Influence of gender and estrous cycle in the forced swim test in rats

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Gender and Health Status Response to Long-Term Oxygen Therapy in COPD Patients

Introduction: The association of gender with health status (HS) response to long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) in very severe COPD is unclear. The aims of this study were: (1) to compare dyspnea perception and HS between male and female with very severe COPD at baseline and (2) to provide a prospective assessment of HS response to LTOT, according to gender.Patients and methods: Hypoxemic COPD (n =97, age: 65.5 +/- 9.6 years, 53% males) were enrolled in a prospective longitudinal study over 12 months or until death. St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) and baseline dyspnea index (BDI) were assessed.Results: At baseline, HS impairment and dyspnea sensation were similar between genders. After 12 months of LTOT, women presented improvement in symptom (64.1 +/- 120.6 versus 40.6 +/- 122.9; P < 0.0001) and total SGRQ scores. Men also showed improvement in symptoms after 12 months (62.7 +/- 23.3 versus 49.6 +/- 22.8; P < 0.0005); however, they presented deterioration of activity, impact and total scores during the study period, with markedly decline of activity domain (68.5 +/- 20.0 versus 75.9 +/- 16.9; P = 0.008). BDI did not show significant difference by gender over the study period.Conclusions: Our results show that the HS course in very severe COPD patients differs according to gender, as females show greater response longitudinally to LTOT. (C) 2010 SEPAR. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L. All rights reserved.

Suggestion of an inverse relationship between perception of occupational risks and work-related injuries

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

The influence of study schedules and work on the sleep-wake cycle of college students

College students usually exhibit an irregular sleep-wake cycle characterized by great phase delays on weekends and short sleep length on weekdays. As the temporal organization of social activities is an important synchronizer of human biological rhythms, we investigated the role played by study's schedules and work on the sleep-wake cycle. Three groups of female college students were investigated: (1) no-job morning group, (2) no-job evening group, (3) job evening group. The volunteers answered a sleep questionnaire in the classroom. The effects of day of the week and group on the sleep schedules and sleep length were analyzed by a two way ANOVA for repeated measures. The three groups showed delays in the wake up time on weekends. No-job evening and morning groups also delayed bedtime, but the job evening group slept at the same time on weekdays as on weekends. Sleep length increased on weekends for morning group and job evening group, whereas the no-job evening group maintained the amount of sleep from weekdays to weekends. This survey showed that the tendency of phase delay on weekends was differently expressed according to study's schedules and work.

Critical speed and endurance capacity in young swimmers: Effects of gender and age

This study analyzed the relationship between critical speed (CS) and maximal speed for 30 min (S30) in swimmers of ages 10-15 years. Fifty-one swimmers were divided by chronological age (10-12 years = G10-12, 13-15 years = G13-15), sexual maturation (pubic hair stages; P1-P3 and P4-P5), and gender (M = boys, F = girls). The CS was determined through the slope of the linear regression between the distances (100, 200, and 400 m) and participants' respective times. CS and S30 were similar in the younger (G10-12M = 0.97 vs. 0.97 m/s, and G10-12F = 1.01 vs. 0.97 m/s, respectively), and older swimmers (G13-15M = 1.10 vs. 1.07 m/s and G13-15F = 0.93 vs. 0.91 m/s, respectively). In conclusion, the CS can be used in young swimmers for the evaluation of aerobic capacity, independent of gender and age. © 2005 Human Kinetics, Inc.

Comparison of growth curve parameters of organs and body components in meat- (Coturnix coturnix coturnix) and laying-type (Coturnix coturnix japonica) quail show interactions between gender and genotype

The objective of this study was to estimate growth parameters of carcass components (wing, thighs and drumsticks, back and breast) and organs (heart, liver, gizzard and gut) in males and females of one meat-type quail strain (Coturnix coturnix coturnix) and two laying strains (Coturnix coturnix japonica) designated either yellow or red.A total of 1350 quail from 1 to 42d old were distributed in a completely randomised design, with 5 replicates of each strain. The carcass component weights and body organs were analysed weekly and evaluated using the Gompertz function; growth rates were evaluated through derivative equations.The meat-type strain presented the highest growth rates in carcass components and organs. Across strains, females showed the highest weight of internal organs at maturity compared to males.Females had greater growth potential in breast, wings and back than males for both yellow and red laying quail.

Qualidade de Vida e fatores de risco cardiovascular em funcionários de uma empresa do comércio

BACKGROUND: The workplace is affected by poor lifestyle habits that can cause alterations in the quality of life (QOL) of the employees. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the quality of life and the cardiovascular risk factors in employees of a business. Relate the quality of life with the variables of cardiovascular risk, gender and work sector. METHOD: 41 employees were evaluated (30 females and 11 males) aging between 18 and 54 years (mean 27.4 ± 8.9 years). A protocol was used with: personal data, personal background, physical examination (anthropometry) and the WHOQOL-bref questionnaire to evaluate the QOL. Statistical analysis was completed by the Chi-squared test and Sperman’s rank correlation, with a significance of 5%. RESULTS: We found 31(75.6%) sedentary; 16(39.0%) excess weight; 2(4.9%) smokers; 9(22.0%) alcohol consumers and 25(61.0%) family history. We also found 13(31.7%) overweight/low risk and 3(7.3%) obese/moderate risk. The best score on the WHOQOL-bref was on physical health (72.9), and the worst on environment (61.3) and mean score of 69.5 for total QOL. Male employees presented greater scores on all domains, but this association had a non-significant result. There was positive correlation between the physical and psychological domains with the environment and total QOL. CONCLUSION: The employees presented important cardiovascular risk factors like sedentary lifestyle, family history, excess weight and alcohol consumption. The employee’s QOL is considered satisfactory in the perception of health; the best QOL being in the physical domain and the worst in the environment. Change measures are suggested to the company for the cardiovascular risk factors detected.