Gender Specificity and Local Socioeconomic Influence on Association of GHR fl/d3 Polymorphism With Growth and Metabolism in Children and Adolescents

OBJECTIVE

Growth hormone receptor (GHR) mediates most GH biological actions. This study is aimed to evaluate whether GHR fl/d3 polymorphism contributes to the inter-individual variability of growth and metabolism in healthy children and adolescents.

METHODS

A total of 4,730 students aged 6-16 years from Yixing and Suqian City in China were included in this cross-sectional study. Height and body mass index (BMI) were transformed into the form of z-score corresponding to age and gender. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the associations of GHR fl/d3 polymorphism with height, BMI, metabolic traits, and hypertension by estimating the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS

GHR d3 allele was inversely associated with overweight, total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) levels (OR [95% CI] for overweight: 0.754 [0.593-0.959], P = 0.021; OR [95% CI] for TC: 0.744 [0.614-0.902], P = 0.003; OR [95% CI] for TG: 0.812 [0.654-0.998], P = 0.047). GHR d3 allele was associated with decreased odds of pre-hypertension in boys (OR [95% CI]: 0.791 [0.645-0.971], P = 0.025), but associated with increased odds of pre-hypertension and hypertension in girls (ORs [95% CIs]: 1.379 [1.106-1.719], P = 0.004; OR [95% CI]: 1.240 [1.013-1.519], P = 0.037). Interaction of GHR fl/d3 polymorphism with gender contributed to increased odds of pre-hypertension and hypertension (interactive ORs [95% CIs]: 1.735 [1.214-2.481], P = 0.003; OR [95% CI]: 1.509 [1.092-2.086], P = 0.013). Stratification analysis showed that the correlation tendencies of GHR fl/d3 polymorphism and BMI with age were different between two cities with discrepant economic development levels.

CONCLUSION

GHR fl/d3 polymorphism is associated with growth, metabolism, and hypertension in children and adolescents with the gender specificity, and the genetic effect of GHR fl/d3 may be modified by the local socioeconomic levels.

Gender Specificity of Spousal Concordance in the Development of Chronic Disease among Middle-Aged and Older Chinese Couples: A Prospective Dyadic Analysis

This study aimed to explore the gender specificity of spousal concordance in the development of chronic diseases among middle-aged and older Chinese couples. Data of 3420 couples were obtained from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the incidence of chronic disease development over 4 years, conditional on the spousal baseline chronic disease status; and stepwise adjusting for the couples’ sociodemographic characteristics (i.e., age, education, retirement status and household income), and their individual lifestyle (i.e., smoking, drinking, exercise, social participation and BMI) all measured at baseline. The incidence of chronic diseases after 4 years of follow-up was 22.95% in the husbands (605/2636) and 24.71% in the wives (623/2521). Taking the couples’ baseline sociodemographic and lifestyle covariates into account, husbands whose wife had chronic diseases at baseline showed an increased risk of developing chronic diseases over 4 years (OR_adjusted = 1.24, 95%CI: 1.02, 1.51), but this risk was not statistically-significant for wives (OR_adjusted = 0.88, 95%CI: 0.71, 1.08). Our study identified gender specificity of spousal concordance in the development of chronic diseases among middle-aged and older Chinese couples. This finding may contribute to the design of couple-based intervention for disease prevention and management for community-dwelling older adults.

Pleiotropic Locus 15q24.1 Reveals a Gender-Specific Association with Neovascular but Not Atrophic Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified an abundance of genetic loci associated with complex traits and diseases. In contrast, in-depth characterization of an individual genetic signal is rarely available. Here, we focus on the genetic variant rs2168518 in 15q24.1 previously associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), but only with suggestive evidence. In a two-step procedure, we initially conducted a series of association analyses to further delineate the association of rs2168518 with AMD but also with other complex phenotypes by using large independent datasets from the International AMD Genomics Consortium (IAMDGC) and the UK Biobank. We then performed a functional annotation with reference to gene expression regulation based on data from the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project and RegulomeDB. Association analysis revealed a gender-specific association with male AMD patients and an association predominantly with choroidal neovascularization. Further, the AMD association colocalizes with an association signal of several blood pressure-related phenotypes and with the gene expression regulation of CYP1A1, a member of the cytochrome P450 superfamily of monooxygenases. Functional annotation revealed altered transcription factor (TF) binding sites for gender-specific TFs, including SOX9 and SRY. In conclusion, the pleiotropic 15q24.1 association signal suggests a shared mechanism between blood pressure regulation and choroidal neovascularization with a potential involvement of CYP1A1.

Paternal gender specificity and mild phenotypes in Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 1A patients with de novo 17p12 rearrangements

Background

Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease type 1A (CMT1A) and hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies (HNPP) are developed by duplication and deletion of the 17p12 (PMP22) region, respectively.

Methods

De novo rates were determined in 211 CMT1A or HNPP trio families, and then, analyzed gender‐specific genetic features and clinical phenotypes of the de novo cases.

Results

This study identified 40 de novo cases (19.0%). Paternal origin was highly frequent compared to maternal origin (p = .005). Most de novo CMT1A rearrangements occurred between non‐sister chromatids (p = .003), but it was interesting that three of the four sister chromatids exchange cases were observed in the less frequent maternal origin. Paternal ages at the affected child births were slightly higher in the de novo CMT1A group than in the non‐de novo CMT1A control group (p = .0004). For the disability score of CMTNS, the de novo CMT1A group had a slightly lower value compared to the control group (p = .005). Electrophysiological studies showed no significant differences between the two groups.

Conclusion

This study suggests that de novo CMT1A patients tend to have milder symptoms and that the paternal ages at child births in the de novo group are higher than those of the non‐de novo group.

Achieving Justice for Girls in the Juvenile Justice System

Female involvement in the juvenile justice system has steadily increased in the United States over the past three decades. During this time, as male arrests have declined, female arrests have increased. Although many social workers have responded to these trends with a national call to identify and address the unique needs of these girls, we lack much high-quality research, including empirically supported interventions or programming to serve the needs of female youths involved in the justice system. This article provides a summary of the extant research that helps document the unique needs of these female youths and national policy efforts and practice considerations for social work practitioners. These needs and policy initiatives offer important opportunities for social workers to conduct research to improve the understanding of this population and also ways in which to provide services that address these youths' complex needs. The article concludes that these female youths-most of whom are not a danger to society-need services instead of involvement in the justice system.

MiRNAs from DLK1-DIO3 Imprinted Locus at 14q32 are Associated with Multiple Sclerosis: Gender-Specific Expression and Regulation of Receptor Tyrosine Kinases Signaling

Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) is the most prevalent course of multiple sclerosis. It is an autoimmune inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. To investigate the gender-specific involvement of microRNAs (miRNAs) in RRMS pathogenesis, we compared miRNA profiles in peripheral blood mononuclear cells separately in men and women (eight RRMS patients versus four healthy controls of each gender) using high-throughput sequencing. In contrast to women, six downregulated and 26 upregulated miRNAs (p_adj < 0.05) were identified in men with RRMS. Genes encoding upregulated miRNAs are co-localized in DLK1-DIO3 imprinted locus on human chromosome 14q32. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis was performed in independent groups of men (16 RRMS patients and 10 healthy controls) and women (20 RRMS patients and 10 healthy controls). Increased expression of miR-431, miR-127-3p, miR-379, miR-376c, miR-381, miR-410 and miR-656 was again demonstrated in male (p_adj < 0.05), but not in female RRMS patients. At the same time, the expression levels of these miRNAs were lower in healthy men than in healthy women, whereas in RRMS men they increased and reached or exceeded levels in RRMS women. In general, we demonstrated that expression levels of these miRNAs depend both on “health–disease” status and gender. Network-based enrichment analysis identified that receptor tyrosine kinases-activated pathways were enriched with products of genes targeted by miRNAs from DLK1-DIO3 locus. These results suggest the male-specific involvement of these miRNAs in RRMS pathogenesis via regulation of PI3K/Akt signaling.

Circadian Clocks and Metabolism: Implications for Microbiome and Aging

The circadian clock directs many aspects of metabolism, to separate in time opposing metabolic pathways and optimize metabolic efficiency. The master circadian clock of the suprachiasmatic nucleus synchronizes to light, while environmental cues such as temperature and feeding, out of phase with the light schedule, may synchronize peripheral clocks. This misalignment of central and peripheral clocks may be involved in the development of disease and the acceleration of aging, possibly in a gender-specific manner. Here we discuss the interplay between the circadian clock and metabolism, the importance of the microbiome, and how they relate to aging.

The Fertility Quality of Life Questionnaire (FertiQoL) Relational subscale: psychometric properties and discriminant validity across gender

STUDY QUESTION

Is the Fertility Quality of Life Questionnaire (FertiQoL)-Relational Scale a valid measure to assess the relational domain regarding quality of life in women and men undergoing infertility treatment?

SUMMARY ANSWER

The FertiQoL-Relational scale (FertiQoL-REL) showed good psychometric properties and captured core aspects of couple relationships.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY

FertiQoL has become a gold standard for the assessment of infertility-related quality of life in patients undergoing assisted reproduction treatment (ART). Despite its growing importance, no previous studies have examined the convergent validity of the FertiQoL-REL and its discriminant validity across gender.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION

Baseline cross-sectional data as part of a longitudinal study of infertile couples undergoing an ART between February 2013 and January 2015.

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS

Five hundred and eighty-nine patients (301 females and 288 males), prior to starting an ART in a private clinic, filled in the Fertility Quality of Life Questionnaire (FertiQoL) and several measures of the marital relationship (Dyadic Adjustment Scale, Marital Commitment Inventory and ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale) and infertility-related distress (Fertility Problem Inventory).

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE

Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the FertiQoL four-factor solution provided a good fit for the observed data. Reliability of the FertiQoL-REL was higher for women than men. Significant correlations between the FertiQoL-REL scores and all the other measures of marital relationship were found for both women and men. FertiQoL-REL scores did not differ significantly in women and men. The FertiQoL-REL was able to differentiate subjects as regards the Dyadic Adjustment Scale and ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale threshold.

LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION

Findings are limited because the data were obtained from only one Italian private clinic.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS

FertiQoL-REL threshold scores are useful for identifying those patients undergoing ART who are more likely to report poor or good relationship quality. Clinicians should tailor their counselling strategies to the positive qualities in a couple's relationship, so as to reinforce the overall quality of life, especially among women, and to support patients in tackling the psychological burden, so that they can either continue treatment or choose discontinuation.

STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS

This research was supported by funds provided by Centro Andros S.r.l., Palermo, Italy. The authors declare no financial or commercial conflicts of interest in this study.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

Not necessary.

When "He" Can Also Be "She": An ERP Study of Reflexive Pronoun Resolution in Written Mandarin Chinese

The gender information in written Chinese third person pronouns is not symmetrically encoded: the character for "he" (, with semantic radical , meaning human) is used as a default referring to every individual, while the character for "she" (, with semantic radical , meaning woman) indicates females only. This critical feature could result in different patterns of processing of gender information in text, but this is an issue that has seldom been addressed in psycholinguistics. In Chinese, the written forms of the reflexive pronouns are composed of a pronoun plus the reflexive "/self" (/himself and /herself). The present study focuses on how such gender specificity interacts with the gender type of an antecedent, whether definitional (proper name) or stereotypical (stereotypical role noun) during reflexive pronoun resolution. In this event-related potential (ERP) study, gender congruity between a reflexive pronoun and its antecedent was studied by manipulating the gender type of antecedents and the gender specificity of reflexive pronouns (default: /himself vs. specific: /herself). Results included a P200 "attention related" congruity effect for /himself and a P600 "integration difficulty" congruity effect for /herself. Reflexive pronoun specificity independently affected the P200 and N400 components. These results highlight the role of /himself as a default applicable to both genders and indicate that only the processing of /herself supports a two-stage model for anaphor resolution. While both reflexive pronouns are evaluated at the bonding stage, the processing of the gender-specific reflexive pronoun is completed in the resolution stage.

Parental care influences leukocyte telomere length with gender specificity in parents and offsprings

BACKGROUND

There have been several reports suggesting that adverse childhood experiences such as physical maltreatment and long institutionalization influence telomere length. However, there has been no study examining the relationship of telomere length with variations in parental rearing. In the present study, we examined the relationship of leukocyte telomere length with parental rearing in healthy subjects.

METHODS

The subjects were 581 unrelated healthy Japanese subjects. Perceived parental rearing was assessed by the Parental Bonding Instrument consisting of the care and protection factors. Leukocyte relative telomere length was determined by a quantitative real-time PCR method for a ratio of telomere/single copy gene.

RESULTS

In the multiple regression analyses, shorter telomere length in males was related to lower scores of paternal care (β = 0.139, p < 0.05), while that in females was related to lower scores of maternal care (β = 0.195, p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

The present study suggests that there is linear relationship between parental care and telomere length which covers both lower and higher ends of parental care, and that the effects of parental care on telomere length are gender-specific in parents and offsprings.