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seX & whY

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by Dr. Jeannette Wolfe

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41 episodes

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Podcast Overview

seX & whY explores how biological sex and gender influence our brain, body, and behavior. Dr. Jeannette Wolfe showcases some of this fascinating science to help us better understand ourselves and each other.

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5/18/2017

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Recent Episodes

November 29, 2023

Sex and Gender Differences in Aging

<div>Show Notes for Episode Twenty-Six of seX & whY: Sex and Gender Differences in Aging</div> Host: Jeannette Wolfe Guest: <a href="https://staff.ki.se/people/sara-hagg" target= "_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" data-saferedirecturl= "https://www.google.com/url?q=https://staff.ki.se/people/sara-hagg&source=gmail&ust=1701352171760000&usg=AOvVaw1B5MF5_K8qMxBNm6cKW12m"> Sara Haag</a> Dr Haag is a researcher in molecular epidemiology who studies human biological aging at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Background - Dr Haag has a PhD in functional genomics and Post Doc in genetic and molecular epidemiology. She studies telomeres and molecular association with telomere length, she also has experience in molecular biology and computer science. Definitions and discussion points from podcast <ul> <li><a href= "https://www.nia.nih.gov/research/dab/geroscience-intersection-basic-aging-biology-chronic-disease-and-health" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" data-saferedirecturl= "https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nia.nih.gov/research/dab/geroscience-intersection-basic-aging-biology-chronic-disease-and-health&source=gmail&ust=1701352171760000&usg=AOvVaw1l2Z2R8tpnaVpBJO1L-i-l"> Geroscience</a> - a new field of biomedical science that looks at how the molecular, genetic, and cellular mechanisms associated with the aging process itself may interact and even trigger many diseases associated with aging. This research provides a different angle for potential intervention to enhance health and longevity. </li> <li>Life Span - time between birth and death.</li> <li>Heath Span - time within life span of good health.</li> <li><a href= "https://www.dal.ca/sites/gmr/our-tools/the-frailty-index.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" data-saferedirecturl= "https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.dal.ca/sites/gmr/our-tools/the-frailty-index.html&source=gmail&ust=1701352171760000&usg=AOvVaw3LG7BJMaISfqjG-xblfvvH"> Frailty Index</a> and Clinical <a href= "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559009/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" data-saferedirecturl= "https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559009/&source=gmail&ust=1701352171760000&usg=AOvVaw1tZk6XDx2Jc7Z60LjmGs2L">Frailty Scale</a> are tools that evaluate a patient’s overall physical conditioning and their vulnerability to certain adverse outcomes including falls, increased care requirements, hospital admission, and mortality. </li> <li><a href= "https://www.cdc.gov/genomics/disease/epigenetics.htm#:~:text=Epigenetics%20is%20the%20study%20of,body%20reads%20a%20DNA%20sequence." target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" data-saferedirecturl= "https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/genomics/disease/epigenetics.htm%23:~:text%3DEpigenetics%2520is%2520the%2520study%2520of,body%2520reads%2520a%2520DNA%2520sequence.&source=gmail&ust=1701352171760000&usg=AOvVaw0us0ea4j7q31svk1g6Oax6"> Epigenetics</a> - the study of how DNA expression can be modified by behavior or environmental factors (versus alteration in the actual DNA itself). One way I think of this is to imagine a huge library full of books, and that each book represents a gene coded from our DNA- epigenetics help determine which books get pulled off the shelfs and get read or pushed back deeper into the shelfs. This process is different than buying new books for the library (which would be equivalent to changing the DNA itself.) </li> <li>Aging Scales - as different elements of the body age differently, there is not a gold standard to measure aging. Dr Haag recently published a <a href= "https://elifesciences.org/articles/63425" target="_blank" rel= "nofollow noopener" data-saferedirecturl= "https://www.google.com/url?q=https://elifesciences.org/articles/63425&source=gmail&ust=1701352171761000&usg=AOvVaw058qCgt4NZLe4MOtGRp5YR"> study</a> that evaluated a bunch of these different scales and determined that the “ideal” scale will vary dependent upon what you are studying- such as overall function or the biological aging of a specific organ (i.e. heart or liver). </li> </ul> Two major theories of aging: <ul> <li>Senescence theory of aging - the belief that with age, cellular systems due to repeat exposure to intracellular and extracellular stressors, eventually start to malfunction and breakdown. Things start slowly falling apart due to wear and tear. </li> <li>Programmed theory of aging - Aging is an innate active process which is highly regulated by an internal time clock. </li> </ul> As the field of Geroscience and epigenetics evolves, the “truth” around aging is likely to be a combo of both theories. Sex Differences Hormones Estrogen Dr Haag talked about research involving telomere length (telomeres are the cap of the chromosome and they help protect the chromosomes from damage.) Typically, telomeres shorten with repeated division in somatic cells and when they shrink to a certain length the cell is more vulnerable to error and damage. Females have longer telomere length at birth compared to males and there is evidence that women with longer exposure to estrogen have longer telomeres. Testosterone Here is the <a href= "https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(12)00712-9?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982212007129%3Fshowall%3Dtrue#secd15837805e83" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" data-saferedirecturl= "https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(12)00712-9?_returnURL%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%252Fretrieve%252Fpii%252FS0960982212007129%253Fshowall%253Dtrue%23secd15837805e83&source=gmail&ust=1701352171761000&usg=AOvVaw1Tk1A7rZFMkqqo_Fr8XGlC">Korean Eunuch</a> study mentioned in the podcast. The researchers examined a genealogical record of 385 eunuchs and compared their life span to several other groups of men who lived during the same time periods including a bunch of kings. They found that the average life span of a eunuch was 70 which was 15-19 years longer than the comparison groups. One theory behind this difference in longevity is “the disposable soma theory”. This postulates that in males there is competition between two different intrinsic systems - somatic aging and reproduction- and that as both systems require significant energy to maintain, when energy is diverted to one system the other suffers. Sex Chromosomes In females each cell has two X chromosomes. In female cells, one of the X chromosomes is typically inactivated so that some cells have genes expressed that are inherited by their father, while others express genes inherited from their mother. Complicating this further is that several genes do not fully inactivate that second X chromosomes so that females may have an “extra” expression of some genes. A concrete example of this is the gene Toll like receptor 7 which codes for proteins that helps the immune system recognize the early invasion of certain types of viruses. As this gene doesn’t undergo X inactivation, it may give females an extra boost in warding off certain types of viral infections. With aging there can be “skewing” of the X chromosome in that females may have a disproportionate percentage of cells that express the X chromosomes of a single parent. As male cells age, some may actually lose their Y chromosome. <a href= "https://newsroom.uvahealth.com/2022/07/14/loss-of-male-sex-chromosome-with-age-leads-to-earlier-death-for-men/#:~:text=While%20women%20have%20two%20X,turnover%2C%20such%20as%20blood%20cells" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" data-saferedirecturl= "https://www.google.com/url?q=https://newsroom.uvahealth.com/2022/07/14/loss-of-male-sex-chromosome-with-age-leads-to-earlier-death-for-men/%23:~:text%3DWhile%2520women%2520have%2520two%2520X,turnover%252C%2520such%2520as%2520blood%2520cells&source=gmail&ust=1701352171761000&usg=AOvVaw3mCgNn_jaiwSVp-nfuf1lr">This news release</a> suggests that his may happen relatively frequently as their work implied that 40% of all 70-year-olds had cellular evidence of it. The loss of Y chromosome can be associated with Alzheimer’s and heart disease in males. Take home points: 1) The field of aging is absolutely exploding. Someday it may be possible to actively manipulate epigenetic signaling to slow or even reverse aging processes. 2) Different biological processes in our bodies age at different rates. Plus, if you follow a group of people over time, as they get older there will be greater and greater differences within that group in their markers of aging. 3) In aging research, there has historically been two different camps- the senescence camp, and the programmed theory one. In the senescence camp is the belief that as we age, things just start breaking down due to natural wear and tear. This contrasts with the programmed theory camp which believes that aging is a pre-designed active process that is triggered with age. The “truth” likely is a combination of both theories with epigenetics being the bridge. 4) Sex differences in aging include the mortality-morbidity paradox in that although females tend to have poorer health and greater fragility risk, males still tend to die sooner. 5) Sex differences with aging may include changes in the X chromosome with increased skewing and even the loss of the expression of the Y chromosome, both of which can be associated with an increase of health-related issues. <div>Thanks for listening. May you be well (and curious). Jeannette.</div>

August 4, 2023

Global Health and Pandemic Responsiveness Through a Sex and Gender Lens Part 2

Show Notes for Episode Twenty-Five of seX & whY, Part 2: Global Health and Pandemic Responsiveness Through a Sex and Gender Lens Host: Jeannette Wolfe Guests: McKinzie Gales and Emelie Yonally Phillips <ul> <li><a href= "https://www.linkedin.com/in/mckinzie-gales-mph-57ba9a76" target= "_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" data-saferedirecturl= "https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.linkedin.com/in/mckinzie-gales-mph-57ba9a76&source=gmail&ust=1691266138168000&usg=AOvVaw0dsRAySPWEnSG_WIL5ACP0"> McKinzie Gales</a> – Global Health Fellow at the CDC and co-lead for Phase I of the multi-agency SAGER IOA project aimed at facilitating better collection, analysis, and use of sex-disaggregated data and gendered data for outbreak response. </li> <li><a href= "https://www.linkedin.com/in/emelie-yonally-phillips-92b672113/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" shape="rect" data-saferedirecturl= "https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.linkedin.com/in/emelie-yonally-phillips-92b672113/&source=gmail&ust=1691266138168000&usg=AOvVaw1bgj_90-_qolhAX-AzglP7"> Emelie Yonally Phillips</a> – Global Health consultant (Epicentre/MSF) and core member of the Integrated Outbreak Analytics initiative</li> </ul> Phase 1 of the sex and gender equity in research (SAGER) for Integrated Outbreak Analytics (IOA) study involved A systematic literature review to better understand what is already known about the influence of sex and gender in outbreaks and to investigate if sex-disaggregated data and gendered data is being collected, analyzed, and used. Five different databases were searched and articles meeting the inclusion criteria were included. All included articles were published in English between 2012-2022, included the key terms “sex,” “gender,” or “pregnancy,” and discussed infectious disease outbreaks (e.g., cholera, dengue, Ebola, zika, hepatitis E, Malaria, influenza, yellow fever) in a low- and middle-income countries. Notably, they intentionally excluded articles focused on covid and tuberculous as sex and gender research is being extensively conducted on these diseases. Of the 15,000+ articles in their original search, only 71 articles examined potential sex and/or gender related factors associated with outbreaks in low- and middle-income countries. Although currently there is very limited data on the impact that sex and/or gender play in outbreaks and pandemics, what is known, underscores the complexity of these relationships. Studying specific outbreaks in specific contexts is important because who is most likely to get infected and how rapidly an infection is spread is influenced by several intersecting factors. These include the infectious agent, sex specific immunological factors and local socio-cultural practices and norms. McKinzie highlighted that when there is a lack of gender and sex sensitive responses in outbreaks,<s> </s>evidence suggests that women, girls, and those with female anatomy are disproportionately negatively affected. For example, women are at greater risk for gender- based violence during a lock down and those with female anatomy are more directly impacted by the diversion of health care resources from clinics that offer reproductive health and pregnancy related services. We went through an example as to how the SAGER IOA model might work in a theoretical outbreak. In establishing a functioning multi-disciplinary team, Emelie emphasized the importance of working within local systems to build long term relationships, community trust and capacity. She underscored how critical it was to understand the values and priorities of the individuals most impacted by the outbreak and to ensure they had a voice in decision-making. She also discussed the importance of effective and transparent community health messaging- particularly if new data suggests a change from current practice. A recent example of this was the confusion experienced by many pregnant women surrounding the safety of Ebola vaccination. Emelie also spotlighted the opportunity to better understand how gender nonconforming and sexual minorities experience outbreaks as there is currently an absence of data on these groups. Finally, she emphasized that the failure of considering sex and gender specific needs in an outbreak can have tremendous downstream effects. Specifically, generational poverty, educational and professional inequities, gross domestic product, global trade, and security can all be impacted. One of the other interesting areas we touched upon was how personal protective equipment (PPE) and other medical related equipment was initially designed for the anatomy and physiology of a male body and may not always work for a female one. Below are a few articles on this point. <a href= "https://www.bjanaesthesia.org/article/S0007-0912(20)30851-5/fulltext" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" shape="rect" data-saferedirecturl= "https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bjanaesthesia.org/article/S0007-0912(20)30851-5/fulltext&source=gmail&ust=1691266138168000&usg=AOvVaw0oCgw2G-jz8ps4uW-yam8B"> Respiratory Personal Protective Equipment for Healthcare Workers</a>. This study reported findings on adequate mask fitting in one hospital system’s <a href= "https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/topics/respirators/disp_part/respsource3fittest.html#:~:text=Fit%20testing%20uses%20a%20test,to%20verify%20the%20respirator%27s%20fit." target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" data-saferedirecturl= "https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/topics/respirators/disp_part/respsource3fittest.html%23:~:text%3DFit%2520testing%2520uses%2520a%2520test,to%2520verify%2520the%2520respirator%2527s%2520fit.&source=gmail&ust=1691266138168000&usg=AOvVaw1OHbzJV6ZE0kFHawwbh0gQ">fit test</a> data for FF3 masks. Their data set suggested that 18% of women had an inadequate FF3 mask fit compared to 10% of men. <a href= "https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/politics/uk-politics/2142580/unions-say-coronavirus-crisis-has-brought-into-sharp-focus-the-problem-of-women-being-expected-to-wear-ppe-designed-for-men/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" shape="rect" data-saferedirecturl= "https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/politics/uk-politics/2142580/unions-say-coronavirus-crisis-has-brought-into-sharp-focus-the-problem-of-women-being-expected-to-wear-ppe-designed-for-men/&source=gmail&ust=1691266138168000&usg=AOvVaw35O8QgmGnuZxdhP-52q6Yl"> Unions say coronavirus crisis has brought ‘into sharp focus’ the problem of women being expected to wear PPE designed for men</a>. Here is a very interesting <a href= "https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00464-023-10228-1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" shape="rect" data-saferedirecturl= "https://www.google.com/url?q=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00464-023-10228-1&source=gmail&ust=1691266138168000&usg=AOvVaw2gWF9da0_LNrbz6a_qHdyo">article</a> that further explores whether medical equipment should be adjusted to better fit the anatomical variations of different users. The article - Does surgeon sex and anthropometry matter for tool usability in traditional laparoscopic surgery? makes a strong argument that most of the advances in laparoscopic surgical equipment have previously focused on accommodating different patient related factors and that their remains an opportunity to modify products to better align with anatomical characteristics of different users. In turn, this may help enhance performance, outcome, and injury prevention of the users - AKA in this case the surgeons. Thanks for listening and be well.

June 8, 2023

Global Health and Pandemic Responsiveness Through a Sex and Gender Lens Part 1

Show Notes for Episode Twenty-Five of seX & whY: Global Health and Pandemic Responsiveness Through a Sex and Gender Lens Host: Jeannette Wolfe Guests: <ul> <li><a href= "https://www.linkedin.com/in/mckinzie-gales-mph-57ba9a76">McKinzie Gales</a> – Fellow at the CDC and co-lead for Phase I of the multi-agency SAGER IOA project aimed at facilities' better collection, analysis, and use of sex-disaggregated data and gendered data for outbreak response. </li> <li><a href= "https://www.linkedin.com/in/emelie-yonally-phillips-92b672113/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" data-saferedirecturl= "https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.linkedin.com/in/emelie-yonally-phillips-92b672113/&source=gmail&ust=1686319597134000&usg=AOvVaw0pD9-vFrV68aFaAnl_ilfE"> Emelie Yonally Phillips</a> – Global Health consultant and core member of the Integrated Outbreak Analytics initiative</li> </ul> Definitions IOA - Integrated Outbreak Analytics SAGER - Sex and Gender Equity in Research <div> The Integrated Outbreak Analytics (IOA) initiative is a collaborative partnership between UNICEF, WHO, US-CDC, ITM, Epicentre, IFRC, under the umbrella of GOARN. </div> The IOA concept started in earnest in 2018 during the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo after it became clear that more real time, comprehensive on the ground data was needed to best manage outbreaks in an efficient and effective manner. The larger-picture concept is that the IOA model sets up a system for increased interagency data sharing and a process for data collection that produced more comprehensive information about: <ul> <li>How infections spread</li> <li>How individuals access health systems and how patterns might evolve over time</li> <li>How local sociocultural norms, behaviors and expectations, impact an outbreak response and community recovery </li> </ul> The IOA - Creates a more holistic response to outbreaks along the entire pipeline from prevention to treatment. It creates a model that puts lots of partners at the table including major players like Unicef, WHO, CDC, Doctors Without Borders in addition to local governmental agencies and boots on the ground health care providers. Examples of data that may be integrated to provide a clearer story of what is happening in an outbreak include: <ul> <li>Surveillance data</li> <li>Health information systems data</li> <li>Programs data</li> <li>Community data</li> <li>Timeline event data</li> <li>Climate, weather and ecosystems data</li> <li>Local economy data</li> </ul> Goal is to apply a multi-disciplinary approach to outbreak analyses to provide a more holistic and timely understanding of outbreak dynamics and provide local Ministries of Health and response actors with rapid evidence to make decisions during an outbreak. A key component of IOA is understanding the dynamics of both sex and gender within outbreaks and outbreak response for more adapted and appropriate responses. Therefore, IOA systematically works to collect, analyse and use data disaggregated by sex and inclusive of gender criteria across all phases of response: <ul> <li>Prevention</li> <li>Detection</li> <li>Management/Treatment </li> <li>Response</li> </ul> Four phase project Phase 1: <ul> <li>Systematic literature review - how are sex and gender being considered in outbreak response</li> </ul> Phase 2: <ul> <li>Participatory engagement in real time projects that are using an IOA and identifying what is already known about site specific sex and gender differences in tools/programs.</li> <li>Developing survey of response actors looking at their current understanding about sex and gender and how they are or are not collecting needed information and/or analyzing and using it to guide interventions.</li> <li>Create workshops and small groups to address challenges identified in survey and key informant interviews, identify capacities and brainstorm on how to overcome recognized barriers.</li> <li>Co-create practical recommendations and strategies to more systematically integrate sex and gender into the outbreak analysis process.</li> </ul> Phase 3: <ul> <li>Collate Phase 2 responses from several different outbreaks to develop a larger SAGER IOA model that can then be flexibly applied to future outbreaks. </li> </ul> Phase 4: <ul> <li>Pilot testing in different outbreaks </li> <li>Evaluating responses and further modification</li> </ul> Great resources <ul> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half_the_Sky" target= "_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" data-saferedirecturl= "https://www.google.com/url?q=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half_the_Sky&source=gmail&ust=1686319597135000&usg=AOvVaw0wc00SgNmkiEn7YE4rmzb7"> Half the Sky</a>: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Sheryl WuDunn and Nicholas Kristof </li> <li>More information about the <a href= "https://ease.org.uk/communities/gender-policy-committee/the-sager-guidelines/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" data-saferedirecturl= "https://www.google.com/url?q=https://ease.org.uk/communities/gender-policy-committee/the-sager-guidelines/&source=gmail&ust=1686319597135000&usg=AOvVaw2PVeKDf800qoHyyVjtWMsc">SAGER</a> Guidelines </li> <li>Link to previous podcast with <a href= "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/interview-with-dr-shirin-heidari-part-1-sex-and/id1241360302?i=1000547692607" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" data-saferedirecturl= "https://www.google.com/url?q=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/interview-with-dr-shirin-heidari-part-1-sex-and/id1241360302?i%3D1000547692607&source=gmail&ust=1686319597135000&usg=AOvVaw0X-xEIxZnIJopH9YjKMI0A">Dr Shirin Heidari</a> who was one of the fundamental drivers of developing the SAGER Guidelines.</li> </ul>

41 total episodes available

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What is seX & whY?: seX & whY explores how biological sex and gender influence our brain, body, and behavior. Dr. Jeannette Wolfe showcases some of this fascinating science to help us better understand ourselves and each other.
How often does this podcast release new episodes?: This podcast updates inactive.
Where can I listen to this podcast?: This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
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