Dietary intake and alcohol consumption might be influenced by genetic variations in taste receptor genes. The objectives of this study were to examine the relationship between polymorphisms in bitter taste receptor genes TAS2R13 (rs1015443) and TAS2R38 (rs1726866, rs10246939, and rs713598) as well as alcohol consumption and body fat percentage in college students. Four hundred and two students with a mean age of 20.2 years participated in this study. An NIH Diet History Questionnaire (DHQ II) was used to collect data on their dietary intake, while AUDIT survey was used to determine their level of alcohol consumption. Bitter taste receptor gene polymorphisms were assessed by TaqMan allelic discrimination assays. Despite significant associations between TAS2R13 (rs101544) and certain aspects of alcohol consumption, including the frequency of alcohol intake, no indeed significant associations were found between TAS2R13 (rs1015443) and alcohol consumption after accounting for confounding variables in the regression model. Neither association was found regarding percent of body fat. In contrast, ethnicity and gender significantly influenced percent of body fat (p < 0.001), while no significant association was observed between TAS2R13 (rs1015443) and percent of body fat. Likewise, TAS2R38 (rs1726866, rs10246939 and rs713598) demonstrated no significant association with alcohol consumption and percent of body fat. These results were controlled for confounding factors, such as ethnicity and gender. Body fat percentage and alcohol consumption may be influenced by ethnicity, gender and age rather than SNPs of TAS2R13 and TAS2R38 genes. Assessing the taste genes’ interactions with diet and body composition might be useful in identifying human disease risk.

Objective: The influence of gender on the number and pattern of co-morbid psychiatric illness was archivally compared between patients with and without an Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) among psychiatrically treated individuals drawn from a large Danish birth cohort. Method: By age 45, fifteen percent of the Copenhagen Perinatal Birth Cohort (N=8,109) had been treated in a Danish psychiatric facility. Of those 1,247 patients, 368 were assigned an AUD diagnosis (29.5%). All psychiatric diagnoses assigned to these patients, over all admissions, were classified into one of 14 broad ICD-10 F categories for comparative purposes. Results: More of the patients with an AUD diagnosis were male. Patients with an AUD diagnosis were significantly more likely to receive two or more non-AUD psychiatric diagnoses than patients without an AUD diagnosis. The number of psychiatric diagnoses was greater for female than male AUD patients, a difference not found among male and female patients without an AUD diagnosis. For patients with no AUD diagnosis, the influence of gender on the pattern of psychiatric disorders was similar to that commonly reported. In contrast, the influence of gender on the number and pattern of psychiatric disorders for patients with an AUD diagnosis indicated fewer gender differences. Several diagnostic categories that discriminated male from female patients without an AUD-related diagnosis, no longer discriminated male from female patients with an AUD-related diagnosis. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that gender differences associated with psychiatric comorbidity that have been reported in large heterogenous study, should not be generalized to specific diagnostic groups without further study.

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a disease characterized by typical clinical and immunopathogenic pe-culiarities, which correlate with age and sex/gender. Accordingly, MG patients show thymic al-terations and auto-antibodies productions, that can be the expression of a different pathogenetic mechanism related to age and gender. This determines, in relation to age at and sex/gender, a dif-ferent MG onset, prognosis, and outcome. Therefore, diverse MG forms can be identified, classi-fied, and characterized in relation to their different features, and precisely there are early onset and late-onset forms of MG. It has been hypothesized that the cause of appearance the two diverse forms of MG can be ascribed mainly to the diverse genetic and epigenetic factors. In this narrative review, we will analyze and discuss about the interplay of age- and sex-related factors (i.e. genet-ic and epigenetic factors) related to two different MG forms and how they contribute to their di-verse pathogenesis.

As practiced in Africa, urban agriculture (UA) has been examined in the literature and by architecture and urban planning experts, revealing both advantages and disadvantages for health. While the recognized disadvantages are not negligible, the literature focuses mainly on the positive outcomes about food security and improved socio-economic conditions for farmers. However, little research has focused on farmers' perceptions of the effect of this practice on their psychological well-being. This study seeks to delve into this aspect by surveying 733 farmers in Dar es Salaam and Greater Lomé to map UA's distribution, assess its benefits and challenges, study its psychosocial associations, and demonstrate how architectural design and urban planning can enhance its spatial distribution and overall benefits. The standardized Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF) and non-standardized questionnaires are used to evaluate their responses. Using logistic regression and spatial analysis techniques with Python and QGIS 3.32.2-Lima, the analysis uncovers that farmers attribute improved psychological well-being to their involvement in UA. The study found that farmers' happiness due to UA varies by location within a city, with those on the outskirts generally more satisfied than those in urban centers. Additionally, women farmers reported greater happiness than men farmers, highlighting UA's role in empowering women. The research underscores UA's positive association with practitioners' psychological health in Africa and advocates for its integration into urban planning to promote equitable and beneficial urban spaces.

Background: Gender differences characterize the prevalence and attitudes toward weight management. Despite limited evidence suggesting greater weight loss in women with anti-obesity pharmacotherapy, gender-specific analysis remains underexplored. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the gender-specific response to liraglutide 3.0 mg treatment in people with obesity without type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods: Data were collected from 47 patients (31 women, 16 men), with age > 18 years, BMI ≥ 30 kg/m^2, absence of T2D, and with exclusion of prior anti-obesity treatment, comorbidities, or bariatric surgery. Only patients who maintained the liraglutide 3.0 mg dose for at least 6 months were included. Results: Both sexes showed significant reductions in weight and BMI at 3 and 6 months. Men achieved greater weight loss (WL), BMI reduction, % WL, WL >5% and >10% than women, and they also showed more significant improvements in metabolic parameters (total and LDL cholesterol, Fibrosis-4 Index FIB-4). No significant gender differences were observed in glucose metabolism or renal function. Conclusion: This study showed a greater therapeutic effect of liraglutide 3.0 mg in men. Given men's higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), and underrepresentation in clinical weight loss programs, these findings may increase male engagement and improve their CVD risk.

Frequent and excessive consumption of alcohol, be it episodic or sustained misuse, ranks among the top causes of mortality globally. This comprehensive analysis seeks to elucidate how alcohol misuse precipitates death, with a particular focus on associated cardiac anomalies. Notably, the phenomenon of "Holiday Heart Syndrome," linked to binge drinking, is recognized for inducing potentially fatal cardiac arrhythmias. Moreover, persistent alcohol consumption is implicated in the development of alcoholic cardiomyopathy, a condition that underlies heart failure and arrhythmic disturbances of the heart. Additionally, individuals undergoing withdrawal from alcohol frequently exhibit disruptions in normal heart rhythm, posing a risk of death. This review further delves into additional alcohol-related mortality factors, including the heightened likelihood of hypertension, cerebrovascular accidents (strokes), and the connection between excessive alcohol use and Takotsubo syndrome.

This study analyzed eye examination data from the 5th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to investigate the relationship between cataract prevalence and sunlight exposure among Koreans. Out of 952 individuals from 192 districts surveyed from January to December, statistical analyses using SPSS version 26, including chi-square tests and logistic regression, were conducted. Results: Results showed that the incidence of cataracts was higher in people exposed to sunlight for more than 5 hours. Regarding gender, the incidence of cataracts was higher in female in the 2-5 hours of sunlight exposure group, and in male in the group exposed to sunlight for more than 5 hours. Age significantly increased cataracts after age 45 in both groups. Additionally, the prevalence was higher among college graduates in the 2 to 5 groups, and among elementary school graduates in the more than 5 hours usage group. In urban areas, the cataract prevalence rate was higher in the 2-5-hour usage group, and in rural areas, the cataract prevalence was higher in the more than 5-hour usage group. In conclusion, prolonged sunlight exposure, particularly over 5 hours, correlated with higher cataract prevalence among Koreans, with various demographic factors influencing incidence rates.

Background: Self-harm (SH) refers to self-injury or intentional self-poisoning with varying degrees of suicidal intent and is a major public health issue for children and adolescents (C&A) worldwide. Given significant gaps exist in our understanding of the associated psychopathology in C&A, this paper outlines the protocol for a prospective clinical study examining risk factors of SH and additional candidate parameters (not routinely assessed) during an acute SH episode. Methods: The EXPAAND (EXploring Psychiatric and Attentional risk-factors in Adolescents Needing intervention for Deliberate self-harm) is a randomised control trial to assess additional novel candidate risk factors for SH in C&A and to evaluate the effectiveness of SH-targeted brief psychological intervention (Therapeutic Assessment (TA)), within a real-world acute clinical setting, as we include neurodiversity and gender diversity in this study. EXPAAND is conducted in 4 phases: (i) recruitment & randomisation; (ii) extended assessment; (iii) randomised intervention; and (iv) follow-up observational period to ascertain clinical outcomes for comparison. Expected Results: We envisage that by diagnosing and treating attentional disorders when detected will mitigate potential confounding effects of these conditions. We also expect that SH-focused TA will be effective in reducing subsequent SH and in improving engagement in follow-up and subsequent treatments.

Introduction – Gender influences the presentation and progression of various diseases. Studies regarding the impact of gender on the course and outcome of HIV demonstrate conflicting data. Studies may be biased due to socioeconomic status differences between females and males and uneven gender representation, among other factors. In order to minimize the effect of non-biological elements this study cohort compares HIV males and females with similar ethnicity and social class in 2 Israeli AIDS centers. Methods –the study is a retrospective study. The cohort consists 334 females and 223 males diagnosed with HIV during the years 2000-2015. All patients were immigrants from Ethiopia who acquired HIV heterosexually and had a similar socioeconomic status. Data regarding demographics, clinical status, virological (viral load; VL), immunological (CD4) and treatment modalities were collected for each patient. Results - At the time of HIV diagnosis, males were older (43.2 ±13.2 vs. 35.4±11.95 years; p