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EMBARGOED
FOR RELEASE UNTIL
August 8, 2007
APS Contact
Donna Krupa
Office:
(301) 634-7253
Cell: (703) 967-2751
dkrupa@the-aps.org
Sex And Gender: Why Do Men
And Women Respond Differently To The Same Disease?
Bethesda, Md. – More than 100 research
scientists will examine hormones, gender and how they can interact to cause
heart and kidney disease. The conference, entitled Sex and Gender in
Cardiovascular-Renal Physiology and Pathophysiology, is being
held August 9-12, 2007 in Austin, TX, and is hosted by the American
Physiological Society (APS;
www.The-APS.org). Conference highlights include presentations on:
TESTOSTERONE REPLACMENT THERAPY:
How Safe for Aging Men? – For decades, older women have taken
hormone replacements to replenish estrogen and progesterone levels lost to
aging. More recently, testosterone (the most important male hormone)
supplements have been used by aging men to improve their muscle mass, bone
strength, libido and quality of life. In 2002, the number of elderly
American men taking testosterone replacement therapy was nearly 819,000, and
the number is growing. The increased use has occurred despite the fact that
the cardiovascular effects of chronic testosterone treatment in aging males
are largely unknown, and the safety of testosterone replacement has not been
evaluated. A team of researchers has been using an animal model to
investigate potential links between testosterone supplements and
cardiovascular and renal disease.
ACUTE SLEEP DEPRIVATION LEADS TO
CHANGES IN NIGHTTIME URINE PRODUCTION FOR MEN AND WOMEN; Lack of sleep
causes men to produce more urine than women, making “bathroom breaks” likely
– Our body’s production of urine follows a circadian rhythm. During
the day, we experience greater urinary frequency; at night, urine production
declines, enabling us to get uninterrupted sleep. The regulation of urine
excretion during nighttime hours is influenced by many factors, including
hormones, blood flow (hemodynamics), and sleep-related factors. The
mechanism behind the day/night changes is not yet clear. Danish researchers
have examined the urinary patterns of sleep-deprived volunteers and have
found that a lack of sleep leads to increased urinary output and more salt
in urine. The findings were found to be more prevalent in males than
females.
THE “FEMALE ADVANTAGE” IN KIDNEY DISEASE DOES NOT
EXTEND TO DIABETIC WOMEN; Studies suggest kidney disease in diabetic women
may be result of imbalances in hormonal ratios, not an absolute level of
estrogen – Women have a “female advantage” when it comes to chronic
kidney disease. When compared to men, they have fewer and less severe
episodes of this disorder throughout most of their lives. That advantage
disappears, however, when the woman is diabetic. For reasons still unclear,
diabetic women – regardless of age – are diagnosed with kidney and heart
diseases almost as frequently as men. What is it about diabetes that
predisposes a woman to develop renal disease at levels generally associated
with her male counterpart?
IDENTIFYING MARKERS IN MENOPAUSAL WOMEN AT RISK FOR DEADLY
BLOOD CLOT – In women, hormone
therapy is a risk factor for venous thrombosis, a blood clot forming deep
inside the vein. Despite the fact that the disorder is rare, it increases
exponentially during menopause and can be deadly. The hormone trials
conducted thus far, focusing on proteins in blood coagulation, have not yet
led to a risk profile, thereby precluding identification of women at risk.
Now, a team of Mayo Clinic researchers has developed a novel concept that
uses blood platelets to define thrombotic risk. The team is testing its
theory as part of the Kronos Early Estrogen Prevention Study (KEEPS).
SUGAR AND SPICE AND EVERYTHING
NICE: HEALTH DIFFERENCES IN NEWBORN GIRLS AND BOYS; Two new
studies examine why death rates for female infants are higher after heart
surgery and why female donor livers may be less effective for transplants
– For generations, girls have whimsically been said to be made of
“sugar and spice and everything nice,” and boys from “snakes and snails and
puppy dog tails.” Inherent in these loving references is the fact that
females and males are different, both when they are healthy and when they
are ill. Two new studies using an animal model may lead to a better
understanding of sex-based health discrepancies found among some newborns.
One study has found that gender differences in the heart may help explain
why infant girls are more likely to die following heart surgery. The other
study has determined that the rapid accumulation of acid in newborn female
livers may shed light on why pediatric liver transplants are less successful
when the livers are donated from infant girls.
BENEFITS OF CARDIO EXERCISE ARE
GREATER FOR THE FEMALE HEART –
While cardiovascular disease occurs in both men and women, it
does not affect them in the same way. Risk factors and protective factors
for heart diseases are likewise unequal. The molecular mechanisms
responsible for these differences are so far unknown, but some believe it is
due to chromosomal linked genes or sexual hormones such as estrogen and
testosterone. While the mechanisms behind the differences are unknown, the
physiological differences are clear. A new study examining chronic exercise
in male and female mice finds that moderate long-term exercise provokes a
sex-dependent cardiac adaptation that is different for females versus males.
The findings may eventually help improve treatment strategies for women and
men with heart disease.
STUDY SUGGESTS ESTROGEN DEFICIENCY CAN LEAD TO
OBESITY-INDUCED HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE FOR POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN – At
menopause, women lose hormone protection against heart (cardiovascular) and
kidney (renal) diseases, and are likely to become obese. A research team has
tested the idea that estrogen deficiency in aged females may trigger the
development of high blood pressure and obesity. The results of their study,
using an animal model, suggest that estrogen depletion can have these
effects.
FEMALE GENDER PROVIDES AN ADVANTAGE
IN RENAL DISEASES; Women with certain renal diseases progress at slower rate
than men – Gender influences the prevalence and progression rate of
many renal diseases. The physiology behind gender differences and renal
disease is still uncertain, but sex hormones (estrogen, testosterone) are
thought to contribute to the differences. Estrogen especially may exert
certain cellular effects on the kidney because it can suppress the growth of
scar tissue as well as affect various growth factors which impact the
kidney. Researchers examining the cells located around the small blood
vessels of the kidneys have found that the female hormone estradiol
inhibited the activity of transforming growth factor (TGF-β); TGF-β promotes
scarring of the kidney in many renal diseases; estradiol does this by
preventing TGF-β from activating the enzyme (casein kinase 2) which
affects collagen production. In this way, estrogen reduces the production of
collagen in these cultured cells and may reduce scarring in renal disease.
GRAPES, SOY AND KUDZU BLUNT SOME
MENOPAUSAL SIDE EFFECTS;Memory loss, hypertension and insulin resistance
reduced in several animal studies – A decade ago, treatment for
menopausal women at relatively high risk for memory loss, high blood
pressure and diabetes was often long-term hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
Since then, studies have shown that extensive use of HRT is associated with
significant adverse effects and so alternatives have been sought. Among the
alternatives are dietary polyphenols which are found in grapes, soy and
kudzu. Researchers have found that these edibles can blunt cognitive loss,
hypertension and insulin resistance in experimental models.
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MEDIA REGISTRATION:
The media is invited to attend the conference and cover all sessions. Free
registration is open to representatives of the press, including those from
print, broadcast, radio and online media. Passes will be issued to members
of the working press and freelance writers bearing a letter of assignment
from their editor on publication letterhead. Representatives of allied
fields (public information, public affairs, public relations) may register
as nonmembers at the nonmember conference rate. For further information
please contact Donna Krupa at
DKrupa@The-APS.org at 301.634.7209 (office) or 703.967.2751 (cell) or
Chris Guilfoy 301.624.7253 or
CGuilfoy@The-APS.org or 301.624.7253.
ABOUT THE APS: The
American Physiological Society (APS;
www.The-APS.org) is a nonprofit organization devoted to fostering
education, scientific research, and dissemination of information in the
physiological sciences. Founded in 1887, the Society has more than 10,500
members today. The Society is also a premier nonprofit publisher in the
life sciences community whose 11 peer-reviewed publications are among the
most respected and frequently cited in the field.
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