A Report of the 24th Annual Congress on Women's Health-Workshop on Transforming Women's Health: From Research to Practice.

Sex and gender are critical contributors to overall health and disease, and considering both in research informs the development of prevention strategies and treatment interventions for both men and women. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Research on Women's Health sponsored a preconference workshop on this topic at the 24th Annual Women's Health Congress, which was held in Crystal City, VA, in April 2016. The workshop featured presentations by NIH intramural and extramural scientists who presented data on a variety of topics including polycystic kidney disease, vaccine protection, depression, drug addiction, and cardiovascular disease.

The science of sex and gender in human health: online courses to create a foundation for sex and gender accountability in biomedical research and treatment.

Background: Sex and gender differences play a significant role in the course and outcome of conditions that affect specific organ systems in the human body. Research on differences in the effects of medical intervention has helped scientists develop a number of sex- and gender-specific guidelines on the treatment and management of these conditions. An online series of courses, "The Science of Sex and Gender in Human Health," developed by the National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women's Health and the U.

Considering sex as a biological variable in preclinical research.

In June 2015, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released a Guide notice (NOT-OD-15-102) that highlighted the expectation of the NIH that the possible role of sex as a biologic variable be factored into research design, analyses, and reporting of vertebrate animal and human studies. Anticipating these guidelines, the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health, in October 2014, convened key stakeholders to discuss methods and techniques for integrating sex as a biologic variable in preclinical research. The workshop focused on practical methods, experimental design, and approaches to statistical analyses in the use of both male and female animals, cells, and tissues in preclinical research.

Programmatic Efforts at the National Institutes of Health to Promote and Support the Careers of Women in Biomedical Science.

Although women have reached parity at the training level in the biological sciences and medicine, they are still significantly underrepresented in the professoriate and in mid- and senior-level life science positions. Considerable effort has been devoted by individuals and organizations across science sectors to understanding this disparity and to developing interventions in support of women's career development. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) formed the Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) in 1990 with the goals of supporting initiatives to improve women's health and providing opportunities and support for the recruitment, retention, reentry, and sustained advancement of women in biomedical careers.

A Report of the Women's Health Congress Workshop on The Health of Women of Color: A Critical Intersection at the Corner of Sex/Gender and Race/Ethnicity.

Women of color face unique health challenges that differ significantly from those of other women and men of color. To bring these issues to light, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Research on Women's Health sponsored a preconference workshop at the 23rd Annual Women's Health Congress, which was held in Washington, DC, in April 2015. The workshop featured presentations by NIH intramural and extramural scientists who provided insight on the disparities of a wide range of conditions, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, the risk of HIV infection, and disability in an aging population.

A pilot clinical study of resveratrol in postmenopausal women with high body mass index: effects on systemic sex steroid hormones.

Background: Breast cancer risk is partially determined by several hormone-related factors. Preclinical and clinical studies suggested that resveratrol may modulate these hormonal factors.

Methods: We conducted a pilot study in postmenopausal women with high body mass index (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2) to determine the clinical effect of resveratrol on systemic sex steroid hormones.

Phase IB randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, dose escalation study of polyphenon E in women with hormone receptor-negative breast cancer.

Epidemiologic data support an inverse association between green tea intake and breast cancer risk, and numerous experimental studies have shown the antitumor effects of its main component, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). We conducted a phase IB dose escalation trial in women with a history of stage I to III hormone receptor-negative breast cancer of an oral green tea extract, polyphenon E (Poly E) 400, 600, 800 twice daily or matching placebo for 6 months. The primary endpoint was to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), defined as the dose that causes 25% dose-limiting toxicity (DLT, grade ≥II).

Pentoxifylline in the treatment of radiation-induced fibrosis.

Purpose: Fibrotic sequelae remain the most important dose-limiting toxicity of radiation therapy to soft tissue. Functionally, this is reflected in loss of range of motion and muscle strength and the development of limb edema and pain. Tumor necrosis factor alpha and fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2), which are abnormally elevated in irradiated tissues, may mediate radiation fibrovascular injury.

Cervical cancer chemoprevention, vaccines, and surrogate endpoint biomarkers.

At the Second International Conference on Cervical Cancer, held April 11-14, 2002, experts in cervical cancer prevention, detection, and treatment reviewed the need for more research in chemoprevention, including prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines, immunomodulators, peptides, and surrogate endpoint biomarkers. Investigators and clinicians noted the need for more rigorous Phase I randomized clinical trials, more attention to the risk factors that can affect study results in this patient population, and validation of optical technologies that will provide valuable quantitative information in real time regarding disease regression and progression. They discussed the role of the human papillomavirus (HPV) in cervical cancer development and the importance of developing strategies to suppress HPV persistence and progression.

Decreased incidence of cervical cancer in medicare-eligible California women.

Objective: To determine if the incidence of invasive cervical cancer relative to carcinoma in situ decreased in Medicare-eligible women.

Methods: A retrospective cohort was amassed from the California Cancer Registry database. The hypothesis was prospectively specified.