Pediapod is the pediatrics podcast from Pediatric Research, produced in association with Nature Publishing Group. Join us as we explore the etiologies of diseases of children and disorders of development, featuring interviews with top researchers and highlighted content from one of the premier journals in the field of pediatrics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Spotlighting SHAPERS: Sex hormones associated with psychological and endocrine roles

Dr. Nicole Petersen is an assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at UCLA. Her commentary is a new paper in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, called “Spotlighting SHAPERS: sex hormones associated with psychological and endocrine roles.” Dr. Petersen starts the paper describing an unnamed signaling molecule that can affect the physical structure of the brain and that seems to be related to a wide number of psychological and neurological conditions. Then she reveals that this is estradiol. The point she makes in the paper is that estrogen isn’t the only neuroactive substance that affects the brain in ways that we just don’t understand.Read the full study here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-024-01819-0 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oxford Ophthalmological Congress 2012

The annual Oxford Ophthalmological Congress is one of the longest-running ophthalmological meetings. It was established in the early 1900s by surgeon and academic Robert Doyne. Catch up on this year’s highlights in this podcast, including updates on inherited macular dystrophies, shaken baby syndrome and non-organic vision loss.

Talking about sex and gender doesn't need to be toxic

Ever since scientific enquiry began, people have focused mainly on men, or if studies involve animals, on male mice, male rats or whatever it may be. And this has led to gaps in scientists’ understanding of how diseases, and responses to treatment, and many other things might vary between people of different sexes and genders.These days, mainly thanks to big funders like the NIH introducing new guidelines and mandates, a lot more scientists are thinking about sex and, where appropriate, gender. And this has led to a whole host of discoveries.But all this research is going on within a sociopolitical climate that’s becoming increasingly hostile and polarized, particularly in relation to gender identity. And in some cases, science is being weaponized to push agendas, creating confusion and fear.It is clear that sex and gender exist beyond a simple binary. This is widely accepted by scientists and it is not something we