Doctoral Dissertation Improvement: Fetal growth, developmental trajectories, and adult reproductive function

博士论文改进：胎儿生长、发育轨迹和成人生殖功能

• 批准号: 0434126
• 负责人: Peter Ellison
• 金额: $ 1.12万
• 依托单位: Harvard University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-10-01 至 2007-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0434126&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Improvement; Fetal; growth

This study will look at patterns of prenatal and childhood growth, pubertal development, and adult reproductive function in a modern human population. Acknowledging that there is great variation in reproductive trajectories both within and among populations, the current study examines at what point during development these reproductive trajectories are established and what external factors shape them. Given recent evidence that early development can have profound and irreversible effects on adult anatomy and physiology, the general hypothesis is that reproductive trajectories may be initiated in childhood, or even prenatal life. More specifically, it is hypothesized that a number of factors, from age at reproductive maturation to menstrual regularity are influenced by prenatal and early postnatal growth rates. Most importantly, this study examines variation in adult gonadal steroid hormone levels, predicting that these profiles have strong developmental components.This two part project will use longitudinal data from Norway to address these hypotheses. The first part will focus on the relationships among perinatal growth, childhood development, reproductive trajectories, and ovarian function in a group of cycling women. A second, corresponding study will examine early growth, reproductive history, and testicular function in a cohort of men. It is predicted that in both sexes, size at birth and postnatal growth will be related to adult reproductive hormone profiles and reproductive histories. Both portions of this project will be extensions of ongoing epidemiological studies. For each female subject, an ovarian steroid profile has already been created based on radioimmunoassay (RIA) of saliva samples collected every day for an entire menstrual cycle. Gonadotropin levels and testosterone levels (in male subjects) have been measured in serum samples. Subjects of both sexes have previously filled out extensive questionnaires on health and lifestyle, which will be supplemented, in the current study, by ancillary interviews on living conditions during childhood and reproductive history. The birth and childhood growth records of all subjects will be obtained through national registries and/or the subjects themselves. From the perspective of reproductive ecology and physical anthropology, a greater understanding of the long-lasting effects of early life events may help to further explain the broad range of human variation and the remarkable plasticity humans show in response to both short-term and long-term changes in the environment. The current study also has obvious clinical and epidemiological implications, including the potential impact of early growth on fecundity and reproductive cancer risks. Not only will this study promote graduate training and research but it will foster international and interdisciplinary collaboration with researchers at the University of Tromso, Norway. The results of this project will be published in peer-reviewed anthropological and epidemiological journals in order to disseminate the findings and their potential implications to a wider audience.

这项研究将研究现代人口中产前和儿童期生长，青春期发展以及成人生殖功能的模式。当前的研究承认，在人群内部和人群之间的生殖轨迹存在很大差异，因此研究了这些生殖轨迹在开发过程中的何时建立，以及什么外部因素塑造了它们。 鉴于最近的证据表明早期发展可能对成人解剖学和生理学产生深远和不可逆的影响，因此总体假设是生殖轨迹可能在童年时期甚至产前寿命开始。 更具体地说，假设从生殖成熟时的年龄到月经规律的许多因素受到产前和早期产后生长率的影响。 最重要的是，这项研究检查了成年性腺类固醇激素水平的变化，预测这些特征具有强大的发育成分。这两个部分项目将使用挪威的纵向数据来解决这些假设。 第一部分将重点关注围产期生长，儿童发展，生殖轨迹和卵巢功能的关系。第二项相应的研究将检查一群男性的早期生长，生殖史和睾丸功能。 据预测，在性别中，出生时的大小和产后生长都将与成人生殖激素谱和生殖历史有关。该项目的两个部分将是正在进行的流行病学研究的扩展。对于每个女性受试者，已经根据每天收集的唾液样品的放射免疫测定（RIA）在整个月经周期中收集的卵巢类固醇特征。 在血清样品中测量了促性腺激素水平和睾丸激素水平（在男性受试者中）。两性的受试者以前填写了有关健康和生活方式的广泛问卷，在当前的研究中，通过有关儿童时期和生殖历史的生活条件的辅助采访将补充。 所有受试者的出生和儿童成长记录将通过国家注册机构和/或受试者本身获得。从生殖生态学和身体人类学的角度来看，对早期生活事件的持久影响的更深入的了解可能有助于进一步解释人类的广泛变异，而人类对短期和长期的反应表现出了显着的可塑性术语在环境中的变化。 当前的研究还具有明显的临床和流行病学意义，包括早期生长对繁殖力和生殖癌症风险的潜在影响。 这项研究不仅会促进研究生培训和研究，而且还将与挪威Tromso大学的研究人员建立国际和跨学科的合作。 该项目的结果将在经过同行评审的人类学和流行病学期刊上发表，以传播发现及其对更广泛受众的潜在影响。