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Tsinopoulou VR, Bacopoulou F, Fidani S, Christoforidis A. Genetic determinants of age at menarche: does the LIN28B gene play a role? A narrative review. Hormones (Athens) 2024:10.1007/s42000-024-00594-3. [PMID: 39227549 DOI: 10.1007/s42000-024-00594-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 08/05/2024] [Indexed: 09/05/2024]
Abstract
Menarche, the first menstrual period marking the onset of female reproduction, is a milestone of female puberty. The timing of menarche determines the timing of later phases of pubertal maturation in girls and has major implications for health later in life, including behavioral and psychosocial disorders during adolescence and fertility problems and increased risk for certain diseases in adulthood. Over the last few decades, a continuous decline in age at menarche has been noted, with environmental factors contributing to this change in the timing of menarche. However, a genetic component of age at menarche and pubertal onset has been strongly suggested by studies in families and twins wherein up to approximately 80% of the variance in puberty onset can be explained by heritability. Gene association studies have revealed several genetic loci involved in age at menarche, among which LIN28B has emerged as a key regulator of female growth and puberty. LIN28B, a human homolog of Lin28 of C. elegans, is a known RNA-binding protein that regulates let-7 microRNA biogenesis. Genome-wide association studies have identified the association of polymorphisms in the LIN28B gene with age at menarche in several population cohorts worldwide. In this paper, we review the genetic factors contributing to age of menarche, with particular focus on the identified polymorphisms in LIN28B gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasiliki Rengina Tsinopoulou
- 2nd Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University General Hospital AHEPA, Stilponos Kyriakidi 1, Thessaloniki, 54636, Greece.
| | - Flora Bacopoulou
- Center for Adolescent Medicine and UNESCO Chair in Adolescent Health Care, First Department of Pediatrics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Aghia Sophia Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Styliani Fidani
- 2nd Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University General Hospital AHEPA, Stilponos Kyriakidi 1, Thessaloniki, 54636, Greece
- Laboratory of Genetics, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Athanasios Christoforidis
- 1st Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Ippokratio General Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece
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Tsinopoulou VR, Bacopoulou F, Fidani L, Dimitriadis D, Gerou S, Christoforidis A. Study of rs7759938, rs314280, and rs314276 Polymorphisms of LIN28B in Relation to Age at Menarche in Girls of Greek Descent. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 11:912. [PMID: 39201847 PMCID: PMC11352753 DOI: 10.3390/children11080912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2024] [Revised: 07/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/27/2024] [Indexed: 09/03/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in LIN28B, critical regulators of female growth and puberty, have been linked to age at menarche. METHODS We assessed the association of rs7759938, rs314280, and rs314276 with menarcheal age in girls of Greek descent. We reviewed the records of 248 girls who had their first menstruation before 18 years and who attended the Greek Departments of Pediatric Endocrinology from January 2021 to July 2023. Genotyping was performed by standard DNA-based methods. Association analyses involved both parametric and non-parametric tests. RESULTS The average age of breast and pubic hair development was 9.95 years, and the age at menarche was 11.55 years. Menarche occurred ≤11 years (mean 10.24 years) in 108 girls (43.5%) and >11 years (mean 12.55 years) in 140 (56.5%). The girls' menarcheal age correlated significantly with that of their mothers (average 12.1 years, p-value < 0.0001, Spearman's r 0.350). The dominant rs7759938(TT) genotype was the most common (55.2%), followed by the dominant rs314276(CC) (53.2%) and dominant rs314280(TT) (14.5%) genotypes. CONCLUSIONS There was no association between age at menarche and any of the polymorphism genotypes/alleles or between genotypes/alleles and birth weight, gestational week, mode of delivery, and maternal age at menarche. Future large sample studies are warranted to confirm these results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasiliki Rengina Tsinopoulou
- 2nd Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University General Hospital AHEPA, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Flora Bacopoulou
- Center for Adolescent Medicine and UNESCO Chair in Adolescent Health Care, 1st Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Aghia Sophia Children’s Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Liana Fidani
- Laboratory of Genetics, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Dimitriadis
- School of Economics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Spyridon Gerou
- Analysis Biopathological Diagnostic Research Laboratories, 54623 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Athanasios Christoforidis
- 1st Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Ippokratio General Hospital, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
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Meena D, Huang J, Dib M, Chirinos J, Jia M, Chauhan G, Gill D, Elliott P, Dehghan A, Tzoulaki I. Body Mass Index and Hypertension as Mediators of the Association Between Age at Menarche and Subclinical Atherosclerosis: A Sex-Specific Mendelian Randomization Analysis. J Am Heart Assoc 2024; 13:e032192. [PMID: 38979809 PMCID: PMC11292777 DOI: 10.1161/jaha.123.032192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early age at menarche (AAM) has been associated with a higher risk of carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT), an indicator of subclinical vascular disease, albeit the mechanisms underlying this association remain elusive. A better understanding of the relationship between AAM, modifiable cardiometabolic risk factors, and subclinical atherosclerosis may contribute to improved primary prevention and cardiovascular disease treatment. We aimed to investigate the putative causal role of AAM on cIMT, and to identify and quantify the potentially mediatory effects of cardiometabolic risk factors underlying this relationship. METHODS AND RESULTS We conducted linkage disequilibrium score regression analyses between our exposure of interest, AAM, our outcome of interest, cIMT and potential mediators of the AAM-cIMT association to gauge cross-trait genetic overlap. We considered as mediators the modifiable anthropometric risk factors body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SBP), lipid traits (total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol), and glycemic traits (fasting glucose). We then leveraged the paradigm of Mendelian randomization to infer causality between AAM and cIMT, and to identify whether cardiometabolic risk factors served as potential mediators of this effect. Our analyses showed that genetically predicted AAM was inversely associated with cIMT, BMI, SBP, and triglycerides, and positively associated with high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, and total cholesterol. We showed that the effect of genetically predicted AAM on cIMT may be partially mediated through BMI (20.1% [95% CI, 1.4% to 38.9%]) and SBP (13.5% [95% CI, 0.5%-26.6%]). Our cluster-specific Mendelian randomization revealed heterogeneous causal effect estimates of age at menarche on BMI and SBP. CONCLUSIONS We highlight supporting evidence for a potential causal association between earlier AAM and cIMT, and almost one third of the effect of AAM on cIMT may be mediated by BMI and SBP. Early intervention aimed at lowering BMI and hypertension may be beneficial in reducing the risk of developing subclinical atherosclerosis due to earlier age at menarche.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devendra Meena
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public HealthImperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Jian Huang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public HealthImperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)Singapore
- Bioinformatics Institute (BII)Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)SingaporeSingapore
| | - Marie‐Joe Dib
- Division of Cardiovascular MedicineHospital of the University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPAUSA
| | - Julio Chirinos
- Division of Cardiovascular MedicineHospital of the University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPAUSA
| | - Manyi Jia
- Department of Metabolism Digestion and Reproduction, Section of Computational and Systems MedicineImperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Ganesh Chauhan
- Department of Genetics & GenomicsRajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS)RanchiIndia
| | - Dipender Gill
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public HealthImperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- British Heart Foundation Centre of Excellence, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Paul Elliott
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public HealthImperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- British Heart Foundation Centre of Excellence, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Dementia Research Institute, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- MRC Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Abbas Dehghan
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public HealthImperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Dementia Research Institute, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Ioanna Tzoulaki
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public HealthImperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- British Heart Foundation Centre of Excellence, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Systems Biology, Biomedical Research Foundation Academy of AthensAthensGreece
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Behboudi-Gandevan S, Moe CF, Skjesol I, Arntzen EC, Bidhendi-Yarandi R. The J shaped association of age at menarche and cardiovascular events: systematic review and meta-analysis. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2695. [PMID: 38302648 PMCID: PMC10834967 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53011-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the association between age at menarche and cardiovascular (CV) events through a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. A comprehensive literature search covering studies published from January 1, 2000, to October 31, 2023, was conducted in PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus. Twenty-nine observational studies involving 4,931,160 adult women aged 18 years or older were included. The meta-analysis revealed a J-shaped association between age at menarche and CV events. Individuals with menarche at 12-13 years exhibited the lowest risk, while those with younger (≤ 11 years) or older ages (14-15 years and ≥ 16 years) showed an increased risk. Notably, individuals with age at menarche of 16 years and older had the highest risk of CV events. The pooled odds of CV mortality in age at menarche categories 14-15 years and ≥ 16 years were 37% (OR: 1.37, 95% CI 1.14-1.64, I2: 76.9%) and 64% (OR: 1.64, 95% CI 1.20-2.24, I2: 87%) higher than referent age at menarche 12-13 years. No statistically significant difference was found in CV mortality risk between individuals with age at menarche ≤ 11 years and those with age at menarche 12-13 years. The ORs for coronary heart disease were significantly higher for age at menarche ≥ 16 years (35% increase), while no significant difference was found for age at menarche ≤ 11 years or 14-15 years compared to age at menarche 12-13 years. Regarding stroke, the ORs for age at menarche ≤ 11, 14-15, and ≥ 16 years were significantly higher (7%, 24%, and 94% increase, respectively) compared to age at menarche 12-13 years. Dose-response meta-analysis and one-stage random-effect cubic spline models confirmed the J-shaped risk pattern. Meta-regression indicated that age and BMI were not significant sources of heterogeneity. Sensitivity analyses and the absence of publication bias further supported the robustness of the findings. This study concludes that age at menarche is independently associated with CV events, with a J-shaped pattern. The findings underscore the significance of considering menarche age as an independent risk factor for CV events. Further research is warranted to validate these findings and explore potential underlying mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ingunn Skjesol
- Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, Nord University, Namsos, Norway
| | - Ellen Christin Arntzen
- Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, Nord University, Post Box: 1490, 8049, Bodø, Norway
| | - Razieh Bidhendi-Yarandi
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Social Health, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Social Determinants of Health Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Szmidt MK, Granda D, Madej D, Sicinska E, Kaluza J. Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in Women and Reproductive Health across the Lifespan: A Narrative Review. Nutrients 2023; 15:2131. [PMID: 37432245 DOI: 10.3390/nu15092131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The Mediterranean diet (MD) has been previously proven to have various health-related benefits; however, its effect on women's reproductive health over a lifespan is yet to be summarized. This study aimed to summarize the evidence-based knowledge regarding the association between the MD and selected reproductive health outcomes. By searching PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar databases, as well as reference lists, 21 studies were included in this narrative review. The available evidence was very limited; however, there is some suggestion that higher adherence to the MD may be positively associated with a lower risk of early age menarche (1 study) and shorter menstrual cycles (1 study), but is unrelated to dysmenorrhea (1 study). Moreover, no study to date has examined the relationship between the MD and the onset age of natural menopause. Considering reproductive health diseases, there was limited evidence that a higher adherence to the MD was associated with a lower risk of premenstrual syndrome (1 study), an improvement in sexual health and a lower prevalence of sexual dysfunction (3 studies), and an improvement in the general condition of with endometriosis and the pain they can experience (1 study). The largest number of studies were found for polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS; 7 studies) and infertility (6 studies). Results showed that a higher adherence to the MD was associated with a lower risk of infertility, while results for PCOS were unclear, but mostly indicated a beneficial trend. Further investigations are necessary to establish the role of adherence to the MD in reproductive health maintenance and its possible role in the prevention and treatment of reproductive health diseases in women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Karolina Szmidt
- Department of Human Nutrition, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS-SGGW), Nowoursynowska 166, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Dominika Granda
- Department of Nutrition Physiology and Dietetics, Institute of Sport-National Research Institute, Trylogii 2/16, 01-982 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Dawid Madej
- Department of Human Nutrition, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS-SGGW), Nowoursynowska 166, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Ewa Sicinska
- Department of Human Nutrition, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS-SGGW), Nowoursynowska 166, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Joanna Kaluza
- Department of Human Nutrition, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS-SGGW), Nowoursynowska 166, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
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