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Endocrine Development 2005During the last decades, a secular trend of growth and timing of puberty occurred consisting of increased adult height and earlier onset of puberty. In The Netherlands... (Review)
Review
During the last decades, a secular trend of growth and timing of puberty occurred consisting of increased adult height and earlier onset of puberty. In The Netherlands although the most recent survey showed an increase of final height again, the timing of puberty onset appears to level off, and in boys pubertal onset was even slightly retarded. Different findings were reported from the United States, where a strong advancement of the onset of puberty was observed in both white and black girls, although the effect was more evident in black girls. Timing of puberty follows a familial pattern and therefore seems to be controlled by genetic factors, whereas environmental factors may influence and mediate the genetic regulation. Environmental factors such as nutritional status, chronic diseases, migration to a healthy environment, frequent infectious diseases, pollution and exposure to insecticides are all thought to influence the endocrine regulation status and therefore differentiation and development of endocrine organs. In this chapter, the physiologic mechanisms of puberty onset with the different regulatory aspects, as well as pathologic processes interfering with the onset of puberty will be discussed.
Topics: Adolescent; Child; Emigration and Immigration; Female; Fetal Growth Retardation; Humans; Male; Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Puberty; Puberty, Precocious; Time Factors
PubMed: 15722614
DOI: 10.1159/000084082 -
Endocrine Development 2016In recent years the pace of discovering the molecular and genetic underpinnings of the pubertal process has accelerated considerably. Genes required for human puberty to... (Review)
Review
In recent years the pace of discovering the molecular and genetic underpinnings of the pubertal process has accelerated considerably. Genes required for human puberty to occur have been identified and evidence has been provided suggesting that the initiation of puberty requires coordinated changes in the output of a multiplicity of genes organized into functional networks. Recent evidence suggests that a dual mechanism of epigenetic regulation affecting the transcriptional activity of neurons involved in stimulating gonadotropin-releasing hormone release plays a fundamental role in the timing of puberty. The Polycomb group (PcG) of transcriptional silencers appears to be a major component of the repressive arm of this mechanism. PcG proteins prevent the premature initiation of female puberty by silencing the Kiss1 gene in kisspeptin neurons of the arcuate nucleus (ARC) of the hypothalamus. Because the abundance of histone marks either catalyzed by--or associated with--the Trithorax group (TrxG) of transcriptional activators increases at the time when PcG control subsides, it appears that the TrxG complex is the counteracting partner of PcG-mediated gene silencing. In this chapter, we discuss the concept that a switch from epigenetic repression to activation within ARC kisspeptin neurons is a core mechanism underlying the initiation of female puberty.
Topics: Adolescent; Epigenesis, Genetic; Female; Humans; Polycomb-Group Proteins; Puberty; Sexual Maturation
PubMed: 26680569
DOI: 10.1159/000438840 -
Pediatrics Feb 2008Changes in puberty timing have implications for the treatment of individual children, for the risk of later adult disease, and for chemical testing and risk assessment... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study Review
Changes in puberty timing have implications for the treatment of individual children, for the risk of later adult disease, and for chemical testing and risk assessment for the population. Children with early puberty are at a risk for accelerated skeletal maturation and short adult height, early sexual debut, potential sexual abuse, and psychosocial difficulties. Altered puberty timing is also of concern for the development of reproductive tract cancers later in life. For example, an early age of menarche is a risk factor for breast cancer. A low age at male puberty is associated with an increased risk for testicular cancer according to several, but not all, epidemiologic studies. Girls and, possibly, boys who exhibit premature adrenarche are at a higher risk for developing features of metabolic syndrome, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease later in adulthood. Altered timing of puberty also has implications for behavioral disorders. For example, an early maturation is associated with a greater incidence of conduct and behavior disorders during adolescence. Finally, altered puberty timing is considered an adverse effect in reproductive toxicity risk assessment for chemicals. Recent US legislation has mandated improved chemical testing approaches for protecting children's health and screening for endocrine-disrupting agents, which has led to changes in the US Environmental Protection Agency's risk assessment and toxicity testing guidelines to include puberty-related assessments and to the validation of pubertal male and female rat assays for endocrine screening.
Topics: Age Factors; Animals; Child; Female; Humans; Male; Menarche; Metabolic Diseases; Puberty; Public Health; Risk Factors
PubMed: 18245514
DOI: 10.1542/peds.2007-1813G -
Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism:... 2006The age of menarche has fallen as child health has improved. Although there is ample evidence of delayed puberty being associated with poorer childhood nutrition,... (Review)
Review
The age of menarche has fallen as child health has improved. Although there is ample evidence of delayed puberty being associated with poorer childhood nutrition, menarche is also influenced by prenatal factors. In particular, early onset of puberty is reported in children who have migrated from developing to developed countries. Evolutionary perspectives suggest that these effects can be explained by adaptive mechanisms. They also provide an explanation for the human pubertal growth spurt. In the past few decades, as puberty has advanced, biological maturation has come to precede psychosocial maturation significantly for the first time in our evolutionary history Although this developmental mismatch has considerable societal implications, care has to be taken not to medicalize contemporary early puberty inappropriately.
Topics: Adolescent; Animals; Biological Evolution; Child; Child Development; Female; Humans; Menarche; Puberty
PubMed: 16311040
DOI: 10.1016/j.tem.2005.11.006 -
Hormone Research 2002Cancer may impinge on puberty either directly through a mass lesion effect on the reproductive axis or indirectly through hormones secreted by tumours, for example human... (Review)
Review
Cancer may impinge on puberty either directly through a mass lesion effect on the reproductive axis or indirectly through hormones secreted by tumours, for example human chorionic gonadotrophin, or weight loss, or the actual presence of a chronic disease process per se. The more frequent pubertal problems faced by children with cancer are due to the impact of treatment either on the central nervous system, the hypothalamic-pituitary axis or the gonad; in this review, we concentrate on these complications and their potential management.
Topics: Age Factors; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Brain Neoplasms; Child; Cranial Irradiation; Female; Gonads; Hormone Replacement Therapy; Humans; Male; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma; Puberty; Time Factors
PubMed: 12065925
DOI: 10.1159/000058099 -
Chronobiology International Mar 2022Puberty onset is tightly regulated by a broad spectrum of neuroendocrine signals and peripheral stimuli which coordinate the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis... (Review)
Review
Puberty onset is tightly regulated by a broad spectrum of neuroendocrine signals and peripheral stimuli which coordinate the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis activation. Numerous studies suggest that light stimulation influences HPG axis function; however, the effect of blindness on puberty timing remains controversial. Given that menarche is a suitable marker for sexual development initiation, the evaluation of the age at which blind girls attain it allows to indirectly assess the effect of light-dark cycle disruption on pubertal development. The present investigation aimed to review the evidence regarding menarcheal age drift in visually impaired girls, as well as to discuss the findings based on the existing hypotheses of the physiological mechanisms linking the light-dark cycle and photic sensitivity loss to the onset of puberty. Eleven studies were retrieved from a literature search conducted in PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, and Google Scholar databases. Eight studies concluded that light perception impairment is related to a moderately earlier age at menarche. Moreover, the evidence gathered in this review suggests a positive association between the degree of light perception loss and precocious menarcheal onset; yet, no conclusive outcomes were found regarding menarche advancement in acquired versus congenital blindness. We encourage further research aiming to elucidate the physiological mechanism underlying photosensitive regulation and blindness effect on the neuroendocrine pathways involved in human sexual maturation.
Topics: Blindness; Circadian Rhythm; Female; Humans; Menarche; Photoperiod; Puberty
PubMed: 34814789
DOI: 10.1080/07420528.2021.1998103 -
Reviews in Endocrine & Metabolic... Mar 2007Puberty is the end-point of a complex series of developmental events, defined by the dynamic interaction between genetic factors and environmental cues, ultimately... (Review)
Review
Puberty is the end-point of a complex series of developmental events, defined by the dynamic interaction between genetic factors and environmental cues, ultimately leading to the attainment of reproductive capacity. The neuroendocrine basis of puberty has been the subject of extensive investigation in the last decades, and identification of the trigger(s) of puberty onset has drawn considerable attention. In this context, recognition of the fundamental role of kisspeptin (encoded by the KiSS-1 gene) and its receptor GPR54 as major gatekeepers of gonadotropic function in general, and puberty onset in particular, has been a major breakthrough in contemporary Neuroendocrinology. Indeed, during the last 3 years, the so-called KiSS-1/GPR54 system has been substantiated as pivotal regulator of puberty in mammals; the lack of GPR54 signaling being coupled to sexual immaturity (impuberism) in mice and humans. In this review, we will summarize the most salient experimental data (mostly obtained in laboratory animals) demonstrating the key roles of hypothalamic KiSS-1 neurons in the activation of the reproductive axis at puberty, and its regulation by metabolic and, eventually, environmental factors. Whether the KiSS-1 system is the trigger for puberty onset and/or it operates as integrator and effector of up-stream regulatory factors warrants further investigation.
Topics: Animals; Environment; Humans; Kisspeptins; Leptin; Neoplasms; Neurosecretory Systems; Puberty; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; Receptors, Kisspeptin-1; Reproduction; Rodentia; Sexual Maturation; Tumor Suppressor Proteins
PubMed: 17340172
DOI: 10.1007/s11154-007-9028-2 -
Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) Jun 2024
Topics: Humans; Gender Dysphoria; Child; Female; Puberty; Male; Adolescent; Puberty Suppression
PubMed: 38433301
DOI: 10.1111/apa.17189 -
Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology Aug 2010
Topics: Environment; Humans; Neuropeptides; Neurosecretory Systems; Puberty
PubMed: 20493922
DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2010.05.006 -
Journal of Research on Adolescence :... Sep 2020Puberty in girls represents a notable period of vulnerability for different psychological disorders. The research literature has primarily considered external and...
Puberty in girls represents a notable period of vulnerability for different psychological disorders. The research literature has primarily considered external and contextual factors that might explain these rises in symptomatology. In the present study, we investigate relations of pubertal status and timing with individual cognitive, emotional, and behavioral tendencies, commonly identified as transdiagnostic processes, in a sample of N = 228 girls (M = 11.75 years). We also test whether these transdiagnostic processes mediate associations of pubertal status and pubertal timing with depressive symptoms. Results support greater endorsement of rumination, co-rumination, negative urgency, and both anxious and angry rejection sensitivity in girls with more advanced pubertal status, as well as in girls with early pubertal timing. Higher levels of transdiagnostic processes fully mediated associations of pubertal status and timing with depressive symptoms at significant and marginally significant levels, respectively. Although the data are cross-sectional, these findings offer promising preliminary evidence that transdiagnostic processes represent an important mental health risk in early adolescent girls.
Topics: Adolescent; Child; Cross-Sectional Studies; Emotions; Female; Humans; Mental Disorders; Puberty; Risk Factors; Rumination, Cognitive
PubMed: 32109337
DOI: 10.1111/jora.12552