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Masculinizing chest-wall contouring surgery is an important surgical intervention for most transmasculine patients; a vast improvement in quality of life for this group of patients has been documented as a result of receiving surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of such surgeries performed at our university hospital between 2008 and 2020, as well as the current quality of life of the patients. All 16 patients operated between 2008 and 2020 were sent a questionnaire consisting of both BREAST-Q and BODY-Q modules, considered fitting for our study purposes, as well as the BECK Depression Index and a short two-question form with space for feedback. Patients were divided into groups called double incision (DI) and periareolar (PA) depending on the surgical technique used. We found an overall complication percentage of 31.3%, with the DI group scoring 33.3% and PA 28.6%, while secondary aesthetic corrections were necessary for 50% of all patients. The questionnaires yielded 6 responses (37.5%). Participants rated on a scale of 1 to 10 their willingness to undergo the operation again if given the choice; the DI group averaged 10/10, and the PA group 9/10, despite the statistically significant complication and correction rates. Masculinizing chest-wall contouring surgery has significant complication risks. In our study, frequency of complications did not appear to depend on the surgical technique used. Additionally, the complication rates found in our low volume centre seem to be comparable with those reported from bigger units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Betta sp. is an ornamental fish that is favoured by all ornamental fish hobbyists in Indonesia. Various strains of this fish have been produced by many farmers. However, almost all of the most popular strains are male. This study aims to determine the effect of different lengths of natural honey soaking on the masculinisation of hickey fish. The method used in this study was a completely randomised design with 4 treatments and 3 replicates. The treatment used in this study is the length of immersion (22 - 26 hours) of each treatment compared to the control (without immersion) which was then maintained for 60 days. The results of this study showed that immersion using natural honey on larvae in a 5 ml/L honey solution had no significant effect on masculinisation of hippopotamus. However, the best masculinisation was found with 22 hours of immersion at 63.6% and the lowest without immersion at 49.6%.

This study aims to deepen the understanding of processes that affect collaboration between professions and organisations in the crisis preparedness domain from a gender perspective. A total of twenty-three Swedish duty officers participated in the study. The analysis of the interviews show that collaboration can be understood as (a) the militarisation of civil crisis management actors, which means that many of the work processes and cultures that originate in military organisations can now be found in the security and crisis management sector; (b) the masculinisation, which means that when male dominance appears to prevail, active strategies are used against women, civilian personnel and also inexperienced colleagues and (c) organisational exclusion which emerges particularly in situations where collaboration between female-dominated and male-dominated organisations are required. The findings are important for crisis preparedness research and practice and should work in favour of evening out asymmetries in collaborative crisis management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on the controversy surrounding the phenomenon commonly known as "inclusive writing". The expression "inclusive writing" refers to a set of phenomena of various kinds, notably lexicon, spelling and morphosyntax. These three areas are seen as vectors of discriminatory injustice that 'invisibilises' women. Therefore, according to some experts, an intervention on language is desirable to repair the harm done to women. Moreover, this intervention is based on a 'masculinisation theory' of French introduced and defended by Elianne Viennot. This article offers a synthetic summary of the theses put forward by the proponents of all these assertions and their critical examination based on linguistic epistemology, the history of language and the philosophy of language. It defends the idea of the uselessness of "inclusive writing" by attempting to show that the enterprise of "inclusivisation" of writing is based on highly debatable, contradictory and often fanciful linguistic premises.

Introduction: Gender dysphoria (GD) is associated with several psychiatric conditions, but the causal links are not known. We note that some of these conditions are associated with physiological masculinisation. Methods: Here, we explore this association through a series of systematic reviews, using Google Scholar, on original studies that test the relationship between GD and at least one correlate of androgens, namely autism spectrum disorder, left-handedness, 2D:4D ratio, being male and male heterosexuality. Results: Individuals with GD tend to exhibit scores that reflect heightened levels of androgens and masculinity compared with non-GD individuals. We further show that these same androgen indices are also associated with other identity disorders (or dysphoriae). Conclusions: Autism is associated with masculinisation, and we argue that GD may reflect autism spectrum disorder traits that indirectly lead to anxiety and to one questioning one's sense of self. We note that this is consistent with Blanchard's transsexualism typology, which successfully integrates a wide range of empirical findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Androgenic compounds can affect osmoregulatory response and apoptosis in fish. In the present study, we exposed genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT) Oreochromis niloticus (L.) to 17a-methyltestosterone (MT, 0.5 and 5 mg/L) for 7, 14 and 21 days for understanding the phenomenon. The activities of Na+/K+ ATPase (NKA) and Ca2+/Mg2+ ATPase (CMA) were measured in the gill, kidney and intestine to evaluate the change in osmoregulation of GIFT, and genotoxicity was also detected. Results showed that organic NKA were significantly decreased in 5 mg/L MT exposure groups. The intestine NKA was significantly increased (0.5 mg/L MT). MT exposures increased the CMA of kidney and intestine (0.5 mg/L), together with gill CMA (5 mg/L MT). The results of genotoxicity assay showed gill atp1a1a and nkcc2 transcripts significantly increased, while intestine atp1a1a and fxyd7 transcripts revealed significant increases for MT exposure groups. Caspases proteins demonstrated significant increases at 7th and 21st day, and their transcripts were enhanced in 0.5 mg/L MT exposure groups. The results have evidently demonstrated that chronic exposure of MT could result in organic osmoregulatory response and hepatic apoptosis in GIFT O. niloticus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is to examine whether and how diplomacy may be gendered, symbolically and rhetorically, using US representations of diplomacy as a case. Prior scholarship on gender and contemporary diplomacy is sparse but has shown that the symbolic figure of 'the diplomat' has come to overlap tightly with 'man' and be associated with traits often attributed to masculinity. Inspired by queer international relations methods, relying on the concept of 'figuration' and focused on US news media and biographies of diplomats from the past decade, this article uncovers and examines a palette of feminised figurations also at play in US representations of diplomacy, including the diplomat as 'the "soft" non-fighter', 'the relationship builder', 'the gossip', 'the cookie-pusher', and 'the fancy Frenchman'. These feminised figurations alternate between configuring the diplomat as a woman and -- more commonly -- a (feminised) man. The analysis complicates rather than displaces existing claims, highlighting the importance of attention to slippages and challenges to dominant masculinised subject positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking its cue from Dorothy Richardson's essay, 'The Film Gone Male' written for the critical, Left-wing British film publication Close Up in 1932, this article looks at women working in the British film industry during the transition from silent to sound cinema between 1929 and 1932. It considers the effects of new sound technology on women's roles in front of and behind the camera from production to reception and critique. It also questions whether sound technology further marginalised women as producers of cinema and interrogates whether synchronised sound masculinised film as Richardson asserted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mixed sex juveniles of Nile tilapia (mean weight 0.025 ± 0.009 g; mean length 1.25 ± 0.012 cm) were subjected to dietary treatment (commercial fish feed, Tokyu, Japan, 30% crude protein) with ethanolic extract of Tribulus terrestris seeds at different concentrations (0.0, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0 g/kg feed) to evaluate the efficacy of the plant seed extract for induction of masculinisation in fish. Treatment with plant extract at different concentrations have resulted in significantly higher (P < 0.05) survival percentage compared to control indicating no adverse health effect of the plant extract. Fish fed diets containing the plant extract showed significantly higher (P < 0.05) percentage of males compared to fish fed control diet. Dietary supplementation with the plant extract at the concentration of 2.0 g/kg feed showed the highest percentage (91.53 ± 0.38) of males and may be considered to be the best concentration among the selected concentrations for monosex tilapia production with T. terrestris seeds extract. The result of the study indicates that ethanolic extract of T. terrestris seeds may have potential for inducing sex reversal in fish and this biodegradable natural plant material may be used for monosex tilapia production instead of synthetic steroids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much has been written on the relationship between gender and schooling, and teaching. In particular, the focus has been on the significant dis-proportion between female and male teachers, which remarkably, inverts in relation to educational leadership positions. Arguments abound as to the social factors and hegemonies, which have created not only what is referred to as the "feminisation of teaching", but the risks associated with feminised classrooms and pedagogies, particularly, in relation to boys. Not surprisingly, therefore, an equally dominant narrative calling for the (re)masculinisation of teaching has gained increasing momentum. The basis for this argument is not limited to a seeming need for male teachers as role-models. More disturbing, is the idea that the standing of the profession - invariably measured in terms of salary - might improve if more males are encouraged to become teachers. Our interest in this article is in the patriarchal hegemonies, which give shape to constructions of teaching as "women's work" in the first place. We argue, that rather than contributing to what has been an overdue preoccupation gender-based socialisations, the concern should be on ensuring that teaching transcends framings of "feminisation" and "masculinisation" so that it serves all teachers and all learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tilapia is considered as food fish of the 21st century and is the second largest traded fish variety in international markets. Mono-sex population of tilapia is highly desirable to avoid unwanted reproduction. Males are more preferred than the females because of 20% faster growth rate than female and also due to its better colouration. Among the techniques available to produce mono-sex population, the hormonal induction of sex reversal is the most widely practiced. Masculinisation of tilapia using the different hormones and aromatase inhibitors has been reviewed in the present article, which helps to understand the efficiency and novelty of the same. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Atlantic blue mussel ( Mytilus edulis Linnaeus, 1758) exhibits doubly uniparental inheritance of mitochondrial (mt) DNA. Females are usually homoplasmic for a female-transmitted mt genome (the F type) and males are heteroplasmic for an F type and a male-transmitted mt genome (the M type). F types can undergo 'role-reversal' events, resulting in new male-transmitted mtDNA genomes known as recently masculinized (RM) types that co-occur in populations with evolutionarily older standard-male (SM) types. Phylogenetic analyses have shown that RM types periodically replace SM types. It has also been shown that sperm with RM mtDNA have greater swimming velocity and more efficient components of the electron transport chain compared to sperm with SM mtDNA, thus leading to the hypothesis that RM sperm may have a selective advantage over SM sperm. The present study examines the distribution of RM and SM mitotypes in male M. edulis ( n = 225) from 13 localities in southwestern Nova Scotia (Canada). The SM type was more common in all populations, with the proportion of RM types ranging from 0% to 24.1%. The highest proportion of RM types was observed in an aquaculture operation. Analyses of additional populations are required to evaluate the selective pressures affecting the geographic distribution of RM and SM mitotypes in M. edulis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The aim of present work was to develop a new Fadrozole (FDZ)-loaded Poly(D,L-lactide-co– glycolide) lactide:glycolide (50:50)(PLGA) nanoparticles for effective delivery of the masculinization drug, Fadrozole, as an alternative to commercially available masculinization agents like testosterone (dietary supplementation of 17 α- methyltestosterone) which are steroids and banned in most EU countries. The FDZ-loaded PLGA NPs were prepared by solvent displacement technique. The particle size of FDZ-loaded PLGA NPs was analyzed using LICOMP particle size analyser. It was found to be in the range of 60±66.7 nm to 560±66.7 nm with average size of 201.4±66.7 nm, where the Zeta potential was estimated to be about -20.82 mV, a series of experiments were carried out to induce masculinization using FDZ-loaded PLGA nanoparticles during the sex differentiation period. Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus fry were treated with FTZ-loaded PLGA nanoparticles at dosages 5, 25, 50 and 100ppm/kg diet for 10, 15 and 30 days. The results indicated an increase in the proportion of males with dosage and duration of treatment. The male percentage was 92.35±0.86 for T7(50 ppm) at 10 days, 97.76±1.12 for T7 (100 ppm) at 15 days and 100 % for both T6 (50ppm) and T7 (100 ppm) at 30 days. This is first time done by using nanotechnology efficiently in Tilapia species which is very important Fresh water aquaculture species in present era. Which showed increase the male population with lesser dose of nano-encapsulated Fadrozole (FDZ)-loaded PLGA nanoparticles drug as compared with naked control Fadrozole (FDZ) drug delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deciphering the regulatory factors involved in Bombyx mori sex determination has been a puzzle, challenging researchers for nearly a century now. The pre-mRNA of B. mori doublesex ( Bmdsx ), a master regulator gene of sexual differentiation, is differentially spliced, producing Bmdsxm and Bmdsxf transcripts in males and females respectively. The putative proteins encoded by these differential transcripts orchestrate antagonistic functions, which lead to sexual differentiation. A recent study in B. mori illustrated the role of a W-derived fem piRNA in conferring femaleness. In females, the fem piRNA was shown to suppress the activity of a Z-linked CCCH type zinc finger ( znf ) gene, Masculiniser ( masc ), which indirectly promotes the Bmdsxm type of splicing. In this study, we report a novel autosomal (Chr 25) CCCH type znf motif encoding gene Bmznf-2 as one of the potential factors in the Bmdsx sex specific differential splicing, and we also provide insights into its role in the alternative splicing of Bmtra2 by using ovary derived BmN cells. Over-expression of Bmznf-2 induced Bmdsxm type of splicing (masculinisation) with a correspondingly reduced expression of Bmdsxf type isoform in BmN cells. Further, the site-directed mutational studies targeting the tandem CCCH znf motifs revealed their indispensability in the observed phenotype of masculinisation. Additionally, the dual luciferase assays in BmN cells using 5′ UTR region of the Bmznf-2 strongly implied the existence of a translational repression over this gene. From these findings, we propose Bmznf-2 to be one of the potential factors of masculinisation similar to Masc . From the growing number of Bmdsx splicing regulators, we assume that the sex determination cascade of B. mori is quite intricate in nature; hence, it has to be further investigated for its comprehensive understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research has been necessitated by the current situation in our society where victim behaviour is developing amongst children and adolescents relating to their changing gender roles. An identification of the causes of the formation of victim behaviour is based on an analysis of the gender characteristics of adolescents. The main research methods used are the Bass-Perry questionnaire and the modified Freiburg Personality Inventory/Form B (FPI-B). This uses a technique of personal orientation study for the identification of the typical forms of respondents' aggressive behaviour and some personality traits. This involves the allocation of four major types of personality orientation (humanistic, egocentric, sociocentric, negativistic). The deformation of gender stereotypes in modern society is reflected in the manifestation of victim behaviour. Level of aggression, as one of the signs of victimisation, is quite high both amongst boys and girls. Adolescents with a negativist personality orientation do not accept themselves or others and they prevail among this category. The research resulted in identifying some features of victim behaviour amongst adolescents of differing genders. No clear gendered features were identified that could be explained as the result of changing gender roles in contemporary society or of masculinisation phenomenon affecting females in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Research Papers of the Wroclaw University of Economics / Prace Naukowe Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego we Wroclawiu is the property of Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny we Wroclawiu and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The gonadal description of the freshwater atherinopsid pike silverside Chirostoma estor suggests that the gonads differentiate as ovaries or testes by 8 weeks after hatching when raised at 21 °C. Thermal treatments at 14 °C, 21 °C and 29 °C applied from fertilisation, clearly affected phenotypic sex ratios, suggesting that the thermolabile window of sex determination occurred early in development. In this study, exposure to the highest temperature led to male-biased sex ratios in this species. However, the effects of the lower and medium temperatures on the sex ratios were less clear, suggesting the presence of a mixture of genotypic and temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) mechanisms in C. estor, similar to other atherinopsids. This work further enhances our knowledge regarding the diversity and plasticity of TSD mechanisms in atherinopsid and teleost fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climbing tourists, seeking out evermore exciting locations in which to practise their sportingandtouristic ‘envelope-pushing’, provide an excellent example for analysis of how foreign places and peoples are enmeshed in individual narratives of othering and ‘selfing’ predicated in no small part on individualisedandmarketised (mis)conceptions of embodied risk, heavily gendered forms of ‘extremeness’ and ethnic difference. Based on observer-as-participant fieldwork carried out in Wadi Rum, and analyses of marketing publications aimed specifically at rock-climbing tourists, this article explores how this particular landscape is masculinised to appeal to the ‘hard’ [Robinson, V. (2008).Everyday masculinities and extreme sport: Male identity and rock climbing. Oxford: Berg] Western climber, who is invited to experience Rum as hard or extreme play; as a performance of leisure that is unpredictable and unusually dangerous and risky for several reasons. Wadi Rum's ‘soaring sandstone towers’, inhospitable desert environment and Bedouin inhabitants feature heavily in holiday advertisements; the Bedouin people are valorised for both their ‘inherent primitiveness’ and capacity to adapt to, and ultimately conquer, their land's inhospitable summits. It is under these terms that adventure tourist ‘spaces’ become racialised, gendered and often classed and sexualised through various intersecting discourses. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article explores the discursive construct of globalisation through the prism of gender and its implications for and effects on the quest for an African Renaissance. It argues that since humans are gendered, so human institutions and discourses such as globalisation are permeated and informed by the discourse of gender and the hierarchies inherent in them. Since discourses on the African Renaissance are conceptualised and framed within the hegemonic discourse of globalisation, they become entangled in globalisation's gendered nature and become either complicit or subversive. The article identifies and discusses the multifaceted implications and effects of a hegemonic, masculine neoliberal globalisation discourse on the various facets of the African Renaissance, and suggests possible solutions. The purpose is then to explore the notion of the multiciplicity of discourses on both globalisation and the African Renaissance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the concept of female husbands in Igbo land, southeastern Nigeria. It highlights the issues that necessitated and sustained the phenomenon, and the perpetual conflict and dichotomy within the connotations and ideas of patriarchy in Igbo land. While distinguishing it from lesbianism as practiced elsewhere, the paper argues that unlike other societies, women to women marriages in Igbo land were not contracted in response to the sexual emotions or attractions of the couples, but simply an instrument for the preservation and extension of patriarchy and its traditions. The paper also argues that the concept of Female husband in Igbo land served more of the interest of patriarchy than contend against it. It concludes that the two gender nomenclatures; patriarchy and matriarchy should be re-conceptualized to reflect the eclecticism that has been present in gender relations overtime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Imposex in female gastropods is a widely documented masculinisation phenomenon in response to tributyltin (TBT) exposure. Although it is generally accepted that imposex is a case of endocrine disruption the underlying mechanisms are controversially discussed with aromatase inhibition and retinoid X receptor (RXR) signalling pathways as two conflicting hypotheses. Hence, we performed injection experiments with the marine dogwhelk Nucella lapillus. As expected TBT induced imposex in all test specimens while the natural RXR ligand 9 cis-retinoic acid did not cause significant effects. Additionally, TBT effects were suppressed if the organotin compound was simultaneously injected with an androgen receptor inhibitor (cyproterone acetate) but not if co-administered with the synthetic RXR antagonist HX531. In contrast, the injection of the RXR agonist HX630 resulted in imposex development in nearly 100% females. Therefore, the results provide evidence for the involvement of the RXR and the androgen signalling pathway. Further investigations are necessary to resolve the biochemical mechanism of imposex development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Production of all-female Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus L.) is desirable for the industry because of sexual growth dimorphism existing in this species. The first step towards establishing monosex all-female cohorts is to produce sex-reversed females (neo-males). The objective of this study was to test the efficiency of an aromatase inhibitor, Fadrozole, to induce masculinisation in Atlantic halibut. Three doses of Fadrozole were tested: 100, 500 and 700mg/kg of feed, applied for 42–60days to weaned halibut fry of 26–30mm TL. All tested doses proved to be efficient, resulting in the development of testes in up to 97% of examined individuals. Seventeen-α-methyltestosterone (MT) was used as a positive control. MT-treated fish were all males. No abnormalities in the development of gonads were observed in any of the groups. Analysis of 11-ketotestosterone (11KT) blood plasma levels showed that most of individuals in the experimental groups had 11KT levels typical for males while controls had 11KT levels typical for males or females. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Empirical evaluations of sexually dimorphic expression of genes on the mammalian X-chromosome are needed to understand the evolutionary forces and the gene-regulatory mechanisms controlling this chromosome. We performed a large-scale sex-bias expression analysis of genes on the X-chromosome in six different somatic tissues from mouse. Results: Our results show that the mouse X-chromosome is enriched with female-biased genes and depleted of male-biased genes. This suggests that feminisation as well as de-masculinisation of the X-chromosome has occurred in terms of gene expression in non-reproductive tissues. Several mechanisms may be responsible for the control of female-biased expression on chromosome X, and escape from X-inactivation is a main candidate. We confirmed escape in case of Tmem29 using RNA-FISH analysis. In addition, we identified novel female-biased non-coding transcripts located in the same female-biased cluster as the well-known coding X-inactivation escapee Kdm5c, likely transcribed from the transition-region between active and silenced domains. We also found that previously known escapees only partially explained the overrepresentation of female-biased X-genes, particularly for tissue-specific female-biased genes. Therefore, the gene set we have identified contains tissue-specific escapees and/or genes controlled by other sexually skewed regulatory mechanisms. Analysis of gene age showed that evolutionarily old X-genes (>100 myr, preceding the radiation of placental mammals) are more frequently female-biased than younger genes. Conclusion: Altogether, our results have implications for understanding both gene regulation and gene evolution of mammalian X-chromosomes, and suggest that the final result in terms of the X-gene composition (masculinisation versus feminisation) is a compromise between different evolutionary forces acting on reproductive and somatic tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Effects of sex and handedness on the production of spontaneous and click-evoked otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) were explored in a non-hearing impaired population (ages 17–25years). A sex difference in OAEs, either produced spontaneously (spontaneous OAEs or SOAEs) or in response to auditory stimuli (click-evoked OAEs or CEOAEs) has been reported in infants and children, but healthy young adults seldom have been the target of study. In the current data, a robust sexual dimorphism was confirmed, with women producing more numerous and stronger SOAEs, and CEOAEs with greater response amplitude compared to men. A right-ear advantage was found for the number of SOAEs produced and, in women, for SOAE power. Although handedness did not moderate the ear asymmetry in production, exploratory analyses revealed that departures from strong right hand preference were associated in the present sample with reduced numbers or strengths of OAEs. The results are discussed with respect to differential exposure to androgens during prenatal development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Sport in France began an important chapter in its history during the inter-war years. As a ubiquitous witness that has often been overlooked by historians, sportswear offers a totally new perspective on changes taking place within the sports movement and in French society generally. First of all, changes in clothing reveal a constant quest for improved comfort and hygiene for the benefit of performance. Worn primarily as ceremonial dress and aimed more at enhancing an individual's social origin or gender, costumes of the post-war period took on a sporting dimension and, following the example of institutional reorganisation of sport, became more specialised and appropriate to the activity for which they were worn. In addition to growth in its clothing industry, France also witnessed a boom in the sports-related textile industry, which initially drew inspiration from foreign models, especially from Anglo-Saxon countries, before going on to develop its own tastes and products. However, the period was additionally marked by the impact of the sports entertainment industry on the rules of games and, more particularly, on the attire worn by sportsmen and -women. Colour, cut and other clothing evolutions bore witness to the new challenges linked to the growing spectacularisation of sport. Through transformations in clothing worn by sportsmen and -women during the inter-war years, the new French sports scene came to the fore, oscillating as it did between a quest for performance and the enhancement of sporting entertainment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Differences across individuals in both 2D:4D, the ratio of the lengths of the 2nd–4th digit, and in otoacoustic emissions (OAEs), have been hypothesized to arise from differences in androgen exposure prenatally. Contrary to this hypothesis, however, found no significant correlation between digit-ratios and OAE production. To further investigate the hypothesis of a common developmental origin, the current study assessed correlations between individual differences in 2D:4D and OAEs in 131 normally-hearing adults. All possible ratios of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th digits were computed and OAEs, both spontaneously produced and in response to audible clicks, were measured. Observed correlations between digit length ratios and OAEs were largely nonsignificant. No significant correlations were found between 2D:4D and any of the five OAE measures. Fundamental differences in developmental timing and duration, postnatal influences, or factors other than prenatal androgens may explain the lack of associations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Embryonal cell carcinoma is a rare clinical entity. We report a case of a 20-year-old patient who presented with lump lower abdomen for last two months with primary amenorrhea and poorly developed secondary sexual characteristics. Ultrasonography (USG) whole abdomen showed lower abdominal mass approximately 15x15x10 cm, probably neoplastic changes in intra-abdominal testis, with mild ascites, no uterus and ovaries. Fine needle aspiration cytology from the tumor mass reported the possibility of non-seminomatous germ cell tumor, possibly embryonal carcinoma. The patient received three cycles of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (Regime Bleomycin, Etoposide and Cisplatin) followed by laparotomy, at laparotomy (L) orchidectomy with removal of tumor, (R) orchidectomy, omentectomy and appendisectomy was performed. Postoperatively the patient received two more cycles of chemotherapy of the same regime. The patient has been under close follow-up for the last three years with no evidence of disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Studies of singletons suggest that right-handed individuals may have higher levels of testosterone than do left-handed individuals. Prenatal testosterone levels are hypothesised to be especially related to handedness formation. In humans, female members from opposite-sex twin pairs may experience elevated level of prenatal exposure to testosterone in their intrauterine environment shared with a male. We tested for differences in rates of left-handedness/right-handedness in female twins from same-sex and opposite-sex twin pairs. Our sample consisted of 4736 subjects, about 70% of all Finnish twins born in 1983–1987, with information on measured pregnancy and birth related factors. Circulating testosterone and estradiol levels at age 14 were available on 771 and 744 of these twins, respectively. We found significantly (p =.006) lower prevalence of left-handedness in females from opposite-sex pairs (5.3%) compared to females from same-sex pairs (8.6%). The circulating levels of neither testosterone nor estradiol related to handedness in either females or males. Nor were there differences in circulating testosterone or estradiol levels between females from opposite-sex and same-sex twin pairs. Birth and pregnancy related factors for which we had information were unrelated to handedness. Our results are difficult to fully explain by postnatal factors, but they offer support to theory that relates testosterone to formation of handedness, and in a population-based sample, are suggestive of effects of prenatal testosterone transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Disorders of sexual development (DSD) include three main groups of patients: (1) The virilised 46,XX DSD essentially represented by congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) ; (2) The undervirilised 46,XY DSD essentially represented by hypospadias; and (3) the chromosomic jigsaws essentially represented by mixed gonadal dysgenesis. It is in this last group that gender assignment remains a difficult decision involving various indicators, which can be split into four categories: (1) the inside sex (i.e., genes, hormones and target tissues); (2) the outside sex (i.e., anatomy of genitalia including size of the genital tubercle, mullerian cavity and potential adult height of the patient); (3) the functional sex (i.e., potential sexuality and fertility); and (4) and the social sex (i.e., the cultural medium in which the child is brought up). The challenge is to outline the future individual identity of the child in the postnatal period using these indicators. Current evolutions of surgical techniques of ‘feminisation’ and ‘masculinisation’ are described as well as their outcomes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The ability of anthropogenic chemicals to cause reproductive disorders has been the focus of toxicologists for many years. Whilst the focus of endocrine disrupting chemicals has mainly been associated with vertebrate groups, there have been continued calls for more research on the invertebrates. Surprisingly, within the Crustacea, many studies have focussed on female or growth/moulting related endpoints despite many of the vertebrate studies highlighting male related effects such as abnormal male reproductive development. Furthermore, a large number of the invertebrate studies have focussed on vertebrate estrogens or their mimics. Considering the biology of the crustacean endocrine systems, this paper shall argue that unlike the vertebrates, it is a lot more difficult to feminise a crustacean than it is to de-masculinise one. Consequently, crustacean toxicologists, by following the tact of vertebrate biologists, may have been trying to address the right questions, but in the wrong way. Studies have shown that intersexuality in crustaceans may arise through the masculinisation of heterogametic (WZ) females or the de-masculinisation of males through aberrations in male androgenic gland activity. It is recommended that the focus be put on understanding the mechanisms of sex determination in Crustacea, and the expression of male secondary sexual characteristics at the molecular, biochemical and physiological level are fully explored so that appropriate assessments can be made as to whether sexual endocrine disruption is occurring in this ecologically important group. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study investigated whether gonadal sex differentiation of zebrafish (Danio rerio) is susceptible to compounds that interfere with cytochrome P450 aromatase (P450arom). Treatment of zebrafish during the period of gonadal differentiation with either the non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor fadrozole or 17α-methyltestosterone (MT) changed gonad morphological differentiation and altered the pattern of P450arom gene (CYP19) expression. Application of fadrozole (500 μg/g of food) between days 35 and 71 post-fertilisation (pf) resulted in 100% masculinisation, i.e. the gonads of all individuals examined (n=40) showed testicular morphology. At the same time, fadrozole treatment suppressed gonadal CYP19A (gonad-derived CYP19 gene) mRNA expression, as assessed by means of semi-quantitative RT-PCR. After termination of fadrozole treatment at day 71 pf and subsequent rearing of zebrafish under control conditions until 161 days pf, the gonads of all individuals still displayed testicular morphology. Gonadal CYP19A expression, however, showed a dimorphic pattern, with 14 out of 22 individuals having low CYP19A mRNA levels similar to those found in testes of control fish, while eight fish showed high, ovary-like levels of gonadal CYP19A mRNA. MT treatment (10 μg/l) during the period of gonadal differentiation (days 35 to 71 pf) resulted in phenological feminisation, i.e., all fish examined (n=28) showed an ovarian gonadal morphology. While gonadal CYP19A expression was suppressed compared to control fish, cerebral CYP19B (brain-derived CYP19 gene) mRNA expression was increased in 71-day-old MT-treated fish. The results from this study provide evidence that exogenous compounds interfering with the P450arom system are able to disrupt, even persistently, gonadal sex differentiation of the protogynic zebrafish. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]