The first-year growth response to growth hormone treatment predicts the long-term prepubertal growth response in children

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Pretreatment auxological variables, such as birth size and parental heights, are important predictors of the growth response to GH treatment. For children with missing pretreatment data, published prediction models cannot be used.</p> <p>The objective was to construct and validate a prediction model for children with missing background data based on the observed first-year growth response to GH. The accuracy and reliability of the model should be comparable with our previously published prediction model relying on pretreatment data. The design used was mathematical curve fitting on observed growth response data from children treated with a GH dose of 33 μg/kg/d.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Growth response data from 162 prepubertal children born at term were used to construct the model; the group comprised of 19% girls, 80% GH-deficient and 23% born SGA. For validation, data from 205 other children fulfilling the same inclusion and treatment criteria as the model group were used. The model was also tested on data from children born prematurely, children from other continents and children receiving a GH dose of 67 μg/kg/d.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The GH response curve was similar for all children, but with an individual amplitude. The curve SD score depends on an individual factor combining the effect of dose and growth, the 'Response Score', and time on treatment, making prediction possible when the first-year growth response is known. The prediction interval (± 2 SD_res) was ± 0.34 SDS for the second treatment year growth response, corresponding to ± 1.2 cm for a 3-year-old child and ± 1.8 cm for a 7-year-old child. For the 1–4-year prediction, the SD_reswas 0.13 SDS/year and for the 1–7-year prediction it was 0.57 SDS (i.e. < 0.1 SDS/year).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The model based on the observed first-year growth response on GH is valid worldwide for the prediction of up to 7 years of prepubertal growth in children with GHD/ISS, born AGA/SGA and born preterm/term, and can be used as an aid in medical decision making.</p

Interaction of ethylbenzene and styrene with iron oxide model catalyst films at low coverages: a NEXAFS study

The adsorption of ethylbenzene and styrene on well ordered epitaxial iron oxide model catalyst films with different stoichiometries was investigated using near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS). On the iron-terminated Fe3O4(111) and a?Fe2O3(0001) surfaces a chemisorption of ethylbenzene and styrene is observed which initially occurs on the iron sites via the p-electron system of the phenyl ring. This forces the molecules into an almost flat lying configuration (h6 like ring adsorption geometry). In the case of ethylbenzene this adsorption complex is supposed to lead to an activation of the C-H bonds thus facilitating the dehydrogenation to styrene. The tilt angle of the aromatic ring systems increase to about 40° when approaching monolayer saturation. In contrast, the interaction with the oxygen-terminated FeO(111) surface is weak and of the physisorption type. The adsorbate-adsorbate interaction dominates and causes a tilted adsorption of the molecules from the beginning

Surface atomic geometry of Si(001)-(2X1): A low-energy electron-diffraction structure analysis

The reconstruction of the Si(001)-2×1 surface consists of asymmetric and buckled Si dimers. The vertical separation between the up and the down atom within the dimer is about 0.72±0.05 Å and the dimer bond length of 2.24±0.08 Å has been found to be slightly smaller than the Si-Si distance in the bulk. The tilt of the dimer is 19±2°. The formation of Si dimers induces pronounced distortions in the substrate that were detectable down to the fifth Si layer. The structure determination is based on two independent low-energy electron-diffraction data sets taken in two different laboratories. The structural results agree well within the error limits, though noticeable differences occur between the experimental data sets. These differences in the experimental data can possibly be attributed to different preparation procedures

Specialist community teams for adults with learning disabilities: referrals to a countywide service in England

Purpose – While “generic” community teams for adults with learning disabilities (CTs) are well-established in the UK, very little recent evidence is available about any aspect of their work. As part of a larger project about the role, structure and functioning of CTs, the purpose of this paper is to provide data about referrals. Design/methodology/approach – Over threemonths, the authors obtained data about 270 consecutive new referrals to five CTs in a countywide integrated health (NHS) and care management (local authority) service. Findings – The 270 referrals related to 255 individuals, mainly already service users, with almost a third (30 per cent, n=204) described as people with severe or profound disabilities. Consistent with the reported living arrangements (residential accommodation or with one or more family members (87 per cent, n=270)), referrals were most often made by social care staff, General Practitioners or carers. The referrals related to a wide range of issues including mental health and/or behavioural needs, physical health and skills, and independence. The major group, however, were requests about a person’s entitlement to specialist learning disability services and/or reviews of an existing social care package. Research limitations/implications – The focus on new referrals and the exclusion of intra-team referrals mean that the data are not representative of a CT’s caseload and cannot be used as a basis for resourcing. Nevertheless, the findings emphasise the heterogeneity of the population, and the long-term and varied nature of their needs, meaning that CTs require access to a range of expertise and, often, an inter-agency approach. The implications for service design are considered. Originality/value – This is the first empirical study of referrals to specialist integrated (health and care management) community learning disabilities teams in England

Models predicting the growth response to growth hormone treatment in short children independent of GH status, birth size and gestational age

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mathematical models can be used to predict individual growth responses to growth hormone (GH) therapy. The aim of this study was to construct and validate high-precision models to predict the growth response to GH treatment of short children, independent of their GH status, birth size and gestational age. As the GH doses are included, these models can be used to individualize treatment.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Growth data from 415 short prepubertal children were used to construct models for predicting the growth response during the first years of GH therapy. The performance of the models was validated with data from a separate cohort of 112 children using the same inclusion criteria.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Using only auxological data, the model had a standard error of the residuals (SD_res), of 0.23 SDS. The model was improved when endocrine data (GH_maxprofile, IGF-I and leptin) collected before starting GH treatment were included. Inclusion of these data resulted in a decrease of the SD_resto 0.15 SDS (corresponding to 1.1 cm in a 3-year-old child and 1.6 cm in a 7-year old). Validation of these models with a separate cohort, showed similar SD_resfor both types of models. Preterm children were not included in the Model group, but predictions for this group were within the expected range.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These prediction models can with high accuracy be used to identify short children who will benefit from GH treatment. They are clinically useful as they are constructed using data from short children with a broad range of GH secretory status, birth size and gestational age.</p

Pressure-induced Colossal Magnetocaloric Effect In Mnas.

To present day, the maximum magnetocaloric effect (MCE) at room temperature for a magnetic field change of 5 T is 40 J/(kg K) for MnAs. In this Letter we present colossal MCE measurements on MnAs under pressure, reaching values up to 267 J/(kg K), far greater than the magnetic limit arising from the assumption of magnetic field independence of the lattice and electronic entropy contributions. The origin of the effect is the contribution to the entropy variation coming from the lattice through the magnetoelastic coupling.9323720

Association Analysis of Ten Candidate Genes in a Large Multinational Cohort of Small for Gestational Age Children and Children with Idiopathic Short Stature (NESTEGG study)

Background: Fetal growth failure has been associated with an increased risk of hypertension, cardiovascular disease and diabetes in adulthood. Exploring the mechanisms underlying this association should improve our understanding of these common adult diseases. Patients and Methods: We investigated 225 SNPs in 10 genes involved in growth and glucose metabolism (GH1, GHR, IGF1, IGF1R, STAT5A, STAT5B, MAPK1, MAPK3, PPARγ and INS) in 1,437 children from the multinational NESTEGG consortium: 345 patients born small for gestational age who remained short (SGA-S), 288 who showed catch-up growth (SGA-Cu), 410 idiopathic short stature (ISS) and 394 controls. We related genotype to pre- and/or postnatal growth parameters, response to growth hormone (if applicable) and blood pressure. Results: We found several clinical associations for GH1, GHR, IGF1, IGF1R, PPARγ and MAPK1. One SNP remained significant after Bonferroni's correction: IGF1R SNP rs4966035's minor allele A was significantly more prevalent among SGA and associated with smaller birth length (p = 0.000378) and birth weight (weaker association), independent of gestational age. Conclusion:IGF1R SNP rs4966035 is significantly associated with birth length, independent of gestational age. This and other associations suggest that polymorphisms in these genes might partly explain the phenotype of short children born SGA and children with ISS

Influence Of Spin Reorientation On Magnetocaloric Effect In Nd Al2: A Microscopic Model

We report a theoretical investigation about the influence of the spin reorientation from easy magnetic direction 001 to the applied magnetic field direction 111 on the magnetocaloric properties of Nd Al2. This compound was fully investigated using a model Hamiltonian which includes the Zeeman-exchange interactions and the crystalline electrical field, which are responsible for the magnetic anisotropy. All theoretical results were obtained using the proper model parameters for Nd Al2, found in the literature. The existence of a minimum in magnetic entropy change below the phase transition was predicted and ascribed to the strong jump on the spin reorientation. © 2006 The American Physical Society.745Tishin, A.M., Spichkin, Y.I., (2003) The Magnetocaloric Effect and Its Applications, , Institute of Physics, BristolPecharsky, V.K., Gschneidner Jr., K.A., (1997) Phys. Rev. Lett., 78, p. 4494. , PRLTAO 0031-9007 10.1103/PhysRevLett.78.4494Tegus, O., Brück, E., Buschow, K.H.J., De Boer, F.R., (2002) Nature, 415, p. 150. , NATUAS 0028-0836 10.1038/415150AWada, H., Tanabe, Y., (2001) Appl. Phys. Lett., 79, p. 3302. , APPLAB 0003-6951Wada, H., Morikawa, T., Taniguchi, K., Shibata, T., Yamada, Y., Akishige, Y., (2003) Physica B, 328, p. 114. , PHYBE3 0921-4526 10.1016/S0921-4526(02)01822-7Hu, F., Shen, B., Sun, J., Cheng, Z., Rao, G., Zhang, X., (2001) Appl. Phys. Lett., 78, p. 3675. , APPLAB 0003-6951Fujita, A., Fujieda, S., Hasegawa, Y., Fukamichi, K., (2003) Phys. Rev. B, 67, p. 104416. , PRBMDO 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.67.104416Brown, G.V., (1976) J. Appl. Phys., 47, p. 3673. , JAPIAU 0021-8979 10.1063/1.323176Von Ranke, P.J., De Oliveira, N.A., Gama, S., (2004) J. Magn. Magn. Mater., 277, p. 78. , JMMMDC 0304-8853 10.1016/j.jmmm.2003.10.013Von Ranke, P.J., De Oliveira, N.A., Gama, S., (2004) Phys. Lett. a, 320, p. 302. , PYLAAG 0375-9601 10.1016/j.physleta.2003.10.067Von Ranke, P.J., De Campos, A., Caron, L., Coelho, A.A., Gama, S., De Oliveira, N.A., (2004) Phys. Rev. B, 70, p. 094410. , PRBMDO 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.70.094410Gama, S., Coelho, A.A., De Campos, A., Carvalho, A.M., Gandra, F.C.G., Von Ranke, P., De Oliveira, N.A., (2004) Phys. Rev. Lett., 93, p. 237202. , PRLTAO 0031-9007 10.1103/PhysRevLett.93.237202Von Ranke, P.J., De Oliveira, N.A., Mello, C., Carvalho, A.M., Gama, S., (2005) Phys. Rev. B, 71, p. 054410. , PRBMDO 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.71.054410Von Ranke, P.J., Gama, S., Coelho, A.A., De Campos, A., Carvalho, A.M., Gandra, F.C.G., De Oliveira, N.A., (2006) Phys. Rev. B, 73, p. 014415. , PRBMDO 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.73.014415Von Ranke, P.J., Pecharsky, V.K., Gschneidner, K.A., Korte, B.J., (1998) Phys. Rev. B, 58, p. 14436. , PRBMDO 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.58.14436Von Ranke, P.J., Mota, M.A., Grangeia, D.F., Carvalho, A.M., Gandra, F.C.G., Coelho, A.A., Caldas, A., Gama, S., (2004) Phys. Rev. B, 70, p. 134428. , PRBMDO 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.70.134428Lima, A.L., Tsokol, A.O., Gschneidner Jr., K.A., Pecharsky, V.K., Lograsso, T.A., Schlagel, D.L., (2005) Phys. Rev. B, 72, p. 024403. , PRBMDO 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.72.024403Von Ranke, P.J., De Oliveira, I.G., Guimaraes, A.P., Da Silva, X.A., (2000) Phys. Rev. B, 61, p. 447. , PRBMDO 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.61.447Lea, K.R., Leask, M.J.M., Wolf, W.P., (1962) J. Phys. Chem. Solids, 33, p. 1381. , JPCSAW 0022-3697Stevens, K.W.H., (1952) Proc. Phys. Soc., London, Sect. a, 65, p. 209. , PPSAAM 0370-1298 10.1088/0370-1298/65/3/308Purwins, H.G., Leson, A., (1990) Adv. Phys., 39, p. 309. , ADPHAH 0001-8732 10.1080/00018739000101511Bak, P., (1974) J. Phys. C, 7, p. 4097. , JPSOAW 0022-3719 10.1088/0022-3719/7/22/014Nereson, N., Olsen, C., Arnold, G., (1996) J. Appl. Phys., 37, p. 4575. , JAPIAU 0021-8979 10.1063/1.1708083Deenadas, C., Thompson, A.W., Graig, R.S., Wallace, W.E., (1971) J. Phys. Chem. Solids, 32, p. 1843. , JPCSAW 0022-3697Inoue, T., Sankar, S.G., Graig, R.S., Wallace, W.E., Gschneidner Jr., K.A., (1997) J. Phys. Chem. Solids, 38, p. 487. , JPCSAW 0022-3697Barbara, B., Boucherle, J.X., Michelutti, B., Rossignol, M.F., (1979) Solid State Commun., 31, p. 477. , SSCOA4 0038-1098Barbara, B., Rossignol, M.F., Boucherle, J.X., (1975) Phys. Lett., 55, p. 321. , PYLAAG 0375-9601 10.1016/0375-9601(75)90489-