unfavorable in the patient group. In a logistic regression model, of all possible etiological factors examined, only a family history of psychiatric disorders showed a significant influence (OR = 3.6). Melancholic depression seems to be less associated with traumatic events than other psychiatric disorders.

Voting on pensions: sex and marriage

OpenAIRE

Leroux, Marie-Louise; Pestieau, Pierre; Racionero, Maria

2009-01-01

Existing political economy models of pensions focus on age and productivity. In this paper we incorporate two additional individual characteristics: sex and marital status. We ignore the role of age, by assuming that people vote at the start of their life, and characterize the preferred rate of taxation that finances a Beveridgean pension scheme when individuals differ in wage, sex and marital status. We allow for two types of couples: one-breadwinner and two-breadwinner couples. Marriage poo...

What factors influence healthy aging? A person-centered approach among older adults in Taiwan.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Li-Fan; Su, Pei-Fang

2017-05-01

The present study aimed to identify the health profiles of older adults by using latent class analysis to investigate health heterogeneity and to determine what factors predicted healthy aging among an oldest-old sample cohort that was followed up for 14 years in Taiwan. Data were drawn from five waves (carried out in 1993, 1996, 1999, 2003 and 2007) of the Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging to examine the changes in health heterogeneity in a nationally representative oldest-old cohort of Taiwanese. Overall, data from a total of 11 145 observations of 3155 older adults were considered. The influential factors predicting health changes were analyzed by using a generalized estimating equation. The results showed that four health profiles were identified among the aging population observed in the Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging. With increasing age, the combined effects of the physical functioning, cognitive and emotional health, and comorbidities of older adults significantly impact their health changes. Apart from health deteriorating with age and sex disparities, educational and economic status, health behaviors, and social participation at the individual level were found to be the robust factors in predicting healthy aging. In considering what factors impact healthy aging, we suggest that a person-centered approach would be useful and critical for policy makers to understand the compositions of health profiles and the influencing factors in view of a life-course perspective. Based on the factors identified as influencing healthy aging at the individual level, it is imperative from a policy-making perspective to maximize opportunities for healthy aging. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 697-707. © 2016 Japan Geriatrics Society.

Abnormal sex chromosome constitution and longitudinal growth: serum levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I, IGF binding protein-3, luteinizing hormone, and testosterone in 109 males with 47,XXY, 47,XYY, or sex-determining region of the Y chromosome (SRY)-positive 46,XX karyotypes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aksglaede, L.; Skakkebaek, N.E.; Juul, A.

2008-01-01

CONTEXT: Growth is a highly complex process regulated by the interaction between sex steroids and the GH IGF-axis. However, other factors such as sex chromosome-related genes play independent roles. AIM: The aim of the study was to evaluate the role of abnormal chromosome constitution for longitu......CONTEXT: Growth is a highly complex process regulated by the interaction between sex steroids and the GH IGF-axis. However, other factors such as sex chromosome-related genes play independent roles. AIM: The aim of the study was to evaluate the role of abnormal chromosome constitution...... and sitting height, serum levels of reproductive hormones, IGF-I, and IGFBP-3 were measured. RESULTS: In boys with 47,XXY and 47,XYY karyotypes, growth was accelerated already in childhood, compared with healthy boys. 46,XX-males were significantly shorter than healthy boys but matched the stature of healthy...... and elevated LH levels after puberty, whereas the sex hormone secretion of the 47,XYY boys remained normal. CONCLUSION: We found accelerated growth in early childhood in boys with 47,XXY and 47,XYY karyotypes, whereas 46,XX-males were shorter than controls. These abnormal growth patterns were not reflected...

LIFE EXPECTANCY AND THE HEALTHY LIFE OF A POPULATION – A CONSONANT VECTOR OF ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE, PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM AND MORAL VALUES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mihai Luchian

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The performance of the therapeutical act depends on the personal training and optimum interdisciplinary cooperation of the medical staff involved, representing dynamic elements directly supported by adequate logistic means –medical technique and implements, drugs, procedures, etc. Considered from a dialectic perspective, all such factors of force are made up and are mainly and conjunctly manifested at the level of an elevated (ethic-moral and juridical deontological and normative level. The cooperative vectors of interest may be protected and increased by means of some key factors characteristic to the system of public health assurance, implicitly of the functional medical structures, for attaining the major goal of consolidating general health condition, alongwith the strategic factors for promoting a healthy, really economically and socially performant life of the population to come.

The Investigation of Quality of Life in 87 Chinese Patients with Disorders of Sex Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chunqing Wang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. In the process of care for disorders of sex development (DSD, clinical decisions should focus on the long-term quality of life (QOL. We sought to investigate the QOL of patients with DSD in China. Design. Case-control study was carried out. Patients. 90 patients of DSD participated in the study. Finally, 87 patients were analyzed including Turner’s syndrome (23, Noonan syndrome (2, androgen insensitivity syndrome (22, testicular regression syndrome (2, congenital adrenal hyperplasia (16, and pure gonadal dysgenesis (22. Measurements. The WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire was chosen for the present investigation. Four domain scores were analyzed independently including physical, psychological, and social relationship and environmental domains. Results. The average age of the DSD group is 22.34 ± 4.97 years, and only 13.79% patients ever had sexual life. The scores of psychological and environmental domains were lower than that of the physical and social relationship domains, but the difference was not significant (P>0.05. Compared with the Chinese urban population, the QOL scores of DSD patients in China were not significantly lower. Conclusions. With proper treatment, including the follow-up and psychological support, the QOL of DSD patients cannot be significantly reduced. For DSD patients, more attention should be paid to the potential psychological and sexual problems.

Ataxia rating scales are age-dependent in healthy children

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brandsma, Rick; Spits, Anne H.; Kuiper, Marieke J.; Lunsing, Roelinka J.; Burger, Huibert; Kremer, Hubertus P.; Sival, Deborah A.

AIM: To investigate ataxia rating scales in children for reliability and the effect of age and sex. METHOD: Three independent neuropaediatric observers cross-sectionally scored a set of paediatric ataxia rating scales in a group of 52 healthy children (26 males, 26 females) aged 4 to 16 years (mean

Depressive symptoms impact health-promoting lifestyle behaviors and quality of life in healthy women.

Science.gov (United States)

Savoy, Suzanne M; Penckofer, Sue

2015-01-01

Depressive symptoms are an independent risk factor of cardiovascular disease (CVD). More than 15% of persons with CVD have depressive symptoms, which are twice as likely to occur in women. Depressive symptoms in women being screened for CVD have not been well studied. The relationships between depressive symptoms, health-promoting lifestyle behaviors, heart disease risk awareness, cardiac risk, and quality of life (QOL) in women were investigated. Whether the effect of depressive symptoms on QOL was mediated by cardiac risk and/or health-promoting lifestyle behaviors was also examined. The Wilson-Cleary Health-Related Quality of Life Model guided this descriptive study. A convenience sample of 125 women was recruited from cardiac health screening events. The study measurements were the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale; the Framingham risk score; the Ferrans-Powers Quality of Life Index Generic Version-III; the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II; and questions related to heart disease risk, awareness of heart disease risk, health history, and demographics. Body mass index, percentage of body fat, and lipid profile were also measured. More than one-third (34%) of the women reported significant depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms were not associated with cardiac risk or risk awareness but were inversely associated with health-promoting lifestyle behaviors (r = -0.37, P lifestyle behaviors (odds ratio, 0.92; 95% confidence interval, 0.88-0.97; P lifestyle behaviors mediated the association between depressive symptoms and QOL. Depressive symptoms contribute significantly to health-promoting lifestyle behaviors and QOL for women. Early detection and treatment of depressive symptoms are important for participation in healthy lifestyle behaviors, which could result in improved QOL.

Challenging social myths and stereotypes of women and aging: heterosexual women talk about sex.

Science.gov (United States)

Hinchliff, Sharron; Gott, Merryn

2008-01-01

Cultural representations of aging and sexuality combine to paint a particular picture of mid and later life for women: menopause is constructed as a time when women either lose or renew their interest in sex, and later life a time when sexual activity no longer assumes importance yet remains vital to healthy aging. This article examines the importance of sexual activity to "older" women, paying particular attention to how they negotiate such representations. In-depth interviews were conducted with 19 women aged 50 and older recruited from Sheffield, UK. A material-discursive analysis revealed that whilst participants rejected the asexual discourse of aging they accepted it for women older than themselves. They constructed women per se as sexually complex, in comparison to men, making sexual activity "risky business" for women, and positioned their own sexual desire as responsive, either to a man's sexual desire or to their own hormones. Finally, sexual activity was constructed as having psychological and physiological benefits for couples within committed relationships. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for research, theory and clinical practice.

Serum metabolomic profiles suggest influence of sex and oral contraceptive use

OpenAIRE

Ruoppolo, Margherita; Campesi, Ilaria; Scolamiero, Emanuela; Pecce, Rita; Caterino, Marianna; Cherchi, Sara; Mercuro, Giuseppe; Tonolo, Giancarlo; Franconi, Flavia

2014-01-01

Aim: Considering that the effects of sex and oral contraceptives (OCs) on blood metabolites have been scarcely studied and the fact that protocol designs for clinical trials emphasise the use of contraception for women of childbearing potential, we examined if OCs and sex affect the serum levels of the physiologically relevant amino acids, carnitine and acylcarnitines, using metabolomics approaches. Methods: Healthy adult men and women were enrolled. They were drug free with the exception of ...

Sex on the brain! Associations between sexual activity and cognitive function in older age.

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, Hayley; Jenks, Rebecca A

2016-03-01

the relationship between cognition and sexual activity in healthy older adults is under-researched. A limited amount of research in this area has shown that sexual activity is associated with better cognition in older men. The current study explores the possible mediating factors in this association in men and women, and attempts to provide an explanation in terms of physiological influences on cognitive function. using newly available data from Wave 6 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, the current study explored associations between sexual activity and cognition in adults aged 50-89 (n = 6,833). Two different tests of cognitive function were analysed: number sequencing, which broadly relates to executive function, and word recall, which broadly relates to memory. after adjusting for age, education, wealth, physical activity, depression, cohabiting, self-rated health, loneliness and quality of life, there were significant associations between sexual activity and number sequencing and recall in men. However, in women there was a significant association between sexual activity and recall, but not number sequencing. possible mediators of these associations (e.g. neurotransmitters) are discussed. The cross-sectional nature of the analysis is limiting, but provides a promising avenue for future explorations and longitudinal studies. The findings have implications for the promotion of sexual counselling in healthcare settings, where maintaining a healthy sex life in older age could be instrumental in improving cognitive function and well-being. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society.

The sex life of women surviving breast cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghizzani, Anna; Bruni, Simone; Luisi, Stefano

2018-04-27

The diagnosis of breast cancer elicits diverse emotional responses in patients and partners. Surviving cancer has raised new needs and caretakers must understand the medical and psychological latent effects of oncology therapy. Improving patients' well-being is crucial as 19 million survivors are expected in the next decade in the United States alone. In general, sexuality contributes to one's well-being but when it is disrupted by the occurrence of cancer, women withdraw emotionally, no longer feel desirable due to esthetic damage, and become overwhelmed by the thought of sex. Alopecia and mastectomy elicit feelings of unattractiveness affecting even some women with nipple sparing mastectomy. Couples who share the psychological distress of experiencing cancer should be logically included in survivorship interventions. Hence, any support offered to the couple improves their ability to cope significantly. Treatments causing premature ovarian failure as well as adjuvant endocrine treatments deepen the effects of hypo-estrogenism on the genital modifications of arousal. Sexual rehabilitation with vaginal dilators and sensate focus exercises help to lessen pain, and reduce the couple's anxiety toward sex. In conclusion, caregivers must realize that surviving women are often reluctant to voice their needs, thus, efficient interventions must be available to everyone.

Perceptions of Healthy-Looking and Sexy-Looking Brow Thickness.

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Kun; Kim, Hun

2018-06-01

This study aims to determine which brow thickness levels were considered ideal, healthy-looking, young-looking, and sexy-looking by Koreans.The 163 women and 38 men who visited a brow bar were asked to view illustrations of 4 brow thickness levels defined in terms of the percentage of the eye width at the lateral canthus: very thin (VTn-1/6) (16% of eye width), thin (Tn-1/5) (20%), medium (Med-1/4) (25%), and thick (Tk-1/3) (33%) and to choose which they thought were ideal, young-looking, healthy-looking, and sexy-looking.Med-1/4 (61.2%) was the brow thickness most often considered to be ideal, followed by Tk-1/3 (17.4%) and Tn-1/5 (15.9%). VTn-1/6 was the least preferred (5.5%). Med-1/4 was the most preferred ideal thickness among both sexes. Tk-1/3 (40.8%) was the thickness most often considered to be young-looking, followed by Med-1/4 (35.3%) and Tn-1/5 (18.4%). VTn-1/6 was the least preferred (5.5%). Tk-1/3 was the most preferred young-looking thickness among both sexes. Tk-1/3 (48.8%) was the thickness most often considered to be healthy-looking, followed by Med-1/4 (30.8%) and Tn-1/5 (11.9%). VTn-1/6 was the least preferred (8.5%). Tk-1/3 was the most preferred healthy-looking thickness by women (52.2%), whereas Med-1/4 was the most common choice among men (39.5%). Tn-1/5 (40.8%) was the thickness most often considered to be sexy-looking, followed by VTn-1/6 (25.9%) and Med-1/4 (21.4%). Tk-1/3 was the least preferred (11.9%). Tn-1/5 was the most preferred sexy-looking thickness among both sexes.The results may be used as guidelines for patient or customer preferences in facial rejuvenation operations, brow esthetics, or tattooing.

The Dutch Healthy Diet index (DHD-index): an instrument to measure adherence to the Dutch Guidelines for a Healthy Diet.

Science.gov (United States)

van Lee, Linde; Geelen, Anouk; van Huysduynen, Eveline J C Hooft; de Vries, Jeanne H M; van't Veer, Pieter; Feskens, Edith J M

2012-07-20

The objective was to develop an index based on the Dutch Guidelines for a healthy Diet of 2006 that reflects dietary quality and to apply it to the Dutch National Food Consumption Survey (DNFCS) to examine the associations with micronutrient intakes. A total of 749 men and women, aged 19-30 years, contributed two 24-hour recalls and additional questionnaires in the DNFCS of 2003. The Dutch Healthy Diet index (DHD-index) includes ten components representing the ten Dutch Guidelines for a Healthy Diet. Per component the score ranges between zero and ten, resulting in a total score between zero (no adherence) and 100 (complete adherence). The mean ± SD of the DHD-index was 60.4 ± 11.5 for women and 57.8 ± 10.8 for men (P for difference = 0.002). Each component score increased across the sex-specific quintiles of the DHD-index. An inverse association was observed between the sex-specific quintiles of the DHD-index and total energy intake. Calcium, riboflavin, and vitamin E intake decreased with increasing DHD-index, an inverse association which disappeared after energy adjustment. Vitamin C showed a positive association across quintiles, also when adjusted for energy. For folate, iron, magnesium, potassium, thiamin, and vitamin B6 a positive association emerged after adjustment for energy. The DHD-index is capable of ranking participants according to their adherence to the Dutch Guidelines for a Healthy Diet by reflecting variation in nine out of ten components that constitute the index when based on two 24-hour recalls. Furthermore, the index showed to be a good measure of nutrient density of diets.

Quality of life and sexual health after sex reassignment surgery in transsexual men.

Science.gov (United States)

Wierckx, Katrien; Van Caenegem, Eva; Elaut, Els; Dedecker, David; Van de Peer, Fleur; Toye, Kaatje; Weyers, Steven; Hoebeke, Piet; Monstrey, Stan; De Cuypere, Griet; T'Sjoen, Guy

2011-12-01

Although sexual health after genital surgery is an important outcome factor for many transsexual persons, little attention has been attributed to this subject. To provide data on quality of life and sexual health after sex reassignment surgery (SRS) in transsexual men. A single-center, cross-sectional study in 49 transsexual men (mean age 37 years) after long-term testosterone therapy and on average 8 years after SRS. Ninety-four percent of the participants had phalloplasty. Self-reported physical and mental health using the Dutch version of the Short Form-36 Health Survey; sexual functioning before and after SRS using a newly constructed specific questionnaire. Compared with a Dutch reference population of community-dwelling men, transsexual men scored well on self-perceived physical and mental health. The majority reported having been sexually active before hormone treatment, with more than a quarter having been vaginally penetrated frequently before starting hormone therapy. There was a tendency toward less vaginal involvement during hormone therapy and before SRS. Most participants reported an increase in frequency of masturbation, sexual arousal, and ability to achieve orgasm after testosterone treatment and SRS. Almost all participants were able to achieve orgasm during masturbation and sexual intercourse, and the majority reported a change in orgasmic feelings toward a more powerful and shorter orgasm. Surgical satisfaction was high, despite a relatively high complication rate. Results of the current study indicate transsexual men generally have a good quality of life and experience satisfactory sexual function after SRS. © 2011 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Sleep duration, life satisfaction and disability.

Science.gov (United States)

Pagan, Ricardo

2017-04-01

Although sleep is considered an essential part of individuals' lives, there are no previous studies analysing how sleep duration affects the levels of life satisfaction reported by males and females with disabilities. To analyse and compare the impact of hours of sleep on life satisfaction scores reported by people without and with disabilities (stratified by sex) in Germany. Using data taken from the German Socio-Economic Panel for the period 2008-2013, we estimate life satisfaction equations for males and females (running a fixed-effects model) which include a set of variables measuring the number of sleep hours on workdays and weekends. A higher number of sleep hours on workdays increase life satisfaction for all males and females. However, the contribution of each hour of sleep on workdays is greater for males with disabilities in terms of life satisfaction, whereas for females no significant differences by disability status have been found. Although sleep hours on weekends also increase life satisfaction, the magnitude of the coefficients is relatively higher than that found for the corresponding hours of sleep on workdays, but only for the male sample (disabled or not). The participation and commitment of policymakers, governments, trade unions, employers, and health care professionals are key aspects for developing and formulating new guidelines and specific measures that promote a healthy lifestyle and increase sleep duration. Such guidelines and measures are of essence for people with disabilities who are employed (e.g. using brief sleep opportunities during prolonged work periods, which can contribute to reducing fatigue, stress and anxiety). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Parenting Stress in Parents of Infants With Congenital Heart Disease and Parents of Healthy Infants: The First Year of Life.

Science.gov (United States)

Golfenshtein, Nadya; Hanlon, Alexandra L; Deatrick, Janet A; Medoff-Cooper, Barbara

2017-12-01

While we know that the parents of infants with congenital heart disease (CHD), the most prevalent group of congenital anomalies, experience increased parenting stress, the stress levels throughout infancy have yet to be studied. Stress experienced by parents beyond the normative stress of parenting can interfere with parenting processes, and bear adverse family outcomes. This prospective cohort study was conducted to describe and compare parenting stress levels during infancy between parents of infants with complex CHD and parents of healthy infants. The Parenting Stress Index-Long Form was distributed to parents of infants with complex CHD and parents of healthy infants (N = 129). T-tests were used to compare stress between groups at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of age. Parents of infants with complex CHD had higher parenting stress than parents of healthy infants on multiple subscales on the Child and Parent Domains, at 3 months of age. The stress remained higher on the demandingness subscale throughout infancy. Parents of CHD infants also demonstrated significantly higher stress scores on the life stress subscale at 12 months of age. Findings highlight stressful periods related to parenting infants with CHD, which may increase existing psycho-social risk for parents of infants with CHD. Early family intervention may promote parental adaptation to the illness, and help establishing healthy parenting practices.

Perceptions of healthy eating in transitional phases of life

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bech-Larsen, Tino; Kazbare, Laura

2014-01-01

). Originality/value - The study and findings reported in this article contribute by providing the first steps towards a better understanding of how social cognition and self-efficacy perceptions related to healthy eating develop in the transitional phases of adolescence and older adulthood. In order...... adolescents’ and older adults’ own perceptions of the barriers and facilitators of a change towards healthier eating. Design/methodology/approach - This study design consisted of four focus groups that were conducted with adolescents and older adults to identify their health orientations, and their expected...... and experienced outcomes and self-efficacies in implementing approach and avoidance behaviours in relation to healthy eating, i.e. increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables and decreasing consumption of soft drinks and red meat. Findings - The study resulted in a number of interesting insights, e...

Association of childhood trauma with cognitive function in healthy adults: a pilot study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lin Jin-Mann S

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Animal and human studies suggest that stress experienced early in life has detrimental consequences on brain development, including brain regions involved in cognitive function. Cognitive changes are cardinal features of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. Early-life trauma is a major risk factor for these disorders. Only few studies have measured the long-term consequences of childhood trauma on cognitive function in healthy adults. Methods In this pilot study, we investigated the relationship between childhood trauma exposure and cognitive function in 47 healthy adults, who were identified as part of a larger study from the general population in Wichita, KS. We used the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB and the Wide-Range-Achievement-Test (WRAT-3 to examine cognitive function and individual achievement. Type and severity of childhood trauma was assessed by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression on CANTAB measures with primary predictors (CTQ scales and potential confounders (age, sex, education, income. Results Specific CTQ scales were significantly associated with measures of cognitive function. Emotional abuse was associated with impaired spatial working memory performance. Physical neglect correlated with impaired spatial working memory and pattern recognition memory. Sexual abuse and physical neglect were negatively associated with WRAT-3 scores. However, the association did not reach the significance level of p Conclusions Our results suggest that physical neglect and emotional abuse might be associated with memory deficits in adulthood, which in turn might pose a risk factor for the development of psychopathology.

Growth hormone secretory in healthy aged women and men of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This perturbation may be involved in aggravations of numerous abnormalities. In 64 healthy elderly, we determined the concentrations of GH in both sexes and its correlation with thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), the descriptive data, BMI, electrolytic assessment and some biochemical parameters. Collected data suggest ...

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Can Adversely Impact Domains of Sexual Function Such as Satisfaction with Sex Life.

Science.gov (United States)

Eluri, Swathi; Cross, Raymond K; Martin, Christopher; Weinfurt, Kevin P; Flynn, Kathryn E; Long, Millie D; Chen, Wenli; Anton, Kristen; Sandler, Robert S; Kappelman, Michael D

2018-06-01

Aspects of sexual health, which can be adversely affected by chronic disease, have been inadequately explored in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We evaluated patient-reported interest in sexual activity and satisfaction with sex life in a large cohort of IBD patients. We conducted a cross-sectional study within the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation Partners Internet cohort. Sequential participants completed a 6-question supplemental online survey to examine sexual interest and satisfaction using the Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System ® (PROMIS ® ) Sexual Function and Satisfaction measures. One-sample t tests were used to compare interest and satisfaction scores to general population norms. Among 2569 individuals, 1639 had Crohn's disease (CD), 930 had ulcerative colitis (UC) or indeterminate colitis, and 71% were women. Mean PROMIS scores for sexual interest were comparable to the general US population in men (CD: 49 and UC: 48 vs. population mean 50) and women (CD: 41 and UC: 40 vs. population mean 42). However, sexual satisfaction scores were lower than the US population in men (CD: 48 and UC: 48 vs. 51) and women (CD: 47 and UC: 46 vs. 49), p satisfaction and lowered IBD-specific quality of life. IBD patients in a large online survey had similar levels of sexual interest but decreased sexual satisfaction compared to the general population. Exploring these sexual health domains during clinical encounters can aid in improving IBD quality of life.

Social work practice and sex counseling | Nitin | East African Journal ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Sex counselors and Clinical Psychologist today need to understand the changing social environment and challenging role in making people accept normal sexual practices, abstaining from perversion and safe sexual rehabilitation by behavioral therapy and counseling for having happy marital life. Challenges in sex ...

Viral Transmissions: Safer Sex Videos, Disability, and Queer Politics

OpenAIRE

Karisa Butler-Wall

2016-01-01

Bringing disability studies into conversation with queer histories of AIDS activism, this article examines the relationship between disability and queer politics in safer sex videos created by AIDS activists in the 1980s. As a form of what the author terms "guerrilla biopolitics," safer sex videos insisted on the viability of queer life and sexual expression at a historical moment of intense homophobia and sex negativity. At the same time, the vision of sexual health and identity they offered...

Neural correlates of psychological resilience and their relation to life satisfaction in a sample of healthy young adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Kong, Feng; Wang, Xu; Hu, Siyuan; Liu, Jia

2015-12-01

Psychological resilience refers to the ability to thrive in the face of risk and adversity, which is crucial for individuals' mental and physical health. However, its precise neural correlates are still largely unknown. Here we used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to identify the brain regions underlying this construct by correlating individuals' psychological resilience scores with the regional homogeneity (ReHo) and then examined how these resilience-related regions predicted life satisfaction in a sample of healthy young adults. We found that the ReHo in the bilateral insula, right dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and right rostral ACC (rACC) negatively predicted individual differences in psychological resilience, revealing the critical role of the salience network (SN) in psychological resilience. Crucially, the ReHo in the dACC within the SN mediated the effects of psychological resilience on life satisfaction. In summary, these findings suggest that spontaneous activity of the human brain reflect the efficiency of psychological resilience and highlight the dACC within the SN as a neural substrate linking psychological resilience and life satisfaction. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sex-Dependent Effects of Developmental Lead Exposure on the Brain

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Garima; Singh, Vikrant; Sobolewski, Marissa; Cory-Slechta, Deborah A.; Schneider, Jay S.

2018-01-01

The role of sex as an effect modifier of developmental lead (Pb) exposure has until recently received little attention. Lead exposure in early life can affect brain development with persisting influences on cognitive and behavioral functioning, as well as, elevated risks for developing a variety of diseases and disorders in later life. Although both sexes are affected by Pb exposure, the incidence, manifestation, and severity of outcomes appears to differ in males and females. Results from epidemiologic and animal studies indicate significant effect modification by sex, however, the results are not consistent across studies. Unfortunately, only a limited number of human epidemiological studies have included both sexes in independent outcome analyses limiting our ability to draw definitive conclusions regarding sex-differentiated outcomes. Additionally, due to various methodological differences across studies, there is still not a good mechanistic understanding of the molecular effects of lead on the brain and the factors that influence differential responses to Pb based on sex. In this review, focused on prenatal and postnatal Pb exposures in humans and animal models, we discuss current literature supporting sex differences in outcomes in response to Pb exposure and explore some of the ideas regarding potential molecular mechanisms that may contribute to sex-related differences in outcomes from developmental Pb exposure. The sex-dependent variability in outcomes from developmental Pb exposure may arise from a combination of complex factors, including, but not limited to, intrinsic sex-specific molecular/genetic mechanisms and external risk factors including sex-specific responses to environmental stressors which may act through shared epigenetic pathways to influence the genome and behavioral output. PMID:29662502

Sex-Dependent Effects of Developmental Lead Exposure on the Brain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Garima Singh

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The role of sex as an effect modifier of developmental lead (Pb exposure has until recently received little attention. Lead exposure in early life can affect brain development with persisting influences on cognitive and behavioral functioning, as well as, elevated risks for developing a variety of diseases and disorders in later life. Although both sexes are affected by Pb exposure, the incidence, manifestation, and severity of outcomes appears to differ in males and females. Results from epidemiologic and animal studies indicate significant effect modification by sex, however, the results are not consistent across studies. Unfortunately, only a limited number of human epidemiological studies have included both sexes in independent outcome analyses limiting our ability to draw definitive conclusions regarding sex-differentiated outcomes. Additionally, due to various methodological differences across studies, there is still not a good mechanistic understanding of the molecular effects of lead on the brain and the factors that influence differential responses to Pb based on sex. In this review, focused on prenatal and postnatal Pb exposures in humans and animal models, we discuss current literature supporting sex differences in outcomes in response to Pb exposure and explore some of the ideas regarding potential molecular mechanisms that may contribute to sex-related differences in outcomes from developmental Pb exposure. The sex-dependent variability in outcomes from developmental Pb exposure may arise from a combination of complex factors, including, but not limited to, intrinsic sex-specific molecular/genetic mechanisms and external risk factors including sex-specific responses to environmental stressors which may act through shared epigenetic pathways to influence the genome and behavioral output.

Influence of COMT Val158Met polymorphism on emotional decision-making: A sex-dependent relationship?

Science.gov (United States)

Costa, Danielle de Souza; Bechara, Antoine; de Paula, Jonas Jardim; Romano-Silva, Marco Aurélio; Correa, Humberto; Lage, Guilherme Menezes; Miranda, Débora Marques de; Malloy-Diniz, Leandro Fernandes

2016-12-30

The biological underpinnings of sex-related differences in decision-making are still under-explored. The COMT gene is related to sexual dimorphism and with different choices made under uncertainty, albeit no study has specifically investigated a moderation effect of sex on the association between the COMT gene and the performance on decision-making paradigms. In this study, we investigated the influence of the COMT Val 158 Met polymorphism on Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) performance depending on sex in a healthy adult sample. Participants were 192 healthy adults (84 men and 108 women). The first 40 choices in the IGT were considered decisions under ambiguity and the last 60 choices decisions under risk. To test our moderation hypothesis we used a separate regressions approach. The results revealed a sex-dependent effect of COMT Va l 158 Met polymorphism on decision-making as measured by the IGT. Val/Val women showed the best performance in the last trials of the IGT. Therefore, the COMT Val 158 Met polymorphism may be considered a genetic marker underlying sex differences in decision-making. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Christian ethical perspectives on marriage and family life in modern Western culture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J.M. Vorster

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The past four decades witnessed a tremendous and wide-ranging change in family patterns in Western societies. Amongst these changes are phenomena such as growing number of divorces, births out-of-wedlock, and the absence of fathers because of globalisation, same-sex marriages and cohabitation of people without a marriage contract. Western societies are typified as “highdivorce societies”. Furthermore, in the United States the number of couples cohabiting has increased eightfold since 1970 and it is fair to conclude that the situation is similar in other Western societies. The purpose of the article is to deal with these patterns from a Reformed perspective. The central theoretical argument is that these developments can be perceived as a crisis in view of the Biblical perspectives on marriage and family life. However, the Biblical perspectives not only offer a clear indication of healthy marriage and family life entail, but also indicate that a Christian attitude in marriage and family life can serve as a remedy for the damage caused by the new trends.

Complex Association of Sex Hormones on Left Ventricular Systolic Function: Insight into Sexual Dimorphism.

Science.gov (United States)

Salem, Joe-Elie; Nguyen, Lee S; Hammoudi, Nadjib; Preud'homme, Gisèle; Hulot, Jean-Sebastien; Leban, Monique; Funck-Brentano, Christian; Touraine, Philippe; Isnard, Richard; Bachelot, Anne

2018-02-01

Normal values of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and absolute values of global longitudinal strain (GLS) are lower in men than in women. Data concerning the association of sex hormone levels on these left ventricular systolic function surrogates are scarce. The aim of this study was to determine the association of sex hormones with systolic left ventricular function in healthy subjects and patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) as a model of testosterone dysregulation. Eighty-four adult patients with CAH (58 women; median age, 27 years; interquartile range, 23-36 years) and 84 healthy subjects matched for sex and age were prospectively included. Circulating concentrations of sex hormones were measured within 48 hours of echocardiography with assessment of LVEF and left ventricular longitudinal, radial, and circumferential strain. LVEF and GLS were higher in healthy women than in healthy men (63.9 ± 4.2% vs 60.9 ± 5.1% [P interquartile range, 0.04-0.14 ng/mL] vs 0.16 ng/mL [interquartile range, 0.04-0.3 ng/mL], P interquartile range, 1.3-3 ng/mL] vs 2.9 ng/mL [interquartile range, 2.5-3.4 ng/mL], P < .05). In men, LVEF and GLS were negatively correlated with bioavailable testosterone levels (r = -0.3, P ≤ .05, and r = -0.45, P < .01, respectively), while midventricular radial strain was positively correlated with bioavailable testosterone level (r = 0.38, P < .05). The absolute value of circumferential strain was positively correlated with follicle-stimulating hormone (r = 0.65, P < .0001). These data support that the existence of sex dimorphism concerning left ventricular systolic cardiac function is significantly associated with testosterone levels. Copyright © 2017 American Society of Echocardiography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sexual Satisfaction and the Importance of Sexual Health to Quality of Life Throughout the Life Course of US Adults

Science.gov (United States)

Flynn, Kathryn E.; Lin, Li; Bruner, Deborah Watkins; Cyranowski, Jill M.; Hahn, Elizabeth A.; Jeffery, Diana D.; Reese, Jennifer Barsky; Reeve, Bryce B.; Shelby, Rebecca A.; Weinfurt, Kevin P.

2016-01-01

Introduction Discussions about sexual health are uncommon in clinical encounters, despite the sexual dysfunction associated with many common health conditions. Understanding of the importance of sexual health and sexual satisfaction among US adults is limited. Aim To provide epidemiologic data on the importance of sexual health for quality of life and people’s satisfaction with their sex lives and to examine how each is associated with demographic and health factors. Methods Data are from a cross-sectional, self-report questionnaire from a sample of 3515 English-speaking US adults recruited from an online panel that uses address-based probability sampling. Main Outcome Measures We report ratings of importance of sexual health to quality of life (single item with 5-point response) and the PROMIS® Satisfaction with Sex Life score (5 items, each with 5-point responses, scores centered on the US mean). Results High importance of sexual health to quality of life was reported by 62.2% of men (95% CI, 59.4%–65.0%) and 42.8% of women (95% CI, 39.6%–46.1%; P < .001). Importance of sexual health varied by sex, age, sexual activity status, and general self-rated health. For the 55% of men and 45% of women who reported sexual activity in the previous 30 days, satisfaction with sex life differed by sex, age, race/ethnicity (among men only), and health. Men and women in excellent health had significantly higher satisfaction than participants in fair or poor health. Women with hypertension reported significantly lower satisfaction (especially younger women), as did men with depression or anxiety (especially younger men). Conclusion In this large study of US adults’ ratings of the importance of sexual health and satisfaction with sex life, sexual health was a highly important aspect of quality of life for many participants, including participants in poor health. Moreover, participants in poorer health reported lower sexual satisfaction. Accordingly, sexual health should

Neural, not gonadal, origin of brain sex differences in a gynandromorphic finch

OpenAIRE

Agate, Robert J.; Grisham, William; Wade, Juli; Mann, Suzanne; Wingfield, John; Schanen, Carolyn; Palotie, Aarno; Arnold, Arthur P.

2003-01-01

In mammals and birds, sex differences in brain function and disease are thought to derive exclusively from sex differences in gonadal hormone secretions. For example, testosterone in male mammals acts during fetal and neonatal life to cause masculine neural development. However, male and female brain cells also differ in genetic sex; thus, sex chromosome genes acting within cells could contribute to sex differences in cell function. We analyzed the sexual phenotype of the brain of a rare gyna...

Elements of healthy death: a thematic analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Estebsari, Fatemeh; Taghdisi, Mohammad Hossein; Mostafaei, Davood; Rahimi, Zahra

2017-01-01

Background: Death is a natural and frightening phenomenon, which is inevitable. Previous studies on death, which presented a negative and tedious image of this process, are now being revised and directed towards acceptable death and good death. One of the proposed terms about death and dying is "healthy death", which encourages dealing with death positively and leading a lively and happy life until the last moment. This study aimed to explain the views of Iranians about the elements of healthy death. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted for 12 months in two general hospitals in Tehran (capital of Iran), using the thematic analysis method. After conducting 23 in-depth interviews with 21 participants, transcription of content, and data immersion and analysis, themes, as the smallest meaningful units were extracted, encoded and classified. Results: One main category of healthy death with 10 subthemes, including dying at the right time, dying without hassle, dying without cost, dying without dependency and control, peaceful death, not having difficulty at dying, not dying alone and dying at home, inspired death, preplanned death, and presence of a clergyman or a priest, were extracted as the elements of healthy death from the perspective of the participants in this study. Conclusion: The study findings well explained the elements of healthy death. Paying attention to the conditions and factors causing healthy death by professionals and providing and facilitating quality services for patients in the end stage of life make it possible for patients to experience a healthy death.

Low quality of life and depressive symptoms are connected with an unhealthy lifestyle.

Science.gov (United States)

Savolainen, Jorma; Kautiainen, Hannu; Miettola, Juhani; Niskanen, Leo; Mäntyselkä, Pekka

2014-03-01

The Lapinlahti 2005 study was carried out to explore cardiovascular disease risk factors, lifestyle and quality of life in Lapinlahti residents in eastern Finland. Our aim was to study the association between lifestyle and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in the community. The present study is based on the baseline data of the followed up (2005-2010) population-based cohort (N = 376, n of males = 184). A trained research nurse measured weight, height, waist circumference and blood pressure. Self-reported HRQoL was measured using a 15D questionnaire. A BDI-21 inventory was used to assess the presence of self-reported depressive symptoms. Lifestyle factors (nutrition, exercise, smoking and alcohol use) were examined with a structured questionnaire. Each lifestyle item was valued as -1, 0 or 1, depending on how well it corresponded to the recommendations. Based on the index the participants were divided into three lifestyle sum tertiles: I = unhealthy, II = neutral and III = healthy. The age- and sex-adjusted linear trend between the tertiles was tested. The 15D score had a positive linear relationship with the lifestyle tertiles (P = .0048 for linearity, age- and sex-adjusted). Respectively, self-reported depressive symptoms were less frequent among subjects with a healthier lifestyle (P = .038). People who are expected to strive most to change their lifestyle have the lowest quality of life and psychological welfare, which should be taken into account in both clinical work and health promotion.

Sex differences in the pathways to major depression: a study of opposite-sex twin pairs.

Science.gov (United States)

Kendler, Kenneth S; Gardner, Charles O

2014-04-01

The authors sought to clarify the nature of sex differences in the etiologic pathways to major depression. Retrospective and prospective assessments of 20 developmentally organized risk factors and the occurrence of past-year major depression were conducted at two waves of personal interviews at least 12 months apart in 1,057 opposite-sex dizygotic twin pairs from a population-based register. Analyses were conducted by structural modeling, examining within-pair differences. Sixty percent of all paths in the best-fit model exhibited sex differences. Eleven of the 20 risk factors differed across sexes in their impact on liability to major depression. Five had a greater impact in women: parental warmth, neuroticism, divorce, social support, and marital satisfaction. Six had a greater impact in men: childhood sexual abuse, conduct disorder, drug abuse, prior history of major depression, and distal and dependent proximal stressful life events. The life event categories responsible for the stronger effect in males were financial, occupational, and legal in nature. In a co-twin control design, which matches sisters and brothers on genetic and familial-environmental background, personality and failures in interpersonal relationships played a stronger etiologic role in major depression for women than for men. Externalizing psychopathology, prior depression, and specific "instrumental" classes of acute stressors were more important in the etiologic pathway to major depression for men. The results are consistent with previously proposed typologies of major depression that suggest two subtypes that differ in prevalence in women (deficiencies in caring relationships and interpersonal loss) and men (failures to achieve expected goals, with lowered self-worth).

Ataxia rating scales are age-dependent in healthy children

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brandsma, Rick; Spits, Anne H.; Kuiper, Marieke J.; Lunsing, Roelinka J.; Burger, Huibert; Kremer, Hubertus P.; Sival, Deborah A.; Barisic, N.; Baxter, P.; Brankovic-Sreckovic, V.; Calabrò, G. E.; Catsman-Berrevoets, C.; de Coo, Ifm; Craiu, D.; Dan, B.; Gburek-Augustat, J.; Kammoun-Feki, F.; Kennedy, C.; Mancini, F.; Mirabelli-Badenier, M.; Nemeth, A.; Newton, R.; Poll-The, B. T.; Steinlin, M.; Synofzik, M.; Topcu, M.; Triki, C.; Valente, E. M.

2014-01-01

To investigate ataxia rating scales in children for reliability and the effect of age and sex. Three independent neuropaediatric observers cross-sectionally scored a set of paediatric ataxia rating scales in a group of 52 healthy children (26 males, 26 females) aged 4 to 16 years (mean age 10y 5mo

Changes in Healthy Childhood Lifestyle Behaviors in Japanese Rural Areas

Science.gov (United States)

Nakano, Takahiro; Kasuga, Kosho; Murase, Tomohiko; Suzuki, Kazuhiro

2013-01-01

Background: Unhealthy lifestyles during childhood constitute a public health problem in Japan. However, current health education in Japan is ineffective in counteracting them. Previous studies contend that healthy lifestyles in children vary by academic grade and sex. This study examined changes throughout childhood suggests some intervention…

Poverty as a contextual factor affecting sexual health behavior among female sex workers in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Dasgupta, Satarupa

2013-06-01

A thorough understanding of the environmental and structural factors that precipitate unsafe sexual practices is necessary for HIV/AIDS-prevention research among high-risk population groups like commercial sex workers. I examined how poverty contextualizes sexual health behavior, including condom compliance among commercial female sex workers in a red light district in Calcutta, India. For my research I did an ethnographic study and conducted in-depth interviews of 37 commercial female sex workers. I found that poverty, instead of serving as a catalyst for poor health choices among sex workers, acted as an impetus for pursuing safe sex practices and remaining healthy. The results indicate that sex work, poverty, and health do not always have a paradoxical relationship.

Influence of sex and age on fasting and post-prandial gallbladder volumes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pazzi, P.; Putinati, S.; Barbieri, D.; Trevisani, L.; Limoni, G.; Lupi, L.; Bighi, S.

1989-01-01

Aging and female sex are major risk factors for cholesterol gallstones: in addition to hepatic secretion of lithogenic bile, decreased gallbladder contractility may play a role in such physiological conditions. This study was aimed at evaluating the effect of age and sex on gallbladder kinetics in healthy subjects. Gallbladder volume was measured on the US images of 157 fasting subjects using the sum-of-cylinders method. No significant difference was observed between males and females. On the contrary, age was shown to have a significant positive correlation with fasting gallbladder volume, particulary in males. In a second group of 63 healthy volunteers gallbladder volumes were evaluated both before and after a standard meal. The subjects were grouped according to age, and fasting gallbladder volume appeared to be significantly greater in the groups formed by older people. Gallbladder volumes were compared in younger groups (under 35), and gallbladder emptying resulted to be much more complete in males than in females. On the contrary, no significant differences was observed between males and famales over50 - which suggests a possible role of sex - and age-related hormonal factors. The above changes in gallbladder function may facilitate bile stasis which might in turn contribute to the increased risk for cholesterol gallstones notoriously associated with advanced age and female sex

End of Life Issues

Science.gov (United States)

Planning for the end of life can be difficult. But by deciding what end-of-life care best suits your needs when you are healthy, you can ... right choices when the time comes. End-of-life planning usually includes making choices about the following: ...

Differences according to Sex in Sociosexuality and Infidelity after Traumatic Brain Injury

OpenAIRE

Moreno, Jhon Alexander; McKerral, Michelle

2015-01-01

Objective. To explore differences according to sex in sociosexuality and infidelity in individuals with TBI and in healthy controls. Participants. Forty-two individuals with mild, moderate, and severe TBI having completed a postacute TBI rehabilitation program, at least six months after injury, and 47 healthy controls. Main Measures. Sociosexual Orientation Inventory-Revised (SOI-R) and Attitudes toward Infidelity Scale. Results. Overall, men score significantly higher than women in sociosexu...

Correlates of healthy life expectancy in low- and lower-middle-income countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Islam, Md Shariful; Mondal, Md Nazrul Islam; Tareque, Md Ismail; Rahman, Md Aminur; Hoque, Md Nazrul; Ahmed, Md Munsur; Khan, Hafiz T A

2018-04-11

Healthy life expectancy (HALE) at birth is an important indicator of health status and quality of life of a country's population. However, little is known about the determinants of HALE as yet globally or even country-specific level. Thus, we examined the factors that are associated with HALE at birth in low- and lower-middle-income countries. In accordance with the World Bank (WB) classification seventy-nine low- and lower-middle-income countries were selected for the study. Data on HALE, demographic, socioeconomic, social structural, health, and environmental factors from several reliable sources, such as the World Health Organization, the United Nations Development Program, Population Reference Bureau, WB, Heritage Foundation, Transparency International, Freedom House, and International Center for Prison Studies were obtained as selected countries. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression analysis were performed to reach the research objectives. The lowest and highest HALE were observed in Sierra Leone (44.40 years) and in Sri Lanka (67.00 years), respectively. The mean years of schooling, total fertility rate (TFR), physician density, gross national income per capita, health expenditure, economic freedom, carbon dioxide emission rate, freedom of the press, corruption perceptions index, prison population rate, and achieving a level of health-related millennium development goals (MDGs) were revealed as the correlates of HALE. Among all the correlates, the mean years of schooling, TFR, freedom of the press, and achieving a level of health-related MDGs were found to be the most influential factors. To increase the HALE in low- and lower-middle-income countries, we suggest that TFR is to be reduced as well as to increase the mean years of schooling, freedom of the press, and the achievement of a level of health-related MDGs.

Being Active, Engaged, and Healthy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Huijg, Johanna M.; van Delden, A. (Lex) E. Q.; van der Ouderaa, Frans J. G.

2017-01-01

OBJECTIVES: This study took an emic multidimensional approach on successful aging and examined what older people consider important to age successfully by asking them about their plans and wishes (PWs). Associations between participants' demographics, health status, working life, social contacts...... with a higher life satisfaction indicated significantly more often to have PWs than individuals with a lower life satisfaction. DISCUSSION: The majority of older people desire an active, engaged, and healthy life. PWs were variable and personal, which endorses an emic, multidimensional approach to successful...... aging. Knowledge on what older individuals find important in their lives and what they want to achieve can assist older individuals in setting and attaining their goals toward aging well....

Body mass index, life-style, and healthy status in free living elderly people in Menorca Island.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferra, A; Bibiloni, M Del Mar; Zapata, M E; Pich, J; Pons, A; Tur, J A

2012-04-01

To assess the BMI, life-style, and healthy status, and explore relationships between these parameters, among Menorca's free living elderly people. A cross-sectional survey carried out in Menorca Island in 2009. A random sample (n=450) of the elderly population (≥65 years) was interviewed. Anthropometric measurements and a general questionnaire incorporating questions related to socio-demographic and life-style factors and health status were used. Approximately five per cent of elders were underweight and 60% overweight or obese. Underweight were positively and overweight and obesity negatively affected by age. The prevalence of central obesity, according to the WC cut-off points, was 66.8% in men and 85.1% in women. Low education, socioeconomic status and physical activity were risk factors for malnutrition and overweight/obesity. A possible cognitive impairment was found among elderly persons with BMIrelation between BMI and diabetes mellitus, arthritis, and chronic bronchitis, and an inverted J-shape between BMI and gastric ulcer, osteoporosis and bone fractures, cancer, and prostatitis (in men) were found. Both low and high BMI are associated with a wide range of prevalent conditions and diseases in Menorca elderly men and women.

Sex differences in fluid and crystalized intelligence focus on people with psychosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ćosović Vojislav

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Fluid intelligence is described as ability to rapidly solve novel problems and capacity to manage and easily adapt to new situations. Crystallized intelligence reflects ability to timely use lifetime-learned information and skills. Bearing in mind that intelligence is one of the impaired cognitive functions in psychosis, a question arises there are if any sex differences in patients, regarding total IQ, fluid or crystallized intelligence. Aim: To evaluate sex differences in psychosis and to analyze the differences between patients and sex, age and origin matched healthy controls. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated schizophrenia spectrum patients (F20-29 based on ICD10; n = 52, age = 29,3±5,9 years, illness duration <10 years and controls (n = 51, age = 29,8±6,3 years. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze data. Results: Analyzing sex differences in total IQ, fluid and crystalized IQ, it has been found that women exhibited lower crystallized intelligence scores both in the patient group (p = 0,039 and in the control group (p = 0,016. Among male patients, lower scores were found in comparison to the healthy male controls in all of the categories, while female patients scores in crystallized intelligence were not significantly different in comparison to female healthy group ((p = 0,160. Conclusion: In the male subjects with psychosis, a deficit was found in both subdomains of intelligence, while in female subjects it was found in fluid intelligence only. Factors which could serve as protective from greater cognitive impairment in female patients need further evaluation, as a sign of potential mechanisms that could ameliorate the course and prognosis of schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

3 Tesla (1) H MR spectroscopy of hip bone marrow in a healthy population, assessment of normal fat content values and influence of age and sex.

Science.gov (United States)

Pansini, Vittorio; Monnet, Aurélien; Salleron, Julia; Hardouin, Pierre; Cortet, Bernard; Cotten, Anne

2014-02-01

To evaluate in a healthy population normal spectroscopic fat content (FC) values of the hip bone marrow and to assess the influence of age and sex on bone marrow conversion. Eighty volunteers (40 men; 40 women; ages: 20-60 years; divided into four consecutive groups) underwent acetabulum, femoral head, femoral neck, greater trochanter, and diaphysis localized (1) H MR spectroscopy. FC values of each anatomical site were obtained according to the following formula: Fat content = CH2 /(CH2  + Water)*100. To assess bone marrow conversion, a spectroscopic conversion index (SCI) was calculated as FC neck/FC greater trochanter. FC values showed a gradient as follows: greater trochanter > femoral head > femoral neck > diaphysis > acetabulum in every age group both in men and in women. SCI increased with age both in men and women, showing lower values in women for every age group. We obtained normal spectroscopic FC values from different areas of the hip, according to age and sex. These values may be used as reference values to evaluate, by the means of (1) H MR spectroscopy, pathological conditions affecting hip bone marrow. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The utility and dynamics of salivary sex hormone measurements in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, Wave 2.

Science.gov (United States)

Kozloski, Michael J; Schumm, L Philip; McClintock, Martha K

2014-11-01

Sex hormones affect physical, mental, and social health, yet their role in mediating social effects on aging is understudied. To facilitate such analyses with the National Social Life, Health & Aging Project Wave 2, we summarize the conceptual background, collection protocols, laboratory assays, and data analysis strategies for biologically active (free) levels of testosterone, estradiol, progesterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Saliva from passive drool was collected from returning Wave 1 respondents and non-respondents as well as their partners during an in-home interview. Specimens were frozen and sent to Dresden LabService GmbH for duplicate assays of biologically active steroids using identical assay kits from National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) Wave 1 (SaliCap, Catalog No. RE69995). Overall, 2,772 testosterone, 2,504 estradiol, 2,714 progesterone, and 2,800 DHEA measurements are publically available for Wave 2 analyses. Through a series of weighted linear regressions, all 4 steroids are compared by gender and age and to Wave 1 measurements. Men had higher levels of both free testosterone and progesterone than women; women and men had the same levels of estradiol and DHEA. Both free testosterone and DHEA decreased with age. We also found significant wave effects for all 4 sex hormones. NSHAP Waves 1 and 2 are the first U.S. probability sample studies to measure these 4 salivary sex hormones simultaneously, providing individual profiles 5 years apart. Wave 2 data demonstrate differences by gender and trends by age that are similar to those found in other saliva-based and serum-based studies of free steroid levels. The differences between waves arising from the change in assay laboratory need to be adjusted in future longitudinal analyses using NSHAP Wave 1 and Wave 2 steroid data. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e

VIEWS ON SUCCESS IN LIFE BASED GENDER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adina Magdalena IORGA

2014-12-01

Full Text Available In order to study the characteristics of success in life we must consider the social construction of genders (male and female manifested in the interaction between the sexes. Social interpretation of biological sex leads to the identification of a set of behaviors particular to each sex, both in society and subsequently in private life as well as in the public eye. The research aims to identify the opinions and beliefs on the matter of students from the Veterinary Medicine University of Bucharest, their views on success in life, in the work place, in their study environment and in society as a whole, the characteristics of each gender, equality between women and men. The research findings reveal a specific social pattern determined by gender and residential environment.

Cuff Pressure Pain Detection Is Associated with Both Sex and Physical Activity Level in Nonathletic Healthy Subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Lemming, Dag; Börsbo, Björn; Sjörs, Anna; Lind, Eva-Britt; Arendt-Nielsen, Lars; Graven-Nielsen, Thomas; Gerdle, Björn

2017-08-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate pressure pain sensitivity on leg and arm in 98 healthy persons (50 women) using cuff algometry. Furthermore, associations with sex and physical activity level were investigated. Normal physical activity level was defined as Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ) score ≤ 45 and high activity level as GLTEQ > 45. A pneumatic double-chamber cuff was placed around the arm or leg where a single chamber was inflated. The cuff inflation rate (1 kPa/s) was constant, and pain intensity was registered continuously on a 10 cm electronic visual analogue scale (VAS). The pain detection threshold (PDT) was defined as when the pressure was perceived as painful, and pain tolerance (PTT) was when the subject terminated the cuff inflation. For PTT, the corresponding VAS score was recorded (VAS-PTT). The protocol was repeated with two chambers inflated. Only single cuff results are given. For women compared with men, the PDT was lower when assessed in the arm ( P = 0.002), PTTs were lower in the arm and leg ( P active participants compared with less active had higher PDT ( P = 0.027) in the leg. Women showed facilitated spatial summation ( P physical activity level. © 2017 American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com