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Summary Objective The gradual decrease in the age of onset of puberty raises concerns about the contribution of phytoestrogen intake on sexual maturation. However, no data are available on the association between serum isoflavone (genistein, daidzein) concentration and central precocious puberty (CPP). The aim of the study was to test the association between serum isoflavone concentrations and the risk of CPP in Korean girls. Study design A case-control study was conducted at Inje University Hospital in Korea. One-hundred and eight girls with CPP (aged 8·6 ± 0·8 year) and 91 age-matched controls (aged 8·5 ± 0·8 year) were examined. Results Serum concentrations of daidzein ( P = 0·0202), genistein ( P = 0·0021) and total isoflavones ( P = 0·0009) were higher in children with CPP than in normal children. When the children were categorized into three groups according to total serum isoflavone as follows: <30, 30-70 and ≥70 nmol/l, serum concentrations of daidzein, genistein and total isoflavones significantly increased across three categories of serum isoflavone ( P < 0·0001). The prevalence of CPP was significantly higher in children with serum isoflavone level of ≥30 nmol/l than those with serum level of <30 nmol/l ( P = 0·0008). The adjusted OR for precocious puberty increased significantly across a range of total serum isoflavone (OR = 4·39; 95% CI: 1·83-10·51 vs OR = 5·22; 95% CI: 2·07-13·20; P = 0·001). Conclusion These results suggest that elevated serum isoflavones may be associated with the risk of CPP in Korean girls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study about a 10-year-old girl with idiopathic short stature who was taking daily growth hormone (GH) injections. She lost the needle after the administration but it was found lodged in subcutaneous tissue through radiographic and ultrasound sonographic examination of the buttock. It is noted that local injection site reactions include skin rash, redness, swelling and itching. In this case, among the possible causes are a weakened needle during GH reconstitution, an inappropriate injection technique and defect in the needle.