• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.146-151
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• 2010

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to evaluate the timing of puberty and the factors inducing advanced puberty in elemental school students of low grades. Methods : The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade elemental students from the Goyang province were randomly selected, and their sexual maturation rate was assessed by physical examination. After obtaining an informed consent, a questionnaire was administered to the parents; eating habits, lifestyle, use of growth-inducing medication, and present illness of the students were evaluated to determine the factors that induced advanced puberty. The data were statistically analyzed. Results : We selected 170 children and the girls:boys sex ratio was 1.2:1. Two 9-year-old boys were in genital stage 2. Two (14.3%) 6-year-old girls, 6 (19.4%) 7-year-old girls, 15 (39.6%) 8-year-old girls, and 4 (57.1%) 9-year-old girls were in breast stage 2. The average pubertal timing predicted for girls was $9.11{\pm}1.86$ years. The main factors influencing pubertal timing were obesity scale, frequency of eating fast food, and the use of growth-inducing medication. A high rating on the obesity scale and high frequency of eating fast food indicated advanced stage of puberty. Growth-inducing medication induced puberty through obesity. Conclusion : We proposed that predictive average pubertal timing in girls was 9.11${\pm}$1.86 years, which was consistent with the previously reported findings from abroad. The significant influencing factors in advanced puberty were obesity scale and frequency of fast food.

• The korean journal of orthodontics
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• v.32 no.5 s.94
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• pp.301-312
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• 2002

Treatment timing is a very important factor to consider in treating skeletal Class III patients by means of maxillary protraction. According to the literature maxillary Protraction should be carried out at an early age before puberty. However, no scientific data were presented to support this statement and recent studies supported by statistical data showed disagreement concerning the optimum treatment time of maxillary protraction. Therefore, there is no agreement about the optimum treatment time of maxillary protraction. In this study hand-wrist X-rays were taken from 119 patients and subjects were grouped into prepubertal and pubertal group according to their skeletal maturity. Pretreatment and posttreatment lateral cephalometric X-rays were taken and treatment effects were compared. The average treatment time was 6.5 months for the prepubertal group and 6.1 months for the pubertal group. The obtained results were as follows ; 1. The amount of maxillary forward movement was the same for Pretreatment and pubertal group. 2. The amount of maxillary downward movement was the same for prepubertal and pubertal group. 3. The amount of mandibular downward and backward rotational movement was the same for prepubertal and pubertal group. 4. Dental effects were the same for prepubertal and pubertal group.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.610-616
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• 2006

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to evaluate the timing of sexual maturation and secular trends of menarchial age in Korean adolescents. Methods : Nine hundred eighty two school students and 119 university female students were included. Tanner's pubertal assessment method was applied using a self-assessment sheet with pictures for their developmental stages. A medical checkup database from 1,156,022 women was also used to analyze the age of menarche from the year 1900 to 1980. Results : Onset of puberty was at $11.3{\pm}1.3$ years(y) in girls and $12.1{\pm}1.5$ y in boys and total pubertal duration was 3.6 y in girls and 3.3 y in boys. Height at the onset of puberty was $146.1{\pm}7.9cm$ in girls and $152.7{\pm}9.8cm$ in boys. Weight at the onset of puberty was $39.3{\pm}6.9kg$ in girls and $47.7{\pm}14.4kg$ in boys. The mean age of menarche was $12.0{\pm}1.0y$ and mean age at nocturnal emission was $12.3{\pm}1.8y$. By age ten, 3.0 percent of girls experienced menarche, which increased to 41.1 percent by age 12, and 98.0 percent by age over 15. By SMR 2 breast stage, 18.2 percent of girls experienced menarche, which increased to 66.1 percent and 91.7 percent by SMR stages 3 and 4, respectively. By SMR 2 pubic hair stage, 52.0 percent and by SMR 3, 93.8 percent of girls experienced menarche. While the menarchial age of women born around 1980 was $12.4{\pm}1.1y$, the menarchial age of women born around 1990 was $12.0{\pm}1.1y$. Age at menarche has been advanced approximately by 2 years between 1900 and 1980 birth cohorts. Conclusion : There was a downward secular trend in pubertal timing. Age at menarche has been advanced by 2 years during the last 80 years. Further large scale, prospective studies, including inspection by specialists, are needed to provide reference data for pubertal timing in Korean adolescents.

• The korean journal of orthodontics
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• v.23 no.4 s.43
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• pp.529-541
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• 1993

The purpose of this study was to investigate not only the variability in the timing and amount of the maximum pubertal spurt in cranial base and mandible, but also its interrelationship with the timing of peak height velocity. This study was carried out by analysing biannual serial lateral cephalometric radiographs of twenty-six males and twenty-one females who were taken from 8.5years to 16.5years old of mean age, according to the established land-marks and linear measurements. The results of this study were summarized as follows. 1. Prevalance of the maximum growth spurt more than 80 percentage was occurred in all measurements of cranial base and mandible, except posterior cranial base length in the female. 2. In all measurements of cranial base and mandible, the maximum spurt was occurred earlier in the female than the male while it was greater in male in all measurements except ramal height. 3. In body height measurement, the peak height velocity was occurred 2 years earlier for the female(11.0 years old) than the male(13.0 years old). 4. The timing of maximum spurt in anterior cranial base length and total mandibular length in both sexes and ramal height in the female were coincided with PHV. The maximum spurt was occurred in both sexes in all measurements 2 years before or after PHV, except mandibular body length and posterior cranial base length the in female. 5. In all ages, there was significant correlation between the total mandibular length and ramal height, and was also correlation between total cranial base length and anterior cranial base length(P<0.05). However, there was no significant correlation between the ramal height and mandibular body length. In addition, there was also no any correlation between the anterior cranial base length and posterior cranial base length in all ages(P>0.05).

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.235-247
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the skeletal and dentoalveolar effects and optimal timing for treatment of class II malocclusion with functional appliances in children and adolescents. A group of 30 patients with class II malocclusion were divided into 3 groups according to their use of functional appliance: Twin block, Activator, Fränkel appliance. The group was also divided into 2 groups according to the cervical vertebrae maturation method. Lateral cephalometric radiographs were analyzed pretreatment (T0) and posttreatment (T1). Among the functional appliances, treatment with Twin block and Activator showed significant increase in the length of the mandible (Co-Gn) and the lower anterior facial height (ANS to Me), whereas the overjet and overbite were significantly reduced. Treatment with Fränkel appliance showed significant improvement in the relationship of maxilla and mandible. In addition, if the functional appliance was used during the period of pubertal growth peak, there was a significant increase in mandibular length, improvement in the relationship of maxilla and mandible, labial inclination of lower incisors and decrease in overjet compared to the treatment before pubertal growth peak. Therefore, this study indicates that using functional appliances for patients with class II malocclusion is effective and the optimal timing for using functional appliances is during pubertal growth peak.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.55 no.8
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• pp.265-271
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• 2012

Phytoestrogen is an estrogenic compound that occurs naturally in plants. The most common sources of phytoestrogen are soybean products, which contain high levels of isoflavones. This compound, which has structural similarity with estrogen, can act as an estrogen receptor agonist or antagonist. Animal studies provide evidence of the significant effects of phytoestrogen on sexual development, including altered pubertal timing, impaired estrous cycling and ovarian function, and altered hypothalamus and pituitary functions. Although human studies examining the effects of phytoestrogen on sexual development are extremely limited, the results of some studies agree with those of the animal studies. In this paper, we review the possible mechanism of phytoestrogen action and the evidence showing the effects of phytoestrogen on sexual development in animal and human studies.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.6-10
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• 2012

Human puberty is a complex, coordinated biological process with multiple levels of regulations. The timing of puberty varies greatly in children and is influenced by both environmental and genetic factors. The key genes of pubertal onset, $KISS1$, $GPR54$, $GNRH1$ and $GNRHR$, may be major causal factors underlying gonadotropin-releasing hormone-dependent precocious puberty (GDPP). Two gain-of-function mutations in $KISS1$ and $GPR54$ have been identified recently as genetic causes of GDPP. $GNRH1$ and $GNRHR$ are also gene candidates for GDPP; however no mutations have been identified in these genes. Presently potential genetic causes like $LIN28B$ continues to appear; many areas of research await exploration in this context. In this review, I focus primarily on the genetic causes of GDPP.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.65 no.4
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• pp.172-181
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• 2022

Pubertal onset is known to result from reactivation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, which is controlled by complex interactions of genetic and nongenetic factors. Most cases of precocious puberty (PP) are diagnosed as central PP (CPP), defined as premature activation of the HPG axis. The cause of CPP in most girls is not identifiable and, thus, referred to as idiopathic CPP (ICPP), whereas boys are more likely to have an organic lesion in the brain. ICPP has a genetic background, as supported by studies showing that maternal age at menarche is associated with pubertal timing in their offspring. A gain of expression in the kisspeptin gene (KISS1), gain-of-function mutation in the kisspeptin receptor gene (KISS1R), loss-of-function mutation in makorin ring finger protein 3 (MKRN3), and loss-of-function mutations in the delta-like homolog 1 gene (DLK1) have been associated with ICPP. Other genes, such as gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor subunit alpha-1 (GABRA1), lin-28 homolog B (LIN28B), neuropeptide Y (NPYR), tachykinin 3 (TAC3), and tachykinin receptor 3 (TACR3), have been implicated in the progression of ICPP, although their relationships require elucidation. Environmental and socioeconomic factors may also be correlated with ICPP. In the progression of CPP, epigenetic factors such as DNA methylation, histone posttranslational modifications, and non-coding ribonucleic acids may mediate the relationship between genetic and environmental factors. CPP is correlated with short- and long-term adverse health outcomes, which forms the rationale for research focusing on understanding its genetic and nongenetic factors.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.55 no.10
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• pp.388-392
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• 2012

Purpose: Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers within LIN28B have been reported to be related to the timing of pubertal growth. However, no study has investigated the frequency of genetic markers in girls with precocious puberty (PP) or early puberty (EP). This study aimed to determine the frequency of putative genetic markers in girls with PP or EP. Methods: Genomic DNAs were obtained from 77 and 109 girls that fulfilled the criteria for PP and EP, respectively. The controls in this study were 144 healthy volunteers between 20 and 30 years of age. The haplotypes were reconstructed using 11 SNPs of LIN28B, and haplotype association analysis was performed. The haplotype frequencies were compared. Differences in the clinical and laboratory parameters were analyzed according to the haplotype dosage. Results: Eleven SNPs in LIN28B were all located in a block that was in linkage disequilibrium. The haplotype could be reconstructed using 2 representative SNPs, rs4946651 and rs369065. The AC haplotype was less frequently observed in the PP group than in the controls (0.069 vs. 0.144, P=0.010). The trend that girls with non-AC haplotypes tended to have earlier puberty onset (P=0.037) was illustrated even in the EP+PP patient group by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that non-AC haplotypes of LIN28B had a significant association with PP in girls.