Efficacy and safety of growth hormone treatment in children with short stature: the Italian cohort of the GeNeSIS clinical study

Purpose: We examined auxological changes in growth hormone (GH)-treated children in Italy using data from the Italian cohort of the multinational observational Genetics and Neuroendocrinology of Short Stature International Study (GeNeSIS) of pediatric patients requiring GH treatment. Methods: We studied 711 children (median baseline age 9.6 years). Diagnosis associated with short stature was as determined by the investigator. Height standard deviation score (SDS) was evaluated yearly until final or near-final height (n = 78). Adverse events were assessed in all GH-treated patients. Results: The diagnosis resulting in GH treatment was GH deficiency (GHD) in 85.5 % of patients, followed by Turner syndrome (TS 6.6 %). Median starting GH dose was higher in patients with TS (0.30 mg/kg/week) than patients with GHD (0.23 mg/kg/week). Median (interquartile range) GH treatment duration was 2.6 (0.6\u20133.7) years. Mean (95 % confidence interval) final height SDS gain was 2.00 (1.27\u20132.73) for patients with organic GHD (n = 18) and 1.19 (0.97\u20131.40) for patients with idiopathic GHD (n = 41), but lower for patients with TS, 0.37 ( 120.03 to 0.77, n = 13). Final height SDS was > 122 for 94 % of organic GHD, 88 % of idiopathic GHD and 62 % of TS patients. Mean age at GH start was lower for organic GHD patients, and treatment duration was longer than for other groups, resulting in greater mean final height gain. GH-related adverse events occurred mainly in patients diagnosed with idiopathic GHD. Conclusions: Data from the Italian cohort of GeNeSIS showed auxological changes and safety of GH therapy consistent with results from international surveillance databases

Efficacy and safety of growth hormone treatment in children with short stature: the Italian cohort of the GeNeSIS clinical study

Purpose: We examined auxological changes in growth hormone (GH)-treated children in Italy using data from the Italian cohort of the multinational observational Genetics and Neuroendocrinology of Short Stature International Study (GeNeSIS) of pediatric patients requiring GH treatment. Methods: We studied 711 children (median baseline age 9.6 years). Diagnosis associated with short stature was as determined by the investigator. Height standard deviation score (SDS) was evaluated yearly until final or near-final height (n = 78). Adverse events were assessed in all GH-treated patients. Results: The diagnosis resulting in GH treatment was GH deficiency (GHD) in 85.5 % of patients, followed by Turner syndrome (TS 6.6 %). Median starting GH dose was higher in patients with TS (0.30 mg/kg/week) than patients with GHD (0.23 mg/kg/week). Median (interquartile range) GH treatment duration was 2.6 (0.6\u20133.7) years. Mean (95 % confidence interval) final height SDS gain was 2.00 (1.27\u20132.73) for patients with organic GHD (n = 18) and 1.19 (0.97\u20131.40) for patients with idiopathic GHD (n = 41), but lower for patients with TS, 0.37 ( 120.03 to 0.77, n = 13). Final height SDS was > 122 for 94 % of organic GHD, 88 % of idiopathic GHD and 62 % of TS patients. Mean age at GH start was lower for organic GHD patients, and treatment duration was longer than for other groups, resulting in greater mean final height gain. GH-related adverse events occurred mainly in patients diagnosed with idiopathic GHD. Conclusions: Data from the Italian cohort of GeNeSIS showed auxological changes and safety of GH therapy consistent with results from international surveillance databases

The influence of stand age on benthic decomposition and recycling of organic matter in managed mangrove forests of Malaysia

Decomposition of sediment organic matter was examined in relation to forest age in 2-, 15- and 60-year old, managed Rhizophora apiculata (Blume) stands in the Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve of peninsular Malaysia. Rates of O2 consumption (range: 11.5–21.4 mmol m−2 d−1) and CO2 production (range: 8.9–20.9 mmol m−2 d−1) were equivalent among the forests indicating that early diagenesis is not linked to stand age and age-related differences in rates of forest production. There were, however, site differences in the dominance of specific diagenetic pathways. Rates of sulfate reduction (to 40 cm depth) averaged 8.9±3.1 mmol S m−2 d−1 and 7.2±0.3 mmol S m−2 d−1 in the 15- and 60-year old forests, respectively, accounting for most (75–125%) of the total mineralization. In contrast, sulfate reduction (3.0±0.5 mmol S m−2 d−1) constituted a considerably smaller proportion (42%) of total organic matter oxidation at the 2-year old forest. Rates of solute efflux across the sediment-water interface and vertical profiles of dissolved Mn and NO2−+NO3− suggest that manganese reduction and denitrification–nitrification, coupled with aerobic respiration, account for most oxidation of organic matter at the 2-year old forest. The loss of particulate organic matter and the increased importance of aerobic and suboxic processes in the 2 year-old forest suggest some impact from disturbance of tree removal. A shift to proportionally less sulfate reduction in sediments of regenerating forests may result in greater availability of dissolved nutrients and some trace metals, and serve to reduce exposure of R. apiculata seedlings to anoxic, toxic solutes (e.g., sulfides). This diagenetic shift may facilitate rapid seedling growth and regeneration of forests

Assessment of neurotoxicity assay based on neural-like cells from human adipose derived stem cells

. In vitro animal models of the nervous system have been in use for many years provide an important tool for functional studies at cellular and molecular levels. Aim of our study was to generate standardized neural precursor populations from human Adipose-derived Stem Cells (hADSC), by tissue, routinely discarded after liposuction surgeries. hADSC were submitted to neural differentiated procedures, and positiveness for Nestinn and GFAP confirmed their commitment to neural like cells (N-hADSC). To test the suitability of N-hADSC as model for neural toxicity assessment, N-hADSC and rat cortical neuron cells were exposed for 24-48 hours to three neurotoxic compounds ( Carbaryl, Lidocaine and Phenytoin). A different behavior confirm the need of specie-specificity in toxicity tests

The influence of fish cage aquaculture on pelagic carbon flow and water chemistry in tidally dominated mangrove estuaries of peninsular Malaysia

The impact of floating net cages culturing the seabass, Lates calcarifer, on planktonic processes and water chemistry in two heavily used mangrove estuaries in Malaysia was examined. Concentrations of dissolved inorganic and particulate nutrients were usually greater in cage vs. adjacent (≈100 m) non-cage waters, although most variability in water-column chemistry related to water depth and tides. There were few consistent differences in plankton abundance, production or respiration between cage and non-cage sites. Rates of primary production were low compared with rates of pelagic mineralization reflecting high suspended loads coupled with large inputs of organic matter from mangrove forests, fishing villages, fish cages, pig farms and other industries within the catchment. Our preliminary sampling did not reveal any large-scale eutrophication due to the cages. A crude estimate of the contribution of fish cage inputs to the estuaries shows that fish cages contribute only ≈2% of C but greater percentages of N (32–36%) and P (83–99%) to these waters relative to phytoplankton and mangrove inputs. Isolating and detecting impacts of cage culture in such heavily used waterways—a situation typical of most mangrove estuaries in Southeast Asia—are constrained by a background of large, highly variable fluxes of organic material derived from extensive mangrove forests and other human activities

Sediment accumulation and organic material flux in a managed mangrove ecosystem: estimates of land–ocean–atmosphere exchange in peninsular Malaysia

Rates of sediment accumulation and organic matter decomposition in mangrove forests of different age were examined at the Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve in peninsular Malaysia. These data were used with previous findings to construct a first-order mass balance of carbon to determine whether the ecosystem is net heterotrophic or autotrophic, and to estimate land–ocean–atmosphere exchange. Measurements of various carbon and nitrogen processes in sediments suggest that organic matter is rapidly and efficiently mineralized to a depth of 1 m. Rates of total carbon oxidation in sediments (TCOX) ranged from 77 to 118 mmol C m−2 day−1 with no significant differences with forest age. Sulfate reduction (range: 19–53 mmol S m−2 day−1) appeared to be the dominant decomposition pathway, accounting for an average of 51–75% of sediment TCOX. Aerobic respiration (range: 5–20 mmol C m−2 day−1) accounted for ≈5–20% of mean TCOX. Methanogenesis was not measurable. Denitrification (range: 0.4–11.0 mmol N2 m−2 day−1) was rapid but very variable, and may have accounted for ≈25% of TCOX at the old-growth forest. Rates of sediment mass accumulation (range: 2.2–11.4 kg m−2 year−1) were rapid compared with previous measurements in mangroves. Efficiency of carbon burial (range: 23–29 mmol C m−2 day−1) in sediments increased from 16% to 27% from the youngest to the oldest forest. The ratio of sediment TCOX to mangrove net primary production decreased from 28% to 7% with increasing forest age. The efficiency of N mineralization (range: 67–81%) and burial (range: 10–29%) in sediments showed the opposite pattern. Tree N demand required from 8 to 22 mmol N m−2 day−1. Surface N2 fixation was measurable only in two of six trials, but was rapid (range: 2.3–3.0 mmol N2 m−2 day−1). A mass balance of carbon for the entire reserve suggests that the ecosystem is currently net autotrophic, with a net ecosystem production of ≈21×109 mol C year−1 and an ecosystem P/R of 1.4. Despite considerable uncertainty, forest production and respiration clearly dominates carbon flow, accounting for ≈95% of total inputs and ≈79% of total outputs, respectively. River inputs, phytoplankton primary production and trash fish inputs to fish cage aquaculture in the waterways were comparatively minor. Export of mangrove detritus equated to 25% of net canopy production; only 2% of total carbon input to the ecosystem was buried in mangrove sediments. Clear felling and thinning of forests accounted for <1% of total outputs; 73% of total carbon inputs to the ecosystem were respired. Our budget indicates that the major exchange of carbon in this managed ecosystem is between forest and atmosphere