Excess visceral and hepatic adipose tissue in Turner syndrome determined by magnetic resonance imaging: estrogen deficiency associated with hepatic adipose content

Obesity, predominantly centrally distributed, is common in women with Turner syndrome (TS) and is thought to contribute to the increased risk of atherosclerosis; however, insulin concentrations are unexpectedly low. To explore this discrepancy, we assessed fat content and distribution by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and bioelectrical impedance (BI). Six nondiabetic, estrogen-treated women with TS were compared with six age-matched normal controls of similar body mass index. Clinical history, anthropometric measurements, biochemical markers, and MRI and BI measures of adiposity were assessed. TS women had increased intrahepatocellular lipids (IHCL) on MRI. After height adjustment, they also had an excess of total and visceral compared with sc adipose tissue (AT) than controls, without elevated insulin concentrations. BI and MRI measures correlated strongly for total and sc, but not visceral, AT in TS. IHCL was associated with cumulative estrogen-deficient years (r = 0.928; P = 0.008). Women with TS depart from the classical picture of metabolic syndrome despite an excess of total and visceral AT on MRI. Elevated IHCL in TS is associated with estrogen deficiency. BI may be useful to estimate total body fat, but does not reliably localize fat depots in TS

Moving beyond binary opposition: exploring the tapestry of gender in consumer research and marketing

The last two decades have seen an exponential growth in research pertaining to gender issues in marketing and consumer research. This special issue of Marketing Theory, together with the ongoing Association for Consumer Research Gender, Marketing and Consumer Research conference series, now approaching its tenth iteration, demonstrates the continued interest in gender issues in our disciplines. Introducing the special issue, this paper’s remit is threefold: it maps the substantive and theoretical developments of gender research within our discipline; it locates this work on gender within its broader context in humanities and social science; and it introduces the reader to the four papers in this special issue. The paper concludes that gender research has moved from the margins to become a strong body of work within marketing and consumer research. That said, there remains substantive opportunity for further development, where gender and feminist research can offer new insights, critiques, theories and approaches