Pre-Clinical Research Articles
BIAS IN PRE-CLINICAL RESEARCH — Articles about sex bias in pre-clinical studies across multiple health domains
CELLULAR STUDIES — Articles showing meaning sex differences in cell studies in multiple health domains
ANIMAL STUDIES — Articles showing meaning sex differences using animal models across multiple health domains
BIAS IN PRE-CLINICAL RESEARCH
Articles about sex bias in pre-clinical studies across multiple health domains
No Scientific Reason to Exclude Female Rats from Research Studies
October 14, 2016
Female rats are not more variable than male rats: a meta-analysis of neuroscience studies Authors: Becker, JB, Prendergast, BJ, and Liang, JW. Abstract: Background Not including female rats or mice in neuroscience research has been justified due to the variable nature of female data caused by hormonal fluctuations associated with the female reproductive cycle. In […]
Animals Have a Sex, So Should Titles and Methods Sections In Endocrinology Journal
June 1, 2012
Animals have a sex, and so should titles and methods sections of articles in Endocrinology. Blaustein, JD. Beginning with papers submitted as of July 1, 2012, the methods sections of manuscripts submitted to Endocrinology must indicate the sex of animals used, or in the case of primary cells or cultures, the sex of animal from which they were derived. Although not required, authors are also encouraged to identify the sex of cell lines used in cell cultures. If the experiment is of a mixed-sex design, the numbers of males and females should be indicated in the methods. If only one sex of animal was used in an experiment, the title should indicate the sex of animal used.
Sex and Gender Differences in Alzheimer’s Disease
October 4, 2012
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) disproportionately affects women in both prevalence and severity; however, the biologic mechanisms underlying these sex differences are not fully understood. Sex differences in the brain, such as in brain anatomy, age-related declines in brain volume, and brain glucose metabolism, have been documented and may be important in understanding AD etiology. To address the evidence for sex differences in AD, the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) convened an interdisciplinary roundtable of experts from academia, clinical medicine, industry, and the government to discuss the state-of-the-science in sex and gender differences in AD. Roundtable participants addressed gaps in our knowledge and identified specific sex-based research questions for future study.
Sex Bias in Neuroscience and Biomedical Research
January 2011
Sex bias in neuroscience and biomedical research Beery, A. K., & Zucker, I. Female mammals have long been neglected in biomedical research. The NIH mandated enrollment of women in human clinical trials in 1993, but no similar initiatives exist to foster research on female animals. We reviewed sex bias in research on mammals in 10 biological fields for 2009 and their historical precedents. Male bias was evident in 8 disciplines and most prominent in neuroscience, with single-sex studies of male animals outnumbering those of females 5.5 to 1. In the past half-century, male bias in non-human studies has increased while declining in human studies. Studies of both sexes frequently fail to analyze results by sex. The belief that non-human female mammals are intrinsically more variable than males and too troublesome for routine inclusion in research protocols is without foundation.
Calling for Sex-Specific Reporting of Trial Results
May 2008
Dispelling the myths: calling for sex-specific reporting of trial results. Hayes, S. N., & Redberg, R. F. The history and myths associated with the exclusion of women from clinical trials are summarized. It is time to recognize that women are complex biologi-cal creatures just as are men. All clinical studies shouldstrive to include equal numbers of female and male partici-pants or to at least reflect the prevalence of the condition of interest by sex. Data must also be analyzed by sex.
Researching CVD Sex Differences
December 11, 2011
Strategies and methods to study sex differences in cardiovascular structure and function: a guide for basic scientists Miller, V. M., Kaplan, J. R., Schork, N. J., Ouyang, P., Berga, S. L., Wenger, N. K., … & Taylor, D. A. This article describes concepts, methods and procedures to assist in the design of animal and tissue/cell based studies of sex differences in cardiovascular structure, function and models of disease.
Cellular Studies
Articles showing meaning sex differences in cell studies in multiple health domains
Gender and Stem Cells
Taking sex into account in stem cells at Gendered Innovations.
Sex Reporting in Cardiovascular Cell Studies
November 7, 2011
Reporting of sex as a variable in cardiovascular studies using cultured cells. Taylor, K. E., Vallejo-Giraldo, C., Schaible, N. S., Zakeri, R., & Miller, V. M. Articles from 10 cardiovascular journals with high impact factors and published in 2010 were searched using terms ‘cultured’ and ‘cells’ in any order to determine if the sex of those cells was reported. Only 25 of 90 articles (28%) and 20 of 101 articles (19.8%) reported the sex of cells. Of those reporting the sex of cells, most (68.9%; n = 31) used only male cells and none used exclusively female cells.
Bigger Role for X Chromosome
January 8, 2014
Cellular Resolution Maps of X Chromosome Inactivation: Implications for Neural Development, Function, and Disease Hao Wu, Junjie Luo, Huimin Yu, Amir Rattner, Alisa Mo, Yanshu Wang, Philip M. Smallwood, Bracha Erlanger, Sarah J. Wheelan, Jeremy Nathans SUMMARYFemale eutherian mammals use X chromosome inactivation (XCI) to epigenetically regulate gene expression from ∼4% of the genome. To […]
Sex of Cells in Cardiovascular Studies Show Bias
November 7, 2011
Reporting of sex as a variable in cardiovascular studies using cultured cells. Taylor, K. E., Vallejo-Giraldo, C., Schaible, N. S., Zakeri, R., & Miller, V. M. Studies often neglect to indicate the sex of cells used. When they do report the sex, it frequently has a male bias.
Animal Studies
Articles showing meaning sex differences using animal models across multiple health domains
The Fetal Rat Brain is Default Female Unless Exposed to Testosterone
March 30, 2015
Brain feminization requires active repression of masculinization via DNA methylation AUTHORS: Bridget M Nugent, Christopher L Wright, Amol C Shetty, Georgia E Hodes, Kathryn M Lenz, Anup Mahurkar, Scott J Russo, Scott E Devine & Margaret M McCarthy The developing mammalian brain is destined for a female phenotype unless exposed to gonadal hormones during a […]
Autoimmune Disease through a Sex and Gender Lens
January 2011
Women are more susceptible to a variety of autoimmune diseases including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), multiple sclerosis (MS), primary biliary cirrhosis, rheumatoid arthritis and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. This is a mouse study.
Sex related Influences on Inflammatory Disease
December 20, 2011
Estrogen negatively regulates epithelial wound healing and protective lipid mediator circuits in the cornea. Wang, S. B., Hu, K. M., Seamon, K. J., Mani, V., Chen, Y., & Gronert, K. Estrogen receptors (ERs) are expressed in leukocytes and in every ocular tissue. However, sex-specific differences and the role of estradiol in ocular inflammatory-reparative responses are not well understood. We found that female mice exhibited delayed corneal epithelial wound closure and attenuated polymorphonuclear (PMN) leukocyte responses, a phenotype recapitulated by estradiol treatment both in vivo (topically in male mice) and in vitro (corneal epithelial cell wound healing).
Autoimmune Disease through a Sex and Gender Lens
January 4, 2011
Sex differences in autoimmune diseases. Voskuhl, R. (2011). Women are more susceptible to a variety of autoimmune diseases including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), multiple sclerosis (MS), primary biliary cirrhosis, rheumatoid arthritis and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. This increased susceptibility in females compared to males is also present in animal models. Being female confers a greater risk of developing these diseases than any single genetic or environmental risk factor discovered to date. Pregnancy reduces relapses in females.
Sex Differences in Corneal Wound Healing
December 20, 2011
Estrogen negatively regulates epithelial wound healing and protective lipid mediator circuits in the cornea. Wang, S. B., Hu, K. M., Seamon, K. J., Mani, V., Chen, Y., & Gronert, K. Estrogen negatively regulates epithelial wound healing and protective lipid mediator circuits in the cornea. Estrogen receptors (ERs) are expressed in leukocytes and in every ocular tissue. However, sex-specific differences and the role of estradiol in ocular inflammatory-reparative responses are not well understood. Female mice exhibited delayed corneal epithelial wound closure and attenuated polymorphonuclear (PMN) leukocyte responses.
