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PubMed1975

Sexual maturation in subjects with sickle cell anemia: studies of serum gonadotropin concentration, height, weight, and skeletal age.

Luteinizing hormone and FSH concentrations were determined in sera obtained from 20 males and 20 females, ages 5 to 16 years, with sickle cell anemia (homozygous hemoglobin S). Height, weight, bone age, and stage of sexual development were also determined. Gonadotropin concentrations were increased for stage of sexual development, suggesting transient impairment of gonadal function during the first decade of life. Increased impairment of growth during the second decade of life (18 of 26 subjects, 69%) as compared to the first decade (4 of 14 subjects, 29%) was consistent with prior deficiency of gonadal secretion of steroids. Mean bone age (11.2 +/- 2.1 year) determined in 15 subjects was significantly less than the mean chronologic age (13.0 +/- 1.8 year). Significant additional data, particularly those which would be derived from a longitudinal study, are needed to validate the preliminary hypothesis that transient impairment in gonadal function may, in part, account for the variation in sexual maturation seen in subjects with sickle cell anemia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Parents' observations of sexual behaviour in pre-school children.

UNLABELLED: This commentary on the Larsson and Svedin study of sexual behaviour in pre-school children, published in the present issue of Acta Paediatrica, centres around three questions: 1. How can normal sexual behaviour in children be distinguished from problematic behaviour? 2. What characterizes the sexual development of the normal child? 3. Can knowledge about normal and problematic sexual behaviour be used to screen for sexual abuse or to confirm cases of sexual victimization? It is recommended that the inventory used by the authors be standardized on a representative sample of Swedish children, because this would enhance its usefulness in distinguishing normal from problematic behaviour. It is further recommended that research about sexual development in children be based on person-oriented rather than on variable-oriented analyses. It is finally argued that knowledge about normal and problematic sexual behaviour may not contribute to more effective screening or confirmation procedures in suspicions of sexual abuse. However, knowledge about normal sexual behaviour is valuable in studies of sexual behaviour in different categories of children, e.g. in the developmentally delayed or psychosocially deprived. CONCLUSION: By helping to identify problematic sexual behaviour in individual children, a standardized inventory could guide professionals in detecting possible psychological problems accompanying the behaviour.

Child Behavior↗
PubMed1990

Morphometric studies on the development and sexual dimorphism of the submandibular gland of the mouse.

A light microscopic morphometric analysis of the development of the mouse submandibular gland has been carried out from birth up to the age of 6 weeks. At birth the bulk of the gland consists of approximately equal volume proportions of acinar, terminal tubule and non-secretory cells. The granular convoluted tubule is absent at birth. The neonatal female gland resembles that of the male in many respects. With the regression of the terminal tubule at 2 weeks of age the duct system of the gland is seen to differentiate into excretory, striated and intercalated ducts. The volume proportions of the gland constituents of the female are similar to those of the male at 2 weeks. At this age, the acini occupy 55%, the striated duct 20% and the intercalated duct 15% of the total gland volume. Sexual dimorphism is clearly evident in the gland at 4 weeks of age when the duct system is seen to differentiate to form its granular convoluted tubule component. The granular tubule occupied 19% of the gland volume in the male but only 8% in the female at 4 weeks. The proportions of acini are only 41% in the total gland volume of the male mouse but 62% in the female at 4 weeks. In the male gland the proportions of granular convoluted tubule increase from 13% to 21% between 4 and 6 weeks and the secretory granule content of these cells from 6% to 24%. At 6 weeks of age the volume proportion of granular convoluted tubule in the male is 45% and that in the female is only 12%. At this age the acini occupy a proportion of 30% in the male gland as opposed to 57% in the female gland. At 6 weeks the volume of granular convoluted tubule cells is 40% lower in the female (1842 microns 3) than in the male gland (2995 microns 3).

Animals↗
PubMed1981

The association of juvenile hypothyroidism and cystic ovaries.

Five cases of girls with juvenile hypothyroidism in whom cystic ovaries were diagnosed with ultrasound are presented. Only one of the five patients had gynecologic complaints; the other four had signs and symptoms directly related to hypothyroidism (short stature in three, and irregular menses and delayed sexual development in one). Two of the girls showed evidence of precocious sexual development. All five patients were treated with Synthroid (levothyroxine sodium). In the four girls for whom follow-up was available, both the signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism and the ovarian cysts resolved with treatment. When ovarian cysts are found in a girl who is either prepubescent or in early pubescence, the possibility of associated hypothyroidism should be considered

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Faking sexual preference.

Erectile assessments of sexual preference have been found quite reliable. Their validity, however, has been questioned with some findings that are at variance with the clinical data. These apparently distorted results could be either false positive or false negative responses. The former may be due to faking, which is the act of feigning a spurious positive response to a non-preferred stimulus, and the latter could be from suppressing, which is producing a spurious negative response to one's natural sexual preference. In this study, phallometric testing with a mercury-in-rubber strain gauge and Model 240 Parks Plethysmograph was used in conjunction with a mid-lumbar pressure sensor. Twenty subjects, half of whom were sex offenders, were tested with visual and audiovisual stimuli depicting male and female models at various ages and degrees of sexual development. Other testing included self-report questionnaires and estimates of age and sexual development. It was found that both groups significantly reduced penile tumescence when instructed to suppress to their stated sexual preference in the audiovisual series. A significant reduction was also obtained in suppressing to the category to which they had a maximum response in the same series. When both groups were instructed to fake to a non-preferred stimulus, the levels of arousal generated were quite variable and not significantly different from those obtained before instruction. Extraneous movement as measured by the lumbar pressure device was markedly greater in our three incest offenders. The meaning of this finding is unclear. Sex offenders as a group were found to be significantly more variable in their responses than controls.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1981

[Puberty].

Puberty commences in girls 1.5-2 years earlier than in boys. Whereas the production of sexual hormone in the female increases gradually, testosterone secretion in the male rises steeply within two years. In connection with this boys are suffering more often from emotional disturbances than girls during puberty. During the last 150 years the onset of puberty has considerably advanced. In the middle of the last century, menarche occurred at age 17; today, however, at age 12.5. This secular acceleration is caused by improved nutrition, mainly with proteins. Presupposition for the earlier onset of puberty is an earlier arriving at the developmental stage (height, weight, bone maturation) which formerly was characteristic for prepubertal children of 10/11 years. Also the physiologic variants, i.e., the so-called early normal puberty and constitutional delay of growth and adolescence, base on prepubertal differences in growth velocity and growth hormone secretion. In contrast to this, the pathologic variants of sexual development, i.e., true sexual precocity and pubertas tarda s.s., are caused by various pathologic processes located in one of the three areas: hypothalamus, pituitary, or gonads.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Mesonephric FGF signaling is associated with the development of sexually indifferent gonadal primordium in chick embryos.

The gonad as well as the reproductive tracts, kidney, and adrenal cortex are derived from the intermediate mesoderm. In addition, the intermediate mesoderm forms the mesonephros. Although the mesonephros is the source of certain testicular cell types, its contribution to gonad formation through expression of growth factors is largely unknown. Here, we examined the expression profiles of FGF9 in the developing mesonephros of chick embryos at sexually indifferent stages, and found that the expression domain is adjacent to the gonadal primordium. Moreover, FGFR3 (FGF receptor 3) showed a strong expression in the gonadal primordium. Next, we examined the functions of FGF signal during gonadal development with misexpressed FGF9. Interestingly, misexpression of FGF9 led to gonadal expansion through stimulation of cell proliferation. In contrast, treatment with a chemical inhibitor for FGFR decreased cell proliferation and resulted in reduction of the gonadal size. Simultaneously, the treatment resulted in reduction of gonadal marker gene expression. Our study demonstrated that FGF expressed in the developing mesonephros is involved in the development of the gonad at the sexually indifferent stages through stimulation of gonadal cell proliferation and gonadal marker gene expression.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Photosensing fungi: phytochrome in the spotlight.

Red light triggers asexual development and represses sexual development in the fungus Aspergillus nidulans. This response has been shown to require a phytochrome red/far-red light photoreceptor, FphA, which is cytoplasmic and binds a tetrapyrrole chromophore. FphA exhibits similarities to both plant and bacterial phytochromes.

Aspergillus nidulans↗
PubMed2000

Role of the serotoninergic system in the acceleration of sexual maturation in wild Norway rats selected for reduced aggressiveness toward humans.

The role of the serotoninergic system in acceleration of the sexual development of domesticated rats (Rattus norvegicus) was assessed. The onset of age-related changes in hypothalamic serotonin during prepubertal period occurred earlier in domesticated than in aggressive male rats. Blockade of the serotoninergic system after p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA) administration on days 40 and 44 delayed the development of the reproductive system in both aggressive and domesticated males. In 60-day-old rats treated with PCPA, levels of testosterone in plasma and the number of mature spermatozoa in epididymis were decreased compared to controls. At the same time, the administration of PCPA on days 30 and 34 did not modify basal testosterone secretion and other parameters in 60-day-old aggressive rats and produced a decrease similar to PCPA injections on days 40 and 44, although less pronounced, in the weights of testes in domesticated animals. Administration of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), a precursor of serotonin synthesis, on days 30, 32, 34, 36 and 38 increased plasma testosterone levels and weights of the sex organs in 60-day-old domesticated males, but did not significantly affect the development of reproductive system in aggressive animals. These data indicate that serotonin stimulates sexual development of males during prepubertal period and this activating effect of serotonin occurs earlier in domesticated than in aggressive males. They also suggest that the acceleration in sexual maturation of domesticated rats could result from changes in the ontogenetic dynamic of hypothalamic serotonin induced by a selection for low aggressiveness towards man.

5-Hydroxytryptophan↗
PubMed2006

Development and biological function of the female gonads and genitalia in IGF-I deficiency -- Laron syndrome as a model.

Laron syndrome (LS) or primary GH insensitivity is a unique human model to study the effects of congenital IGF-I deficiency. Within our cohort of 63 patients with LS, 15 female patients were regularly followed since birth or infancy, throughout puberty. We observed that they were short at birth, with small genitalia and gonads -- during puberty, developed delayed puberty but eventually reached between 16 and 19 1/2 years full sexual development. Reproduction is unaffected at a young adult age. It is concluded that IGF-I in concert with the sex hormones has a modulatory but not essential function on female sexual development and maturation.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

From behavior to development: genes for sexual behavior define the neuronal sexual switch in Drosophila.

The isolation and analysis of Drosophila mutants with altered sexual orientation lead to the identification of novel branches in the sex-determination cascade which govern the sexually dimorphic development of the nervous system. One such example is the fruitless (fru) gene, the mutation of which induces male-to-male courtship and malformation of a male-specific muscle, the muscle of Lawrence (MOL). Since the MOL is formed in wild-type flies when the innervating nerve is male, regardless of the sex of the MOL itself, the primary site of Fru function is likely to be the motoneurons controlling the MOL. The fru gene produces multiple transcripts including sex-specific ones. A female-specific mRNA from the fru locus has a putative Transformer (Tra) binding site in its 5' untranslated region, suggesting that fru is a direct target of Tra. The fru transcripts encode a set of proteins similar to the BTB (Bric à brac, Tramtrack and Broad-complex)-Zn finger family of transcription factors. Mutations in the dissatisfaction (dsf) gene result in male-to-male courtship and reduced sexual receptivity of females. The dsf mutations also give rise to poor curling of the abdomen in males during copulation and failure of egg-laying by females. The latter phenotypes are ascribable to aberrant innervation of the relevant muscles. A genetic analysis reveals that expression of the dsf phenotypes depends on Tra but not on Doublesex (Dsx) or Fru, suggesting that dsf represents another target of Tra. Taken together, these findings suggest that the sex-determination protein Tra has at least three different targets, dsx, fru and dsf, each of which represents the first gene in a branch of the sex-determination hierarchy functioning in a mutually-exclusive set of neuronal cells in the Drosophila central nervous system.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Adolescent females with a substance use disorder: affiliations with adult male sexual partners.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that low socioeconomic status (SES), a disturbed parent-daughter relationship, early sexual development, and antisocial behavior are risk factors in adolescent females affiliating with adult male sexual partners. To determine whether the relation between these risk factors and affiliating with adult male sexual partners is stronger in females with greater, rather than fewer, substance use disorders (SUD). METHOD: Subjects were 180 adolescent females with SUD and 87 normal controls (14-18 years of age). RESULTS: The SUD group had a lower SES and more negative parent-daughter interactions, and exhibited greater antisocial tendencies. Also, the SUD group showed a more frequent affiliation with adult male sexual partners. Chronological age, age of menarche (sexual development), antisocial behavior, and quality of the parent-daughter relationship were significantly associated with affiliation with adult male sexual partners. Moreover, the number of SUD diagnoses enhanced the relation between the quality of the parent-daughter relationship and antisocial behavior with affiliation with adult male sexual partners. CONCLUSIONS: From a prevention perspective, interventions directed at enhancing child rearing practices, communication skills, and involvement in children's needs and activities might result in improved parent-child attachments that may attentuate young women's propensities to become involved in antisocial behavior and affiliate with adult sexual partners. Also, the risk imposed by an early sexual maturation may be offset by enhancing the female adolescent's social skills to select non-deviant and supportive male partners.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Effects of exposure to 17alpha-ethinylestradiol during early development on sexual differentiation and induction of vitellogenin in zebrafish (Danio rerio).

To determine the critical stage of zebrafish development where exposure to xenoestrogens can affect sex ratio and vitellogenin induction, zebrafish (Danio rerio) were exposed to 17alpha-ethinylestradiol (actual concentration 15.4+/-1.4 ng EE2/l) during early development: from fertilisation to hatch; hatch to 10 days post hatch (dph); 10-20 dph; 20-30 dph; 20-40 dph; 20-60 dph; fertilisation to 25 dph; or hatch to 60 dph. Vitellogenin was measured in whole body homogenate 30 dph by ELISA and sex ratio was determined 60 dph by histological examination of the gonads. All exposure periods significantly induced vitellogenin synthesis and affected the sex differentiation leading to development of ovo-testis or complete feminisation of the exposed fish depending on exposure period. Complete sex reversal was obtained in groups exposed from 20 to 60 dph and hatch to 60 dph. The half-life for degradation of vitellogenin was calculated. Juvenile zebrafish were exposed to 15.4+/-1.4 ng EE2/l (actual concentration) from fertilisation to 25 dph and transferred to clean water, after which weekly measurements of vitellogenin concentration in whole body homogenate were performed until day 46 post hatch. The half-life of vitellogenin was 2.4 days.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Schistosoma mansoni: fine structural localization of tegumental adenosine triphosphatases.

The distribution of Ca2+-dependent adenosine triphosphatase (EC 3.6.1.3.) and nonspecific (Na-K-Mg) adenosine triphosphatase activity in the tegument and subtegumental tissues of Schistosoma mansoni from both mixed and single sex infections was investigated cytochemically. Differences in the distribution of tegumental Ca-adenosine triphosphatase activity in 60- to 70-day-old female worms were found which could be related to the degree of sexual development in the two types of females, with little or no tegumental activity being found in 70-day-old females from single sex infections. In contrast, 28-day-old females from single sex infections showed low levels of tegumental Ca-adenosine triphosphatase activity, suggesting that the lack of tegumental activity in 70-day-old single sex females may be due to a loss or suppression of activity as a consequence of the failure of females in single sex infections to pair and develop to full sexual maturity. No differences in the distribution of nonspecific (Na-K-Mg) adenosine triphosphatase activity between females from mixed and single sex infections were found. The sexual status or age of male worms appeared to have little or no effect on the distribution of tegumental adenosine triphosphatases.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1983

Modification of arterial elastin in vivo. Effects of age and diet on changes in the N-terminal amino acid content of aorta elastin.

We have previously demonstrated that aorta elastin, a highly crosslinked protein, does not undergo turnover that is easily measured in vivo. Therefore, it was hypothesized that when proteolysis of elastin occurs, a positive increase in N-terminal amino acids should result. Such an increase would represent elastin-derived fragments held covalently in situ. A cyanate carbamylation procedure was used to estimate the changes in N-terminal amino acids in aorta elastin. To provide tissue for the studies, Japanese quail (3 weeks old) were fed diets with or without the addition of 1% cholesterol. It was found that, in normal birds, the number of N-terminal amino acid residues increased from two to approximately three residues per 800 total residues (or mole of tropoelastin) throughout sexual development (3 to 8 weeks, post-hatching), with little increase thereafter. In hypercholesterolemic birds, the rate of appearance of new N-terminal residues, particularly glutamine or glutamic acid, appeared enhanced throughout early development, but by sexual maturity the number of N-terminal amino acid residues in aorta elastin from cholesterol-fed birds was similar to that for the control birds. For each of the elastin samples analyzed, approximately one residue of glycine was recovered per 800 total residues. Other amino acids that predominated as N-terminal residues were serine, aspartic and glutamic acids.

Aging↗
PubMed2004

Myelomeningocele and female sexuality: an issue?

During the last 40 years more and more myelomeningocele (MMC) patients have survived to adulthood and since the 1980s there is growing interest in sexual functioning of these patients. However, most of what is known about the impact of MMC on sexual functioning pertains to males. We have reviewed the literature pertaining to female sexuality and MMC with regard to sexual development, activity, dysfunction, sexual knowledge and education, pregnancy and delivery, as well as future trends.

Adolescent↗