Gender differences and bleeding complications after PCI on first and second generation DES

Background. The aim of this study was to evaluate gender differences in the long-term clinical outcomes and safety of patients treated with first- and second generation DES. Methods. The Katowice–Zabrze Registry included 1916 consecutive patients treated with either first or second generation DES. We evaluated major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) [composite of death, myocardial infarction (MI), stroke and target vessel revascularization (TVR)] at 12-month follow-up. Safety end point was bleeding complications and stent thrombosis. Results. Registry included [unstable angina (UA) 1500(78%), non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) 285 (15%), ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction/left bundle branch block (STEMI/LBBB) 131 (7%)]. There were 35.5% females and 64.5% males. Women were older and had higher prevalence of comorbidities. Males more often had multivessel disease and higher Syntax score when comparable to females. We did not observed difference in acute and subacute stent thrombosis in our data, however, females had more in-hospital bleeding complications. Univariable Cox regression analysis revealed that women had similar outcomes when compared to men in terms of a risk of death, MI, TVR, stroke and MACCE at 1-year follow-up. There were no differences between males and females in MACCE when first- and second generation DES were analyzed separately. Conclusion. Despite higher risk profile, women treated with DES have similar outcomes as males in 1-year follow-up. However there is, an increased risk of in-hospital bleedings in women.     

Early parenting – portraits from the lives of first-time parents

Objective: The study aimed to explore the experiences of first-time Maltese parents between pregnancy and the first six months in the postnatal period. Background: Parents’ interaction with their children appears to have an important and lasting effect on children’s cognitive and behavioural development. While both women and men anticipate equal involvement in child care, it is generally the woman who assumes primary responsibility when the new baby arrives. Methods: The qualitative paradigm was used to conduct the study by means of a semi-structured interview schedule. Data was collected at 28 weeks gestation, at 6 weeks postnatally and at 6 months postnatally. Twenty-six first-time parents (13 couples) participated in the study and were recruited by purposive sampling. Gender theory was used as the theoretical framework to guide this study. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used during the analysing phase. Results: Two main super-ordinate themes were revealed from this study: ‘Pregnancy as a time of preparation’ and ‘The postnatal period as a time of critical change in the lifeworld of the couple’. Conclusion: Findings showed that competent and timely support by trained professionals could equip future couples for the art of parenting and could help parents to resolve challenges before they escalate into problems. This study encourages cross-cultural research on this topic so as to shed light on differences and similarities of contemporary early parenting challenges and outcomes.     

Sex Disparities in Self‐Reported Physical Functioning: True Differences,Reporting Bias,or Incomplete Adjustment for Confounding?

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether sex disparities in self‐reported physical functioning remain after adjusting for potential confounding factors and to assess associations for possible reporting bias. DESIGN: Cross‐sectional survey. SETTING: U.S. population of noninstitutionalized older adults. PARTICIPANTS: Women and men aged 60 and older (N=5,396) who participated in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. MEASUREMENTS: Degree of self‐reported limitation in 11 physical functions. RESULTS: In unadjusted models, women reported more limitations than men in 10 of 11 tasks. In multivariate ordinal logistic regression models that included adjustment for age, race or ethnicity, education level, comorbidities, smoking, hemoglobin, serum albumin, knee pain, body mass index, skeletal muscle index, and physical performance tests, women reported more limitations only in lifting or carrying 10 pounds (adjusted odds ratio=2.03, 95% confidence interval=1.45–2.84). There was no evidence of systematic reporting differences between men and women for limitations in lifting or carrying 10 pounds relative to the degree of limitation predicted by the model. CONCLUSION: Older women have similar degrees of self‐reported limitation in physical functioning as older men of the same age, health, and physical abilities.     

Gender aspects in skin diseases

Gender differences in medicine have been recognized in anatomy, physiology, as well as in epidemiology and manifestations of various diseases. With respect to skin disorders, males are generally more commonly afflicted with infectious diseases while women are more susceptible to psychosomatic problems, pigmentary disorders, certain hair diseases, and particularly autoimmune as well as allergic diseases. Significantly, more female sex‐associated dermatoses can be identified than the male sex‐associated dermatoses. Dermatoses in the genital area differ between men and women. Gender differences also exist in the occurrence and prognosis of certain skin malignancies. The mechanisms underlying gender differences in skin diseases remain largely unknown. Differences in the skin structure and physiology, effect of sex hormones, ethnic background, sociocultural behaviour and environmental factors may interact to exert the influences. A better understanding of gender differences in human health and diseases will allow the development of novel concepts for prevention, diagnosis and therapy of skin diseases.     

Nurse education: factors associated with attrition

Title.  Nurse education: factors associated with attrition.
Aim.  This paper is a report of a study to identify the factors having an impact on student completion rates in a preregistration programme.
Background.  Nursing student attrition is an international issue causing concern in many parts of the developed world including Australia, the United States and Europe. In the United Kingdom, nursing student attrition has become a major issue, despite having one of the lowest general university dropout rates in the developed world.
Method.  A retrospective cohort study was conducted in 2007 using routinely-collected demographic and completion data on four cohorts of nursing students (1259 in total) studying at a large English university.
Findings.  Students who were older on entry were more likely to complete the programme than younger students, and those who had only the minimum educational qualifications on entry were less likely to complete than those with higher-level qualifications. There was some evidence of increased risk of resigning from the course in students taking the child branch, and increased risk of discontinuation (involuntary removal) from the course in both male and black/minority ethnic students. There was also some evidence that the healthcare organization responsible for a student's placement could influence completion rates.
Conclusion.  To improve attrition rates on preregistration nursing programmes, higher education institutions should actively target recruitment at mature candidates; increase the level of qualification required to gain entry; examine course structures for flexibility and provide multi-level student support.     

Self-perception of theoretical knowledges and practical skills by primary health care physicians in life-threatening emergencies according to their gender: A cross-sectional study

To assess the training received in Emergency Medicine (EM) by the Primary Health Care physicians of Asturias, as well as their perception of their own theoretical knowledge and practical skills in a series of procedures employed in life-threatening emergencies, and also to analyze the differences according to gender. The degree of preparation of Primary Health Care physicians for handling emergencies, according to the gender of the professionals, has never been studied before.Cross-sectional study of a sample of 213 Primary Health Care physicians from the Primary Health Care Service of Asturias, Spain, from among the total of 851 physicians on the staff of the Primary Health Care Service of Asturias. The survey was design ad hoc using the Body of Doctrine of Emergency Medicine proposed by the Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine, which indicates the theoretical and practical procedures that must be mastered by the Primary Health Care physicians.There are nonsignificant differences in the mean of theoretical knowledge and practical skills in many procedures or techniques studied depending on the gender.Female and male Asturian Primary Health Care physicians are generally well prepared to handle life-threatening emergencies. The degree of self-perception and acquisition of general theoretical knowledge and general practical skills for handling life-threatening emergencies is heterogeneous, and differences according to gender are not statistically significant.     

Brief Report: COVID-19 gender policy changes support female scientists and improve research quality

With more time being spent on caregiving responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, female scientists’ productivity dropped. When female scientists conduct research, identity factors are better incorporated in research content. In order to mitigate damage to the research enterprise, funding agencies can play a role by putting in place gender equity policies that support all applicants and ensure research quality. A national health research funder implemented gender policy changes that included extending deadlines and factoring sex and gender into COVID-19 grant requirements. Following these changes, the funder received more applications from female scientists, awarded a greater proportion of grants to female compared to male scientists, and received and funded more grant applications that considered sex and gender in the content of COVID-19 research. Further work is urgently required to address inequities associated with identity characteristics beyond gender.