News by Subject Social & Behavior

Men and women may need to be treated differently -- at least when it comes to some types of cancer. In an analysis to be presented at the ESMO 2018 Congress in Munich, data was pooled from four UK randomised controlled clinical trials (RCTs) of first line chemotherapy in oesophagogastric (OG) cancer, finding significant differences in a number of important side-effects experienced by male and female patients.

An international research team led by a UC Riverside scientist has for the first time identified individual types of the human papillomavirus, or HPV, that are specifically linked to HIV infection. The study concludes that a person with any HPV type, more than one HPV type, or high-risk HPV is more likely to acquire HIV. The study found the following HPV types are linked to HIV: HPV16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 52, 58.

Over the past decade, the American school environment has become slightly more receptive towards students who identify as being either lesbian, gay, bisexual or queer (LGBQ). This is, in part, thanks to the changing attitudes of teachers, who have a substantial influence on school culture. In a new study published in Springer's journal Social Psychology of Education, William Hall and Grayson Rodgers document the attitudes of American teachers nationwide towards the LGBQ community.

Lack of estrogen may play a role in the development of anxiety and memory problems, according to a new rodent study. The findings will be presented today at the American Physiological Society's (APS) Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolic Diseases: Sex-Specific Implications for Physiology conference in Knoxville, Tenn.

For women, fat usually accumulates around the hips, resulting in a pear-shaped look. In men, fat tends to build up around the abdomen, creating an apple shape. As it turns out, it's healthier to be a pear than an apple. A UC Riverside research team has found that only male mice experienced neuroinflammation after being fed a high-fat diet. While females were unaffected, males showed low testosterone and reduced sperm count, in addition to neuroinflammation.

As the majority of studies indicate that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) self-identification generally occurs during the mid-adolescent years, the study provides unprecedented insight into early identity development.

Existing research has shown that transgender teens are at greater risk for attempting suicide that other teens. New University of Arizona research finds that teens who were born female but identify as male and teens who don't identify as exclusively male or female are most at risk.

Repeated binge drinking activates genes in an area of the brain linked to addiction differently in males and females. Genes associated with hormone signaling and immune function are affected by repeated binge drinking in female mice, whereas genes associated with nerve signaling are affected in the males. These findings have implications for alcohol abuse treatment, emphasizing the importance of considering the sex of patients when developing effective pharmaceutical therapies.

Results from a recent analysis reveal that the availability of alcohol associated with turning 21 years old may have relatively large effects on risky behaviors, especially in men. The findings are published in Contemporary Economic Policy.