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Biomedical subjects

G G Massa

Publications and source records attributed to G G Massa.

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Fundamental voice frequency and jitter in girls and boys measured with electroglottography: influence of age and height.

The fundamental frequency and jitter of the voice was measured by electroglottography in 71 children between the age of 7 and 15 years. In this series of children the fundamental frequency and jitter did not depend on the gender. The median (range) fundamental frequency was 244 (182-331) Hz in girls and 250 (205-293) Hz in boys. It decreased with increasing height (r = -0.59; P < 0.0005) and age (r = -0.57; P < 0.001). The median jitter ratio was 9.7 (1.6-33.3) in girls and 10.3 (2.0-4.3) in boys. The jitter ratio was negatively related to height (r = -0.31; P < 0.05), but not to age.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Final height after long-term growth hormone treatment in Turner syndrome. European Study Group.

OBJECTIVES: To study final height after long-term growth hormone (GH) treatment in girls with Turner syndrome (TS). PATIENTS: One hundred fifty three patients with TS, participating in five European trials, were included. They started GH treatment in 1987-1989 at an age of 10 years or older. Mean age at start of treatment ranged between 11.7 and 14.6 years among countries and mean bone age between 9.4 and 11.8 years. Fourteen girls were lost to follow-up, leaving 139 for analysis. Most girls have now attained final height (FH), defined as a linear growth velocity (GV) of 4 mm/yr or less, measured over at least 6 months (group 1, n = 56), or near-FH, defined as a GV of 5 to 9 mm/yr (group 2, n = 22). Sixty-one girls were still growing 10 mm/yr or more. METHODS AND MAIN RESULTS: At the last measurement, mean (SD) height was 150.7 (4.9) cm in group 1 and 148.5 (5.1) cm in group 2. The differences between FH and projected final height based on extrapolation of the initial height-standard deviation score on Turner syndrome reference values, were 2.9 (3.8) and 3.0 (3.3) cm, respectively. The mean gain over the Bayley-Pinneau prediction of FH was 3.3 (3.9) cm in both groups. No significant differences between countries were found. The range of gains over projected height (-4.7 to 12.1 cm) was large, and 25% of gains were 5 cm or more. Gain over initial projection was strongly related to initial growth delay and to growth response during the first 2 years of treatment. A logistic regression model is presented that predicts gain of more than 5 cm with a positive predictive value of 62% and a negative predictive value of 84%. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term GH treatment in girls with TS, starting treatment at a relatively advanced age ( > 10 years) resulted in a modest mean gain in FH of 3 cm, with wide interindividual variation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Final height in a large cohort of Dutch patients with growth hormone deficiency treated with growth hormone. Dutch Growth Hormone Working Group.

Final height was evaluated in 203 patients with growth hormone (GH) deficiency, who had been treated with GH in childhood, and was related to other factors. Mean final height was 168.1 cm (men) and 154.7 cm (women), -2.07 and -2.20 SD of the population mean, respectively. Patients with GH deficiency due to cerebral tumour were taller than those with idiopathic GH deficiency, and patients with induced puberty were taller than those with spontaneous puberty. Target height (r = +0.37), birth length (r = 0.36), height SDS at the start of therapy (r = +0.51) and at the start of puberty (r = +0.58) were significantly correlated with final height. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that after correction for height at the start of puberty, age at the start of puberty was also positively correlated with final height. Patients who were treated after 1983 (when treatment regimens were changed) were taller than patients who finished treatment before 1983. The results suggest the importance of preventing a large initial height deficit and attaining optimal height at the start of puberty.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Immunologic studies in children with idiopathic short stature before and during growth hormone therapy. Dutch Growth Hormone Working Group.

In 34 children with idiopathic short stature (ISS) we studied parameters of humoral and cellular immunity before and during growth hormone (GH) therapy. The patients were treated with recombinant human GH 3.0 or 4.5 IU/m2 body surface/day, 6 times/week. Leucocyte and lymphocyte counts, percentages of neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils and monocytes were available up to 4 years of therapy (n = 34) and lymphocyte subsets and serum immunoglobulins during the first year of treatment (n = 16). Differences between the measurements at the start and during therapy were tested by a mixed model ANOVA to repeated measurements. Before the start of GH therapy all parameters of immunity were within the normal range in these children. During the first months of treatment the leucocyte and lymphocyte counts decreased and at 6 months were significantly lower than at the start (p = 0.003 and p = 0.006, respectively). Thereafter leucocyte numbers no longer differed from baseline. Lymphocytes were again lower at 36 months (p = 0.001). The percentages of neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, monocytes and lymphocyte subsets did not change during therapy. Serum IgA concentrations showed a transient decrease at 3 and 6 months of GH therapy (p = 0.01 and p = 0.02). The observed changes were not related to GH dosage or height velocity. We conclude that GH treatment in children with ISS induced a small decrease in leucocyte and lymphocyte counts and serum IgA concentrations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Age and height at diagnosis in Turner syndrome: influence of parental height.

Age and height at diagnosis was studied in 100 patients with Turner syndrome: 41 with the 45,X karyotype and 59 with various other karyotypes. In 15 patients diagnosis was made at birth. In the remaining patients median age at diagnosis was 12.9 years in those with 45,X karyotype and 11.6 years in the others. Mean +/- SD height standard deviation score at diagnosis was -3.2 +/- 0.9 for the patients with 45,X karyotype and -2.8 +/- 0.9 for the others. A significantly negative correlation was found between age and height standard deviation score at diagnosis (r = - .51; P less than .005). Corrected mid parental height was significantly correlated with height standard deviation score at diagnosis (r = .49; P less than .005), but not with age at diagnosis (r = -.08). It is concluded that although Turner syndrome is a congenital disorder, the diagnosis is usually made too late, at a chronological age when a marked height deficit is present. To make an early diagnosis, a cytogenetic examination should be recommended for all girls with height more than 2 SD below the mean for age or more than 2 SD below corrected mid parental height.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

[The incidence of pathological neonatal icterus].

A prospective study of 535 neonates about the incidence of neonatal jaundice on the third day of life revealed a mean (+/- SD) serum total bilirubin concentration of 176.5 +/- 70.I mumol/l (10.3 +/- 4.0 mg/dl). 27.8% of the infants had pathologic jaundice, defined as a serum total bilirubin concentration of 220 mumol/l (12.9 mg/dl) or more. After correction for prematurity en dysmaturity, mean serum total bilirubin concentration was 176.8 +/- 71.8 mumol/l (10.3 +/- 4.2 mg/dl) and 29.0% of the infants showed pathologic jaundice. Except for vacuum extraction, which was accompanied with a significantly increased incidence of pathological jaundice, other perinatal factors were not associated with a significantly increased incidence of pathological jaundice on the third day of life.

Apgar Score↗
PubMed1979

Experimental study on bone marrow CFUs following anticancer drug administration to plethoric mice.

The effect of some cycle-dependent anticancer drugs on CFUs has been studied in transfused polycythemic mice. In untreated animals during passive plethora erythropoiesis is depressed but the content of CFUs per femur remains constant. In treated plethoric mice the femural content of CFUs is similar or higher than that found in treated controls after administration of adriamycin, vinblastine, cyclophosphamide, it is lower when the mice receive azathioprine or hydroxyurea. These results suggest that suppression of erythropoiesis does not uniformly affect the susceptibility of pluripotent stem cells to anticancer drugs. Interpretation of the reported findings is difficult as it must take into account a complex interplay of a number of factors.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Effect of bleeding on in vivo in vitro colony-forming hemopoietic cells.

The effect of bleeding on spleen colony-forming units (CFU-S) and on in vitro colony-forming cells with colony-stimulating factor (CFU-C) and erythropoietin (CFU-E) has been evaluated. The in vivo and in vitro colony-forming cells of the bone marrow show a decrease which for the CFU-E, CFU-C follows a short-lived increase. In the spleen, all progenitor cells assayed have shown a significant and sustained increase.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pubertal development and growth after total-body irradiation and bone marrow transplantation for haematological malignancies.

UNLABELLED: Pubertal development after total-body irradiation (TBI) was investigated in 40 children (21 boys) treated with allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) for haematological malignancies at a mean age of 11.3 years. The mean age at the last visit was 19.0 years. Twenty-five patients (15 boys) were prepubertal at BMT. Data on secondary sexual characteristics, the pituitary-gonadal axis and longitudinal growth were retrospectively collected from the medical records. In boys not receiving additional testicular irradiation (n = 19), penile growth and pubic hair development was normal and all had serum testosterone levels within the adult range. The majority of them, however, had incidental elevations of LH, suggesting minor Leydig cell damage. Testicular volume at last measurement was small (mean: 10.5 ml) and serum FSH levels were elevated in all boys, with normalisation in only one, suggesting severe impairment of reproductive gonadal function. Of the ten girls who received BMT before puberty, six had a spontaneous onset of puberty and menarche; the four other girls needed hormonal substitution therapy. Recovery of gonadal function after cessation of substitution was seen in one girl, who became pregnant but had a spontaneous abortion. Decrease in height SDS was seen in the majority of patients and was positively correlated with male gender and lower age at the time of BMT. CONCLUSION: Careful monitoring of both gonadal function and growth after bone marrow transplantation and total body irradiation is warranted in order to detect disturbances early and ensure normal pubertal development in children treated for haematological malignancies.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Longitudinal analysis of growth in children with idiopathic short stature.

In this study the growth curves of 229 children (145 boys, 84 girls ) with idiopathic short stature (ISS) were analysed in three ways: (1) we compared the results of longitudinal modelling by means of Karlberg's ICP model with those of a cross-sectional analysis; (2) we studied to what extent an individual changes his/her height standard deviation score (SDS) position during childhood; and (3) we constructed height velocity curves for children with ISS using Cole's LMS method, and compared these with the British references. During childhood the difference between the average longitudinal and the cross-sectional height curves was less than 1 cm and the spread was almost identical. The average change in height SDS during childhood was not different from zero, indicating that in general growth of children with ISS was well canalized. The individual change in height SDS position during childhood was within 0.6 SDS for a follow-up of 1 year, increasing to 1.9 SDS for a follow-up of 7 years. During childhood mean height velocity was about 1 cm/year lower than that of the British reference. With respect to the pubertal growth spurt the maximum height velocity took place 1 year later, and was 0.6 cm/year lower than the British reference in boys as well as girls. We conclude that spontaneous growth of children with ISS adequately described by a cross-sectional curve.

Body Height↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Influence of growth hormone treatment on pubertal timing and pubertal growth in children with idiopathic short stature. Dutch Growth Hormone Working Group.

We studied the influence of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) on pubertal timing and pubertal growth in children with idiopathic short stature (ISS), and evaluated whether this was different between children with and without intra-uterine growth retardation (IUGR). Twenty-six (18 M, 6 IUGR; 'treated') subjects were treated with rhGH (6-7 days/week, dosage: 14-28 IU/m2 per week [i.e. 0.2-0.3 mg/kg per week]). Fifty-eight subjects (31 M, 9 IUGR; 'controls') were not treated. All subjects attained final height. Prepubertal height gain was significantly larger in the treated children compared to control children (M: 0.66 SDS, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.41 to 0.92; F. 0.92 SDS, CI 0.58 to 1.26). Pubertal height gain, peak height velocity and duration of puberty were similar for the treated and control subjects. rhGH advanced the age at peak height velocity by 0.7 years (CI 0.3 to 1.0) in boys, and the age at onset of puberty by 1.1 years (CI 0.3 to 1.9) in girls. The gain in final height was 2-3 cm. Age and height SDS at start were the most important predictors for pubertal height gain, total height gain and final height in a multivariate regression analysis. Total height gain of treated subjects with IUGR was less than that of treated subjects without IUGR. In conclusion, rhGH did not affect pubertal growth in children with ISS, and slightly improved their final height. rhGH treatment should be started early to improve height as much as possible before the onset of puberty.

Age Factors↗