Puberty: How Early is "Too Early?"

A study published today in the journal Pediatrics indicates that among girls in the United States, the onset of puberty is earlier than it has ever been.

Lead investigator Dr. Frank Biro of Cincinnati Children's Hospital examined approximately 1,200 girls aged 7 and 8 years and determined that among 7-year olds, 10 percent of Caucasian girls and 23 percent of African-American girls had started developing breasts, the earliest sign of pubertal development in girls. Among the 8-year olds, 18 percent of Caucasian girls and 43 percent of African-American girls had entered puberty.

This is a stark contrast from a similar study in 1997, when among 7-year olds, 5 percent of Caucasian and 15 percent of African-American girls had started puberty. In the 1997 study, among 8-year olds, 11 percent of Caucasian girls and 43 percent of African-American girls had started puberty.

But why?

Is the "Artificial Pancreas" finally coming for Type 1 Diabetics?

Families of children with Type 1 Diabetes know all about two devices that have revolutionized treatment of the disease: the insulin pump and the continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS).

Patients with Type 1 Diabetes suffer from an autoimmune condition in which immune cells (that normally fight off infections) attack the body's own pancreas for reasons that are not entirely clear. This results in destruction of the pancreatic beta cells, normally the site of insulin production and release into the blood stream. Insulin is the hormone responsible for keeping blood glucose (also known as blood sugar) at normal levels throughout the day. Without sufficient amounts of insulin, blood sugar rises uncontrollably, causing both short- and long-term adverse effects on the body.

In the past, the only way to keep blood sugars in check was to give multiple injections of insulin throughout the day. Now it looks like there may be a new piece of technology on the horizon that comes as close as we've seen to mimicing the actions of the pancreas itself.