scholarly journals One drug does not fit all: impact of sex and gender on pharmacological response

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-17
Author(s):  
Flavia Franconi ◽  
Ilaria Campesi
Keyword(s):  
Women’S Health ◽  
Women's Health ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
Sex And Gender ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Pharmacological Response ◽  
Health And Illness ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Gender Specific

It is important to remember that gender health and illness should not to be conflated with women's health and illness. Turshen1 reports that numerous studies with ‘gender’ in the title use the word gender as a synonym for ‘women’ and as a result, men's gender-specific needs are missed. In addition, in reporting demographic characteristics of the study participants, some clinical trialists use the term ‘gender’ and some ‘sex’ to indicate men and women and this may create confusion. It can be difficult to separate the two concepts, because there are continuous and constant interactions and relationships between sex and gender3. In other words, sex and gender work together. However, little attention is paid to the fact that gender is a sex modifier. It is relevant to have in mind that both sex and gender affect health and illness4.

A Call to Action for Evidence-Based Military Women’s Health Care: Developing a Women’s Health Research Agenda That Addresses Sex and Gender in Health and Illness

2010 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lori Trego ◽  
Candy Wilson ◽  
Nancy Steele
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Women’S Health ◽  
Women's Health ◽  
Air Force ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Sex And Gender ◽  
Military Health ◽  
Military Health Care ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Gender Specific

Women in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines are serving in complex occupational specialties that sustain national policy and ensure combat effectiveness of our forces. Their roles have evolved from supportive roles during early conflicts to active roles in combat support and counterinsurgency operations today. Although women have received military health care over the past three decades, sex- and gender-specific care has been limited to reproductive needs and has rarely addressed military-specific health risks and outcomes. The complexity of military jobs and increased deployments to combat operations has led to increased occupational and health risks for women. As differences have been noted between men and women’s deployment-related health outcomes, it is incumbent on the Military Health Care System (MHS) to create an evidence base that addresses sex and gender differences in the health of its service members. A working group of military women’s health advanced practice nurses (APN) and research experts proposes to address this gap in knowledge and practices through sex- and gender-specific research. A sex-and gender-based research agenda for military women’s health will be a valuable instrument to those who are dedicated to the health of this population, including members of the Army, Navy, and Air Force military nursing community. Using the knowledge that the research agenda generates, military health care providers can develop clinical practice guidelines, influence policy, and participate in program development to improve the health of servicewomen. Shaping a sex- and gender-specific military women’s health research agenda will create the foundation for future evidence-based care.

scholarly journals Sex/Gender-Specific Imbalance in CVD: Could Physical Activity Help to Improve Clinical Outcome Targeting CVD Molecular Mechanisms in Women?

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 1477
Author(s):  
Mauro Vaccarezza ◽  
Veronica Papa ◽  
Daniela Milani ◽  
Arianna Gonelli ◽  
Paola Secchiero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Population Aging ◽  
Sex And Gender ◽  
Cvd Risk ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Gender Specific

In the last two decades, new insights have been gained regarding sex/gender-related differences in cardiovascular disease (CVD). CVD represents the leading cause of death worldwide in both men and women, accounting for at least one-third of all deaths in women and half of deaths in women over 50 years in developing countries. Important sex-related differences in prevalence, presentation, management, and outcomes of different CVDs have been recently discovered, demonstrating sex/gender-specific pathophysiologic features in the presentation and prognosis of CVD in men and women. A large amount of evidence has highlighted the role of sex hormones in protecting women from CVDs, providing an advantage over men that is lost when women reach the menopause stage. This hormonal-dependent shift of sex-related CVD risk consequently affects the overall CVD epidemiology, particularly in light of the increasing trend of population aging. The benefits of physical activity have been recognized for a long time as a powerful preventive approach for both CVD prevention and aging-related morbidity control. Exercise training is indeed a potent physiological stimulus, which reduces primary and secondary cardiovascular events. However, the underlying mechanisms of these positive effects, including from a sex/gender perspective, still need to be fully elucidated. The aim of this work is to provide a review of the evidence linking sex/gender-related differences in CVD, including sex/gender-specific molecular mediators, to explore whether sex- and gender-tailored physical activity may be used as an effective tool to prevent CVD and improve clinical outcomes in women.

Closing the Gap

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna C. Mastroianni ◽  
Leslie Meltzer Henry
Keyword(s):  
Women’S Health ◽  
Women's Health ◽  
Research Participation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sex And Gender ◽  
Policy Changes ◽  
Women's Participation ◽  
Closing The Gap ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Policies And Practices

Drawing on the ethical principles of the Belmont Report, this chapter critically examines the legacy and current policies and practices in the United States related to the inclusion of women in clinical research. Historically, protectionist policies and practices excluded women from research participation, justified by, for example, reliance on the male norm, male bias, and fears of legal liability resulting from tragic cases of fetal harm. Recognition of the ensuing harms to women’s health from exclusion and underrepresentation in research led to significant policy changes in the 1990s encouraging women’s participation in research. Although the knowledge gap in women’s health is narrowing, significant challenges remain, including the need to develop robust approaches to defining sex and gender, identifying and analyzing sex and gender differences, and acknowledging and addressing intersectionality and women’s health needs across their life spans.

scholarly journals Developing the Process and Tracking the Implementation and Evaluation of the National Institutes of Health Strategic Plan for Women’s Health Research

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 216495612110425
Author(s):  
Samia Noursi ◽  
Janine Austin Clayton ◽  
Ching-yi Shieh ◽  
Laura Sharon ◽  
Dawnkimberly Hopkins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Women’S Health ◽  
Women's Health ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Strategic Plan ◽  
National Institutes Of Health ◽  
Sex And Gender ◽  
Plan Implementation ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Women’S Health Research ◽  
And Gender

Background The National Institutes of Health (NIH) released Advancing Science for the Health of Women: The Trans-NIH Strategic Plan for Women’s Health Research, 2019–2023 (Strategic Plan) in February 2019. The NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) engaged staff members from across NIH to develop recommendations on the implementation and evaluation of the Strategic Plan. Objective: This paper describes the process used to develop recommendations for tools and approaches that NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices (ICOs) could apply when implementing and evaluating the Strategic Plan. Methods: A Trans-NIH Strategic Plan Implementation and Evaluation Guidance Development Team conducted meetings and individual interviews with 69 NIH staff members knowledgeable about research on the health of women and sex and gender differences and met with 11 Advisory Committee on Research on Women’s Health Strategic Plan Evaluation Working Group members. The purpose of these stakeholder meetings and interviews was to obtain recommendations for implementing the Strategic Plan and identify measures for evaluating implementation success. A thematic analysis was performed to synthesize and map the recommendations to the Strategic Plan goals and objectives. Results: The process resulted in the Guide for Implementing and Evaluating the 2019–2023 Trans-NIH Strategic Plan for Women’s Health Research Across NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices (the Guide), which includes both a conceptual and logic model for implementation and evaluation. Conclusions: The Guide offers methods, tools, and suggestions that ICO planning and evaluation staff, as well as national and international entities, can choose from when determining how to implement the Strategic Plan through ICO activities, programs, and research initiatives and how to evaluate their efforts in the context of their unique mission.

Primary and Preventive Care of Women

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet B. Henrich
Keyword(s):  
Women’S Health ◽  
Women's Health ◽  
Psychosocial Development ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Breast Cancer Incidence ◽  
Female Breast Cancer ◽  
Sex And Gender ◽  
Death Rates ◽  
And Gender

Women’s health can be defined as diseases or conditions that are unique to women or that involve gender differences that are particularly important to women. This definition acknowledges the increasing scientific evidence supporting a focus on sex and gender and expands the concept of women’s health beyond the traditional focus on reproductive organs and their function. Over time, the definition has come to include an appreciation of wellness and prevention, the interdisciplinary and holistic nature of women’s health, the diversity of women and their health needs over the life span, and the central role of women as patients and as active participants in their health care. This broader interdisciplinary perspective has important implications for clinicians providing care to women. In addition to understanding basic female physiology and reproductive biology, clinicians need to appreciate the complex interaction between the environment and the biology and psychosocial development of women. When dealing with conditions that are not specific to women, clinicians need to be aware of those aspects of disease that are different in women or have important gender implications. The ability to apply this information requires that clinicians adopt attitudes and behavior that are culturally and gender sensitive. Figures visualize female life expectancy, age-adjusted death rates, female breast cancer incidence and death rates, trends in female cigarette smoking, and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force guidelines for preventive primary care in women.  This review contains 5 figures, 6 tables and 56 references.

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