Nucleocytoplasmic distribution of Yap/TAZ is regulated by the Hippo pathway and the cytoskeleton. While interactions with cytosolic and nuclear “retention factors” (14–3–3 and TEAD) are known to control their localization, fundamental aspects of Yap/TAZ shuttling remain undefined. It is unclear if translocation occurs only by passive diffusion or via mediated transport, and neither the potential nuclear localization and efflux signals (NLS, NES) nor their putative regulation have been identified. Here we show that TAZ cycling is a mediated process and identify the underlying NLS and NES. The C-terminal NLS, representing a new class of import motifs, is necessary and sufficient for efficient nuclear uptake via a RAN-independent mechanism. RhoA activity directly stimulates this import. The NES lies within the TEAD-binding domain and can be masked by TEAD, thereby preventing efflux. Thus, we describe a RhoA-regulated NLS, a TEAD-regulated NES and propose an improved model of nucleocytoplasmic TAZ shuttling beyond "retention".

IMPORTANCE Women in medicine have been underrepresented at medical conferences; however, contributing factors have not been well studied. OBJECTIVE To examine the distribution of invited conference speakers by gender and factors associated with representation of women as speakers. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This cross-sectional analysis used medical conference programs from March 2017 to November 2018 across 20 specialties in 5 regions (Australasia, Canada, Europe, the UK, and the US) that were obtained online or from conference conveners. EXPOSURES Gender of invited lecturers, panelists, and planning committee members for each conference based on name or picture and publicly available data on compositions of specialties by gender for included regions. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Outcomes included the proportion of female speakers (invited lecturers and panelists), the number of single-gender panels, and the proportion of female speakers compared with the specialties' gender composition. Correlations between the gender composition of conference planning committees and the proportion of female speakers were assessed. Multivariable regression models were used to evaluate factors independently associated with the proportion of female speakers at conferences. RESULTS A total of 8535 sessions (panels and invited lectures) with 23 440 speakers across 98 conferences were identified. Women accounted for 7064 (30.1%) of speakers; 1981 of 5409 panels (36.6%) consisted of men only, and 363 (6.7%) consisted of women only. The proportion of women speakers varied by region and specialty from 5.8% to 74.5%. In general, specialties with low baseline proportions of women (<20%) had a ratio of female speakers to female specialists greater than 1, whereas specialties with high baseline proportions of women (>40%) had a ratio of female speakers to female specialists less that 1. There was a strong positive correlation between the proportion of women on planning committees and conference representation of female speakers (r = 0.67; P < .001). The association remained statistically significant after controlling for other variables, including the regional gender balance of the specialty (odds ratio, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.04-1.15; P < .001 for every 10% increase in the proportion of women on the planning committee). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this cross-sectional study, the proportion of female speakers at medical conferences was lower than that of male speakers, and more than one-third of panels were composed of men only. Increasing the number of women on planning committees may help address gender inequities.

omen use more health care services during pregnancy than at other times. An unforeseen or new-onset health condition -whether in pregnancy or soon after birth -may necessitate an unplanned health care visit(s), including to an emergency department. 1 A limited number of studies have suggested that emergency department use in pregnancy is often associated with suboptimal antenatal care, psychosocial instability, and worse maternal and infant outcomes. 2,3 Those studies also documented a higher rate of emergency department use among pregnant women with preexisting comorbidities than among pregnant women without preexisting comorbidities. [2][3][4] In the United States, emergency department use during pregnancy has been reported to vary between 21% and 58%, with a higher frequency of repeat emergency department visits than seen among nonpregnant women. 2-5 A major limitation of those studies is that the study populations consisted of commercially insured or low-income patients in the US, who likely differ considerably from women who receive care within health care systems such as that in Canada, where there is universal access to physician and hospital care.