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PURPOSE: The purpose of this article was to describe feminism and to propose the integration of a feminist method into qualitative nursing methodology in order to expand the body of nursing knowledge. METHOD: The world view of feminism including philosophy, epistemology and methodology was outlined, and a feminist grounded theory and feminist ethnography were suggested as a way of strengthening nursing research methodology using literature review. RESULT: Four different philosophical perspectives of feminism, that is, liberal feminism, radical feminism, Marxist feminism, and social feminism were described. Also epistemological perspectives including feminist empiricism, feminist standpoint, and postmodern feminism, were explained and were related to the methodology and methods of feminism. To enhance the strengths of nursing research within the feminist perspectives, feminist grounded theory and feminist ethnography were exemplified in the paradigm of qualitative nursing research. CONCLUSION: This paper suggested that incorporation of feminist approaches within nursing is a valuable attempt to expand the body of nursing knowledge and to enhance the quality of nursing care services by rectifying male-oriented knowledge and by empowering women in the care of other people as well as themselves.
It is a well-known fact that nursing and feminism have enjoyed an uneasy alliance. In recent years, however, nursing has begun to recognize the importance of feminism. Nevertheless, the literature still rarely addresses the relevance of feminism for public health nursing. In this article, I articulate the relevance of feminism for public health nursing knowledge and practice. First, I define and describe feminism and public health nursing and then I discuss the importance of feminism for public health nursing practice. The importance of feminism for the metaparadigm concepts of public health nursing is then reviewed. Finally, I examine several existing challenges relating to feminism and public health nursing research, education, and practice. The thesis of this article is that feminism is vitally important for the development of public health nursing and for public health care.
Feminist criticism of health care and of bioethics has become increasingly rich and sophisticated in the last years of the twentieth century. Nonetheless, this body of work remains quite marginalized. I believe that there are (at least) two reasons for this. First, many people are still confused about feminism. Second, many people are unconvinced that significant sexism still exists and are therefore unreceptive to arguments that it should be remedied if there is no larger benefit. In this essay I argue for a thin, "core" conception of feminism that is easy to understand and difficult to reject. Core feminism would render debate within feminism more fruitful, clear the way for appropriate recognition of differences among women and their circumstances, provide intellectually compelling reasons for current non-feminists to adopt a feminist outlook, and facilitate mutually beneficial cooperation between feminism and other progressive social movements. This conception of feminism also makes it clear that feminism is part of a larger egalitarian moral and political agenda, and adopting it would help bioethics focus on the most urgent moral priorities. In addition, integrating core feminism into bioethics would open a gateway to the more speculative parts of feminist work where a wealth of creative thinking is occurring. Engaging with this feminist work would challenge and strengthen mainstream approaches: it should also motivate mainstream bioethicists to explore other currently marginalized parts of bioethics.
Female differentiation of Drosophila germ cells is induced by cell-nonautonomous signals generated in the gonadal soma that work with germ-cell-autonomous signals determined by germ-cell X chromosome dose. Generation of the nonautonomous feminizing signals was known to involve female-specific protein encoded by the master sex-determination gene Sex-lethal (Sxl) acting on its switch-gene target transformer (tra) to produce Tra(F) protein. However, it was not known whether Sxl's action on tra alone would suffice to trigger a fully feminizing nonautonomous signal. We developed a constitutively feminizing tra transgene that allowed us to answer this question. In gynanders (XX//XO mosaics) feminized by this Tra(F) transgene, functionally Sxl- haplo-X (chromosomally male) somatic cells collaborated successfully with diplo-X (chromosomally female) germ cells to make functional eggs. The fertility of such gynanders shows not only that Tra(F) is sufficient to elicit a fully feminizing nonautonomous signal, but also that haplo-X somatic cells can execute all other somatic functions required for oogenesis, despite the fact that their genome is not expected to be dosage compensated for such diplo-X-specific functions. The unexpected observation that some Tra(F)-feminized gynanders failed to lay their eggs showed there to be diplo-X cells outside the gonad for which Tra(F)-feminized haplo-X cells cannot substitute.
The problem was approached whether the feminizing action of oestrogens or androgens on the chick embryo testes could be antagonized by anti-oestrogens or anti-androgens. 100 micrograms of either tamoxifen, cyproterone acetate or compound RU 23908 were injected into the chick embryo after 4 days of incubation and 100 micrograms of either oestradiol benzoate or diethylstilboestrol or 1 mg of either androsterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone or 5 alpha-androstanedione were given one day later. The surviving embryos were sacrificed when 14-17 days old and their gonads were examined morphologically and in some cases also histologically. Control embryos were only given oestrogens or androgens. Out of 20 surviving embryos treated with oestradiol only, 10 were genetic females and 10 strongly feminized males. After tamoxifen treatment, out of 20 embryos, 11 were females, 7 normal males and 2 slightly feminized males. Thus, tamoxifen suppressed the feminizing action of oestradiol. It antagonized also the feminizing action of diethylstilboestrol. Neither cyproterone acetate nor compound RU 23908 suppressed the feminizing action of androsterone or diethylstilboestrol. But tamoxifen interfered with the androgens, preventing the feminization of the testes. It is suggested that androgens bind to the oestrogen receptor.
Wolbachia, which forms a group of maternally inherited bacteria in arthropods, often cause reproduction alterations in their hosts, such as cytoplasmic incompatibility, parthenogenesis, male-killing, hybrid breakdown and feminization. To date, Wolbachia-induced feminization has been reported only in isopods. Here we report that a Wolbachia strain feminizes an insect host, Ostrinia furnacalis. Among 79 wild females of O. furnacalis examined, Wolbachia infection was detected in 13 females. Twelve of the 13 infected females produced all-female progenies, and this trait was maternally inherited. Tetracycline treatment of thelygenic matrilines resulted in the production of all-male progenies. The present findings indicate that the Wolbachia infection induces feminization of genetic males in O. furnacalis. Differences in the Wolbachia-induced feminization in O. furnacalis and that in isopods are discussed along with the differences in sex determination mechanisms between insects and isopods. Phylogenetic analysis of the wsp gene sequence of Wolbachia suggests independent evolutionary origins for the Wolbachia-induced feminizations in O. furnacalis and in isopods. Our findings over 5 years suggest that the infection has been maintained at a low prevalence in the O. furnacalis population.
The recently developed female leukophore-free (FLFII) strain of Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) carries DNA markers for the identification of genotypic sex. Information regarding genotypic sex is useful for tests in which endocrine-disrupting compounds may masculinize or feminize fish. In the present study, methods were developed to automate DNA extraction and profiling for rapid determination of genotypic sex. Adequate amounts of DNA were isolated by robotic extraction procedures from the caudal fin. New primers were developed to include an 18-base pair segment that is in the X chromosome of female medaka but is absent in the Y chromosome of male medaka. Automated profiling methods with 96-well plates permitted analysis of the genomic sex of medaka at rates of up to 500 fish/d. We investigated the sensitivity of the FLFII strain to the feminizing effects of the potent estrogen 17beta-estradiol (E2), and we compared this sensitivity to that of a wild strain that has been used widely in the study of endocrine-disrupting compounds. All FLFII medaka exposed to 1 microg/L of E2 (n = 50) had the female gonadal phenotype (i.e., ovaries), and all but one wild-strain medaka exposed to 1 microg/L of E2 (i.e., 47 of 48 fish) had the female gonadal phenotype, indicating that the FLFII and wild strains have approximately equal sensitivities to the feminizing effects of E2. Analysis of the genotype of FLFII medaka confirmed that 100% of fish with the male genotype had been feminized to the female gonadal phenotype. The FLFII strain is an excellent teleost model for detecting feminization or masculinization of fish, and automated methods can be used for rapid analysis of the genotypic sex of FLFII medaka.
PURPOSE: Although feminism has been actively discussed and applied to nursing in Western societies since the 1980s, it is little known among Korean scholars as well as Korean nurses. This article explores the use of feminist perspectives in nursing science in other developed countries and suggests how feminism could be applied to nursing science in Korea. METHOD: The literature related to nursing and feminism were reviewed in terms of nursing practice, education, and research. RESULT: This article describes what feminism is and how feminism and nursing have evolved historically over time in other countries, especially in Western societies. In addition, it discusses how it can be applied to nursing practice, education, and research in Korea. CONCLUSION: Accepting feminist perspective in Korean nursing could benefit in empowering nurses by valuing nursing, by raising self-esteem of nurses, and by raising the consciousness of socio-political realities. Eventually it could benefit in changing and developing nursing science in Korea.
Taenia crassiceps cysticercosis results in an impressive feminization in male mice during chronic infection, characterized by increased serum estradiol levels 100 times their normal values, while those of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone are decreased by 85 and 95% respectively. Concomitantly, the levels of follicle-stimulating hormone and IL-6 are increased 70 and 90 times their normal values in the infected male mice. Since a specific Th1/Th2 shift of the immune response has been previously reported during the chronic infection, and this shift may be associated with the feminization process, we proposed that this shift is induced by immunoendocrine interactions during the disease, and this gives way to a change in the initial resistance to the infection in the male mice, which become as susceptible as female mice. To confirm this hypothesis, we depleted immune system activity in two different ways: total body irradiation and neonatal thymectomy. Our results show that when immune system activity is depleted using either strategy, the male mice do not feminize, and the levels of follicle-stimulating hormone and IL-6 are inhibited. Depletion of IL-6 using IL-6(-/-) knockout mice does not produce the feminization process stated above, while restitution of the IL-6(-/-) knockout, irradiated, and thymectomized mice with murine recombinant IL-6 restores the feminization process. Expression of the IL-6 gene was found only in the testes and spleen of infected animals. Our results illustrate the importance of immunoendocrine interactions during a parasitic disease and show a possible new mechanism of parasite establishment in an initially resistant host.
This research programme commenced in West Africa, where it was found that individuals with kwashiorkor gynaecomastia were feminized. This was also reinforced by the interacting dominant maternal socialization practices (Dawson, 1966). This was confirmed with feminized responses for adult male rats, on the Tolman-Maze (Dawson, 1972), while as well confirmed neonatally, for both feminized male and female rats (Dawson, Cheung and Lau, 1973, 1975). The present experiment tests the interacting effects of various levels of environmental stimulation, high, normal and low (Levitsky and Barnes, 1972), using feminized male rats. Thus castration, oestrogen and castration, and oestrogen feminized males, were contrasted with male and female controls. The results confirmed the physiological growth curves and other anatomical differences. As well, the activity data confirmed the hypothesis, for the combined samples (where high Ns mean more reliability) and also the environmental stimulation (F ratio: d.f. 18 and 57, 11.37, p less than 0.001; low Ns here mean lower reliability). However, for the symmetrical maze, the results for the combined samples, were not as convincing as in Dawson et al. (1973, 1975), although the environmental stimulation produced significant results in many cases, including a significant interaction for the analysis of variance (F ratio: d.f. 18 and 57, 3.12 p less than 0.001).