The Vitamin D Decrease in Children with Obesity Is Associated with the Development of Insulin Resistance during Puberty: The PUBMEP Study

Obesity and cardiometabolic risk have been associated with vitamin D levels even in children. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the association between insulin resistance (IR), cardiometabolic risk factors, and vitamin D in children from prepubertal to pubertal stages. A total of 76 children from the PUBMEP study, aged 4–12 years at baseline, were included. Children were evaluated in prepubertal and pubertal stages. Anthropometric measurements and selected cardiometabolic risk biomarkers, such as plasma glucose, blood lipids, insulin, adiponectin, leptin, and blood pressure, and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) were determined. Children were categorized by obesity degree and IR status combined before and after puberty. Paired t-test and multivariate linear regression analyses were conducted. During puberty, the increase in triacylglycerols, insulin, and HOMA-IR and the decrease in QUICKI were significantly associated with the reduction in 25(OH)D (B = −0.274, p = 0.032; B = −0.219, p = 0.019; B = −0.250, p = 0.013; B = 1.574, p = 0.013, respectively) after adjustment by BMI-z, sex, and pubertal stage. Otherwise, prepubertal non-IR children with overweight/obesity that became IR during puberty showed a significant decrease in 25(OH)D and HDL-c, and an increase in waist circumference and triacylglycerol concentrations (p < 0.05 for all) over time. These results suggest that changes in IR seem to be associated with an effect on 25(OH)D levels during puberty, especially in children with overweight.

Concordance of SMI and CVMS bone maturation indices in pubertal growth stages – cross-sectional study

In order to verify the concordance of the bone development indices (SMI) estimated on the hand and fist radiograph by the method of Fishman (1982) and the indices of development of the cervical vertebrae (CVMS), estimated on the profile teleradiography by the method of Baccetti (2002), was conducted a cross-sectional study on a group of 150 subjects (89 girls and 61 boys), aged 8-18 years. Based on the existing data in the literature and taking into account the average ages at which the SMI and CVMS stages were reached in the research group, a hypothesis of correspondence between SMI and CVMS stages in the pubertal stages was issued and this hypothesis was statistically verified using the coefficient Cohen k. The obtained results (k = 0.82 for the girls 'group and k = 0.67 for the boys' group) confirm the concordance of the SMI and CVMS indices within the researched group and validate the correspondence hypothesis issued.

Pubertal status of children with congenital heart disease

Background: CHD influences many aspects of life in affected individuals. Puberty, a major aspect of development, is a concern for patients and families. Objectives: We investigated pubertal status in children and adolescents with CHD. Methods: Patients with CHD aged 6–18 were enrolled. Cardiac diagnoses were confirmed using history, examination, and paraclinical tools including echocardiography. An endocrinologist determined pubertal stages, and the second Tanner stages for pubarche (P2), thelarche (B2), and gonadarche (G2) were considered as the pubertal onset. A study with a large sample size on pubertal onset in a normal population was used for comparison. Results: Totally, 451 patients (228 girls and 223 boys) at a median (10th–90th percentile) age of 10.79 (8.02–14.28) years for the girls and 10.72 (8.05–14.03) years for the boys were enrolled. The median (10th–90th percentile) ages at B2 and P2 in the girls with CHD were 10.77 (9.55–12.68) and 10.53 (9.39–12.28) years, respectively, which were higher than the median ages of 9.74 (8.23–11.94) and 10.49 (8.86–12.17) years in the normal girls. The median (10th–90th percentile) ages at G2 and P2 in the boys with CHD were 11.04 (8.85–13.23) and 11.88 (9.78–13.46) years, correspondingly, which were higher than the median ages of 9.01 (6.00–11.84) and 10.34 (6.84–13.10) years in the normal boys. Conclusions: Pubertal onset could be delayed in children with CHD when compared with the normal population.

Pubarche and gonadarche onset and progression are differently associated to birth weight and infancy growth patterns

Context Controversy exists regarding associations between early life growth patterns and timing of puberty. Objective To investigate associations between birth anthropometry, early growth patterns and onset/progression of pubertal milestones in boys and girls. Design and Participants Among children examined at birth (1997-2003) and at 36 months of age in a mother child cohort, pubertal Tanner stages (B1-5, PH1-5, G1-5) and testicular volume were examined by trained physicians at 1-5 follow-up examinations during childhood and adolescence (672 girls and 846 boys, 2006-2013). Main Outcome Measures With parametric survival models we analyzed associations between birth weight, changes in standard deviation scores (SDS) from birth to 36 months (Δ SDS 0-36 &gt;0.67 SD defining catch up growth), and age at pubertal onset/attainment of late pubertal stages /menarche. Results A 1 kg higher birth weight was associated with earlier onset of B2+ (thelarche): -3.9 months (CI: -6.7; -1.1), G2+ (gonadarche): -2.7 months (-5.3;-0.1), Tvol3+ (testis size &gt; 3ml):-2.8 months (-4.9; -0.7), but with later G4+ and PH4+ in boys, and a slower progression from B2 to menarche (5.3 months (1.2; 9.4)) in girls. Catch up growth was associated with earlier PH2+ (pubarche) in girls (-4.1 months (-7.6;-0.6)), earlier PH2+ in boys (-3.4 months (-6.6;-0.2)), faster progression from B2 to menarche in girls (-9.1 months (14.6; 3.5)) and earlier G4+ and PH4+ in boys. Conclusions Associations between birthweight and infancy catch up growth differed for gonadarche and pubarche, and for early and late pubertal markers, with similar patterns in both sexes.

Alternative Splicing Dynamics of the Hypothalamus–Pituitary–Ovary Axis During Pubertal Transition in Gilts

The timing of puberty in mammals marks the point at which reproduction becomes possible. Abnormalities in the timing of puberty may exert a series of negative effects on subsequent health outcomes. Alternative splicing (AS) has not only emerged as a significant factor in the transcription of genes but it is also reported to play a role in the timing of puberty. However, to date, the changes and dynamics of AS during the onset of puberty is extremely seldom explored. In the present study, we used gilts as a research model to investigated the dynamics of AS and differentially expressed AS (DEAS) events within the hypothalamus–pituitary–ovary (HPO) axis across pre-, in-, and post-puberty. We detected 3,390, 6,098, and 9,085 DEAS events in the hypothalamus, pituitary, and ovary when compared across pre-, in-, and post-pubertal stages, respectively. Within the entire HPO axis, we also identified 22,889, 22,857, and 21,055 DEAS events in the pre-, in-, and post-pubertal stages, respectively. Further analysis revealed that the differentially spliced genes (DSGs) associated with staged DEAS events were likely to be enriched in the oxytocin signaling pathway, thyroid hormone signaling pathway, GnRH signaling pathway, and oocyte meiosis signaling pathway. The DSGs associated with DEAS events across the entire HPO axis were enriched in endocytosis signaling pathway, the MAPK signaling pathway, and the Rap1 signaling pathway. Moreover. the ASs of TAC1, TACR3, CYP19A1, ESR1, ESRRA, and FSHR were likely to regulate the functions of the certain HPO tissues during the onset of puberty. Collectively, the AS dynamics and DEAS events were comprehensively profiled in hypothalamus, pituitary, and ovary across the pre-, in-, and post-pubertal stages in pigs. These findings may enhance our knowledge of how puberty is regulated by AS and shed new light on the molecular mechanisms underlying the timing of puberty in mammals.

Identification of Circular RNAs in Hypothalamus of Gilts during the Onset of Puberty

The disorders of puberty have shown negative outcomes on health of mammals, and the hypothalamus is thought to be the main regulator of puberty by releasing GnRH. Many studies show that the circular RNAs (circRNAs) might be implicated in the timing of puberty in mammals. However, the circRNAs in the hypothalamus of gilts have not been explored. To profile the changes and biological functions of circRNAs in the hypothalamus during the onset of puberty, RNA-seq was utilized to establish pre-, in-, and post-pubertal hypothalamic circRNAs profiles. In this study, the functions of hypothalamic circRNAs were enriched in the signaling pathway of neurotrophin, progesterone-mediated oocyte maturation, oocyte meiosis, insulin, ErbB, and mTOR, which have been highly suggested to be involved in the timing of puberty. Furthermore, 53 circRNAs were identified to be putative hypothalamus-specific expressed circRNAs, and some of them were exclusively expressed in the one of three pubertal stages. Moreover, 22 differentially expressed circRNAs were identified and chosen to construct the circRNA-miRNA-gene network. Moreover, 10 circRNAs were found to be driven by six puberty-related genes (ESR1, NF1, APP, ENPP2, ARNT, and DICER1). Subsequently, the expression changes of several circRNAs were confirmed by RT-qPCR. Collectively, the preliminary results of hypothalamic circRNAs provided useful information for the investigation of the molecular mechanism for the timing of puberty in gilts.

Age – Related changes in serum biochemical parameters in the domestic rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

The influence of age on serum biochemical components in the domestic rabbit was investigated. The serum total protein (g/dL), albumin (g/dL), globulin (g/dL), creatinine (mg/dL), urea mg/dL, cholesterol (mg/dL), Alkaline phosphatase (ALP; iu/l), Aspartate aminotranferase (AST; iu/l) and Alanine amimotransferase (ALT; iu/l) were assessed in 24 male rabbits at 7, 14 and 21 weeks of age to represent weaners, growers and pubertal stages. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance at á . Results of 0.05 serum biochemistry revealed a steady significant increase in total protein (4.2±0.3; 5.3±0.5; 6.9±0.2), albumin (2.2±0.7; 2.8±0.4; 4.0±0.2), globulin (1.9±0.3; 2.5±0.4, 2.9±0.2), cholesterol (49.5±1.1; 56.4±4.2; 62.4±5.4) and creatinine (0.8±0.1; 1.2±0.1; 1.9±0.3) at 7, 14 and 21 weeks respectively. Serum urea levels were similar across the ages. The values recorded for ALP and AST at 7 weeks (39.6±7.5; 101.1±6.7) and 14 weeks (38.7±6.4; 104.5±8.7) were significantly higher than the 21 weeks (33.5±2.7; 95.8±5.9) while ALT at 7 weeks (27.33±5.6) was significantly lower than 14 (38.2±3.9) and 21 weeks (37.4±3.0). The age of the rabbits had a significant effect on their serum biochemical parameters. They should therefore be grouped according to age when setting serum reference values for them.

Masculinity and immune system efficacy in men

Masculinity-related morphological traits are supposed to be honest indicators of a man's biological quality. While some studies showed that sexually dimorphic traits are related to various aspects of biological condition such as general health, immunity or fertility, still little is known about the relationship between masculine traits and the effectiveness of innate and adaptive immunity in humans. The aim of this study was to see if masculine traits, which are dependent on androgen levels in foetal and pubertal stages of development, are related to the immune quality in healthy men. The immune quality was evaluated for 91 healthy men aged 19–36 years. Immunity measurements included innate and adaptive parameters. General health status, age, testosterone level, BMI, physical activity, and smoking were controlled. The shoulder-to-hip ratio (SHR), 2D:4D digit ratio and hand-grip strength (HGS) were used as markers of masculinization. The regressions showed that when controlling for confounds, masculinity-related traits were in general not related to innate and adaptive immunity. Only a weak association was observed for right 2D:4D ratio and T-lymphocyte counts (but it becomes non-significant after adjustment for multiple comparisons). Our results do not support the premise that masculinity is a cue for immunological quality in men. However, the positive association between right 2D:4D and T lymphocytes might suggest that further studies are needed to verify if androgen stimulation in prenatal development might be related to immunity in adulthood.

Stage-Dependent Expression of Protein Gene Product 9.5 in Donkey Testes

Molecular markers can be used to identify and isolate specific developmental stages of germ cells and Leydig cells. Protein gene product (PGP)9.5 expression in spermatogonia and Leydig cells has been reported in several species. The stages of spermatogonia and Leydig cells expressing PGP9.5 vary depending on the species and reproductive stages. Thus, the objectives of this study were (1) to identify the localization of PGP9.5 in donkey testicular cells, and (2) to compare the expression patterns of PGP9.5 in donkey testicular cells between pre- and post-pubertal stages. Testes samples were collected following the routine field castration of six donkeys. Western blotting was performed to verify the cross-reactivity of the rabbit anti-human PGP9.5 antibody to donkey testes. Immunofluorescence was performed to investigate the expression pattern of PGP9.5 in testicular tissues at different reproductive stages. In Western blotting, the protein band of the PGP9.5 antibody appeared at approximately 27 kDa, whereas the band was not observed in the negative control treated with normal mouse IgG. In the pre-pubertal stage, the expression of deleted in azoospermia-like (DAZL) was found in some spermatogonia in pre-pubertal testicular tissues. However, the immunolabeling of PGP9.5 in testicular tissue was not observed in the seminiferous tubules. In stages 1 and 2, spermatogonia were immunolabeled with either PGP9.5 or DAZL. In contrast, PGP9.5 and DAZL were co-immunolabeled in some of the spermatogonia in stages 3 to 8. Interestingly, some Leydig cells were immunolabeled with PGP9.5 in both pre- and post-pubertal stages. In conclusion, the PGP9.5 antibody can be used as a tool to identify and isolate spermatogonia from seminiferous tubules.