Comparison of multiple methods of assessing parental emotion language discourse and their effects on Preschooler’s emotion understanding

The current study explored the influence of three methods of parental emotion discourse (structured story-telling, reminiscing, and picture book) and their relation to preschoolers’ emotion understanding. Thirty-seven families participated in the study. Analyses showed that the structured story-telling method produced more emotion words, was high in unique emotion words, and was high for both emotion labelling and explanations. All three methods showed some potential to predict preschooler’s emotion understanding. Structured story-telling was best at predicting role-taking, while reminiscing and the picture book both were better at predicting situation knowledge. Additional studies are needed to further explore the influence of different methods of assessing emotion discourse to enhance validity and reliability of research in this field.     

PAHs and PM2.5 emissions and female breast cancer incidence in metro Atlanta and rural Georgia

Environmental chemical exposure could be an important etiologic factor for geographic differences in breast cancer incidence. In this study, we examined emissions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and PM_2.5 in relation to breast cancer incidence in metro Atlanta and rural Georgia by analyzing data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program and the Environmental Protection Agency. The results showed that metro Atlanta had a significantly higher age-adjusted annual incidence rate of female breast cancer than rural Georgia (132.6 vs. 113.7 per 100,000) for 1992–2011. Emissions of both PAHs [adjusted β = 0.568 (95 % CI: 0.209, 0.927); p = 0.004] and PM_2.5 [adjusted β = 2.964 (95 % CI: 0.468, 5.459); p = 0.023] were significantly associated with breast cancer incidence in metro Atlanta area. This study suggests that ambient air pollution, especially PAHs and PM_2.5, could have a significant impact on the increased incidence of female breast cancer in urban areas.     

Sacral morphometrics for sex estimation of dead cases in Central Thailand

Sex estimation by various forensic anthropology approaches is a crucial factor for identification of human skeletal remains. However, inexpensive, uncomplicated and reliable methods are still required, especially in a remote crime scene and a high crime incidence area. Here, we examined 13 sacral parameters from 78 independent skeletons derived from deceases found in Central Thailand (male, n = 46; female, n = 32) using simple standard anthropometric techniques for sex allocation. Discriminant analysis exhibited that anterior-posterior diameter of S₁ vertebra corpus (APS) is the most accurate sacral parameter for sex determination in our study with 82.1% of correct discrimination rate. The accuracy could be improved up to 97.4% when additional three sacral variables including the length of sacrum measured from the medial anterior-superior sacral promontory to the medial anterior-inferior S₅ vertebra (ASL), alar index (ALI), and the maximum anterior breadth of sacrum measured across sacral alar (ABS) were computed together with APS. These encourage the use of sacral morphometrics for sex assessment of human sacrum remains in Central Thailand. However, further investigation with broadening sacral morphometric data across the country might provide a promising sex determination equation from a sacral skeleton for Thai population.     

Vaccination evokes gender-dependent protection against tularemia infection in C57BL/6Tac mice

Francisella tularensis (Ft) is a Category A biothreat agent for which there currently is no FDA-approved vaccine. Thus, there is a substantial effort underway to develop an effective tularemia vaccine. While it is well established that gender can significantly impact susceptibility to primary infection, the impact of gender on vaccine efficacy is not well established. Thus, development of a successful vaccine against tularemia will require an understanding of the impact gender has on vaccine-induced protection against this organism. In this study, a role for gender in vaccine-induced protection following Ft challenge is identified for the first time. In the present study, mucosal vaccination with inactivated Ft (iFt) LVS elicited gender-based protection in C57BL/6Tac mice against respiratory challenge with Ft LVS. Specifically, vaccinated male mice were more susceptible to subsequent Ft LVS challenge. This increased susceptibility in male mice correlated with increased bacterial burden, increased tissue inflammation, and increased proinflammatory cytokine production late in post-challenge infection. In contrast, improved survival of iFt-vaccinated female mice correlated with reduced bacterial burden and enhanced levels of Ft-specific Abs in serum and broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) fluid post-challenge. Furthermore, vaccination with a live attenuated vaccine consisting of an Ft LVS superoxide dismutase (SodB) mutant, which has proven efficacious against the highly virulent Ft SchuS4 strain, demonstrated similar gender bias in protection post-Ft SchuS4 challenge. Of particular significance is the fact that these are the first studies to demonstrate that gender differences impact disease outcome in the case of lethal respiratory tularemia following mucosal vaccination. In addition, these studies further emphasize the fact that gender differences must be a serious consideration in any future tularemia vaccine development studies.     

Sex differences in neural mechanisms of social and non-social threat monitoring

Adolescent males and females differ in their responses to social threat. Yet, threat processing is often probed in non-social contexts using the error-related negativity (ERN; Flanker EEG Task), which does not yield sex-specific outcomes. fMRI studies show inconsistent patterns of sex-specific neural engagement during threat processing. Thus, the relation between threat processing in non-social and social contexts across sexes and the effects perceived level of threat on brain function are unclear. We tested the interactive effect of non-social threat-vigilance (ERN), sex (N = 69; Male=34; 11–14-year-olds), and perceived social threat on brain function while anticipating feedback from ‘unpredictable’, ‘nice’, or ‘mean’ purported peers (fMRI; Virtual School Paradigm). Whole-brain analyses revealed differential engagement of precentral and inferior frontal gyri, putamen, anterior cingulate cortex, and insula. Among males with more threat-vigilant ERNs, greater social threat was associated with increased activation when anticipating unpredictable feedback. Region of interest analyses revealed this same relation in females in the amygdala and anterior hippocampus when anticipating mean feedback. Thus, non-social threat vigilance relates to neural engagement depending on perceived social threat, but peer-based social contexts and brain regions engaged, differ across sexes. This may partially explain divergent psychosocial outcomes in adolescence.     

Sex‐related Disparity in Surgical Mortality among Pediatric Patients

Background. It has been reported that gender differences in cardiovascular outcomes found in adults also are present in children who undergo surgical repair for congenital heart disease. Methods. California statewide hospital discharge data 1989–99 were used to study outcomes in children <18 years undergoing cardiac surgery. Hospital discharge data were linked to death registry data to study postdischarge death within 30 days of discharge. We used logistic regression to evaluate the effect of gender on mortality controlling for age, race and ethnicity, type of insurance, household income, date and month of surgery, type of admission, hospital case volume, and various types of procedures. Results. There were 25 402 cardiac surgery cases with 1505 in‐hospital deaths (mortality rate of 5.92%). An additional 37 deaths occurred within 30 days after hospital discharge. Crude mortality rates for males (5.99%) and females (5.84%) were not significantly different. However, fewer neonates were female and females underwent a higher proportion of low‐risk procedures than males. Logistic regression revealed that females, compared with males, had a significantly higher odds ratio (OR) for in‐hospital mortality (OR = 1.18, P < .01) and overall (up to 30 days post discharge) mortality (OR = 1.18, P < .01). The risk‐adjusted length of hospital stay was similar between females and males while charges per hospital day were slightly higher in females than males. The prevalence of Down syndrome, pulmonary hypertension, and failure to thrive were higher in females. Conclusions. Female gender is associated with an 18% higher in‐hospital and 30‐day postdischarge mortality as compared with male gender. There was no difference in length of hospital stay between males and females. The mechanism by which female gender acts as a risk factor requires further investigation.