The American journal of the medical sciences
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Gastroparesis is a disorder where the stomach empties contents too slowly into the small intestine with associated symptoms of nausea, vomiting, postprandial fullness, bloating, early satiety and/or abdominal pain. It is a well-established fact that the female gender is more susceptible to developing gastroparesis compared to males, although the significance and rationale behind this gender inequality remains an unresolved mystery. Several hypotheses have been proposed including an intrinsically slower stomach in females, elevated levels of sex steroid hormones, loss of neuronal nitric oxide (nNOS) expression, and possibly due to altered serotonergic signaling. ⋯ Targeting these gender-specific mechanisms may lead towards future therapeutic options that might alleviate and/or prevent gastroparesis. Furthermore, a better-understanding of the sex-related differences in gastroparesis can allow medical practitioners to better tailor treatment options for their patients. This article will attempt to explain why females are more vulnerable to developing gastroparesis by examining the pathogenesis and molecular basis of gender-related factors that have been identified to play a role in the gender disparity of this entity.
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Interstitial lung diseases comprise a family of progressive pulmonary disorders that are often idiopathic or associated with various systemic diseases and that is characterized by bilateral lung involvement with inflammation and tissue remodeling or fibrosis. The impact of sex, including the anatomic and physiologic traits that one is born with, on the development and progression of interstitial lung diseases is not entirely clear. ⋯ In this review, we summarize sex-related differences in the epidemiology and progression of certain interstitial lung diseases with a focus on the connective tissue related interstitial lung diseases, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and sarcoidosis. We also discuss cellular and pre-clinical studies that might shed light on the potential mechanisms responsible for these differences in the hope of unveiling potential targets for intervention and stimulating research in this needed field of investigation.
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Breast and gynecological cancers affect almost 900,000 women and therefore most health care providers will be involved at some point in the management of women with cancer. As the prognosis of all cancers is much more favorable when diagnosed in early stages, it is imperative that all health care providers are familiar not only with current screening guidelines for the average population, but also with the identification of high risk individuals who may benefit from more intense screening as well as available interventions to prevent disease or decrease risk. The purpose of this review article is to provide relevant information to physicians and other health care providers to aid in identifying patients that are classified as "high risk" for developing breast or a gynecologic cancer, outlining what interventions exist for adequate screening and risk reduction strategies, and to provide an update on current screening guidelines for individuals at average and high risk.
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Review
The Management of Women's Health Care by Internists With a Focus on the Utility of Ultrasound.
Adult women require routine care for the acute and chronic health problems found in both sexes, and they require specialized care for women's health problems, including disease prevention, disease screening, and disease management. Internists should direct primary care and participate in specialized care and to the extent possible follow guidelines published by various professional organizations. They should understand the use of ultrasound in breast cancer screening, the management of pregnancy, and other gynecologic problems, including vaginal bleeding, pelvic pain, and investigation for pelvic malignancy. Finally, all management decisions need discussions on the potential benefit or harm in each step of a woman's care with an emphasis on personal preferences.
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Review
Pregnancy-induced Cardiovascular Pathologies: Importance of Structural Components and Lipids.
Pregnancy leads to adaptations for maternal and fetal energy needs. The cardiovascular system bears the brunt of the adaptations as the heart and vessels enable nutrient supply to maternal organs facilitated by the placenta to the fetus. The components of the cardiovascular system are critical in the balance between maternal homeostatic and fetus driven homeorhetic regulation. ⋯ Here, the cardiovascular components and functional derangements associated with cardiovascular pathology in pregnancy, vis-à-vis lipid deposition, mobilization and maternal and/or cardiac and fetal energy needs are detailed. Most reports on the components and associated pathology in pregnancy, are on derangements affecting the extracellular matrix and epicardial fat, followed by the endothelium, vascular smooth muscle, pericytes and myocytes. Targeted studies on all cardiovascular components and pathological outcomes in pregnancy will enhance targeted interventions.