Blood pressure modifies the association between serum adiponectin and uric acid, in a sex-dependent manner

Purpose: Plasma adiponectin and serum uric acid (SUA) levels are negatively correlated. To better understand the possible mechanisms linking adiponectin and uric acid, we analyzed whether the association between adiponectin and SUA differed by hypertension status (or blood pressure level) and by sex. Methods and materials: We analyzed data from the populationbased CoLaus study (Switzerland). Fasting plasma adiponectin levels were assessed by ELISA and SUA by uricase-PAP. Blood pressure (BP) was measured using a validated automated device and hypertension was defined as having office BP 140/90 mm Hg or being on current antihypertensive treatment. Results: In the 2897 men and 3181 women, aged 35-74, BMI (mean ± SD) was 26.6 ± 4.0 and 25.1 ± 4.8 Kg/m2, systolic blood pressure (SBP) was 132.2 ± 16.6 and 124.8 ± 18.3 mm Hg, median (interquartile range) plasma adiponectin was 6.2 (4.1-9.2) and 10.6 (6.9-15.4) mg/dL, and hypertension prevalence was 42.0% and 30.2%, respectively. The age- and BMI- adjusted partial correlation coefficients between log-adiponectin and SUA were 0.09 and 0.06 in normotensive men and women (P <0.01), and 0.004 (P = 0.88) and 0.15 (P <0.001) in hypertensive men and women, respectively. In median regression adjusted for BMI, insulin, smoking, alcohol consumption, menopausal status and HDL-cholesterol, there was a significant three-way interaction between SUA, SBP and sex for their effect on adiponectin (dependent variable, P = 0.005), as well as interactions between SBP and sex (P = 0.014) and between SUA and sex (P = 0.033). Conclusion: Plasma adiponectin and SUA are negatively associated, independently of BMI and insulin, in a population-based study in Caucasians. However, BP modifies this inverse relationship, as it was significant mainly in women with elevated BP. This observation suggests that the link between adiponectin and SUA may be mediated by sex hormones and the hypertension status.

Exploring the periodicity of cardiovascular events in Switzerland: variation in deaths and hospitalizations across seasons, day of the week and hour of the day.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to explore the periodical patterns of events and deaths related to cardiovascular disease (CVD), acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and stroke in Swiss adults (≥ 18 years). METHODS: Mortality data for period 1969-2007 (N=869,863 CVD events) and hospitalization data for period 1997-2008 (N=959,990 CVD events) were used. The annual, weekly and circadian distribution of CVD-related deaths and events were assessed. Multivariate analysis was conducted using multinomial logistic regression adjusting for age, gender and calendar year and considering deaths from respiratory diseases, accidents or other causes as competitive events. RESULTS: CVD deaths and hospitalizations occurred less frequently in the summer months. Similar patterns were found for AMI and stroke. No significant weekly variation for CVD deaths was found. Stratification by age and gender showed subjects aged <65 years to present a higher probability of dying on Mondays and Saturday, only for men. This finding was confirmed after multivariate adjustment. Finally, a circadian variation in CVD mortality was observed, with a first peak in the morning (8-12 am) and a smaller second peak in the late afternoon (2-6 pm). This pattern persisted after multivariate adjustment and was more pronounced for AMI than for stroke. CONCLUSION: There is a periodicity of hospitalizations and deaths related to CVD, AMI and stroke in Switzerland. This pattern changes slightly according to the age and sex of the subjects. Although the underlying mechanisms are not fully identified, preventive measures should take into account these aspects to develop better strategies of prevention and management of CVD.

Early pregnancy sex steroids and maternal risk of epithelial ovarian cancer.

Well-established associations between reproductive characteristics and epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) support an involvement of sex steroid hormones in the etiology of EOC. Limited previous studies have evaluated circulating androgens and the risk of EOC, and estrogens and progesterone have been investigated in only one of the previous studies. Furthermore, there is little data on potential heterogeneity in the association between circulating hormones and EOC by histological subgroup. Therefore, we conducted a nested case-control study within the Finnish Maternity Cohort and the Northern Sweden Maternity Cohort to investigate the associations between circulating pre-diagnostic sex steroid concentrations and the histological subtypes of EOC. We identified 1052 EOC cases among cohort members diagnosed after recruitment (1975-2008) and before March 2011. Up to three controls were individually matched to each case (n=2694). Testosterone, androstenedione, 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP), progesterone, estradiol (E2), and sex hormone-binding globulin levels were measured in serum samples collected during the last pregnancy before EOC diagnosis. We used conditional logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs. Associations between hormones and EOC differed with respect to tumor histology and invasiveness. Sex steroid concentrations were not associated with invasive serous tumors; however, doubling of testosterone and 17-OHP concentration was associated with approximately 40% increased risk of borderline serous tumors. A doubling of androgen concentrations was associated with a 50% increased risk of mucinous tumors. The risk of endometrioid tumors increased with higher E2 concentrations (OR: 1.89 (1.20-2.98)). This large prospective study in pregnant women supports a role of sex steroid hormones in the etiology of EOC arising in the ovaries.

Circulating sex steroids during pregnancy and maternal risk of non-epithelial ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: Sex steroid hormones have been proposed to play a role in the development of non-epithelial ovarian cancers (NEOC) but so far no direct epidemiological data are available.METHODS: A case-control study was nested within the Finnish Maternity Cohort, the world's largest bio-repository of serum specimens from pregnant women. Study subjects were selected among women who donated a blood sample during a singleton pregnancy that led to the birth of their last child preceding diagnosis of NEOC. Case subjects were 41 women with sex-cord stromal tumors (SCST) and 21 with germ cell tumors (GCT). Three controls, matching the index case for age, parity at the index pregnancy, and date at blood donation were selected (n=171). Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) associated with concentrations of testosterone, androstenedione, 17-OH-progesterone, progesterone, estradiol and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) were estimated through conditional logistic regression.RESULTS: For SCST, doubling of testosterone, androstenedione and 17-OH-progesterone concentrations were associated with about 2-fold higher risk of SCST [ORs and 95% CI of 2.16 (1.25-3.74), 2.16 (1.20-3.87), and 2.62 (1.27-5.38), respectively]. These associations remained largely unchanged after excluding women within 2, 4 or 6 years lag-time between blood donation and cancer diagnosis. Sex steroid hormones concentrations were not related to maternal risk of GCT.CONCLUSIONS: This is the first prospective study providing initial evidence that elevated androgens play a role in the pathogenesis of SCST. Impact: Our study may note a particular need for larger confirmatory investigations on sex steroids and NEOC.

Pediatric reference intervals for plasma free and total metanephrines established with a parametric approach: Relevance to the diagnosis of neuroblastoma.

BACKGROUND: Urine catecholamines, vanillylmandelic, and homovanillic acid are recognized biomarkers for the diagnosis and follow-up of neuroblastoma. Plasma free (f) and total (t) normetanephrine (NMN), metanephrine (MN) and methoxytyramine (MT) could represent a convenient alternative to those urine markers. The primary objective of this study was to establish pediatric centile charts for plasma metanephrines. Secondarily, we explored their diagnostic performance in 10 patients with neuroblastoma. PROCEDURE: We recruited 191 children (69 females) free of neuroendocrine disease to establish reference intervals for plasma metanephrines, reported as centile curves for a given age and sex based on a parametric method using fractional polynomials models. Urine markers and plasma metanephrines were measured in 10 children with neuroblastoma at diagnosis. Plasma total metanephrines were measured by HPLC with coulometric detection and plasma free metanephrines by tandem LC-MS. RESULTS: We observed a significant age-dependence for tNMN, fNMN, and fMN, and a gender and age-dependence for tMN, fNMN, and fMN. Free MT was below the lower limit of quantification in 94% of the children. All patients with neuroblastoma at diagnosis were above the 97.5th percentile for tMT, tNMN, fNMN, and fMT, whereas their fMN and tMN were mostly within the normal range. As expected, urine assays were inconstantly predictive of the disease. CONCLUSIONS: A continuous model incorporating all data for a given analyte represents an appealing alternative to arbitrary partitioning of reference intervals across age categories. Plasma metanephrines are promising biomarkers for neuroblastoma, and their performances need to be confirmed in a prospective study on a large cohort of patients. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2015;62:587-593. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Prevalence of frailty in middle-aged and older community-dwelling Europeans living in 10 countries.

BACKGROUND: Frailty is an indicator of health status in old age. Its frequency has been described mainly for North America; comparable data from other countries are lacking. Here we report on the prevalence of frailty in 10 European countries included in a population-based survey. METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis of 18,227 randomly selected community-dwelling individuals 50 years of age and older, enrolled in the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) in 2004. Complete data for assessing a frailty phenotype (exhaustion, shrinking, weakness, slowness, and low physical activity) were available for 16,584 participants. Prevalences of frailty and prefrailty were estimated for individuals 50-64 years and 65 years of age and older from each country. The latter group was analyzed further after excluding disabled individuals. We estimated country effects in this subset using multivariate logistic regression models, controlling first for age, gender, and then demographics and education. RESULTS: The proportion of frailty (three to five criteria) or prefrailty (one to two criteria) was higher in southern than in northern Europe. International differences in the prevalences of frailty and prefrailty for 65 years and older group persisted after excluding the disabled. Demographic characteristics did not account for international differences; however, education was associated with frailty. Controlling for education, age and gender diminished the effects of residing in Italy and Spain. CONCLUSIONS: A higher prevalence of frailty in southern countries is consistent with previous findings of a north-south gradient for other health indicators in SHARE. Our data suggest that socioeconomic factors like education contribute to these differences in frailty and prefrailty.

Violence-related injury and gender: The role of alcohol and alcohol combined with illicit drugs.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: The positive relationship between alcohol use, gender and violence-related injury is well established. However, less is known about injuries when alcohol is used in combination with other drugs. DESIGN AND METHODS: Self-report information was collected on alcohol and illicit drug use in the 6 h before a violence-related injury in probability samples of patients presenting to emergency departments (n = 9686). RESULTS: Patients with violence-related injuries reported the highest rates of alcohol use (49% of men; 23% of women) and alcohol use combined with illicit drugs (8% of men; 4% of women) whereas non-violent injury patients reported lower rates of alcohol use (17% of men; 8% of women) and alcohol use combined with drugs (2% for men; 1% for women). Marijuana/hashish was the most commonly reported drug. The odds of a violent injury were increased when alcohol was used [men: odds ratio (OR) = 5.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 4.6-6.3; women: OR = 4.0, 95% CI 3.0-5.5] or when alcohol was combined with illicit drug use before the injury (men: OR = 6.6, 95% CI 4.7-9.3; women: OR = 5.7, 95% CI = 2.7-12.2) compared with non-users. No significant change in the odds of a violent injury was observed for men or women when alcohol users were compared with alcohol and drug users. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The positive association between alcohol and violent injury does not appear to be altered by the added use of drugs. Additional work is needed to understand the interpersonal, contextual and cultural factors related to substance use to identify best prevention practices and develop appropriate policies. [Korcha RA, Cherpitel CJ, Witbrodt J, Borges G, Hejazi-Bazargan S, Bond JC, Ye Y, Gmel G. Violence-related injury and gender: The role of alcohol and alcohol combined with illicit drugs. Drug Alcohol Rev 2014;33:43-50].

Comorbidity and nutritional indices as predictors of morbidity after transurethral procedures: A prospective cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: Preoperative scores are widely used predictors of complications after major surgery. These scores, however, are not widely used in transurethral procedures. The aim of this study was to assess the value of the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), the age-adjusted CCI, the American Society of Anesthesiologist score (ASA) and the Nutritional Risk Score (NRS) in predicting early morbidity after transurethral urological procedures. METHODS: Consecutive patients undergoing transurethral resection of the bladder or the prostate were prospectively enrolled. The scores were calculated preoperatively; 30-day complications were prospectively recorded according to the Dindo-Clavien classification. Univariate logistic regression was performed to investigate the value of each score and of other factors (i.e., age, sex, body mass index, anemia, smoking habit, type of operation and anaesthesia) as predictors of complications. A multivariate model was then calculated using these predictors. RESULTS: Overall, 197 patients were included. The mean age was 72 (standard deviation ± 10). In total, 26.9% patients had at least 1 complication. Using univariate analysis, we found that each score significantly predicted complications. In multivariate analysis, only the ASA (odds ration [OR] 2.11; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-4.43) and the NRS (OR 2.42; 95% CI 1.56-3.74) remained independent predictors. The best model incorporated ASA, NRS and gender, and predicted morbidity with an area under the curve of 76%. Our study's main limitations are population heterogeneity and limited sample size. CONCLUSION: The ASA and the NRS are important and independent determinants of early morbidity after transurethral procedures. The use of these indices may assist clinicians in the decision-making process to balance the possible benefits of transurethral procedures with the potential risks.

Sex ratio and Wolbachia infection in the ant Formica exsecta.

Sex allocation data in social Hymenoptera provide some of the best tests of kin selection, parent-offspring conflict and sex ratio theories. However, these studies critically depend on controlling for confounding ecological factors and on identifying all parties that potentially manipulate colony sex ratio. It has been suggested that maternally inherited parasites may influence sex allocation in social Hymenoptera. If the parasites can influence sex allocation, infected colonies are predicted to invest more resources in females than non-infected colonies, because the parasites are transmitted through females but not males. Prime candidates for such sex ratio manipulation are Wolbachia, because these cytoplasmically transmitted bacteria have been shown to affect the sex ratio of host arthropods by cytoplasmic incompatibility, parthenogenesis, male-killing and feminization. In this study, we tested whether Wolbachia infection is associated with colony sex ratio in two populations of the ant Formica exsecta that have been the subject of extensive sex ratio studies. In these populations colonies specialize in the production of one sex or the other. We found that almost all F. exsecta colonies in both populations are infected with Wolbachia. However, in neither population did we find a significant association in the predicted direction between the prevalence of Wolbachia and colony sex ratio. In particular, colonies with a higher proportion of infected workers did not produce more females. Hence, we conclude that Wolbachia does not seem to alter the sex ratio of its hosts as a means to increase transmission rate in these two populations of ants.

Sex-chromosome evolution of Palearctic tree frogs in space and time

Sexual reproduction is nearly universal in eukaryotes and genetic determination of sex prevails among animals. The astonishing diversity of sex-determining systems and sex chromosomes is yet bewildering. Some taxonomic groups possess conserved and dimorphic sex chromosomes, involving a functional copy (e.g. mammals' X, birds' Z) and a degenerated copy (mammals' Y, birds' W), implying that sex- chromosomes are expected to decay. In contrast, others like amphibians, reptiles and fishes yet maintained undifferentiated sex chromosomes. Why such different evolutionary trajectories? In this thesis, we empirically test and characterize the main hypotheses proposed to prevent the genetic decay of sex chromosomes, namely occasional X-Y recombination and frequent sex-chromosome transitions, using the Palearctic radiation of Hyla tree frogs as a model system. We take a phylogeographic and phylogenetic approach to relate sex-chromosome recombination, differentiation, and transitions in a spatial and temporal framework. By reconstructing the recent evolutionary history of the widespread European tree frog H. arborea, we showed that sex chromosomes can recombine in males, preventing their differentiation, a situation that potentially evolves rapidly. At the scale of the entire radiation, X-Y recombination combines with frequent transitions to prevent sex-chromosome degeneration in Hyla: we traced several turnovers of sex-determining system within the last 10My. These rapid changes seem less random than usually assumed: we gathered evidences that one chromosome pair is a sex expert, carrying genes with key role in animal sex determination, and which probably specialized through frequent reuse as a sex chromosome in Hyla and other amphibians. Finally, we took advantage of secondary contact zones between closely-related Hyla lineages to evaluate the consequences of sex chromosome homomorphy on the genetics of speciation. In comparison with other systems, the evolution of sex chromosomes in Hyla emphasized the existence of consistent evolutionary patterns within the chaotic diversity of flexibility of cold-blooded vertebrates' sex-determining systems, and provides insights into the evolution of recombination. Beyond sex-chromosome evolution, this work also significantly contributed to speciation, phylogeography and applied conservation research. -- La reproduction sexuée est quasi-universelle chez les eucaryotes et le sexe est le plus souvent déterminé génétiquement au sein du règne animal. L'incroyable diversité des systèmes de reproduction et des chromosomes sexuels est particulièrement étonnante. Certains groupes taxonomiques possèdent des chromosomes sexuels dimorphiques et très conservés, avec une copie entièrement fonctionnelle (ex : le X des mammifères, le Z des oiseaux) et une copie dégénérée (ex : le Y des mammifères, le W des oiseaux), suggérant que les chromosomes sexuels sont voués à se détériorer. Cependant les chromosomes sexuels d'autres groupes tels que les amphibiens, les reptiles et les poissons sont pour la plupart indifférenciés. Comment expliquer des trajectoires évolutives si différentes? Au cours de cette thèse, nous avons étudié empiriquement les processus évolutifs pouvant maintenir les chromosomes sexuels intacts, à savoir la recombinaison X-Y occasionnel ainsi que les substitutions fréquentes de chromosomes sexuels, en utilisant les rainettes Paléarctiques du genre Hyla comme modèle d'étude. Nous avons adopté une approche phylogéographique et phylogénétique pour appréhender les événements de recombinaison, de différenciation et de transitions de chromosomes sexuels dans un contexte spatio-temporel. En retraçant l'histoire évolutive récente de la rainette verte H. arborea, nous avons mis en évidence que les chromosomes sexuels pouvaient recombiner chez les mâles, empêchant ainsi leur différenciation, et que ce processus avait le potentiel d'évoluer très rapidement. A l'échelle plus globale de la radiation, il apparait que les phénomènes de recombinaison X-Y soient également accompagnés de substitutions de chromosomes sexuels, et participent de concert au maintien de chromosomes sexuels intacts dans les populations: le système de détermination du sexe des rainettes a changé plusieurs fois au cours des 10 derniers millions d'années. Ces transitions fréquentes ne semblent pas aléatoires: nous avons identifié une paire de chromosomes qui présente des caractéristiques présageant d'une spécialisation dans le déterminisme du sexe (notamment car elle possède des gènes importants pour cette fonction), et qui a été réutilisée plusieurs fois comme tel chez les rainettes ainsi que d'autres amphibiens. Enfin, nous avons étudié l'hybridation entre différentes espèces dans leurs zones de contact, afin d'évaluer si l'absence de différenciation entre X et Y jouaient un rôle dans les processus génétiques de spéciation. Outre son intérêt pour la compréhension de l'évolution des chromosomes sexuels, ce travail contribue de manière significative à d'autres domaines de recherche tels que la spéciation, la phylogéographie, ainsi que la biologie de la conservation.

Manipulation of arthropod sex determination by endosymbionts: diversity and molecular mechanisms.

Arthropods exhibit a large variety of sex determination systems both at the chromosomal and molecular level. Male heterogamety, female heterogamety, and haplodiploidy occur frequently, but partially different genes are involved. Endosymbionts, such as Wolbachia, Cardinium,Rickettsia, and Spiroplasma, can manipulate host reproduction and sex determination. Four major reproductive manipulation types are distinguished: cytoplasmic incompatibility, thelytokous parthenogenesis, male killing, and feminization. In this review, the effects of these manipulation types and how they interfere with arthropod sex determination in terms of host developmental timing, alteration of sex determination, and modification of sexual differentiation pathways are summarized. Transitions between different manipulation types occur frequently which suggests that they are based on similar molecular processes. It is also discussed how mechanisms of reproductive manipulation and host sex determination can be informative on each other, with a special focus on haplodiploidy. Future directions on how the study of endosymbiotic manipulation of host reproduction can be key to further studies of arthropod sex determination are shown.

The gender-based stereotype about food is on the table. Food choice also depends on co-eater's gender

Previous research has shown that different foods are stereotypically associated with gender and that eating in a role-congruent way fulfills an impression management function. On the other hand, other studies revealed that adapting one's food consumption to that of the co-eaters is a means to gain social approval as well. In the present study, we bridge these two distinct lines of research by studying what happens when the two norms (conforming to the gender-based stereotype and imitating the co-eater) conflict, that is with opposite-sex co-eaters. Results indicated that the tendency to match the co-eaters' supposed consumption generally appeared over and above one's gender-congruent choice. In addition, as expected, gender differences also emerged: while men were always willing to adapt to the co-eaters, women's intention to eat the feminine food was independent from the co-eaters' gender.

A model of gender prejudice, power, and discrimination: How hierarchy-enhancing factors predominate over hierarchy-attenuating factors

Gender inequalities remain an issue in our society and particularly in the workplace. Several factors can explain this gender difference in top-level managerial positions such as career ambitions but also biases against women. In our chapter, we propose a model explaining why gender inequalities and particularly discrimination against women is still present in our societies despite social norms and existing legislation on gender equality. To this purpose, we review research on discrimination through two different approaches, (a) a prejudice approach through the justification-suppression model developed by Crandall and Eshleman (2003) and (b) a power approach through the social dominance theory (Pratto, Sidanius, Stallworth, & Malle, 1994; Sidanius & Pratto, 1999). In our work, we integrate these two approaches and propose a model of gender prejudice, power and discrimination. The integration of these two approaches contributes to a better understanding of how discrimination against women is formed and maintained over time.

Gender ingroup projection and the evaluative connotation of leader prototypes

The underrepresentation of women in top corporate ranks is a topic of ongoing discussion. Manager prototypes are proposed to be more male-typed than female-typed because historically men more often than women have held leadership roles. Why then is the maleness of manager prototypes even more pronounced among men than among women? Given that most personnel decision makers in organizations are men this phenomenon is problematic for women's advancement to top management positions. We address this question by investigating peoples' use of ingroup projection and their endorsement of evaluative attributes in constructing gender and leader prototypes.