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FINA blocks transgender swimmers from female competition

FINA's new policy requires transgender athletes in women's competitions to have completed transition by the age of 12 ©Getty Images

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Adverse event rate after THA similar for female, male surgeons

Adverse event rate after THA similar for female, male surgeons
surgeon
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The rate of adverse events within 90 days for patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) does not differ according to whether the surgeon performing the procedure is female or male, according to a study published online May 24 in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.

Per Jolbäck, R.N., Ph.D., from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, and colleagues conducted a retrospective study involving primary THAs performed for osteoarthritis between 2008 and 2016 at 10 hospitals in Western Sweden. Adverse events were retrieved from the regional patient register, and the impact of surgeon sex on adverse events was examined. Data were included for 11,993 primary THAs, performed by 200 (17.5 percent women).

The researchers found that the proportions of adverse events within 90 days were similar for female and male surgeons (6 and 7 percent, respectively). When all surgeons (both attendings and ) were included in the analysis, no association was observed between surgeon sex and adverse events (adjusted odds ratio, 0.72; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.52 to 1.00). In a sensitivity analysis including only attendings, the results were similar (adjusted odds ratio, 0.88; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.60 to 1.29).

“We therefore conclude that there is no association between the rate of adverse events within 90 days postoperatively and the sex of the surgeon,” the authors write.

One author disclosed financial ties to the medical device industry.


No adverse outcomes seen with SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in pregnancy


More information:
The Influence of Surgeon Sex on Adverse Events Following Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty

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Adverse event rate after THA similar for female, male surgeons (2022, June 3)
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from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-06-adverse-event-tha-similar-female.html

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Transgender golfer who made history in 2004 now against trans-inclusion in female events

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A golfer who made history when she became the first transgender player in a professional golf tournament at the Women’s Australian Open is now against transgender women competing against females.

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Mianne Bagger, a Danish golfer who is now 55, knows that would have meant she wouldn’t have gotten her chance back in 2004, but she’s fine with it.

Bagger told Australia’s “Insight” that she now supports a bill seeking to ban transgender athletes from female events in that country, but she knows it’ll leave her regarded as a “hypocrite,”news.com.au reported.

Bagger said that current laws allow “male-bodied people presenting as women, who live as women, with varying degrees of medical intervention and in some degrees, no medical intervention.”

“It’s crossed the line, in my view, it really has,” she said, according to the report. “It’s a slap in the face to women.”

Bagger said it was “utter rubbish” that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) now says gender reassignment surgery is no longer required for a trans female athlete to compete.

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The decision to allow trans athletes to be eligible after a year without hormones — down from the previous two — “almost denies the impact of testosterone on physical performance,” Bagger said on the broadcast.

“Anyone with any basic understanding on biology and the difference between men and women knows it’s ridiculous. It’s male puberty that really grants boys and men that physical performance in sport,” she said.

“And I think it’s irrefutable — it’s ridiculous to suggest otherwise.”

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British Cycling U-turn freezes trans women out of elite female events

Trans women are no longer able to compete in elite female events run by British Cycling after the organisation performed a significant U-turn and suspended its transgender policy.

The Guardian understands that the decision was taken by British Cycling’s board of directors after numerous members – and voices within the sport – raised concerns that trans women such as Emily Bridges, who broke the national junior 25-mile record as a male before transitioning, would have an unfair advantage in the female category.

British Cycling also acknowledged there were “concerns” that its transgender policy – which was only ratified in January – did not match the guidance from the Sports Council Equality Group (SCEG), which was based on an 18-month review of the science.

However Bridges’s mother, Sandy Sullivan, quickly expressed her frustration, tweeting: “Dumped by email. We’ve just received this in our inbox. We will be making a statement at some point during the next 24 hrs.” Under British Cycling’s previous policy, trans women were allowed to compete if they reduced their testosterone levels below 5 nmol/L for a 12-month period.

However, the emergence of Bridges, who began hormone therapy last year as part of her gender dysphoria treatment, and raced in men’s events until February, has led to a hasty rethink.

The 21-year-old was due to compete in her first race in the female category at the British National Omnium Championships last Saturday, before cycling’s governing body, the UCI, blocked her as she was still registered as a male athlete for international competitions.

Emily Bridges had been due to take part in her first race in the female category at a national omnium event last Saturday, but the UCI blocked her from competing.
Emily Bridges had been due to take part in her first race in the female category at a national omnium event last Saturday, but the UCI blocked her from competing. Photograph: Andy Jones

The UCI’s decision came as some riders in the event considered a boycott in protest at Bridges’s advantages. However until Friday she was still able to compete in domestic events, before British Cycling suspended its transgender policy, pending a review.

In a statement, the governing body said: “Due to the difference in the policies held by British Cycling and the UCI relating to the licensing process, it is currently possible for trans-female athletes to gain eligibility to race domestically while their cases remain pending with the UCI (or indeed in situations where they are deemed ineligible).

“This in turn allows those riders to accrue domestic ranking points which impact selection decisions for National Championship races, which is not only unprecedented in our sport, but is also unfair on all women riders and poses a challenge to the integrity of racing. We also understand that there are concerns regarding the extent to which our current policy appropriately reflects the Sports Council Equality Group guidance, published in September 2021.”

That SCEG guidance concluded that “testosterone suppression is unlikely to guarantee fairness between transgender women and natal females in gender-affected sports”.

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It also states that there are “retained differences in strength, stamina and physique between the average woman compared with the average transgender woman or non-binary person registered male at birth”. Earlier this week British Cycling’s head of Olympic programmes, Sara Symington, co-signed a letter to the UCI criticising its current policy on transgender inclusion. The letter signatories claimed the UCI’s current rules do not guarantee female athletes fair and meaningful competition.

The prime minister Boris Johnson also intervened in the debate, saying that he didn’t believe “biological men should be competing in female sport events”.

In a statement British Cycling said it would conduct a full review of its policy “in the coming weeks”. It confirmed that transgender and non-binary athletes could still take part in non-competitive activities.

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Sports-Transgender women should not compete in female events – British PM

Sports-Transgender women should not compete in female events - British PM

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson walks in Downing Street in London, Britain, April 5, 2022. REUTERS/Tom Nicholson

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LONDON, April 6 (Reuters) – Transgender women should not be competing in female sporting events, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told broadcasters on Wednesday.

Johnson was speaking as the country looked set to abandon plans to hold a flagship conference designed to promote LGBT+ rights around the world. read more

Charities and organisations are boycotting the event following a dispute over conversion therapy for transgender people.

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“I don’t think biological males should be competing in female sporting events. Maybe that’s a controversial thing to say, but it just seems to me to be sensible,” Johnson said.

“I also happen to think that women should have spaces — whether it’s in hospitals, prison or changing rooms — which are dedicated to women. That’s as far as my thinking has developed on this issue.

“If that puts me in conflict with some others, then we have got to work it all out. It doesn’t mean I’m not immensely sympathetic to people who want to change gender, to transition and it’s vital we give people the maximum love and support in making those decisions.”

Transgender rights has become a hot talking point as sports seek to balance inclusivity with ensuring there is no unfair advantage.

Transgender cyclist Emily Bridges was ruled out of Britain’s National Omnium Championships last weekend after the sport’s governing body, the UCI, ruled she was ineligible. read more

British Cycling had cleared Bridges to take part under their “Transgender and Non-Binary Participation policy”.

New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard became the first transgender athlete to compete at the Olympics Games in Tokyo last year.

University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas last month became the first transgender National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champion in Division I history after winning the women’s 500-yard freestyle. read more

Thomas competed on Pennsylvania’s men’s team for three years before transitioning and setting multiple programme records with the women’s team, but her eligibility has come under considerable scrutiny.

The latest International Olympic Committee (IOC) guidance, updated in November last year, is that no athlete should be excluded from competition on the grounds of a perceived unfair advantage due to gender. read more

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Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ed Osmond

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Female Patients More Likely Than Males to Experience Severe Adverse Events During Cancer Treatment, Study Finds

Female Patients More Likely Than Males to Experience Severe Adverse Events During Cancer Treatment, Study Finds

Women are known to experience more adverse events with chemotherapy, but a recent study found an increased risk across therapy types, especially immunotherapy.

Women receiving chemotherapy are likely to have more adverse events (AEs) than men undergoing the treatment, but very little research has assessed the differences between men and women’s experiences with immunotherapy or targeted therapy. A recent study explored the role of patient sex in symptomatic and objective AEs with cytotoxic, immune, and targeted therapies for cancer.

The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, used SWOG Cancer Research Network phase 2 and 3 clinical trial data from trials between 1980 and 2019. Sex-specific cancers were excluded from the analysis.

In total, 13 symptomatic AEs and 14 objective and measurable AEs were analyzed. Symptomatic AEs included those in the Patient-Reported Outcome Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events given past evidence that clinician reports may under-report symptomatic AEs. Objective AEs were laboratory-based or measurable and were also categorized as either hematologic or nonhematologic.

Overall, 23,296 patients including 8838 women (37.9%) from 202 trials were included in the study. Of the patients included, 17,417 received chemotherapy, 2319 received immunotherapy, and 3560 received targeted therapy. Collectively, patients experienced 274,688 AEs, with 15,051 (64.6%) experiencing AEs of grade 3 or higher. Chemotherapy was especially prevalent in trials between 1989 and 1999. Immunotherapy and targeted therapies were more common from 2010 to 2019.

“It has been understood that women have more toxicity from chemotherapy than men, but almost no research has aimed to understand whether that pattern held for novel treatments like immunotherapy or targeted therapies,” study author Joseph Unger, PhD, associate professor, biostatistician, and health sciences researcher at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, said in a statement. “We found similar large differences, especially for immune treatments.”

While 64.6% of all patients experienced 1 or more severe AE, women had a 34% greater risk of severe toxicity than men (odds ratio [OR], 1.34; 95% CI, 1.27 to 1.42; P < .001). Women were at an increased risk across treatment types, especially immunotherapy (OR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.24 to 1.78; P < .001).

Women were at a 33.3% greater risk of experiencing symptomatic AEs (OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.26 to 1.41; P < .001) compared with men (27.9%). They also had an increased risk of hematologic AEs compared with men (45.2% vs. 39.1%) and objective nonhematologic AEs (30.9% vs 29.0%). Women treated with immunotherapy were at an especially higher risk of severe symptomatic and hematologic AEs than men who received immunotherapy (33.7% vs 25.4%). Severe objective, nonhematologic AEs occurred at similar rates in men and women across treatment types.

These findings suggest that, in addition to the typical patient and tumor characteristics considered in cancer treatment decisions, patient sex may be a key factor in maximizing treatment efficacy while limiting toxicity. This is especially relevant with immunotherapy, during which women were at the greatest risk for severe AEs in this study.

The authors presented several possible explanations for the sex-related differences in AEs. They could be related to body size differences and relative dosing, differences in medication adherence for oral therapies, bias in the interpretation and reporting of AEs, or different reporting habits in men and women. However, the authors noted that objective hematologic AEs were also more common in women in these trials.

One study limitation is the population, which is limited to clinical trials and therefore likely includes younger, healthier patients than the general patient population, study authors said. The study also only included the worst toxicity grade in each category, so there was no observation of toxicity patterns over time.

Despite limitations, these findings suggest that sex could be an important factor in individualizing cancer treatment and maximizing efficacy.

“If confirmed, our findings suggest that underlying mechanisms may result in generalized worse toxicity outcomes for women, with or without corresponding survival improvements or detriments,” the authors wrote. “Therefore, more awareness of symptom differences or reporting differences in women versus men is needed.”

Reference

Unger JM, Vaidya R, Albain KS, et al. Sex differences in risk of severe adverse events in patients receiving immunotherapy, targeted therapy, or chemotherapy in cancer clinical trials. J Clin Oncol. Published online February 4, 2022. doi:10.1200/JCO.21.02377

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Australia’s Hannah Green makes history as first female winner of mixed event

Australia's Hannah Green makes history as first female winner of mixed event

Hannah Green rarely has golf dreams, but that changed Saturday night after she went to bed as one of four co-54-hole leaders of the PGA Tour Australasia’s TPC Murray River event.

“It was just me holding the trophy and people spraying me with champagne,” Green recalled, “and then I woke hoping it wasn’t just a dream.”

It was, though Green soon made it a reality.

The 25-year-old Aussie closed in 6-under 66 Sunday afternoon at Cobram Barooga Golf Club in Barooga, Australia, to beat male counterparts Andrew Evans and amateur Hayden Hopewell by four shots and become the first female to win a 72-hole mixed tournament on a world-ranked tour.

Green notched five birdies in Sunday’s final, but the highlight came at the par-5 10th hole, where she hit her second shot just shy of the green before chipping in for eagle and a three-shot lead.

With her victory, she earned 36,000 Australian dollars.

“I feel amazing,” said Green, who also won last week’s Women’s Vic Open, though has yet to play on the LPGA this season. “I’m just so grateful that I came. It actually wasn’t my plan to play; I was hoping to go back to Perth. Things happen for a reason, so I’m really glad that I made it. I wanted to win these two events as soon as I said that I’d enter them. I didn’t think it was a ridiculous goal to try and get my name on these trophies, so now that that’s done, hopefully I can continue this momentum.

“I want to be in the top 10 in the world. I think I can achieve it. If I keep playing the golf that I am now, hopefully I can get there.”

The only other 72-hole tournaments to be held at the highest levels, the 2019 Jordan Mixed Open and 2021 Scandinavian Mixed in Europe, were won by men, Daan Huizing and Jonathan Caldwell, respectively. So, Green was understandably excited to be the first.

“Hopefully, it’s inspiring for the rest of the girls – not only in the juniors but in the field – to try and get their name on a trophy,” Green said. “We need to get as much exposure as possible, and it’s great that we have events on in the summer when the peak of sport is on. Hopefully, this can get some traction and people will see it. Hopefully, each state can have these events. It’s not only good for the women’s game, but also the men, and having the juniors on the weekend is a great thing, too.

“I don’t think this will be the last time these events keep happening. I can easily see 20 on the schedule coming soon.”