Are stereotypes in decline? The portrayal of female anatomy in e-learning.

Sex and gender bias in anatomy learning materials are considered a "hidden obstacle" to gender equity in medical curricula. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether quantitative sex and gender biases do exist in popular anatomy e-learning platforms and compare the results with those found in contemporary textbooks and atlases. A systematic content-analysis was performed on N = 3767 images published from 2008 to 2021 in which sex/gender could be identified by considering technical aspects of illustration and various intersectional categories. E-learning platforms took into account an appropriate representation of the female body and presented even more females (n = 932/1412; 66%), more frequently from a ventral/anterior (χ2  = 26, P < 0.001) and whole-body perspective (χ2  = 27, P < 0.001). This was in contrast to German anatomy books, where the results pointed to a significant sex and gender bias. For example, all books assessed underrepresented females (n = 707/2355; 30%) and placed them in stereotypical sex-specific context (χ2  = 348, P < 0.001), showing them more often from a caudal/inferior (χ2  = 99, P < 0.001) and internal (χ2  = 132, P < 0.001) perspective. Altogether, the visual representation of sex and gender in anatomical curricula is still biased and the stereotypical perceptions of human anatomy seem to be a global issue. However, the increasing use of electronic learning platforms, which gradually replace traditional books is changing the way the male and female body is depicted, which might offer new opportunities for reducing stereotypes in anatomy education.

Allele 2 of the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist gene is associated with early gastric cancer.

PURPOSE: In advanced gastric cancer (tumor stages T2-T4), associations with polymorphisms of the interleukin-1 (IL-1) gene cluster have been made. In early-stage gastric cancer, which we defined as adenocarcinoma confined to the mucosa or submucosa (stage T1), the role of host genetic susceptibility remains to be determined. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eighty-eight patients with early-stage gastric cancer (stage T1, 77 positive for Helicobacter pylori) and 145 controls were genotyped for polymorphisms in the IL-1 gene cluster and the tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-A) gene. Statistical analysis was performed using the chi2 test and the Fisher's exact test, respectively. RESULTS: The homozygous genotype IL-1RN*2/2 of the IL-RN gene was strongly associated with early-stage gastric cancer (P < .0001), whereas further associations with the IL-1 gene cluster were not observed. A weak association of the TNF-A-308A allele with the diffuse type of early-stage gastric cancer, and an association with a composite of two or three proinflammatory polymorphisms, which predispose to increased production of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1beta and TNF-alpha, could also be demonstrated. CONCLUSION: The genotype IL-1RN*2/2 seems to be associated with early-stage gastric cancer. As opposed to advanced-stage gastric cancer, further proinflammatory cytokine polymorphisms were not associated independently, but might act in combination and mirror early steps of gastric carcinogenesis in hosts colonized by Helicobacter pylori. However, these findings await confirmation in future trials and should be underscored by gene expression studies.