scholarly journals Battle of the Sexes in Best of Breed: Sex Influences Dogs’ Success in the Show Ring

Animals ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 240
Author(s):  
Bethany Wilson ◽  
Alicia Kasbarian ◽  
Navneet Dhand ◽  
Paul McGreevy
Keyword(s):  
Potential Role ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
P Value ◽  
Inherited Disorders ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
Battle Of The Sexes ◽  
Norfolk Terrier ◽  
Age At Maturation

Much of the research on pedigree dog breeding has been directed towards understanding the implications of reduced genetic diversity and the prevalence of inherited disorders. An example is the potential role of the popular sire effect in perpetuating genetic defects. If male dogs are more likely than bitches to be identified as examples of members of a breed that align with breed standard, they may be selected for breeding earlier. This may contribute to the influence of individual males and contribute to popular sire effect. Conversely, if breed standards are written in a sex-neutral fashion, and if dogs are entered, exhibited, and judged in a sex-neutral fashion, then we would expect the success of female dogs in the show ring to be equal to that of their male counterparts. With a focus on toy and giant breeds, the current pilot study collated samples of dog show results to explore relationships between sex and the likelihood of success in the show ring. It focused on toy and giant breeds to explore any differences in equity, if it existed, at either end of the size and concomitant age-at-maturation spectrum. For the purpose of this study, toy breeds were those that weigh < 10 kg at maturity while giant breed dogs were those that exceed 45 kg. Within these two clusters, the least (n = 3) and most popular (n = 3) breeds were then selected to explore any potential role of sex on success in the show ring. The popularity of breeds was determined using the numbers of dogs registered with the Australian National Kennel Council. Using results from dog shows (n = 18) from 2015 to 2016, data on 1,080 dogs were obtained. Within these 12 breeds for the 18 shows, there were 137 Best of Breed (BOB) titles awarded: Pug (n = 18), Toy Poodle (n = 18), Bullmastiff (n = 14), Rottweiler (n = 17), Fox Terrier (Smooth) (n = 18), Bloodhound (n = 3), Schnauzer (miniature) (n = 15), Great Dane (n = 17), Norfolk Terrier (n = 10), Norwich Terrier (n = 5), Central Asian Shepherd Dog (n = 2). Despite the near parity of male and female dogs being exhibited, of these 137 titles, 86 (62.8%) were awarded to male dogs (at least 41 individuals) and 51 (37.2%) to female dogs (at least 32 individuals) showing that male dogs are more likely to win BOB titles (χ2 = 9.4455, df = 1, p-value = 0.002117). Among the toy subset of breeds, this effect was higher (χ2 = 6.798, df = 1, p-value = 0.009126) than among the giant breed subset, for whom the advantage to male dogs did not reach statistical significance versus χ2 = 3.0967, df = 1, p-value = 0.07845). This suggests that judges find the male dogs more appealing, presumably because they are more aligned with breed standards.

Abstract P274: Evaluation of Glycemic Variability and Discharge Outcomes in Patients Presenting With Ischemic Stroke Following Intravenous Thrombolysis

Stroke ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mackenzie Steck ◽  
Omar Saeed ◽  
Balaji Krishnaiah ◽  
Samarth Shah ◽  
Jaclyn Stoffel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Univariate Analysis ◽  
Intravenous Thrombolysis ◽  
Glycemic Variability ◽  
P Value ◽  
Nihss Score ◽  
Discharge Disposition ◽  
Discharge Outcomes

Presentation Objective: Does glycemic variability worsen Modified Rankin Score (mRS) following ischemic stroke in patients treated with thrombolytics (tPA)? Background/Purpose: Acute hyperglycemia and strict glucose control have been identified as predictors of hemorrhage, increased length of stay and hypoglycemia following ischemic stroke. However, the role of glucose variability in patients with ischemic stroke treated with tPA is largely unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of glycemic variability on discharge outcomes in patients treated with tPA for ischemic stroke. Methodology: A retrospective review of adults with ischemic stroke who received tPA was completed. Patients hospitalized for at least 48 hours with image-confirmed ischemic stroke and symptom onset within 4.5 hours of presentation were included. Glycemic variability was measured using the J-index calculation and groups were defined as patients with normal or abnormal J-indices. Logistic regression models were developed to determine odds ratios for defined outcomes including NIHSS score, mRS and disposition at discharge. Statistical significance was a p-value of <0.05. Results: Of the 229 patients included, 132 (58%) had a normal J-index (4.7 – 23.6). In the univariate analysis, abnormal J-index was associated with higher rates of hypertension (94% vs 73%), type 2 diabetes mellitus (74% vs 12%), chronic kidney disease (34% vs 11%), higher initial blood glucose values (220 ±172 vs 111 ±20) and HbA1c, and worse outcomes in terms of NIHSS score, mRS and disposition at discharge. In the multivariate analysis, patients with an abnormal J-index had higher odds of unfavorable outcomes in terms of discharge mRS (OR 2.1; 95% CI 1.0 – 4.3, p=0.045) and hemorrhagic transformation (OR 4.1; 95% CI 1.7 – 10.2, p=0.002). There was no difference in discharge disposition (OR 1.4; 95% CI 0.7 – 3.0 p=0.4). Conclusion: Glycemic variability, following ischemic stroke, may result in unfavorable patient outcomes in patients treated with tPA. Additional studies are needed to determine the appropriate glucose management strategy.

Role of ctDNA to predict risk of recurrence following potentially curative resection of biliary tract and pancreatic malignancies.

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 336-336
Author(s):  
Angela Lamarca ◽  
Mairead Geraldine McNamara ◽  
Richard Hubner ◽  
Juan W. Valle
Keyword(s):  
Relapse Rate ◽  
Curative Resection ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Molecular Profiling ◽  
P Value ◽  
Relapse Risk ◽  
Baseline Characteristics

336 Background: The potential role of ctDNA to identify residual disease after potentially curative resection has been suggested in some malignancies; its role in resected pancreatico(P)-biliary(B) malignancies is unknown. Methods: Patients diagnosed with PB malignancies underwent molecular profiling (ctDNA) using FoundationMedicine Liquid (72 cancer-related genes) following potentially curative resection. Baseline patient characteristics and molecular profiling outcomes, including mutant allele frequency (MAF) for pathological alterations were extracted. Primary objective: prevalence of ctDNA identification and its correlation with recurrence (relapse-free survival (RFS) and relapse rate). Results: Total of 11 individuals had ctDNA analysed following potentially curative resection for PB malignancies: 8 B (4 extra-hepatic cholangiocarcinoma (eCCA), 2 ampulla, 1 intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA), 1 gallbladder cancer (GBC)) and 3 P. Baseline characteristics: 6 female (54.55%), median age 71.59 years (range 39.98-81.19). Most were pT2 (45.45%), pN0 (54.55%) and R0 (63.64%). Following surgery, 6 patients were started on adjuvant chemotherapy; at the end of follow-up (data cut-off 25/6/2020; median follow-up 11.15 months (range 5.45-13.52); 5 relapsed (45.45%) and 2 died (18.18%). Estimated median RFS was 11.43 months (95% CI 2.28-not reached); median overall survival was not reached. No sample failed ctDNA analysis; presence of ctDNA was identified in 3/11 (27.27%) of the samples; 2 and 1 samples had 2 and 1 pathological alterations identified, respectively: ALK fusion (1 sample; GBC), TP53 mutation (2 samples; eCCA and GBC), CHEK2 mutation (1 sample; pancreas), IDH2 mutation (1 sample; eCCA). Mean maximum MAF was 1.47 (2 in biliary; 0.43 in pancreas). Variants of unknown significance were identified in 72.73% of the samples (87.5% in B; 33.33% in P; p-value 0.152). None of the baseline characteristics explored correlated with presence of ctDNA. There was a trend towards increased relapse risk in the patients with ctDNA present following potentially curative surgery; Cox regression for RFS [HR 2.64 (95% CI 0.36-19.31); median RFS 11.44 months (95% CI 2.28-not reached) vs 10.87 (95% CI 2.21-not reached)]; relapse rate 37.5% (ctDNA absent) vs 66.67% (ctDNA present); statistical significance was not reached (p-value 0.340 and p-value 0.545, respectively). Conclusions: This pilot study demonstrates the feasibility of testing for ctDNA following potentially curative resection in PB malignancies. Presence of ctDNA may be associated with increased relapse risk; further studies are required to increase sample size and assess clinical implications.

scholarly journals Gender differences in audio-vestibular disorders

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 205873842092917
Author(s):  
Virginia Corazzi ◽  
Andrea Ciorba ◽  
Piotr Henryk Skarżyński ◽  
Magdalena B Skarżyńska ◽  
Chiara Bianchini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Clinical Outcome ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Vestibular Disorders ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Vestibular Tests ◽  
Medical Disciplines ◽  
The Relationship

In the last years, the attention to the role of gender in physiopathology and pharmacology of diseases in several medical disciplines is rising; however, the data on the relationship between gender and audio-vestibular disorders are still inconclusive and sometimes confusing. With this letter to the editor, we would like to review the role of gender in audio-vestibular disorders. Literature data show that anatomic variances of the inner ear do exist in men and women and that the different physiology and/or hormonal influence between genders could produce different clinical outcome of routine audiological and vestibular tests. Beyond the epidemiological gender-related differences, the clinical data suggest that the gender has a potential role as an etiopathogenetic factor in audio-vestibular disorders and it is probably responsible for the different clinical features observed between male and female subjects.

scholarly journals The Potential Role of Seminal Plasma in the Fertilization Outcomes

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justyna Szczykutowicz ◽  
Anna Kałuża ◽  
Maria Kaźmierowska-Niemczuk ◽  
Mirosława Ferens-Sieczkowska
Keyword(s):  
Seminal Plasma ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Human Sperm ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Regulatory Mechanisms ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Healthy Pregnancy ◽  
Male Gametes ◽  
And Function

For human infertility both male and female factors may be equally important. Searching for molecular biomarkers of male infertility, neglected for decades, and the attempts to explain regulatory mechanisms of fertilization become thus extremely important. Apart from examination of the structure and function of male gametes, also the possible importance of seminal plasma components should be considered. In this article we discuss data that indicate for the substantial significance of active seminal plasma components for conception and achievement of healthy pregnancy. Seminal plasma impact on the storage and cryopreservation of human and animal sperm and regulatory role of glycodelin on human sperm capacitation as well as hypothesized course of female immune response to allogenic sperm and conceptus has been discussed. The possible involvement of carbohydrates in molecular mechanism of fetoembryonic defense has been also mentioned.

The Battle of the Sexes in Euripides' Ion

Ramus ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 130-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis M. Dunn
Keyword(s):  
Gender Issues ◽  
Focus Attention ◽  
Family Conflicts ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
National Pride ◽  
The Third ◽  
Battle Of The Sexes

Euripides' Ion has suffered from the attempt to find in the play an overriding message or moral. Verrall and his successors saw the Ion as an attack against Apollo and organized religion; Wassermann and Burnett argue that it defends orthodox piety; Grégoire and Loraux view it as a hymn or lament on Athenian national pride; and Knox and Gellie respond that the Ion is pure comedy with no deeper meaning. There is of course some truth to each of these interpretations, but it does not follow that the play's ‘real meaning’ lies somewhere in between them. I suggest that we read the Ion not as an abstract argument but as drama, and in particular as a social comedy whose ‘meaning’ lies not in an underlying message but in the action itself and in the conflicts among the play's characters, human and divine, male and female, foreign and Athenian.Such conflicts, in this play at least, focus attention upon the role of the gods, the place of foreigners in Athens, and relations between men and women. Of these three subjects, the first two have dominated discussion of the Ion, both by those who find them central to the play's religious or nationalistic theme, and by those who consider them incidental to the play as comedy. I shall first show that the third area of conflict — relations between men and women — is equally important in the Ion and reflects an important issue in contemporary Athens. Second, I shall argue that the gender issues raised somewhat provocatively in the first half of the play are upstaged by the melodramatic excitement of the second half. And I shall suggest, in conclusion, that although it is only one of many social and family conflicts in the drama, the battle between the sexes shows how the Ion raises important and difficult questions without becoming an ‘issue play’.

scholarly journals Personality Profile of Trait Consciousness of Male and Female Sports Persons

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Poonam Joshi ◽  
Dr. B. K. Bhardwaj
Keyword(s):  
Factor Model ◽  
Five Factor Model ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Personality Profile ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Team Games ◽  
Female Sports ◽  
Game Type

The personality of an individual has important implications for the performance of all sorts of activities including sports and games. The Five Factor Model of personality traits have been reported to be reliable predictors of performance in many studies across the globe. The present study aimed to understand the distribution of consciousness personality profile in terms of gender and domicile of the participants in individual and team games. Four hundred male and female sports persons with different scores of trait of consciousness served as the participants in the present study. Their sports achievements in individual and team games were observed. The results of the present study evinced that sportspersons of team games scored higher on consciousness than did the sportspersons playing in individual games. The female participants showed relatively higher mean consciousness score in comparison to their male counterparts. Furthermore, the players having rural affiliations demonstrated higher mean consciousness score as compared to those who belonged to urban background. The main effect of gender on consciousness was also exhibited to have statistical significance along with statistically significant interactions between gender and background, game type and background as well as game type, gender and background. The results have been explained in the light of current theories of personality and sports achievements. The results evinced the role of gender, game types and domicile in shaping the personality trait of consciousness in sports activities the participants. The results of the study have important implications for researchers, academicians, sportspersons, policy makers and administrators. Future directions of research have also been discussed.

scholarly journals Circulating Lysophosphatidylcholines, Phosphatidylcholines, Ceramides, and Sphingomyelins and Ovarian Cancer Risk: a 23-year Prospective Study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oana A. Zeleznik ◽  
Clary B. Clish ◽  
Peter Kraft ◽  
Julian Avila-Pancheco ◽  
A. Heather Eliassen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ovarian Cancer ◽  
Cancer Risk ◽  
Postmenopausal Women ◽  
Clear Cell ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
P Value ◽  
Ovarian Cancer Risk ◽  
Increased Risk

AbstractBackgroundExperimental evidence supports a role of lipid dysregulation in ovarian cancer progression and metastasis. We estimated associations with ovarian cancer risk for circulating levels of four lipid groups measured 3-23 years before diagnosis.MethodsAnalyses were conducted among cases (N = 252) and matched controls (N = 252) from the Nurses’ Health Studies. We used logistic regression adjusting for risk factors to investigate associations of lysophosphatidylcholines (LPC), phosphatidylcholines (PC), ceramides (CER), and sphingomyelins (SM) with ovarian cancer risk overall and by histotype. A Bonferroni adjusted p-value threshold of 0.0125 (0.05/4; 4 measured lipid groups) was used to evaluate statistical significance. Odds ratios (OR; 10thto the 90thpercentile) and 95% confidence intervals of ovarian cancer risk were estimated.ResultsC16:0 SM, C18:0 SM, C16:0 CER and SM sum were significantly positively associated with ovarian cancer risk, with ORs ranging from 1.95-2.10, with stronger ORs for postmenopausal women (2.02-3.22). ORs were generally similar for serous/poorly differentiated and endometrioid/clear cell tumors, although most did not meet the Bonferroni-adjusted p-value for significance. C18:1 LPC and the ratio of LPC to PC were significantly inversely, while C18:0 SM was significantly positively, associated with risk of endometrioid/clear cell tumors.ConclusionElevated levels of circulating SMs 3-23 years before diagnosis were associated with increased risk of ovarian cancer, regardless of histotype, with stronger associations among postmenopausal women. Prospective and experimental studies are required to validate our findings and understand the role of lipid dysregulation, SMs in particular, in ovarian carcinogenesis.

227 CALRETICULIN, A 60-kDa PROTEIN, PREVENTS POLYSPERMY IN ZONA PELLUCIDA-FREE PIG OCYTES

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 261
Author(s):  
R. Romar ◽  
C. Soriano-Úbeda ◽  
M. D. Saavedra ◽  
J. Gadea ◽  
M. Avilés ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Zona Pellucida ◽  
Calcium Binding ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
P Value ◽  
Oocyte Activation ◽  
Cortical Granules ◽  
Chaperone Protein ◽  
The Mean

After gamete membrane fusion or artificial oocyte activation, cortical granules undergo exocytosis and the released content modifies the zona pellucida (ZP), preventing polyspermy. Calreticulin (CRT), a calcium-binding highly conserved protein of 60 kDa, is contained in cortical granules from hamster eggs (Muñoz-Gotera et al. 2001 Mol. Reprod. Dev. 60), and we recently showed it is exocytosed from chemically activated ZP-free pig oocytes (Romar et al. 2012 Reprod. Fertil. Dev. 24). When pig ZP-enclosed oocytes were incubated with CRT, monospermy was not improved (Romar et al. 2011, Maternal communication with gametes and embryo, p. 72), suggesting that the likely role of CRT in preventing polyspermy might be carried out at the oolemma level. Our objective was to evaluate whether CRT prevents polyspermy in pig ZP-free oocytes by treating the cells with this protein before being inseminated. In vitro-matured cumulus–oocyte complexes (44 h, NCSU-37 medium) were decumulated and ZP was digested with Tyrode’s acid. The ZP-free oocytes were incubated for 30 min in TALP medium supplemented with 0, 100, 1000, and 5000 pg of CRT (ab91577, Abcam, Cambridge, MA, USA) per oocyte. After washing, ZP-free oocytes were inseminated (25 000 sperm mL–1) and gametes were co-cultured for 18 h. Putative zygotes were fixed and stained with Hoechst 33342 to analyse the fertilization results. Four replicates with 30 to 35 oocytes per group were done, and results were analysed by one-way ANOVA. A P-value ≤0.05 was taken to denote statistical significance. Incubation with CRT did not affect penetration rates that were similar among groups (77.12 ± 3.88 and 72.73 ± 4.07, respectively, for the 0- and 5000-pg CRT groups). However, the mean number of sperm per penetrated oocyte decreased from 3.01 ± 0.28 (0-pg group) to 2.07 ± 0.16 (5000-pg group), and monospermy rate increased from 30.77 ± 4.87 (0-pg group) to 52.27 ± 5.36 (5000-pg group; P ≤ 0.05). Incubation with CRT did not affect the number of sperm attached to oolemma, which was similar among all groups (11.45 ± 1.16 v. 10.75 ± 1.17, respectively, for 0 and 5000 pg of CRT). These preliminary data suggest that CRT, a protein exocytosed after oocyte activation, participates in the membrane block to polyspermy in pigs. Future studies to describe the exact mechanism of action of this chaperone protein are necessary. Supported by MEC and FEDER (AGL2009-12512-C02-01).

Role of MicroRNAs (224 and 96) as Novel Biomarkers for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amal A. Mohamed ◽  
Mokhtar M. El-Zawahry ◽  
Omnia I. Tantawi ◽  
Amyan Aalkhalegy ◽  
Lamiaa Abdelfattah Fathalla ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liver Cirrhosis ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Control Group ◽  
P Value ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Real Time Quantitative Pcr ◽  
Novel Biomarkers ◽  
Laboratory Investigations ◽  
And Control

Background:: In the early stages of HCC, it is unsatisfactory to depend on alpha-fetoprotein for diagnosis. Objective:: The current study evaluated the possibility of the two miRNAs which are miRNA-96 and miRNA-224 to act as biomarkers for HCC diagnosis. Methods:: This study included 50 patients with HCV-induced HCC and 50 patients with HCV-induced liver cirrhosis for comparison as well as 67 healthy volunteers as controls. All participants were subjected to history taking, clinical examination, and laboratory investigations as well as quantification of serum miRNA-96 and miRNA-224 by real-time quantitative PCR. Results:: MicroRNA 224 level was significantly higher in HCC than the other two groups and was significantly higher in liver cirrhosis than the control group. MicroRNA 96 level was higher in HCC than the control group and was higher in cirrhotic group than both HCC and control groups. However, it doesn’t reach the statistical significance level. The best cut-off value of microRNA 96 for detecting HCC was 3.414 with a sensitivity of 67% and a specificity of 67%, (p-value <0.001). The best cut-off value of microRNA 224 for detecting HCC was 16.75 with a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 85% (p-value<0.001). Conclusion:: miRNA-224 could serve as a biomarker for the HCC diagnosis.

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