title: Basal Serum Neurokinin B Levels in Differentiating Idiopathic Central Precocious Puberty from Premature Thelarche.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To find out the diagnostic role of kisspeptin and neurokinin B in idiopathic central precocious puberty (ICPP) and premature thelarche (PT).
  
  
  METHODS
  The girls who presented with early breast development before the age of 8 years were evaluated. Patients with intracranial pathologies were excluded. Basal and stimulated follicle-stimulating hormone/luteinizing hormone (LH) levels and basal neurokinin B/kisspeptin levels were measured. Patients who had peak value of LH >5 mIU/mL and a bone age (BA)/chronological age (CA) ratio >1.1 were diagnosed as central precocious puberty (CPP), while cases who did not meet these criteria were diagnosed as PT. Healthy age-matched prepubertal girls were included as the control group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study group contained 25 girls with ICPP (7±0.8 years), 35 girls with PT (6.8±0.7 years), and 30 controls (6.7±0.7 years). Basal serum kisspeptin and neurokinin B levels were 2.36±0.47 ng/mL and 2.61±0.32 ng/mL, respectively in the ICPP group, 2.23±0.43 ng/mL and 2.24±0.23 ng/mL, respectively in the PT group, and 1.92±0.33 ng/mL and 2.03±0.24 ng/mL, respectively in the controls. Both kisspeptin and neurokinin B levels were higher in the ICPP and PT groups compared to controls (p<0.05). Moreover, basal neurokinin B level was different between ICPP and PT groups (p<0.01). A serum neurokinin B level of 2.42 ng/mL provided the most appropriate level to differentiate ICPP from PT, with a sensitivity of 84% and specificity of 77.1%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Differentiation of CPP from PT is sometime difficult, and there is a need for a simple method for the differential diagnosis. Our results suggest that basal serum neurokinin B level can be used as an adjunctive parameter to differentiate ICCP from PT.
authors.forename: Mesut
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Parlak
authors.affiliation: Antalya Training and Research Hospital, Clinic of Pediatric Endocrinology, Antalya, Turkey, E-mail: drdoga@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Doğa
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Türkkahraman
authors.forename: Hamit Yaşar
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Ellidağ
authors.forename: Gamze
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Çelmeli
authors.forename: Ayşe Eda
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Parlak
authors.forename: Necat
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yılmaz
mesh_terms: D001940:Breast / Q000254:growth & development*; D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D059648:Kisspeptins / Q000097:blood; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000097:blood; D015287:Neurokinin B / Q000097:blood*; D011629:Puberty, Precocious / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D012372:ROC Curve
chemical_list: D059648:Kisspeptins; D015287:Neurokinin B; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone
keywords: Neurokinin B; kisspeptin precocious puberty.