Journal of women's health
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Journal of women's health · Oct 2020
ReviewSex-Specific Outcomes in Cardiovascular Device Evaluations.
Background: Females have historically been underrepresented in cardiovascular device trials. As a result, differences in outcomes for males and females are not possible to be determined in subanalyses. Materials and Methods: Against a backdrop of troubling trends in cardiovascular outcomes for females, we provide a narrative review on the differences in outcomes observed in females undergoing device evaluations in multiple fields of cardiovascular medicine, including coronary revascularization, structural heart disease, and heart failure. ⋯ Conclusions: Female enrollment in device clinical trials for coronary revascularization and heart failure has lagged, leaving uncertainty in making benefit/risk assessments of device therapy. The predictors of female nonparticipation in clinical trials can inform a comprehensive strategy to facilitate and enrich the enrollment of females in cardiovascular device trials. This is critical to ensure that sex differences can be considered in treatment selection, so that patients can receive the best available care.
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Journal of women's health · Oct 2020
A Systematic Review of Somatic Symptoms in Women with Depression or Depressive Symptoms: Do Race or Ethnicity Matter?
Background: Racial and ethnic minority women in the United States have an elevated risk of depression or depressive symptoms compared with White women. There is evidence to suggest that these women are more likely to report somatic symptoms. The objective of this systematic review was to determine whether there are racial and ethnic differences in somatization in women with depression or depressive symptoms. ⋯ Conclusions: A pattern emerged with African American and Hispanic/Latina women with depression or depressive symptoms more likely to report somatic symptoms compared with White women. However, it is not clear whether differences were a function of culturally acceptable presentation of symptoms or if the stress of being depressed increased somatization in minority women. Future studies should assess how depression/depressive symptoms affect racial and ethnic minority women to identify mechanisms involved in increased somatization.
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Journal of women's health · Oct 2020
Sex and Gender Analysis of Toxicity and Epidemiology Data on Environmental Chemicals in the Three Major Toxicology Databases.
Background: As sex and gender are important considerations in the assessment of toxic chemicals, we investigated whether sex and gender issues have been adequately considered in toxicological databases. Materials and Methods: A systemic review was conducted on the toxicity and epidemiology data of eight environmental chemicals (i.e., cadmium [Cd], lead [Pb], benzene, toluene, formaldehyde, and tetrachloroethylene [TCE], bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate [DEHP], and bisphenol A [BPA]) that appear in three toxicological databases (i.e., Hazardous Substances Data Bank, Integrated Risk Information System, and the European Chemicals Agency databases). Results: Systemic reviews on 4160 data entries pertaining to eight chemicals in three databases revealed that only 13.5% of these were sourced from male and female combined (MF) studies, whereas, 40.6% of the total number of examined entries was sourced from the study in which the sex of the subject was not mentioned. Conclusions: To accurately evaluate the hazardous effect of chemicals, toxicity tests should be designed and conducted for both sexes, and the corresponding endpoints should cover gender concerns. Therefore, databases listing toxicity data as part of the open source literature should select information from MF toxicity and epidemiology studies.