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Scientists say they have found the genetic switch that turns on puberty. It all starts with a molecule called kisspeptin, which wakes up the reproductive hormones from their childhood hibernation.

The University of Pittsburgh team believe kisspeptin switches on a recently discovered puberty gene, called GPR54.

The findings could help treat puberty disorders, they told Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

'Kiss' started

The team found that when they gave young animals kisspeptin it triggered the production of reproductive hormones.

It might be possible to do the same in humans to treat children who fail to go through puberty in the normal way, they believe.

About one in 10,000 children fail to go through puberty. Many others go through puberty prematurely - some at just two years old.

Lead researcher Dr Tony Plant said: "We now have very good evidence that the GPR54 gene and its switch, the kisspeptin protein molecule produced by kiSS-1 [gene], are key to the initiation of puberty."

But he said it was likely that other signalling systems were also involved.

Professor Ilpo Huhtaniemi, an expert in reproductive biology at Imperial College London, said: "This is a very important field of research.

"Puberty is advancing in Western societies all the time and we do not know why.

"These new receptors and their peptides might play a role. Diet is another factor."

BBC News

A psychology lecturer has appealed to people who have had an affair to help with research into infidelity.

Marianne Quick, from Edge Hill College near Ormskirk, Lancashire, is investigating the personality traits of those who are unfaithful.

Anyone who has had an affair or the opportunity to have one is invited to share their experience confidentially.

Ms Quick said the people most likely to have an affair were those who enjoyed risk in life and taking chances.

But she added: "That's not to suggest that everybody who is into bungee jumping is going to have an affair."

Ms Quick said other theories included Freud's that people who suffer disrupted relationships in childhood surround themselves with more people in adulthood in case anything happens to their primary relationship.

BBC News

Many people who experience health problems after having an intimate body piercing do not seek medical help, research suggests.

Pittsburgh's Carlow University focused on 146 men and women with nipple and genital piercings.

They found a majority of people developed problems such as infections and changes to urine flow, but only 3% sought medical advice.

The research is published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing.

Of those who took part in the study, 43% had nipple piercings, 25% had genital piercings and 32% had both.

The team found that 66% of people with nipple piercings and 52% of those with genital piercings had developed health problems.

The most common problems with nipple piercings were sensitivity (37%), skin irritation (21%) and infections (21%).

For male genital piercings the top problems were urinary flow changes (39%) and sensitivity (31%).

While more than half of people (54%) discussed their problems with their piercer, only a tiny fraction sought professional medical advice.

Despite the problems, most people liked their piercings - ranging from 73% to 90%, depending on piercing type - while 87% said their partner was positive about it.

Reluctance

Professor Carol Caliendo, of Carlow University in Pittsburgh, said: "It's clear from our study that when people experience problems with intimate body piercing they are reluctant to consult healthcare professionals and we need to encourage people to come forward.

"We are particularly concerned about the urinary flow changes reported by men after genital piercings.

"It's clearly an issue that needs to be highlighted with men who have had, or are considering, piercings and the people who carry them out."

Kathy French, a sexual health adviser for the Royal College of Nursing, said people should only go to an accredited practitioner to get a body piercing done.

"There is probably a fair level of embarrassment about problems that may arise, and probably a fair amount of ignorance among health professionals as well," she said.

"We need to raise awareness of this issue. It is not just about things that might go wrong.

"For instance there are issues such as whether it is safe to use condoms with pierced genitals."

BBC News

Seven out of 10 single Japanese women believe they can be perfectly happy remaining on their own, according to an opinion poll in the Yomiuri newspaper.

The number of women believing singledom can bring contentment has risen by 10% since 2003, the newspaper said.

Analysts say the results reflect the fact that staying single is no longer the social stigma it once was.

It also illustrates why Japan is facing a falling birth-rate, as many Japanese choose to marry later or not at all.

The birth-rate is now just 1.29 children per woman - among the lowest in the world - fuelling concerns that a shrinking work force will be unable to support the country's growing numbers of elderly.

A government white paper released in October warned that a shortage of children could create economic problems, higher social welfare costs and even psychological problems from young people.

Yomiuri's nationwide survey found that 73% of single female respondents and 67% of single males agreed that women could be completely happy living on their own.

But the numbers fell with age. Of those in their 20s, 74% of male and females asked said they believed women could be happy if they did not marry.

The rate dropped to 66% for respondents in their 30s, and 58% for those in their 40s.

BBC News

Now, you can play it safe along with music! A scientist has come up with musical condoms that apart from being a contraceptive gives you the opportunity play your own tone that gets louder as the sex gets more vigorous.

Different lovemaking positions determine what tune is played by the condom, which also works like a normal contraceptive.The rubber has tiny sensors connected to a mini electronic device that produces the sounds.

"But there is no danger of being electrocuted," the Sun quoted Dr Chausovskiy as saying, who has teamed up with a manufacturer to export the condoms to Britain.

They will cost about 20 per cent more than normal condoms. "But people will pay for the extra stimulation," he added.

Asian News International

HTTabloid.com

A Belgian woman is suing a baker who is selling small erotic marzipan figures for Valentine's Day.

She says the cakes, depicting sexual positions, should not be on display in the baker's shop window.

Baker Van Buggenhout told Het Laatste Nieuws: "It's only fun. The figurines don't show sexual organs.

"People laugh when they see them and buy them to give to their wives or girlfriends."

But the woman, a neigbour of the shop, says putting them in the window is like exposing children to pornography.

Ananova.com

A Taiwanese company has introduced a new service allowing men to order tailor-made size condoms.

SakuNet International makes 55 different sizes of condoms from just three inches long to 9.4 inches, reports Sina News.

The company says the most popular condom sold in Taiwan is 4.2 inches long and 1.9 inches in diameter.

Company manager Huang Wanting says uncomfortable condoms can easily break or slip, adding to the risk of infection or pregnancy.

Men can log onto the company's website and download and print out the length measurement card so they can order the most appropriate condom.

Huang says that since they introduced the service, there have been more than 20,000 downloads of the measurement card, and they have sold 5,000 dozens of condoms in different sizes.

To avoid embarrassment, the measurement card has no numbers on it to indicate an actual size, but unified serial numbers.

The serial number for the largest, (9.5 inches long, 2.5 inches in diameter) is G22, and the smallest (3 inches long, 1.6 inches in diameter) is J33.

Ananova.com

The animal kingdom could give important clues to rising teenage pregnancy rates, Chicago scientists say. Stressful experiences in early life prematurely turn on female monkeys' maternal streaks, found one study.

Similarly, teenage girls who grow up without a father at home reach puberty earlier and are more drawn maternally to pictures of infants, it found.

Such factors should be considered along with more obvious socioeconomic causes, says Professor Dario Maestripieri.

Maternal instinct

The Chicago University professor has studied the biology of reproductive and parenting behaviour in monkeys and humans.

He said there was much to be learned from animals.

His latest study, due to be published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society journal, looked at female rhesus monkeys, which are considered to be one of the animals most similar to humans.

Those females who were exposed to harsh and unpredictable maternal care in infancy showed earlier interest in infants as well as higher stress hormones during development.

Professor Maestripieri says the same is true for young girls. "Early social influences are very important for human reproduction," he told the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

"Things that go on in families in the first few years of life can have consequences way beyond childhood.

"Girls without a father at home start menstruating at an early age."

Early stress

He said there were a number of theories why that might be.

"It might be the fact that there could be other males around, for example boyfriends of the mother, and the presence of an unrelated male accelerates puberty.

"It might be a genetic effect, that there is a gene in the father that makes him leave and the same gene in the daughter causes early reproduction."

But he said his work on monkeys suggested quality of maternal care was the important factor.

"Early stress can accelerate the development of maternal responsiveness in both humans and monkeys."

By Michelle Roberts
BBC News health reporter, Washington DC
BBC News

In Zimbabwe, enterprising traders are making money by turning female condoms into brightly-coloured bangles.

The rubber rings are removed from the condoms and made into fashion items.

Although it is profitable for the vendors, those involved in the distribution of the heavily-subsidised condoms want to end the practice.

One shopper in central Harare said: "They're pretty. I used to wear them until I discovered they were made from condoms. Then I threw them away."

Alfred, who also sells watches, batteries and necklaces, sells a packet of three bangles for Z$10,000 (US$2).

"We get them for free from hospitals and clinics. Then we cut the plastic off, just leaving the band, which we repaint in bright colours - pink, yellow, red."

The government makes condoms available free of charge at health centres throughout the country as part of the fight against HIV/ Aids.

An estimated 25% of adult Zimbabweans are HIV positive.

Zimbabwe is one of the leading users of female condoms in southern Africa, using almost one million every year.

Concerned

Aid agency Population Services International (PSI) distributes subsidised female condoms to pharmacies and hair salons, where they cost around two US cents each.

PSI's Yasmin Madan says the female condoms are more expensive to make than male condoms and so there is pressure from donors to ensure they are used properly.

"When we hear such stories, we do get concerned and we act straight away," she said.

The business of turning female condoms into fashion accessories may die down soon, but whatever the rights and wrongs, it certainly shows that Zimbabweans are creative and resourceful people.

By Steve Vickers
BBC, Harare
BBC News

Wales is facing an epidemic of sexual diseases among teenagers, according to new figures. More young people in Wales are seeking help at clinics than ever before, BBC Radio Wales' Eye on Wales has found.

Consultant Olwen Williams, an expert on sexual infections, said the number of under 16s in Wales attending clinics had risen 37% in five years.

The Welsh Assembly Government has announced plans to spend £14m on sexual health services.

Rates of chlamydia have also increased by 240% among girls aged 16-19 in Wales in the same five-year period.

Chlamydia can cause infertility among women and can lead to disability among men.

Wales already has the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in Europe.

In addition, research suggests that nearly half of Welsh teenagers have had sex before the legal age.

The latest figures for sexual infections in Wales will be published by the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV.

Life-threatening

But Dr Williams, of Wrexham Maelor Hospital, said the new statistics were just the tip of the iceberg, with clinics in Wales only picking up about 5% of cases.

The Family Planning Association has called for better access to education and information for young people because existing messages were failing to protect them.

Dr Marion Lyons of the National Public Health Service has been appointed by the Welsh Assembly to start to tackle the scale of the problem.

Dr Lyons agreed services had to be overhauled if teenagers were to be protected from life-threatening diseases such as HIV and syphilis.

In December the assembly government announced a series of measures on sexual health.

They included ensuring access to testing for sexually transmitted infections within two working days.

BBC News