Changes in growth hormone receptor gene expression during therapy in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Background: High levels of cytokines in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) can alter target cell sensitivity to growth hormone (GH) leading to short stature in adulthood. We hypothesized that the down-regulation of GH receptor (GHR) gene expression could be involved in growth failure of children with JIA. Methods: In 18 (12 F and 6 M) prepubertal JIA patients and 13 age- and sex-matched healthy children, we evaluated serum growth-promoting factors and inflammatory indexes. We also measured GHR gene expression, by real-time PCR, in lymphocytes of patients and controls. All parameters were evaluated in patients before and after treatment of JIA. Results: The most interesting (p = 0.007) result was the increase in GHR mRNA expression in all JIA patients. Moreover, we observed a significant (p = 0.0156) decrease in IL-6 levels in JIA patients after 2 years of therapy (19.37 +/- 41.01) with respect to basal values (90.84 +/- 124.71). On the contrary, IGF-I significantly (p = 0.0005) increased to a mean SDS value of 0 (range -1.69 to +1.70 SDS) with respect to values at disease onset (-0.64 SDS). Conclusions: Our preliminary data suggest that the restoration of both GHR gene expression and IGF-I secretion correlate with inactive disease in JIA children

Efficacy of long-term growth hormone (GH) therapy in short children with reduced GH biological activity

Aim: The optimal GH regimen, in terms of cost-effectiveness, in children with normal GH immunoreactivity but reduced bioactivity is still debated. Methods: In 12 GH-deficient (GHD) and 12 bioinactive GH children undergoing GH treatment we evaluated the increase in growth velocity, the difference between target height and final stature and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. Results: We found a significant (p < 0.05) increase in growth velocity in both groups during the first year of GH treatment (non-GHD: from -1.7 to 5.4 SDS; GHD: from -1.46 to 4.74 SDS). There was no statistically significant variation between the two groups in the difference between final height and target height. We did not find any significant difference in cost/height gain between GHD (1925.28 +/- 653.15 euro) and bioinactive GH children (1639.55 +/- 631.44 euro). There were also no significant differences in cost/year of therapy between GHD (12347.68 +/- 2018.1 euro) and bioinactive GH children (11355.08 +/- 1747.61 euro). Conclusion: In children with reduced GH biological activity, confirmed by the increase of serum IGF-I levels during generation test, the cost of GH treatment is justified by the positive results obtained in growth and adult height as in classical GHD patients

Quantum Chemical Studies on the Inhibiting Effect of Bipyrazoles on Steel Corrosion in HCl

Correlation of the efficacy of some bipyrazoles, N,N-bis(3,5-dimethyl-pyrazol-1-ylmethyl)-cyclohexylamine (Bip 1), N,N-bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-ylmethyl)-ethanolamine (Bip 2), N,N-bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-ylmethyl) allylamine (Bip 3) and N,N-bis(3-carboethoxy-5-methylpyrazol-1-ylmethyl)-cyclohexylamine (Bip 4), against the corrosion of mild steel in HCl is discussed using density functional approach B3LYP/6-31G(d) calculations. The bipyrazole inhibitors exhibited the highest inhibition efficiency. The quantum chemical parameters calculated are, the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO), the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO), the gap energy (ΔE), the dipole moment (μ), the softness (σ) and the total energy (TE)

HYPERIMMUNOGLOBULINAEMIA IN BABINGA PYGMIES IS PRESENT FROM INFANCY

Pygmies, a population characterized by short stature, have high immunoglobulin (Ig) concentrations. In this study, we evaluated Ig levels in Cameroon's Babinga Pygmies from infancy to adulthood and the effects of a national health program on these Ig levels. We found that IgG and IgM levels were outside the normal range for Italians of the same age and were comparable to those measured in Babinga Pygmies living in the same region by Siccardi in 1975. In conclusion, the hypergammaglobulinaemia of Babinga Pygmies is already present in infants and is not affected by sanitation improvements, suggesting that it could be partly genetically-determined