Elderly Drivers Research Articles

Partial cellular reprogramming stably restores the stemness of senescent epidermal stem cells.

Adult stem cell senescence and exhaustion are important drivers of organismal age. Restored stem cell self-renewal has revealed novel therapeutic targets for decreasing the incidence of age-associated diseases (AADs) and prolonging the human health span. Transient ectopic expression of the reprogramming factors Oct3/4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-Myc (collectively known as OSKM) in somatic cells can induce partial cellular reprogramming and effectively ameliorate their age-associated hallmarks. However, how this form of rejuvenation is applied to senescent stem cells remains unknown. The Integrin-α6highCD71high epidermal stem cells (ESCs) with low self-renewal ability were sorted by flow cytometry and then treated by the interrupted reprogramming induced by transient expression of OSKM. The ability of secondary clones' generation and self-proliferation in vitro, as well as stem cell marker p63, were detected to determine their self-renewal ability. Besides, gene and protein of epidermal cell markers were detected to determine whether their cell identities were retained. Finally, DNA methylation age (eAge) and DNA dehydroxymethylase/methyltransferase were analyzed to explore the alternation of their global DNA methylation pattern during this rejuvenation. The partial reprogramming restored the youthful self-renewal and proliferation in senescent ESCs, including larger secondary clone generation, higher expression of stem cell marker p63 and proliferation marker Ki67, and faster proliferation speed, in each case without abolishing epithelial cellular identity. Moreover, the rejuvenation of adult stem cells could be maintained for 2 weeks after reprogramming factor withdrawal, which was more stable than that of differentiated somatic cells. Additionally, we found that partial reprogramming counteracted the acceleration of eAge in senescent epidermal stem cells and DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) may play a crucial role in this process. Partial reprogramming has high therapeutic potential for reversing adult stem cell age, providing an advanced way to treat AADs.

Understanding driverless car adoption: Random parameters ordered probit model for Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney

With advanced policy and technology support, driverless cars are expected to be a reality on Australian roads in next 5–10 years. The pace at which driverless cars emerge as a mainstream travel mode greatly depends on public adoption and acceptance; this is likely to be based on multiple factors. The impact these factors may have on various adoption time horizons, however, is rarely discussed in contemporary research. Therefore, this study focuses on illustrating the impact of factors associated with the adoption of driverless cars in Australia. A survey was conducted on 2608 participants living in metropolitan Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney. A total of 1108 participants expressed their preference towards driverless car adoption over three different time intervals, ranging from now to 10 years following deployment. Four random parameters ordered probit models were developed using the survey data—three separate models for Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney, and one for the combined dataset. Significance differences among models were evaluated using the likelihood ratio test. The results showed a significant difference among cities in terms of contributing factors towards driverless car adoption timeline. Additionally, different groups, considering the following factors—gender, age, household members, level of education, employment status, income, driving licence duration, travel distance to school, travel distance for social outings, car ownership, familiarity with driving aids and driverless car riding—exhibited a mixed interest regarding the adoption timeline for driverless cars. Other groups, considering the following factors exhibited a unidirectional interest—age, level of education, workplace type, income, employment status, travel distance to work, travel distance to school, travel distance for social outings, number of employed in a household, occupation, driver's licence age, number of smart tech use, driverless car trip purpose, feature preference in a driverless car, and use of driving aids. The study offers insights for future planning and policy direction related to driverless car adoption.

3-Domains screening toolkit for medical assessment of older drivers: Feasibility study in Australian general practice

Some general practitioners (GPs) find the older driver medical assessment challenging, citing clinical uncertainty and concerns about communicating the need for further testing or driving cessation while maintaining a trusting therapeutic relationship. A screening toolkit could help support GP decision making and communication about fitness to drive. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility, acceptability and utility of the 3-Domains screening toolkit for the medical assessment of older drivers in Australian general practice.A prospective mixed-methods study was conducted in nine general practices in south-east Queensland. Participants were older drivers (age ≥75 years) attending annual driving licence medical assessment, GPs and practice nurses. The 3-Domains toolkit comprises three screening tests (Snellen chart visual acuity, functional reach, road signs recognition). We evaluated the feasibility, acceptability and utility of the toolkit.Practices used the toolkit in 43 older driver medical assessments (age 75-93 years; combined predictive score 13-96%). Twenty-two semistructured interviews were conducted. Older drivers felt reassured by the thorough assessment. GPs said the toolkit fitted into practice workflows, informed clinical judgement and supported conversations about fitness to drive while preserving therapeutic relationships.The 3-Domains screening toolkit is feasible, acceptable and useful for the medical assessment of older drivers in Australian general practice.

Transcriptomic profiling of brain amyloidosis and Alzheimer’s disease phenotypes identifies novel gene targets from peripheral blood gene expression data

AbstractBackgroundIn an effort towards pre‐symptomatic risk assessment, precision medicine and biomarker development in AD, we evaluated the efficacy of characterizing and clustering peripheral blood transcriptomic data with respect to brain amyloidosis.Method356 ADNI participants with blood gene expression, Florbetapir SUVR, neurodegeneration measures and CSF measures (CN = 120, EMCI = 130, LMCI = 72 and AD = 34) were identified (Table‐1). Differential expressed genes from ∼50,000 transcripts (p<0.001) were identified. Pairwise euclidean distance between genes was used to construct a gene‐gene distance matrix followed by K‐means clustering (Figure‐1). Gene enrichment analysis was performed on each cluster to identify biological processes associated with the cluster. “Eigengene”; a data vector representing the whole cluster was obtained for each cluster using Principal Component Analyses. The top driver genes were identified from each cluster. We used the tool MAGMA (Multi‐marker Analysis of GenoMic Annotation) to analyze variants in the driver genes. Voxel‐wise multiple regression in SPM12 with age and sex as covariates was used to visualize the pattern of association of driver gene expression with brain amyloidosis. The association of the transcripts identified through our analyses to amyloid SUVR, and disease diagnosis were validated in the external ImaGene(n = 160) dataset.ResultWe identified five clusters with distinct biological processes highly relevant in AD. All five clusters were significantly associated with Florbetapir SUVR and CSF Abeta measures (p<0.05) (Figure‐2). 28 driver genes were identified. Six driver genes (BAIAP3, E2F2, PSMF1, SMOX, UBE20 and RNF11) had negative association with amyloidosis in the lateral temporal, lateral parietal and temporo‐ and parieto‐occipital areas, in addition to regions of the frontal lobe (Figure‐3). One of the driver genes, KANK2, and overall, 29 of the differentially expressed genes had SNPs significantly associated with AD and MCI phenotype (Table‐2). The top driver genes showed similar correlation to amyloid SUVR in the ImaGene dataset (Figure‐4B). A logistic regression model with 28 driver genes, and age and sex as covariates predicted amnestic MCI diagnosis in the external dataset with an AUC of 0.82(Figure‐4A).ConclusionUsing a data driven approach we identified novel gene targets from peripheral blood which directly correlate to amyloid‐related pathogenesis and AD phenotype

Pengaruh Ojek Online: Faktor Faktor Yang Mempengaruhi Pendapatan Driver Gojek Dan Grab Di Kota Yogyakarta Tahun 2023 Dengan Metode Kualitatif

The effect of working hours, passenger targets, driver age, and fuel consumption on the income of Gojek and Grab drivers in Yogyakarta City. This study aims to determine the effect of the above variables on the income of Gojek and Grab drivers. The purpose of this research is expected to be useful and add insight for readers, besides that it can be a source of information about the factors that influence the income of Gojek and Grab drivers. In the research we conducted, the method we used was quantitative method. The data source used in this study is primary data obtained from the results of questionnaires distributed to Gojek and Grab drivers in Yogyakarta City. In this type of research using qualitative research using the classical assumption test in data processing. Driver working hours have a significant effect on income because the relationship between working hours and driver income has a significant positive relationship. Passenger targets do not have a significant influence on driver income. Driver age has a significant influence on driver income. Gasoline needs do not have a significant influence on the income of online motorcycle taxi drivers in Yogyakarta City. From the results of the analysis with the classical assumption test above, it can be concluded that working hours and driver age have a significant influence on the income of online ojek drivers. This is evidenced by the results of the classical assumption test conducted and produces a value that is in accordance with the requirements.

Evaluation of the visual aptitude of public transport drivers on National Roads 6 (Bamako- Ségou) and 30 (Fana- Dioila) in the Reference Health Centre of Fana

Summary: In Mali, the increase in the number of road accidents is proportional to the increase in the number of cars in circulation. A study of public transport drivers revealed that 23.1% of the drivers surveyed were unfit to drive out of a sample of 385 drivers. The objective of this study was to assess the visual aptitude for driving of inter-urban public transport drivers on the RN 6 and RN 30 in Fana. Results: The study involved 150 collective transport drivers, the majority of whom were in the 30-39 age group, representing 46.7% (n=70) with extremes of 20 and 68 years, the average age being 35.81±9.66 years. A total of 14.7% (n=22) of the drivers surveyed were unfit to drive and the causes of reduced visual acuity among unfit drivers were cataracts with 36.36% (n=8), followed by optic neuropathies with 22.73% (n=5) and ametropias with 18.19% (n=4). With regard to the relationship between the age of the drivers and visual aptitude for driving, the study revealed that 46.15% (n=6) of the drivers aged over 50 years were unfit. Conclusion: The results of this study show the need to make the ophthalmological examination compulsory when issuing and renewing a driving licence throughout Mali.

Empirical examination of interdependent relationship between usage of seatbelt restraint system and driver-injury severity of single-vehicle crashes in Thailand using a joint econometric analysis

Objectives The paper aims to examine the interdependent relationship between the usage of the seatbelt restraint system and severities of the driver-injury in single-vehicle crashes. Methods This paper developed a comprehensive joint econometric structure − a joint random parameters binary probit-binary probit model − that allows for the simultaneous examination of injury severity of the driver in a crash, and taking into account the fact that seat belt use can be endogenous to the outcomes of driver injury. The developed model is tested using data on drivers-injury severities involved in single-vehicle crashes in Thailand from 2012-2017. Results In terms of the interdependent relationship between seatbelt use status and driver-injury severities, the findings suggest that drivers who do not use seat belts may demonstrate more dangerous or aggressive driving behaviors (such as speeding), subsequently increasing their likelihood of involvement in severe or fatal crashes. Additionally, the result also shows that drivers who are involved in speeding-related crashes are less likely to wear a seatbelt and have a higher risk of sustaining severe and fatal injuries. The findings also reveal that in crashes, drivers who are young, or operating trucks are less likely to be wearing their seat belts. The study also indicates that severe and fatal crashes are associated with factors such as elderly drivers, alcohol involvement, unbelted drivers, fatigue, depressed medians, and barrier medians. Conversely, a crash in a U-turn area, driving a passenger car, pickup truck, or large truck, or colliding with a guardrail reduces the likelihood of severe and fatal injuries. Conclusions Neglecting the hidden endogenous effect in statistical analyses could result in an overestimation of the impact of seat belt usage on crash-injury outcomes. The findings of this study can provide valuable insights for relevant authorities aiming to improve driver safety.

Rates and predictors of teen driver crash culpability

Background: Motor-vehicle crash risk is highest among teen drivers. Despite a wealth of research on the topic, there are still many contributors to these crashes that are not well understood. The current study sought to examine the contribution of graduated driver licensing (GDL) restrictions, sex, age, roadway circumstances, and citation history to teen drivers’ crash culpability. Method: Crash system data from the Iowa Department of Transportation were linked with traffic-related charges from the Iowa Court Information System. Crashes involving teens aged 14 to 17 years between 2016 and 2019 were analyzed (N = 19,847). Culpability was determined using the driver contributing circumstances from the crash report. Moving and non-moving traffic citations issued prior to the date of each crash were considered. A multivariable logistic regression model was constructed to examine predictors of crash culpability. Results: Teen drivers were determined to be culpable for more than two thirds of crashes (N = 13,604, 68.54%). Culpability was more prevalent among males, younger teens, in rural areas, in the presence of reported roadway contributing circumstances, during hours of restricted nighttime driving, and among teens with citation histories that included both moving and non-moving citations. Similarly, multivariable model results indicated that the likelihood of culpability was higher among males, in rural areas, and at each stage of GDL compared to teen drivers with unrestricted licenses. While drivers with a history of both moving and non-moving violations were more likely to be culpable, those with a history of only moving or only non-moving violations were less likely to be culpable compared to those with no violation history. Conclusion: Sex, crash location, and GDL stage were associated with teen driver crash culpability. A singular prior moving or non-moving violation may play a protective role in teen crash culpability.

Specific prediction of mortality by oxidative stress-induced damage to RNA vs. DNA in humans.

Modifications of nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) from oxidative stress is a potential driver of aging per se and of mortality in age-associated medical disorders such as type 2 diabetes (T2D). In a human cohort, we found a strong prediction of all-cause mortality by a marker of systemic oxidation of RNA in patients with T2D (n = 2672) and in nondiabetic control subjects (n = 4079). The finding persisted after the adjustment of established modifiers of oxidative stress (including BMI, smoking, and glycated hemoglobin). In contrast, systemic levels of DNA damage from oxidation, which traditionally has been causally linked to both T2D and aging, failed to predict mortality. Strikingly, these findings were subsequently replicated in an independent general population study (n = 3649). The data demonstrate a specific importance of RNA damage from oxidation in T2D and general aging.

Effects of hunger on neuronal histone modifications slow aging in Drosophila

Hunger is an ancient drive, yet the molecular nature of pressures of this sort and how they modulate physiology are unknown. We find that hunger modulates aging in Drosophila. Limitation of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) or activation of hunger-promoting neurons induced a hunger state that extended life span despite increased feeding. Alteration of the neuronal histone acetylome was associated with BCAA limitation, and preventing these alterations abrogated the effect of BCAA limitation to increase feeding and extend life span. Hunger acutely increased feeding through usage of the histone variant H3.3, whereas prolonged hunger seemed to decrease a hunger set point, resulting in beneficial consequences for aging. Demonstration of the sufficiency of hunger to extend life span reveals that motivational states alone can be deterministic drivers of aging.

Examination of factors associated with fault status and injury severity in intersection-related rear-end crashes: Application of binary and bivariate ordered probit models

Rear-end crashes are a relatively common crash type and often occur at or near intersections. Although rear-end crashes are generally less severe than some other crash types, there were still 2,346 fatal and 595,000 injury rear-end crashes in the US in 2019 alone. These crashes are generally caused by one at-fault driver who strikes a leading vehicle, and it may be useful to assess factors associated with a driver being at-fault. Additionally, it is important to analyze factors associated with injury severity outcomes in order to develop countermeasures aimed at preventing severe injuries. As such, this study investigates factors related to fault status and injury severity (and the interrelation between the two) in two-vehicle intersection-related rear-end crashes using data from a southwestern US state. A binary probit model was estimated to assess factors associated with fault status, while a bivariate ordered probit model was estimated to assess factors associated with driver injury severity by fault status. Importantly, by modelling the injury severity of both crash-involved drivers jointly, potential within-crash correlation can be accounted for. The results of the fault status model indicated numerous factors were associated with a fault status including vehicle type, driver age, and driver impairment or distraction. The results of the bivariate injury severity model indicated numerous factors were significantly associated with injury severity and importantly, differences were observed between at-fault and not-at-fault drivers. Ultimately, the results of this study may assist in development of targeted countermeasures aimed at reducing both crash occurrence and severe injury outcomes.

Factors affecting the psychomotor ability of drivers and road safety with respect to legal regulations and NGO Guidelines

The data from the Central Register of Vehicles and Drivers (CEPiK) shows that currently 22,071,753 citizens have driving licenses in Poland. In 2021, nearly 23 thousand road accidents, occurring on public roads, in residential areas or in traffic zones, have been reported to the police. As a result, 2,245 people have been killed and 26,415 were injured, 8,276 of which heavily. At the Toxicological Analysis Section of the Institute of Forensic Research (PAT IES), for over a decade more than half of the cases are related to drivers. In 2021, the percentage was 53.3%, while earlier, before the COVID-19 pandemy, nearly 2/3 of all cases sent to the PAT IES concerned drivers (for example, in 2016 it was 65.8%). Taking into account only the drivers who were involved in a road accident, the number of cases has fluctuated around 40% over the last decade. Traffic safety depends on many factors including: drugs, alcohol consumption, some diseases that the person operating the vehicle may suffer from, medicines and even the age and sex of the driver, which have been the subject of research in Europe, including Poland over the years. It resulted in many guidelines of non-governmental institutions and reports from research projects like eg. IMMORTAL, ICADTS, DRUID, EMCDDA which are than reflected in European and Polish legislation. The reports of the aforementioned institutions and research projects show that the perpetrators of road accidents are more often young men (up to 24 years of age) than women of the same age. For drivers aged ≥25 years, women are more likely to cause accidents, especially those over the age of 75. Among the diseases that affect safety in land traffic there are, among others vision impairment, hearing impairment, mental illness and diabetes. The annually declining number of road accidents in Poland is somehow reflected in the PAT IES statistics. Despite this favourable trend, the factors influencing the risk of an accident remain unchanged. The occurrence of a real danger on the road is still mainly influenced by the so-called ‘human factor’, and in particular the broadly understood ‘state’ of the driver. However, other factors should also be taken into account, such as the technical condition of the vehicle which may also directly contribute to the occurrence of such an event. The guidelines and legal restrictions on road safety that have changed in recent years seem to have brought the desired effects, however, the subject still requires further research and implementation of new solutions, suitable for the dynamically changing situation.

The mitochondrial unfolded protein response regulates hippocampal neural stem cell aging

Aging results in a decline in neural stem cells (NSCs), neurogenesis, and cognitive function, and evidence is emerging to demonstrate disrupted adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus of patients with several neurodegenerative disorders. Here, single-cell RNA sequencing of the dentate gyrus of young and old mice shows that the mitochondrial protein folding stress is prominent in activated NSCs/neural progenitors (NPCs) among the neurogenic niche, and it increases with aging accompanying dysregulated cell cycle and mitochondrial activity in activated NSCs/NPCs in the dentate gyrus. Increasing mitochondrial protein folding stress results in compromised NSC maintenance and reduced neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus, neural hyperactivity, and impaired cognitive function. Reducing mitochondrial protein folding stress in the dentate gyrus of old mice improves neurogenesis and cognitive function. These results establish the mitochondrial protein folding stress as a driver of NSC aging and suggest approaches to improve aging-associated cognitive decline.

Can exercise prevent the age‐related decline in adaptive homeostasis? Evidence across organisms and tissues

Can exercise prevent the age‐related decline in adaptive homeostasis? Evidence across organisms and tissues

Testing of a custom, portable drill press to minimize probe misalignment in sap flow sensors.

The accurate estimation of plant transpiration is critical to the fields of hydrology, plant physiology and ecology. Among the various methods of measuring transpiration in the field, the sap flow methods based on head pulses offers a cost-effective and energy-efficient option to directly measure the plant-level movement of water through the hydraulically active tissue. While authors have identified several possible sources of error in these measurements, one of the most common sources is misalignment of the sap flow probes due to user error. Though the effects of probe misalignment are well documented, no device or technique has been universally adopted to ensure the proper installation of sap flow probes. In this paper we compare the magnitude of misalignment errors among a 5mm thick drilling template (DT), a 10mm thick DT, and a custom designed, field-portable drill press. The different techniques were evaluated in the laboratory using a 7.5cm wood block and in the field, comparing differences in measured sap flow. Based on analysis of holes drilled in the wood block, we found that the portable drill press was most effective in assuring that drill holes remained parallel, even at 7.5cm depth. In field installations, nearly 50% of holes drilled with a 5mm template needed to be redrilled while none needed to be when drilled with the drill press. Widespread use of a portable drill press when implementing the heat pulse method would minimize alignment uncertainty and allow a clearer understanding of other sources of uncertainty due to variability in tree species, age, or external drivers or transpiration.

Driver Decision Space Inversion Method Based on DC-GAN

In the driving process, drivers need to constantly perceive the surrounding environment to make decisions and perform operations. This cognitive space formed in the driver's mind is the driver's decision space. For the actual driving environment, factors such as complex road sign settings, unreasonable road planning, long-time fatigue driving, and reduced reaction ability of elderly drivers may interfere with the normal perception of the driver's decision space, resulting in reduced driving safety. In this paper, a driver decision space inversion method based on deep convolutional neural networks and generative adversarial networks is proposed to study driver perception in near-domain traffic scenarios. The steps of the method include: near-domain target element extraction, driving data collection, sample data generation, adversarial generative network model learning, data enhancement and decision space inversion. The experimental results show that the method in this paper can accurately identify the driver's decision space in both real and simulated driving scenarios by implementing real-time monitoring of driver perception. The method is important for studying the driver's decision space, which can promote the development of intelligent driving technology and the synergistic development of human-vehicle-road-loop. In the context of today's sustainable transportation and smart mobility, driver decision space research is not only an important basic research, but also an inevitable requirement to promote innovation and upgrading in the transportation field.

Establishing a predictive model for unsafe driving in the elderly using artificial intelligence and elucidating the neural basis

In Japan, there is a social issue associated with accidents caused by elderly drivers. Although mandatory cognitive function tests when renewing driving lessons screen for dementia, they cannot account for risk of unsafe driving due to the natural ageing process. In his work, Associate Professor Bun Yamagata, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, has been using imaging techniques such as MRI and NIRS and combining the data obtained with neuropsychological evaluations and artificial intelligence (AI) technology to better understand brain function and structural abnormalities within the brain. In partnership with ergonomics and mechanical engineering specialist Associate Professor Motoki Shino, from The University of Tokyo, he is conducting an innovative study on driving behaviours and brain atrophy patterns. By combining engineering and neuropsychology techniques the researchers will develop algorithms that predict the risk of dangerous driving behaviours in elderly drivers. In research exploring the relationship between the structural connectivity of white matter in the brain and the driving ability of healthy older people Yamagata found that changes in the white matter within the dorsal attention network may contribute to a higher risk of unsafe driving behaviours in healthy elderly people. The researchers have used machine learning to develop a model that predicts the risk of unsafe driving in healthy older people with high accuracy from neuropsychological tests and practical visual acuity.

IIHS small overlap frontal crash test ratings and real-world driver death risk

Objective To evaluate how ratings for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) driver-side small-overlap frontal crash test predict real-world driver death risk in frontal impacts. Methods IIHS released the driver-side small-overlap frontal crash test in 2012, after manufacturers had improved vehicle designs to make good ratings in the IIHS moderate overlap frontal crash test virtually ubiquitous. In the small overlap test, the vehicle impacts a rigid barrier at 40 mph (64 km/h) with 25% of the vehicle’s width overlapping the barrier. As in other IIHS tests, vehicles are rated as good, acceptable, marginal, or poor. Drivers’ risk of dying in a frontal crash was estimated by dividing driver deaths by driver involvements in police-reported crashes and modeling with logistic regression to estimate the effect of crash test rating, while controlling for driver age and sex, vehicle type and curb weight, and number of vehicles in the crash. Results Drivers of good-rated vehicles were 12% less likely to die in frontal impacts than drivers of poor-rated vehicles. This estimate was 11% for acceptable-rated vehicles and 5% (not statistically significant) for marginal-rated vehicles, compared with vehicles rated poor. Conclusions The current study demonstrates that the IIHS driver-side small-overlap crash test rating encourages vehicle designs that reduce drivers’ real-world risk of dying in frontal crashes.

Traffic Accident Traits and Driver Characteristics Implication on Road Accidents using Descriptive Analysis: A Cross Sectional Study in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq

The current study focuses on disclosing the types and causes of traffic events in the Sulaymaniyah governorate and their association with driver implications. The study was conducted between September 2019 and August 2020 in cooperation with the General Directorate of Traffic. A total of 573 traffic accident forms were directly collected at the site of crush events. The result shows that the collision type of Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs) is the most frequent type, accounting for 64.6% of the total. Higher incidence of RTAs was recorded in pickup, taxi, and motorcycle automobiles than in private cars. The analysis showed that the driver's faults are responsible for 81.4% of RTAs followed by road issues, mechanical car faults, and environmental factors which were responsible for 15%, 2.4%, and 1.2%, respectively. The most important driver factors accountable for RTAs were overspeeding, low level of education, gender, young age, and alcohol intake. Driver age group 19-33 is highly associated with RTAs with the peak occurring at the age of 21 years.

Circulating follicle stimulating hormone levels influence body growth in pre-menarcheal girls in a latitude-dependent manner

IntroductionAge at menarche is an essential determinant of reproductive life of a woman. Latitude is an important driver of age at menarche, however the contributions of circulating follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and socio-economic status (SES) to age at menarche in a latitude-dependent manner is not known. MethodsThis population-based cross-sectional study is a component of our major cohort of 10,050 schoolgirls aged 8–16 years from 35 schools across 10 districts. The selected districts were categorised into high and low latitudes by applying a cut-off point at latitude 31.5⁰N. We evaluated the physical parameters, SES, circulating FSH, and growth hormone (GH) levels in pre-menarche girls (N = 252) at different latitudes. ResultsSelf-reported age at menarche of girls residing at different latitudes in Pakistan showed that higher latitude is associated with delayed age at menarche. Higher latitude was associated with reduced circulating FSH levels, as well as lower parameters of physical growth including body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio and, waist-height ratio (all p < 0.05) in the pre-menarcheal girls. However, circulating GH levels were not affected by latitude. On the other hand, lower SES was associated with reduced GH levels and lower BMI, which are considered as probably the primary determinants of physical growth. ConclusionsTaken together, we show that higher latitude may delay the sexual maturation, while poor SES may delay the physical growth in girls.