The Organization for the Study of Sex Differences (OSSD) works to enhance the knowledge of sex/gender differences by facilitating interdisciplinary communication and collaboration among scientists and clinicians of diverse backgrounds. A welcome statement from our president.

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2008 OSSD Annual Meeting

Annual OSSD Meetings offer researchers from across all biomedical research areas and disciplines the opportunity to present and discuss sex differences research. The meeting structure allows ample time for interaction and discussion among all attendees.

• Our second annual meeting will take place June 4-6, 2008 in New Orleans, LA.
• Register for the 2008 meeting.
• If you would like to submit a "late breaking" abstract for consideration for a poster presentation, please do so before May 15, 2008. Submit abstracts online using the following form: Abstract Submission. Note that these "late" abstracts will miss the program publication deadline and will not be published in the annual meeting program book.
• Submit a symposium proposal for the 2009 annual meeting. For more information please click here

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Featured Article of Interest

OSSD member, David Hart, has recently published two studies that may provide some insights into human conditions that primarily affect females compared to males. Dr. Hart and his team at the University of Calgary, have found that the central cornea which lies in front of the lens of the eye is uniquely sensitive to loss of hormone producing tissues (Achari et al. 2008  .) Previously, this group had also reported that a distal knee injury can also affect the cornea in a unique manner (Kydd et al. 2007). 

It is well known that post-menopausal females have a higher incidence of eye conditions and diseases such as dry eye syndromes and cataracts than age-matched males. Dr. Hart's findings may be of double importance for post-menopausal females, since they are also at greater risk of osteoarthritis than age-matched males. In particular, these findings raise the specter of previously unappreciated correlations and the possibility that a subset of aging females with osteoarthritis may be at increased risk for certain vision complications compared to males. Studies to further investigate the mechanisms involved and potential correlations between the impact of a distal knee disease and menopause on vision are underway.

Latest Sex Differences Research From Pubmed