Sex Differences in Cue-Dependency as a Function of Socialization Environment

1967 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 599-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard C. Sherman ◽  
Frances Smith

A formulation by Lynn (1962) proposing that sex differences in cue-dependency are due to differential sex-identification modes was tested. Nineteen Ss from normal families and 20 Ss from a parochial orphanage learned a geometrical concept and then were tested for tendencies to deviate from the given perceptual standard in judging new figures as similar to the learned concept. Differences between normal males and females replicated earlier findings (Wallach & Caron, 1959) in that females were more cue-dependent than males. Differences between orphaned males and females, however, showed a reversed trend. These results were interpreted as supportive of Lynn's formulation.

1974 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 612-624 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. C. R. Hughes ◽  
J. M. Tanner

ABSTRACT On the 26th day post-copulation (p. c.) male rats were injected with 100 μg Hexoestrol® and females were injected with 1.25 mg testosterone propionate. The growth of the pelvis of these animals was then measured from radiographs taken longitudinally from 23 days p. c. until 140 days p.c. Generally the effect of neonatal sex hormone injection was to diminish, but not abolish, the sex differences in pelvic size. The magnitude of the effect differed according to measurement and sex. Thus ilium length was diminished more in males than it was augmented in females, while ischial length and bi-acetabular width were only slightly diminished in males but considerably increased in females. The effects were greatest in bi-iliac width where both treated groups came to be exactly intermediate between normal males and females.


2020 ◽  
Vol 319 (5) ◽  
pp. L843-L847
Author(s):  
Rama Satyanarayana Raju Kalidhindi ◽  
Niyati A. Borkar ◽  
Nilesh Sudhakar Ambhore ◽  
Christina M. Pabelick ◽  
Y. S. Prakash ◽  
...  

The incidence, severity, and mortality of ongoing coronavirus infectious disease 19 (COVID-19) is greater in men compared with women, but the underlying factors contributing to this sex difference are still being explored. In the current study, using primary isolated human airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells from normal males versus females as a model, we explored the effect of estrogen versus testosterone in modulating the expression of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a cell entry point for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Using confocal imaging, we found that ACE2 is expressed in human ASM. Furthermore, Western analysis of ASM cell lysates showed significantly lower ACE2 expression in females compared with males at baseline. In addition, ASM cells exposed to estrogen and testosterone for 24 h showed that testosterone significantly upregulates ACE2 expression in both males and females, whereas estrogen downregulates ACE2, albeit not significant compared with vehicle. These intrinsic and sex steroids induced differences may help explain sex differences in COVID-19.


1968 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 600-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Boyd ◽  
Donald C. Johnson

ABSTRACT The effects of various doses of testosterone propionate (TP) upon the release of luteinizing hormone (LH or ICSH) from the hypophysis of a gonadectomized male or female rat were compared. Prostate weight in hypophysectomized male parabiotic partners was used to evaluate the quantity of circulating LH. Hypophyseal LH was measured by the ovarian ascorbic acid depletion method. Males castrated when 45 days old secreted significantly more LH and had three times the amount of pituitary LH as ovariectomized females. Administration of 25 μg TP daily reduced the amount of LH in the plasma, and increased the amount in the pituitary gland, in both sexes. Treatment with 50 μg caused a further reduction in plasma LH in males, but not in females, while pituitary levels in both were equal to that of their respective controls. LH fell to the same low level in partners of males or females receiving 100 μg TP. When gonadectomized at 39 days, males and females had the same amount of plasma LH, but males had more stored hormone. Pituitary levels were unchanged from controls following treatment with 12.5, 25 or 50 μg TP daily, but plasma values dropped an equal amount in both sexes with the latter two doses. Androgenized males or females, gonadectomized when 39 days old, were very sensitive to the effects of TP and plasma LH was significantly reduced with 12.5 μg daily. Pituitary LH in androgenized males was higher than that of normal males but was reduced to normal by small amounts of TP. The amount of stored LH in androgenized females was not different from that of normal females and it was unchanged by any dose of TP tested. Results are consistent with the conclusion that the male hypothalamic-hypophyseal axis is at least as sensitive as the female axis to the negative feedback effects of TP. Androgenization increases the sensitivity to TP in both males and females.


2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 211-216
Author(s):  
Jim Pateman ◽  
Peter Russell

Two Euphydryas aurinea beckeri females from Sierra Blanca, Malaga, Spain were captured and returned to the U.K.; each laid a single egg batch on Succisa pratensis. Both batches hatched and the resulting larvae were reared through to adulthood. One group of larvae produced butterflies with three different mutations: pupae with spines, legs lacking distal tarsals and claws, and with appendages attached to the genitalia which protruded though the rear of the abdomens in both males and females. The other group of larvae produced normal males and females.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 313-313
Author(s):  
Brianne Olivieri-Mui ◽  
Sandra Shi ◽  
Ellen McCarthy ◽  
Dae Kim

Abstract Frailty may differentially impact how older adult males and females perceive sexual functioning, an important part of well-being. We assessed the level of frailty (robust, pre-frail, frail) for anyone with data on 11 sexual functioning questions asked in wave 2 of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, 2010-2011 (n=2060). Questions covered five domains: overall sexual function (OSF), sexual function anxiety (SFA), changes in sexual function (CSF), erectile/vaginal dysfunction (EVD), and masturbation. Logistic regression identified sex differences in frailty and reporting worse sexual functioning. Linear regression predicted the number of domains reported as worse. Among males (n=1057), pre-frailty meant higher odds of reporting SFA (OR 1.8 95%CI 1.2-6.6), CSF (OR 1.7 95%CI 1.1-2.7), and EVD (OR 1.5 95%CI 1.0-2.2). Among females (n=1003), there was no difference in reporting by frailty. Females were more likely to report worse OSF (Robust: OR 7.4, 95%CI 4.8-11.4; Pre-frail: OR 6.2, 95%CI 3.9-9.9; Frail: OR 3.4 95%CI 1.7-6.6), but less likely to report SFA (Robust OR .3, 95%CI .2-.5; Pre-frail OR .2, 95%CI .1-.3; Frail OR .2 95%CI .1-.3). Pre-frail and frail females reported fewer domains as worse (Pre-frail coefficient -0.21 SE 0.09, Frail -0.43 SE 0.14). As frailty worsened, males reported more domains as worse (Pre-frail 0.24 SE 0.07, Frail 0.29 SE 0.08). Self-reported sexual functioning differs by sex at all levels of frailty, and reporting by males, but not females, changes with frailty. Providers should be aware that sexual functioning is of importance to both sexes despite varying degrees of frailty.


2021 ◽  
pp. svn-2020-000834
Author(s):  
Koteswara Rao Nalamolu ◽  
Bharath Chelluboina ◽  
Casimir A Fornal ◽  
Siva Reddy Challa ◽  
David M Pinson ◽  
...  

Background and purposeThe therapeutic potential of different stem cells for ischaemic stroke treatment is intriguing and somewhat controversial. Recent results from our laboratory have demonstrated the potential benefits of human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in a rodent stroke model. We hypothesised that MSC treatment would effectively promote the recovery of sensory and motor function in both males and females, despite any apparent sex differences in post stroke brain injury.MethodsTransient focal cerebral ischaemia was induced in adult Sprague-Dawley rats by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery. Following the procedure, male and female rats of the untreated group were euthanised 1 day after reperfusion and their brains were used to estimate the resulting infarct volume and tissue swelling. Additional groups of stroke-induced male and female rats were treated with MSC or vehicle and were subsequently subjected to a battery of standard neurological/neurobehavioral tests (Modified Neurological Severity Score assessment, adhesive tape removal, beam walk and rotarod). The tests were administered at regular intervals (at days 1, 3, 5, 7 and 14) after reperfusion to determine the time course of neurological and functional recovery after stroke.ResultsThe infarct volume and extent of swelling of the ischaemic brain were similar in males and females. Despite similar pathological stroke lesions, the clinical manifestations of stroke were more pronounced in males than females, as indicated by the neurological scores and other tests. MSC treatment significantly improved the recovery of sensory and motor function in both sexes, and it demonstrated efficacy in both moderate stroke (females) and severe stroke (males).ConclusionsDespite sex differences in the severity of post stroke outcomes, MSC treatment promoted the recovery of sensory and motor function in male and female rats, suggesting that it may be a promising treatment for stroke.


2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 8.1-8
Author(s):  
G. Robinson ◽  
K. Waddington ◽  
J. Peng ◽  
A. Radziszewska ◽  
H. Peckham ◽  
...  

Background:Males and females have altered immune responses resulting in variation in autoimmune and cardiovascular disease risk (CVR). Recently, these differences have played a role in the inflammatory response to COVID-19. Sex differences exist in the frequency and activity of immune-cell subsets but mechanisms underlying sexual dimorphism remain unknown. Juvenile-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (JSLE) is an autoimmune disorder that commonly emerges during puberty, has a strong female prevalence (female:male ratio, 4.5:1) and results in an increased CVR. JSLE is characterised by chronic inflammation and dyslipidaemia, where cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of mortality for patients. Our previous work identified a link between immune cell function and lipid metabolism in adult-onset SLE. We hypothesised that sex hormones could influence both lipid metabolism and immune cell function and this could determine sex-specific susceptibility to JSLE and associated CVR.Objectives:We investigated the role of sex hormones in modifying systemic lipid metabolism and inflammation.Methods:Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy based serum metabolomics measuring over 130 lipoproteins (14-subsets with lipid compositions), flow cytometry measuring immune-cells, and RNA-sequencing were used to assess the metabolic and immune profile in young, pre/post-pubertal males (n=10/17) and females (n=10/23) and in individuals with gender-dysphoria (GD) under cross-hormone treatment (trans-male/female, n=26/25). This analysis was also performed on a cohort of post-pubertal male (n=12) and female (n=23) JSLE patients. Data was analysed by logistic regression, balanced random forest machine learning (BRF-ML), differential gene expression (DEG) and pathway analysis.Results:Post-pubertal males had significantly reduced cardio-protective high-density lipoprotein (HDL) subsets (p<0.0001) and increased cardio-pathogenic very-low-density lipoprotein subsets (p<0.0001) compared to females. These differences were not observed pre-puberty and were reversed significantly by cross-hormone treatment in GD individuals, suggesting that sex hormones regulate lipid metabolism in-vivo.BRF-ML (28 immune-cell subsets) identified an increased frequency of anti-inflammatory regulatory T-cells (Tregs) in post-pubertal males compared to females (p=0.0097). These Tregs were also more suppressive in males compared to females. Differences in Treg frequency were seen pre-puberty and were not altered by sex hormone treatment in GD individuals. However, Treg DEGs and functional transcriptomic pathways altered between post-pubertal males and females, including those involved in inflammatory signalling, overlapped with those altered by hormones in GD, suggesting hormones may also drive Treg functional changes. In addition, HDL metabolites modified by hormones showed differential associations with Treg phenotypes between post-pubertal males and females.Strikingly, sex differences in lipoproteins and Tregs were lost in JSLE, suggesting hormone signalling could be dysregulated in the pathogenesis of autoimmunity and could increase CVR for patients.Conclusion:Sex hormones drive altered lipoprotein metabolism and functional transcriptomic pathways in Tregs. Males have a lipoprotein profile associated with increased CVR, but a more anti-inflammatory immune profile compared to females. Together, this could explain sex differences in inflammatory disease susceptibilities and inform future sex-specific therapeutic strategies for the management of both JSLE and CVR.Acknowledgements:Lupus UKRosetrees TrustVersus ArthritisNIHR UCLH Biomedical Research CentreDisclosure of Interests:None declared


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. e000965
Author(s):  
Natalie A Lowenstein ◽  
Peter J Ostergaard ◽  
Daniel B Haber ◽  
Kirsten D Garvey ◽  
Elizabeth G Matzkin

ObjectivesRisk factors for anterior shoulder dislocation include young age, contact activities and male sex. The influence of sex on patient-reported outcomes of arthroscopic Bankart repair (ABR) is unclear, with few studies reporting potential differences. This study’s purpose was to compare patient-reported outcomes of males and females following ABR.MethodsProspectively collected data was analysed for 281 patients (males: 206, females: 75) after ABR with preoperative, 1-year and 2-year follow-up responses. The Wilcoxon signed-rank and χ2 tests, preoperative, 1 year and 2 year follow-up results were examined to determine differences of scores in males versus females.ResultsNo statistically significant sex differences were observed in Simple Shoulder Test (SST), American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) or Single Assessment Numerical Evaluation (SANE) Scores at 1-year or 2-year follow-up. Females had lower Veterans RAND 12-item health survey (VR-12) mental health subscores at 2-year follow-up (females: 52.3±9.0, males: 55.8±7.6, p=0.0016). Females were more likely to report that treatment had ‘exceeded expectations’ at 2-year follow-up regarding motion, strength, function and normal sports activities.ConclusionResults of study demonstrate that ABR has similar outcomes for both males and females. There were no statistically significant sex-related differences in SST, ASES, VAS or SANE scores following ABR. VR-12 mental health subscores showed a minimal difference at 2-year follow-up, with lower scores in females.Level of evidenceRetrospective cohort study; level II.


Author(s):  
Felicity Muth ◽  
Amber D Tripodi ◽  
Rene Bonilla ◽  
James P Strange ◽  
Anne S Leonard

Abstract Females and males often face different sources of selection, resulting in dimorphism in morphological, physiological, and even cognitive traits. Sex differences are often studied in respect to spatial cognition, yet the different ecological roles of males and females might shape cognition in multiple ways. For example, in dietary generalist bumblebees (Bombus), the ability to learn associations is critical to female workers, who face informationally rich foraging scenarios as they collect nectar and pollen from thousands of flowers over a period of weeks to months to feed the colony. While male bumblebees likely need to learn associations as well, they only forage for themselves while searching for potential mates. It is thus less clear whether foraging males would benefit from the same associative learning performance as foraging females. In this system, as in others, cognitive performance is typically studied in lab-reared animals under captive conditions, which may not be representative of patterns in the wild. In the first test of sex and species differences in cognition using wild bumblebees, we compared the performance of Bombus vancouverensis nearcticus (formerly bifarius) and Bombus vosnesenskii of both sexes on an associative learning task at Sierra Nevada (CA) field sites. Across both species, we found that males and females did not differ in their ability to learn, although males were slower to respond to the sucrose reward. These results offer the first evidence from natural populations that male bumblebees may be equally as able to learn associations as females, supporting findings from captive colonies of commercial bees. The observed interspecific variation in learning ability opens the door to using the Bombus system to test hypotheses about comparative cognition.


2019 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Airam Guerra-Marrero ◽  
David Jiménez-Alvarado ◽  
Vicente Hernández-García ◽  
Leticia Curbelo-Muñoz ◽  
José Juan Castro-Hernández

Abstract Analysis of 322 cuttlebones of Sepia bertheloti caught in the waters of the Northwest Africa showed significant differences in growth between males and females. Morphometric analysis revealed a relatively different cuttlebone growth pattern between sexes, with males presenting faster growth in length to reach larger sizes and females displaying greater growth in width. This difference in cuttlebone growth is related to female gonadal development and the subsequent increase of the paleal cavity, providing more support and space to accommodate a higher number of oocytes.


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