Walking speed declines with age in male and female baboons ( Papio sp .): Confirmation of findings with sex as a biological variable

The National Institutes of Health leveled new focus on sex as a biological variable with the goal of understanding sex-specific differences in health and physiology. We previously published a functional assessment of the impact of sex, androgens, and prostate size on C57BL/6J mouse urinary physiology (Ruetten H, Wegner KA, Zhang HL, Wang P, Sandhu J, Sandhu S, Mueller B, Wang Z, Macoska J, Peterson RE, Bjorling DE, Ricke WA, Marker PC, Vezina CM. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 317: F996–F1009, 2019). Here, we measured and compared five characteristics of urethral histology (urethral lumen diameter and area, epithelial cell count, epithelial and rhabdosphincter thickness, epithelial cell area, and total urethral area) in male and female 9-wk-old C57BL/6J mice using hematoxylin and eosin staining. We also compared male mice with castrated male mice, male and female mice treated with the steroid 5α-reductase inhibitor finasteride or testosterone, or male mice harboring alleles ( Pbsn4cre/+; R26RDta/+) that reduce prostate lobe mass. The three methods used to reduce prostate mass (castration, finasteride, and Pbsn4cre/+; R26RDta/+) changed urethral histology, but none feminized male urethral histology (increased urethral epithelial area). Exogenous testosterone caused increased epithelial cell count in intact females but did not masculinize female urethral histology (decrease epithelial area). Our results lay a critical foundation for future studies as we begin to parse out the influence of hormones and cellular morphology on male and female urinary function.

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Characterization of Sex Differences in Ocular Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Infection and Herpes Stromal Keratitis Pathogenesis of Wild-Type and Herpesvirus Entry Mediator Knockout Mice

mSphere ◽

10.1128/msphere.00073-19 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Rachel E. Riccio ◽

Seo J. Park ◽

Richard Longnecker ◽

Sarah J. Kopp

Keyword(s):

Sex Differences ◽

Immune Cell ◽

Herpes Simplex Virus 1 ◽

Male And Female ◽

Biological Variable ◽

Stromal Keratitis ◽

Simplex Virus ◽

Herpes Stromal Keratitis ◽

Herpesvirus Entry Mediator ◽

Hsv 1

ABSTRACTSex differences related to immune response and inflammation play a role in the susceptibility and pathogenesis of a variety of viral infections and disease (S. L. Klein, Bioessays 34:1050–1059, 2012,https://doi.org/10.1002/bies.201200099). Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) causes chronic inflammatory disease in the cornea, an immune-privileged tissue, resulting in irreversible damage and blindness in affected individuals (A. Rowe, A. St Leger, S. Jeon, D. K. Dhaliwal, et al., Prog Retin Eye Res 32:88–101, 2013,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.preteyeres.2012.08.002). Our research focuses on the role of herpesvirus entry mediator (HVEM) as an immune regulator during ocular HSV-1 infection. Mice lacking HVEM (HVEM knockout [KO] mice) exhibit lower levels of immune cell infiltrates and less severe ocular disease in the cornea than wild-type (WT) mice. As sex differences contribute to pathogenesis in many inflammatory diseases, we tested whether sex acts as a biological variable in the immune response to HSV-1 infection and herpes stromal keratitis (HSK) pathogenesis. Adult male and female WT and HVEM KO mice were inoculated with HSV-1 via corneal scarification and monitored daily for disease course. Viral titers were determined, and immune cell infiltrates were collected and analyzed. Our results indicated no significant differences in viral titers in tear film or affected tissues, in immune cell infiltration, or in clinical symptoms between males and females of either genotype. These results suggest that sex is not a significant biological variable in this experimental model and that male and female mice of the C57BL/6 background can be used similarly in studies of ocular HSV-1 pathogenesis.IMPORTANCESex hormones have come to be considered an important factor for the development of certain diseases only recently and as such should continue to be considered a biological variable. Ocular HSV-1, and the resulting HSK, is the leading cause of infectious blindness worldwide. We compared levels of ocular HSV-1 infection and pathogenesis in the two sexes and found no significance differences between male and female WT mice or HVEM KO mice.

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Assessment of Pedestrian Walking Speed Through the Religious Occasions in Iraq

Journal of Engineering ◽

10.31026/j.eng.2020.01.01 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 1-13

Author(s):

Alaa Yousef Al-Musawi ◽

Saad Issa Sarsam

Keyword(s):

Sample Size ◽

Walking Speed ◽

Age Groups ◽

The Other ◽

Male And Female ◽

Other Hand ◽

And Behavior ◽

Standard Limit

The design of safe pedestrian facilities usually depends on the assessment of pedestrian characteristics and behavior. In this investigation, pedestrian walking speed through the religious occasion have been monitored at three locations, Al- Kadhimiya (Imam AL-Kadim), Najaf and Karbala (Imam AL-Husain) holy shrines. Video captures of the pedestrian through their walking to the two holy shrines have been prepared and analyzed for walking speed, gender, age groups, and clothing tradition. The pedestrian sample size is 468, 501, and 447 for Al- Kadhimiya, Karbala, and Najaf respectively. When the gender is taken into consideration, it can be noted that the walking speed of male and female pedestrian is (0.97, 1.68, and 1.63) and (0.82, 1.46, and 1.48) meter/second for Al- Kadhimiya, Karbala, and Najaf respectively. When the cloth tradition is considered, female pedestrian wearing Arabic style is slower than male by 9% for Karbala and Najaf and 3% for Al- Kadhimiya. On the other hand, when age groups are considered, the elder pedestrian is slower in walking by 6% regardless of the gender and location. It was recommended that the restricted walking path at Al- Kadhimiya could be improved to control the jam density of pedestrian and increase the walking speed to its standard limit.

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Sex omission and male bias are still widespread in cell experiments

AJP Cell Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajpcell.00358.2020 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 320 (5) ◽

pp. C742-C749

Author(s):

Jun Yeob Kim ◽

Kyoungmi Min ◽

Hee Young Paik ◽

Suk Kyeong Lee

Keyword(s):

Cell Physiology ◽

Primary Cells ◽

Research Implementation ◽

Male And Female ◽

Male Bias ◽

Biological Variable ◽

International Funding ◽

Funding Agencies ◽

Study Designs ◽

Made In

Integrating sex as an important biological variable is imperative to enhance the accuracy and reproducibility of cell-based studies, which provide basic information for subsequent preclinical and clinical study designs. Recently, international funding agencies and renowned journals have been attempting to integrate sex as a variable in every research step. To understand what progress has been made in reporting of cell sex in the articles published in AJP-Cell Physiology since the analysis in 2013, we examined the sex notation of the cells in relevant articles published in the same journal in 2018. Of the 107 articles reporting cell experiments, 53 reported the sex of the cells, 18 used both male and female cells, 23 used male cells only, and 12 used female cells only. Sex omission was more frequent when cell lines were used than when primary cells were used. In the articles describing experiments performed using rodent primary cells, more than half of the studies used only male cells. Our results showed an overall improvement in sex reporting for cells in AJP-Cell Physiology articles from 2013 (25%) to 2018 (50%). However, sex omission and male bias were often found still. Furthermore, the obtained results were rarely analyzed by sex even when both male and female cells were used in the experiments. To boost sex-considerate research implementation in basic biomedical studies, cooperative efforts of the research community, funders, and publishers are urged.

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Predicting respiratory failure in patients infected by SARS-CoV-2 by admission sex-specific biomarkers

Biology of Sex Differences ◽

10.1186/s13293-021-00407-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Maria Teresa Pagano ◽

Daniela Peruzzu ◽

Luca Busani ◽

Marina Pierdominici ◽

Anna Ruggieri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Respiratory Failure ◽

Plasma Levels ◽

Distress Syndrome ◽

Plasma Biomarker ◽

Male And Female ◽

Biological Variable ◽

Predictive Role ◽

17Β Estradiol ◽

Definition Of ◽

Few Data

Abstract Background Several biomarkers have been identified to predict the outcome of COVID-19 severity, but few data are available regarding sex differences in their predictive role. Aim of this study was to identify sex-specific biomarkers of severity and progression of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in COVID-19. Methods Plasma levels of sex hormones (testosterone and 17β-estradiol), sex-hormone dependent circulating molecules (ACE2 and Angiotensin1-7) and other known biomarkers for COVID-19 severity were measured in male and female COVID-19 patients at admission to hospital. The association of plasma biomarker levels with ARDS severity at admission and with the occurrence of respiratory deterioration during hospitalization was analysed in aggregated and sex disaggregated form. Results Our data show that some biomarkers could be predictive both for males and female patients and others only for one sex. Angiotensin1-7 plasma levels and neutrophil count predicted the outcome of ARDS only in females, whereas testosterone plasma levels and lymphocytes counts only in males. Conclusions Sex is a biological variable affecting the choice of the correct biomarker that might predict worsening of COVID-19 to severe respiratory failure. The definition of sex specific biomarkers can be useful to alert patients to be safely discharged versus those who need respiratory monitoring.

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Pedestrians Crossing Behavior Models on Midblock Suburban Area in Dohuk City

10.24086/aces2020/paper.242 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ayman Abdulmawjoud ◽

◽

Abdulkhalik AL-Taei ◽

Keyword(s):

Walking Speed ◽

Suburban Area ◽

Male And Female ◽

Analysis And Evaluation ◽

The People ◽

Moving Vehicles ◽

Flow Speeds ◽

Pedestrian Crossing ◽

Behavior Models ◽

The City

In this study, ten pedestrian crossing spots located in Dohuk City suburban area were selected to make analysis and evaluation to the behavior of the people crossing the main streets, and walking on sidewalks according to their genders. Data was collected using double video cameras fixed on selected points to observe pedestrian movements along crossings and sidewalks, their interaction with drivers, and vehicles conflicting them. Data compiled was classified and presented to measure numbers of moving vehicles, people, vehicle gaps, space, pedestrian unit flow, speeds of both pedestrians and vehicles passing the crossing lines on suburban midblock. Data was presented using Dohuk City GIS up-to-date map taken from the city Municipality Directorate. Data analysis was implemented, and different empirical models were chosen to study the different interactions and effects of human, geometric, and vehicular traffic parameters on the behavior of pedestrians crossing, and walking on crosswalks and sidewalks respectively. Results show that in crosswalks, pedestrian flow with their speeds were polynomial in nature, while unit flow and speed relationships with density were linearly correlated. The relation between unit flow and their speed (for both male and female) on suburban sidewalks is Polynomial 2nd degree, and the optimum walking speed obtained is 1.16 and 1.0 m/sec for male and female respectively, with minimum walking speed for females are lower than male but the maximum walking speed is similar.

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Aquatic tail size carries over to the terrestrial phase without impairing locomotion in adult Eastern Red-spotted Newts (Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens)

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/cjz-2012-0180 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 91 (1) ◽

pp. 7-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

K.H. Brossman ◽

B.E. Carlson ◽

L. Swierk ◽

T. Langkilde

Keyword(s):

Seasonal Changes ◽

Walking Speed ◽

Notophthalmus Viridescens ◽

Phenotypic Flexibility ◽

Seasonal Breeding ◽

Terrestrial Environment ◽

Male And Female ◽

Swim Performance ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Carry Over

Many species have evolved phenotypic flexibility to adjust to seasonal changes in their environment, including seasonal breeding phenotypes that increase reproductive success. If there are limits to this flexibility, such that traits carry over across seasons, there may be costs incurred as a result of trade-offs in optimal performance. Male and female Eastern Red-spotted Newts (Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens (Rafinesque, 1820)) increase tail size for the aquatic breeding season, and reduce their tail size as they return to the terrestrial environment after reproducing. We tested whether large aquatic tails (which should increase swim performance) carry over to become larger tails in the terrestrial phase (relative to body size), and whether this incurs a cost of decreased walking speed on land. We found a strong correlation between tail size in both phases, suggesting that this trait does carry-over between seasons and environments. Tail size was positively related to locomotor speed in the aquatic phase, but we found no evidence of a locomotor trade-off associated with tail size in the terrestrial phase. Further research that tests for alternative costs of developing large aquatic tails that are then carried over to the terrestrial environment would help to clarify the evolution of this life-cycle staging trait.

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Characterization of Sex Differences in Ocular HSV-1 Infection and Herpes Stromal Keratitis Pathogenesis of Wild Type and Herpesvirus Entry Mediator Knockout Mice

10.1101/536185 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Rachel E Riccio ◽

Seo J Park ◽

Richard M Longnecker ◽

Sarah J Kopp

Keyword(s):

Sex Differences ◽

Immune Cell ◽

Wild Type ◽

Male And Female ◽

Biological Variable ◽

Stromal Keratitis ◽

Herpes Stromal Keratitis ◽

Herpesvirus Entry Mediator ◽

Hsv 1

ABSTRACTSex differences related to immune response and inflammation play a role in the susceptibility and pathogenesis of a variety of viral infections and disease (S. L. Klein, Bioessays 34:1050-9, 2012). Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) causes chronic inflammatory disease in the cornea, an immune privileged tissue, resulting in irreversible damage and blindness in affected individuals (A. Rowe, A. St Leger, S. Jeon, D. K. Dhaliwal, J. E. Knickelbein, and E. Vilain, Prog Retin Eye Res 32:88-101, 2013). Our research focuses on the role of Herpes Viral Entry Mediator (HVEM) as an immune regulator during ocular HSV-1 infection. Mice lacking HVEM (HVEM KO) exhibit lower immune cell infiltrates and less severe ocular disease in the cornea compared to wild type (WT) mice. As sex differences contribute to pathogenesis in many inflammatory diseases, we tested sex as a biological variable in the immune response to HSV-1 infection and Herpes Stromal Keratitis pathogenesis (HSK). Adult male and female WT and HVEM KO mice were inoculated with HSV-1 via corneal scarification and monitored daily for disease course. Viral titers and immune cell infiltrates were collected and analyzed. Our results indicate no significant difference in viral titers in tear film or affected tissues; immune cell infiltration; or clinical symptoms between males and females of either genotype. These results suggest that sex is not a significant biological variable in this experimental model, and that male and female mice can similarly be used in studies of ocular HSV-1 pathogenesis.IMPORTANCESex hormones have only recently been considered as an important factor for the development of certain diseases and as such should continue to be considered as a biological variable. Ocular Herpesvirus Type 1 (HSV-1), and the resulting Herpes Stromal Keratitis, is the leading cause of infectious blindness worldwide. We compared ocular HSV-1 infection and pathogenesis between sexes and found no significance difference between male and female wild type mice or herpesvirus entry mediator knockout mice. Therefore, male and female mice can be used interchangeably in studying ocular HSV-1 pathogenesis.

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The Clinical, Roentgenological and Morphological Effects of an Acute Exposure of Phosgene on the Lungs of Dogs

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100065237 ◽

1971 ◽

Vol 29 ◽

pp. 236-237

Author(s):

R. F. Bils ◽

W. F. Diller ◽

F. Huth

Keyword(s):

Latent Period ◽

Chemical Industry ◽

Toxic Substance ◽

Lung Edema ◽

X Rays ◽

Beagle Dogs ◽

Male And Female ◽

Morphological Alterations ◽

Before And After ◽

Electron Microscopes

Phosgene still plays an important role as a toxic substance in the chemical industry. Thiess (1968) recently reported observations on numerous cases of phosgene poisoning. A serious difficulty in the clinical handling of phosgene poisoning cases is a relatively long latent period, up to 12 hours, with no obvious signs of severity. At about 12 hours heavy lung edema appears suddenly, however changes can be seen in routine X-rays taken after only a few hours' exposure (Diller et al., 1969). This study was undertaken to correlate these early changes seen by the roengenologist with morphological alterations in the lungs seen in the'light and electron microscopes.Forty-two adult male and female Beagle dogs were selected for these exposure experiments. Treated animals were exposed to 94.5-107-5 ppm phosgene for 10 min. in a 15 m3 chamber. Roentgenograms were made of the thorax of each animal before and after exposure, up to 24 hrs.

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Ultrastructural investigation of spontaneous pituitary gonadotroph cell adenomas in aging Sprague-Dawley rats

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100077086 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 41 ◽

pp. 702-703

Author(s):

D. J. McComb ◽

J. Beri ◽

F. Zak ◽

K. Kovacs

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Animal Model ◽

Epoxy Resin ◽

Immunoelectron Microscopy ◽

Tumor Type ◽

Gonadal Function ◽

Sprague Dawley ◽

Male And Female ◽

Reticulin Fibers ◽

Sprague Dawley Rats

Gonadotroph cell adenomas of the pituitary are infrequent in human patients and are not invariably associated with altered gonadal function. To date, no animal model of this tumor type exists. Herein, we describe spontaneous gonadotroph cell adenomas in old male and female Sprague-Dawley rats by histology, immunocytology and electron microscopy.The material consisted of the pituitaries of 27 male and 38 female Sprague Dawley rats, all 26 months of age or older, removed at routine autopsy. Sections of formal in-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue were stained with hematoxylin-phloxine-saffron (HPS), the PAS method and the Gordon-Sweet technique for the demonstration of reticulin fibers. For immunostaining, sections were exposed to anti-rat β-LH, anti-ratβ-TSH, anti-rat PRL, anti-rat GH and anti-rat ACTH 1-39. For electron microscopy, tissue was fixed in 2.5% glutaraldehyde, postfixed in 1% OsO4 and embedded in epoxy-resin. Tissue fixed in 10% formalin, embedded in epoxy resin without osmification, was used for immunoelectron microscopy.

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