C lassically, the normal chronological age for pubertal onset is between 8 and 13 years in girls and 9 and 14 years in boys based on data from epidemiological studies from the 60’s (1). However, the age limit for pubertal timing is still a challenge (2,3). It is well known that puberty is a complex and multi factorial process that involves genetic, metabolic, socio economic, nutritional and eth...

Sex steroids are required for a normal pubertal growth spurt and fusion of the human epiphyseal growth plate. However, the localization of sex steroid receptors in the human pubertal growth plate remains controversial. We have investigated the expression of estrogen receptor (ER) , ER and androgen receptor (AR) in biopsies of proximal tibial growth plates obtained during epiphyseal surgery in 1...

BACKGROUND Antisocial behavior (ASB) can be meaningfully divided into nonaggressive rule-breaking versus aggressive dimensions, which differ in developmental course and etiology. Previous research has found that genetic influences on rule-breaking, but not aggression, increase from late childhood to mid-adolescence. This study tested the extent to which the developmental increase in genetic inf...

The aim of this study was primarily to investigate anthropometric variables, body composition and pubertal development in children aged 9-13 participating in competitive sports. Secondly, the influence of age, sport, training hours and pubertal development/maternal menarcheal age on body composition and pubertal development was explored. A total of 183 (96 girls, 87 boys) children performing sw...

BACKGROUND Age of puberty has declined substantially in developed settings and is now declining in the rest of the world with economic development. Early age of puberty is associated with non-communicable diseases in adulthood, and may be a long-term driver of population health with effects over generations. In a non-Western setting, we examined the association of maternal age of menarche with ...

The aim of this study was to characterize the backstroke swimming technique of 11-13 year-old swimmers when performing at very high intensity. A sample of 114 swimmers was divided into four groups regarding maturational and gender effect, who performed 25- m backstroke swimming at 50-m pace. Using two underwater cameras the general biomechanical parameters (speed, stroke rate, stroke length and...

Growing evidence indicates that normative pubertal maturation is associated with increased threat reactivity, and this developmental shift has been implicated in the increased rates of adolescent affective disorders. However, the neural mechanisms involved in this pubertal increase in threat reactivity remain unknown. Research in adults indicates that testosterone transiently decreases amygdala...

The present study examined the effects of early pubertal development and physical attractiveness on the popularity, body image, and self-esteem of over 200 sixth-grade girls. Two rival hypotheses were explored. The first suggests that physically attractive girls, because of their more favorable social environment, will exhibit fewer psychosocial difficulties than unattractive girls during puber...