Puberty News and Research

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Puberty is the maturation stage a person goes through when they develop secondary sexual characteristics. Usually, puberty occurs between the ages of 8 and 12 years in girls and between 9 and 14 years in boys.

Pro-inflammatory proteins linked to obesity, metabolic syndrome in adults appear to protect young children

The first study of its kind, led by Melinda Sothern, PhD, CEP, Professor and Director of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Public Health, reveals that the same pro-inflammatory proteins linked to obesity and the metabolic syndrome in adults appear to protect children prior to puberty.

4 Dec 2013

Young athletes are more prone to hip impingement, say specialists

Hip pain is no longer reserved for older adults. More and more young, active people are developing this problem, which often requires surgery to repair.

4 Dec 2013

High-fat food consumption during puberty may increase the risk of breast cancer

New findings show that eating a high-fat diet beginning at puberty speeds up the development of breast cancer and may actually increase the risk of cancer similar to a type often found in younger adult women.

26 Nov 2013

Study explains why men's noses are bigger than women's

Human noses come in all shapes and sizes. But one feature seems to hold true: Men's noses are bigger than women's.

19 Nov 2013

School-year bedtimes impact teens’ academic, social and emotional development

Teenagers who go to bed late during the school year are more prone to academic and emotional difficulties in the long run, compared to their earlier-to-bed counterparts, according to a new study from the University of California, Berkeley.

11 Nov 2013

Teens with late bedtimes may have lower academic performance, risk for later emotional distress

Teens with late bedtimes during the school year and schooldays that start early have lower academic performance and are at risk for later emotional distress. A new study in the Journal of Adolescent Health provides further evidence for a growing body of research that supports a movement to delay school start times for adolescents.

11 Nov 2013

Obesity is largest predictor of earlier onset puberty in girls, shows research

New research in Pediatrics shows obesity is the largest predictor of earlier onset puberty in girls, which is affecting white girls much sooner than previously reported.

4 Nov 2013

Drugs often fail to bring acromegaly under control in routine clinical practice

Over a quarter of UK patients treated for growth hormone-producing tumours do not achieve 'safe' growth hormone levels, according to a 30 year UK multi-centre study of clinical management of the rare disease acromegaly. The findings by the Society for Endocrinology UK Acromegaly Register, published in the November issue of Clinical Endocrinology, show that drugs to control acromegaly often fail to bring the disease completely under control in routine clinical practice.

10 Oct 2013

PMDD may shed light on complex interactions between sex hormones and mood

Improved understanding of the role of female sex hormones on the drivers and symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) may shed light on the complex interactions between sex hormones and mood, potentially helping to explain the increased prevalence of mood disorders in women.

8 Oct 2013

Caffeine intake results in delayed brain development

Humans and other mammals show particularly intensive sleeping patterns during puberty. The brain also matures fastest in this period. But when pubescent rats are administered caffeine, the maturing processes in their brains are delayed. This is the result of a study supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF).

24 Sep 2013

Researchers make new breakthroughs in brain circuitry controlling fertility

In a landmark discovery, the final piece in the puzzle of understanding how the brain circuitry vital to normal fertility in humans and other mammals operates has been put together by researchers at New Zealand's University of Otago.

21 Sep 2013

Neuropsychologic decline precedes schizophrenia onset

Researchers have confirmed that neuropsychologic functioning declines in individuals with schizophrenia from before to after illness onset.

18 Sep 2013

Study shows anorexia linked to how cholesterol processes

The largest DNA-sequencing study of anorexia nervosa has linked the eating disorder to variants in a gene coding for an enzyme that regulates cholesterol metabolism. The finding suggests that anorexia could be caused in part by a disruption in the normal processing of cholesterol, which may disrupt mood and eating behavior.

12 Sep 2013

Exposing young girls to ionizing radiation can raise risk of breast cancer later in life

Exposing young women and girls under the age of 20 to ionizing radiation can substantially raise the risk of their developing breast cancer later in life. Scientists may now know why. A collaborative study, in which Berkeley Lab researchers played a pivotal role, points to increased stem cell self-renewal and subsequent mammary stem cell enrichment as the culprits.

12 Sep 2013

Menopause findings show asthma to be ‘women’s health issue’

Results from a nationwide study in the USA show that women of menopausal age have a rate of asthma hospitalization that is more than twice that of men of the same age.

4 Sep 2013

Women in their 40s and 50s are hospitalized more than twice for asthma attack

Asthma is a disease that mostly affects young boys and adult women. And according to a new study, women in their 40s and 50s with asthma are hospitalized more than twice as often as men in the same age group. The 10-year study is published in the September issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).

3 Sep 2013

Study shows how microbes cooperate with sex hormones to affect immune system

Females can mount more powerful immune responses than males, but the flip side of this enhanced protection against infections is a greater risk for autoimmune disorders. Shedding light on the underlying causes of the gender bias in autoimmune diseases, a study published by Cell Press August 22nd in the journal Immunity reveals that certain gut microbes prevalent in males can help protect them against type 1 diabetes.

23 Aug 2013

Adolescents with symptoms of depression also may be at risk for developing anxiety

Some adolescents who suffer with symptoms of depression also may be at risk for developing anxiety, according to a new study of children's mental health.

13 Aug 2013

Doctor offers tips on how to talk with your tween about puberty

Some parents may shy away from talking to their daughters about puberty, but Loyola University Health System obstetrician and gynecologist Akua Afriyie-Gray, MD, stresses the importance of sitting down with your tween when the time comes.

13 Aug 2013

New model shows how excessive calorie intake affects weight of children

A new study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology reveals a sophisticated new model showing how excessive calorie intake affects the weight of children and adolescents, which could lead to improved weight loss interventions for obese and overweight children.

31 Jul 2013