One of our investigators is assessing the role of sex chromosome pairing on germ cells during male and female meiosis. These studies of sex chromosome behavior during male and female meiosis are aimed at increasing understanding of some of the fundamental differences between male and female meiosis, namely differences in sex chromosome activity, sex chromosome pairing, and recombination between male and female. This work will characterize development and germ cell behavior in the XY mouse and assess the appropriateness of these mice as a model for the human disorder Klinefelter's syndrome. An example of the implication of gender differences in all three domains is provided by the following study. Because women suffer from iron deficiency anemia more frequently than men, our investigators are studying iron supplementation in female blood donors.
Iron supplementation holds the promise of decreasing the rate of donor presentations with anemia.
Preliminary data suggest that short-term, low dose carbonyl iron supplementation after each blood donation increases eligibility rates in women. Basic biological sex differences affect the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles of the multitude of drugs we use therapeutically. These effects are only beginning to be explored. Sex-specific analyses will enrich the quantity and quality of information that we derive from our clinical trials. Studies of the steroid and retinoid effects on the female reproductive tract are addressing specific effects of a pharmacological agent on female reproductive endocrinology.