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Biomedical subjects

R Brauner

Publications and source records attributed to R Brauner.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Adult height in girls with idiopathic true precocious puberty.

GnRH analogs are used to suppress pituitary-gonadal activity in children with true precocious puberty. The indications for therapy in this situation are not established, as some girls have a slow evolutive form, and the capacity of GnRH analogs to preserve the adult height has not been evaluated. This study analyzes the growth and adult heights of 2 groups of girls with idiopathic true precocious puberty, 1 with a predicted height of 155 cm or less (group 1, 19 cases) and the other with a predicted height of more than 155 cm (group 2, 15 cases). Group 1 patients were treated with a long-acting GnRH analog (D-Trp6-GnRH), and group 2 patients were followed without therapy. Group 1 showed greater clinical signs of estrogenization, vaginal maturation index (P < 0.03), plasma estradiol (P < 0.0004), and ratio of LH/FSH peaks (P < 0.01) at the initial evaluation than did group 2. The mean target heights were similar (difference, 0.9 cm). In group 1, the adult height (159 +/- 1.1 cm) was greater than the predicted height before therapy (152 +/- 1.4 cm; P < 0.0001). The difference between the adult height and the predicted height before therapy (mean, 6.5 cm) correlated positively with the bone age advance (P < 0.01), negatively with the predicted height (P < 0.05), and positively with the difference between the target and predicted heights (P < 0.001) before therapy. In group 2, the adult height (162 +/- 1.4 cm) was similar to the predicted height at the initial evaluation (162.5 +/- 1.4 cm). Adult heights correlated with target height in group 1 and with predicted height at the initial evaluation in group 2. In conclusion, some girls with true precocious puberty and poor adult height prediction who are treated with GnRH analog achieve an adult height more comparable to their target height. However, the lack of effect on height in girls with predicted height at the onset of therapy similar to their target height and preservation of the growth potential in the slow evolutive forms suggest that these forms might not require immediate therapy. Careful follow-up before therapy may be a better way of evaluating their natural course.

Age Factors↗

Cardiac surgery in octogenarians.

Age as an important risk factor in surgery has always been debatable. Between January 1991 and December 1992, 35 consecutive octogenarian patients (23 males and 12 females; average age 82.3 years) were retrospectively evaluated. Twenty-five patients had only coronary artery by-pass graft operations (CABG), five had aortic valve replacements (AVR) and five had combined AVR-CABG operations. Twenty-five of the 30 patients (83%) who underwent CABG alone or a combined procedure had suffered from unstable angina. The mean ejection fraction was 40% in this group. An average of 2.8 grafts per patient was performed. The left internal mammary artery (LIMA) was-used in nine patients (30%). The average hospitalization period was 11.5 days. Operative mortality (within 30 days) was zero. Patients who underwent AVR only were hospitalized for an average of 17.6 days and there were two cases (6%) of mortality in this group. All patients who underwent AVR and CABG were discharged within 14 days. Overall complications occurred in nine patients (25.7%); cardiac arrythmias, (4) neurological deficits (2), severe wound infections (2), and adult respiratory distress syndrome (1). The use of the LIMA was not associated with an increased incidence of bleeding or sternal infection. The low rates of mortality and major complications lead us to conclude that, when indicated, surgical treatment including the use of LIMA in selected cases, should be offered to this group of patients, even in the presence of moderate LV dysfunction.

Age Factors↗

[Study of sex determination gene (SRY) in 46,XY gonadal dysgenesis].

During mammalian embryogenesis, the presence of the SRY gene determines the bipotential gonad to develop as a testis. 46,XY sex reversal has been described in man. It is associated with an essentially female phenotype and a streak gonad. In a collaborative study, we analysed 36 patients with a 46,XY sex reversal. The testis determining region of the Y chromosome was analysed by Southern blotting and by DGGE analysis of the SRY open reading frame (orf). We found a total of 7 mutations in the testis determining region including the SRY gene. This brings to 19 the total number of mutations in SRY associated with sex reversal. No relationship was found between the SRY status and the presence or absence of gonadoblastoma. However, a correlation was observed between the SRY genotype and the histology of the gonad. A mutant in SRY is associated with a completely dysgenetic gonad. The presence of immature testicular tubules is usually observed when SRY is normal. These latter results suggest the existence of as yet unidentified testis determining genes.

DNA-Binding Proteins↗

Growth and growth hormone secretion after bone marrow transplantation.

This study analyses the growth and the growth hormone secretion of children given various conditioning protocols before bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Twenty nine children (14 boys, 15 girls) given BMT were classified according to their conditioning protocol: total body irradiation (TBI) given as a single exposure of 10 Grays (Gy, group I, 11 cases), or 8 Gy (group II, four cases), 12 Gy given as six fractionated doses (Group III, seven cases), or chemotherapy alone (group IV, seven cases). The arginine-insulin stimulated growth hormone peak, 2-7.5 years after BMT, was > 10 micrograms/l in all patients except four from group I (6.9-8.9 micrograms/l). A second growth hormone secretion evaluation was performed in 10 group I patients because of persistent low growth velocity despite a normal growth hormone peak. There were no significant changes in the mean (SEM) stimulated growth hormone peak (18.4 (2.2) v 20.1 (3.6) micrograms/l) at 3 (0.3) to 5.2 (0.6) years after BMT. The sleep growth hormone peaks and concentrations (n = 6) were normal. The mean cumulative height changes (SD) during the three years after BMT were: -1.4 (0.2) in group I, -0.1 (0.4) in group II, -0.4 (0.2) in group III, and 1.5 (0.5) in group IV; this was significant in groups I and IV. The final heights of two monozygotic twins (BMT donor and recipient) had differed by 17.5 cm, despite them both having normal growth hormone peaks and puberty. Eight patients, treated for congenital immune deficiency syndrome, were growth retarded at the time of BMT. Of these, only those conditioned by chemotherapy alone had significant catch up growth (2(0.6)SD) while those conditioned by a single Gy exposure did not (0(0.4)SD). It is concluded that the total radiation dose is critical for growth evolution, as is the fractionation schedule. For the TBI doses and the interval since BMT studied, there was no correlation between growth hormone peak and the height loss. The rapidity of decreased growth velocity after TBI and the comparison between the monozygotic twins suggest that radiation induced skeletal lesions are partly responsible for the decreased growth.

Bone Marrow Transplantation↗

Growth response to growth hormone during the first year as a diagnosis criterion of growth hormone deficiency.

Idiopathic growth hormone (GH) deficiency is a clinically and biologically heterogeneous condition. This study evaluates the capacity of the initial growth response to hGH therapy to distinguish certain from transient GH deficiency. Twenty-five patients having a GH peak < 10 micrograms/l after 2 pharmacological stimulation tests were classified according to the accuracy of the diagnosis of GH deficiency. Group 1 (n = 17) had certain GH deficiency because of pituitary stalk interruption syndrome and/or familial form. Group 2 (n = 8) had a transient GH deficiency. The mean increase in height standard deviation (SD) was 1.3 +/- 0.1 (mean +/- SE) and 0.5 +/- 0.1 during the first and second years in group 1 and 0.4 +/- 0.1 (p < 0.0005, compared to group 1) and 0.1 +/- 0.2 (p < 0.025 compared to group 1) during the first and second years in group 2. During the first year of therapy, the increase in height was > or = 1 SD in 14 patients of group 1 and in 1 patient of group 2. In group 1, this increase was positively correlated with an increase in body mass index (r = 0.80, p < 0.01) during the first year and with target height (r = 0.60, p < 0.02) during the second year. Growth rate (SD for age) during the first year in this group was negatively correlated with the height prior to therapy (r = -0.72, p < 0.005).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗

Idiopathic prepubertal short stature is associated with low body mass index.

The hypothesis that insufficient body weight is partly responsible for idiopathic short stature was tested by evaluating 79 prepubertal children having idiopathic short stature, classified according to their body mass index (BMI) zs: group 1 BMI zs < or = 0 (m +/- SE, -0.9 +/- 0.1, n = 53) and group 2 BMI zs > 0 (0.6 +/- 0.1, n = 26). Their ages were similar (8.1 +/- 0.3 and 8.4 +/- 0.4 years). The following parameters were significantly lower in group 1 than in group 2: height (-2.5 +/- 0.1 vs. -2.2 +/- 0.1 SD, p < 0.05), height velocity (-1.5 +/- 0.2 vs. -0.9 +/- 0.4 SD, p < 0.05), bone age (bone age retardation 2.3 +/- 0.2 vs. 1.3 +/- 0.4 years, p < 0.005) and plasma insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1, 0.8 +/- 0.1 vs. 1.2 +/- 0.1 U/ml, p < 0.05). The BMI was significantly lower in children with idiopathic short stature (-0.4 +/- 0.1) than in the normal population (zs, p < 0.0002). BMI zs was positively correlated with height (p < 0.005), height velocity (p < 0.05) and plasma IGF-1 (p < 0.01). We conclude that children with idiopathic short stature are leaner than the normal population. An inadequate or insufficient nutritional intake may be partly responsible for idiopathic short stature. The effects of improved intake on the height change are under evaluation.

Body Height↗

[Growth and endocrine function in major thalassemia].

BACKGROUND: The risk of secondary endocrine dysfunction in patients with thalassemia major remains high, despite improvements in the care of hematologic problems. POPULATION AND METHODS: 31 patients (15 males, 16 females) with thalassemia major were studied. 28 of them had been regularly given blood transfusions since the age of 3.7 +/- 3.6 years. Iron chelation therapy had started before the age of 10 years in 9 patients, after this age in 15 patients; it was not performed or the time not specified in the 7 others. The mean dosage of deferoxamine was 20 +/- 6 mg/kg/day (9.6-34 mg/kg/day). Endocrine functions were evaluated at a mean age of 11.8 +/- 4.9 years and were monitored for 6.1 +/- 4.6 years (0 to 19 years). The hormones assay were: growth hormone (GH), thyroid, adrenal cortex, parathyroid and gonadal functions. RESULTS: The GH peak after stimulation was normal, but plasma somatomedin CIGFI was low and did not increase at puberty. 6 patients had peripheral hypothyroidism. Plasma cortisol was normal in the 16 patients examined, but plasma dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate was low in 24; this might be partly responsible for the delayed development of pubic hair. 2 patients aged 20 and 27 years was suffered from diabetes mellitus. Hypoparathyroidism occurred in 7 patients and 12 of the 24 patients with impuberism had a gonadotropin deficiency. The mean final height was -1.3 +/- 1.0 SD in boys (n = 7, mean age: 20 +/- 1 yr) and -1.3 +/- 0.9 SD in girls (n = 7; mean age: 19 +/- 1 yr), whether puberty was spontaneous or induced. CONCLUSIONS: The most frequent endocrine complications in these patients are delayed puberty because of gonadotropin deficiency, hypoparathyroidism and peripheral hypothyroidism. Substitution therapy, using sex steroids at an appropriate age, can induce the pubertal growth spurt.

Adolescent↗

[Neonatal cardiac failure secondary to hypocalcemia caused by maternal vitamin D deficiency].

BACKGROUND: Heart failure is a rare manifestation of neonatal hypocalcemia. This paper describes such a case resulting from maternal vitamin D deficiency. CASE REPORT: A full-term boy, born in December after a normal pregnancy, was admitted at the age of 6 weeks because of dyspnea that appeared during suckling. Examination showed heart failure. Electrocardiogram showed that the corrected QT-interval was lengthened (0.54 s, normal < 0.45 s). Echocardiogram showed dilated, hypokinetic myocardiopathy. His serum calcium concentration was low (1.40 mmol/l) and phosphate was high (2.8 mmol/l); his alkaline phosphatase was 513 Ul/l. His blood PTH concentration was high (120 pg/ml) and his 25 (OH) D was low (5 ng/ml). The patient was given calcium (1 g/m2/day) and 1.25 (OH)2 D (2 micrograms/day orally). His serum calcium returned to normal within 4 days, and his cardiac abnormality was resolved within 3 months. His mother's blood 25 (OH) D concentration was very low (3 ng/ml), 6 weeks after birth. CONCLUSION: Neonatal hypocalcemia appears to have been compounded in this case by a maternal vitamin D deficiency. Hence, all pregnant women at risk of deficiency should be given vitamin D.

Calcium↗

[Role of magnetic resonance imaging in non-neoplastic hypothalamo-hypophyseal pathology].

This study was designed to evaluate the diagnostic, therapeutic, and pathogenetic data provided by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in nonneoplastic hypothalamo-pituitary disorders. After determination of age-specific pituitary heights, 46 children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency (GH peak < 8 ng/ml) were studied. Twenty-nine patients (group I) had pituitary stalk interruption syndrome and 17 (group II) had no anatomic abnormalities. Age-specific pituitary height was decreased by more than 2 SDs in all group I patients versus only 60% (10/17) of group II patients. The GH deficiency was transient in 4 of the 7 children with normal pituitary findings. Forty-seven girls with breast development before eight years of age were also studied: age-specific pituitary height was normal in all girls with premature thelarche and 68% of girls with mild form of central precocious puberty (CPP). Conversely, in 70% of girls with evolutive CPP, age-specific pituitary height was increased by more than 2 SDs. These data show that MRI is useful for the diagnosis of pituitary insufficiency and that multiple anterior pituitary deficiencies can be expected in patients with anatomic abnormalities. MRI is of diagnostic and prognostic usefulness in CPP and, therefore, is of assistance in making therapeutic decisions.

Adolescent↗

[Treatment of hyperthyroidism in children with antithyroid drugs].

Sixteen cases of pediatric hyperthyroidism treated by antithyroid drugs are reported. First-line treatment with carbimazole in a mean dose of 19 mg/m2 initially and 7 mg/m2 after one year ensured control of the disease within 6 weeks. Mean follow-up was 4 years. Only two children were able to discontinue the drug, after 9.1 years and 4.6 years. Two other patients had thyroidectomy, after 6.7 years and 3.4 years. The main disadvantages of antithyroid drugs are the need for prolonged treatment and the risk of recurrence. An attempt at treatment discontinuation is warranted in patients with good disease control of 2 to 3 years duration, goiter size reduction, improved exophthalmos, and decreased anti-TSH receptor antibodies.

Autoantibodies↗

XY sex reversal associated with a deletion 5' to the SRY "HMG box" in the testis-determining region.

The human testis-determining factor resides within a 35-kilobase (kb) region of the Y chromosome immediately adjacent to the pseudoautosomal boundary. A candidate gene for human sex determination (SRY) was isolated in this region. Here, we describe a study of 25 cases of XY females with pure gonadal dysgenesis for mutations on the Y chromosome short arm, including SRY. Southern blotting revealed a sex-reversed female harboring a deletion extending from approximately 8 kb from the pseudoautosomal boundary of the Y chromosome to at least 33 kb and no more than 60 kb upstream, toward the centromere. The deletion begins no more than 1.8 kb upstream from the first ATG of the SRY open reading frame present in the clone pY53.3. To our knowledge, no mutation has been described previously outside the SRY "HMG box" on the short arm of the Y chromosome, which is associated with sex reversal. Since the 5' extent of the SRY transcriptional unit has not been defined, the deletion may remove upstream exons of SRY and/or transcriptional regulatory motifs, either situation resulting in lack of testicular development. It cannot be formally excluded that the mutation removes a second locus, independent of SRY, that is critical for sex determination. Denaturant gradient gel electrophoresis analysis of the SRY open reading frame in the remaining 24 cases revealed de novo single base-pair transitions in the SRY conserved domain in 4 cases.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

[Determination of growth hormone binding protein in a normal population and in subjects with short stature due to growth hormone resistance].

With the procedure which uses gel-filtration and high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) the authors measured the GH-binding proteins in 96 healthy subjects aged 6 months to 40 years. In the blood 45% of the GH is bound to the BP. The diagnosis was confirmed by our method in 13 patients with Laron type dwarfism and in four patients the GH receptor defect had been proved. The parents, the brothers and sisters showed significantly lower GH-BP II (principal GH-BP) levels. Possible regulation of GH-binding proteins in human plasma was examined. Eight children with isolated GH deficiency had a very low level of plasma GH binding activity (mean +/- SEM) (10.2 +/- 1.1% of radioactivity). Under GH treatment the hormone binding to high affinity BP (GH-BP II) increased in every patient to reach the mean value of 18.5 +/- 1.4%. This increase was related to a higher binding capacity without any significant change in the binding affinity. In nine boys with pubertal delay, the GH specific binding to peak II-BP (GH-BP II) was found to be normal (30.6 +/- 3.7%); it decreased significantly following testosterone treatment. In four boys with precocious puberty, the specific GH binding to peak II BP was low (16.6 +/- 1.1%). It increased significantly to 21.6 +/- 1.1% of radioactivity after treatment with LH-RH analogue. GH and testosterone have an opposite role in the regulation of the high affinity GH-BP.

Adolescent↗

[Analysis of human growth hormone-binding protein in plasma by high pressure liquid chromatography].

A technique using high pressure liquid chromatography gel filtration was used to evaluate GH-binding proteins (GH-BPs) in human plasma; eluate was monitored for radioactivity in a gamma-detection system connected to a computer. Plasma (200 microliters) was incubated with 125I-human (h) GH (200,000 cpm) at 4 degrees C for 20 hours. Our GH binding assay offers important gains in terms of rapidity and resolution; it has permitted a clear separation and characterization of the two GH-binding components present in human plasma.

Carrier Proteins↗

Predictive factors for the effect of gonadotrophin releasing hormone analogue therapy on the height of girls with idiopathic central precocious puberty.

The factors influencing the final height of central precocious puberty patients treated with gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues remain a critical issue. This study compares the predicted final height before and after GnRH analogue therapy to identify predictive factors for final height. Fourteen girls with idiopathic central precocious puberty were treated with a GnRH analogue. All had an active non-regressive form before therapy, full and permanent suppression of oestrogenic activity during therapy (duration greater than 2 years, 3.1 +/- 0.3 years, mean +/- SEM), and the pubertal pituitary-ovarian axis had normalized in all of them 1 year after the cessation of therapy. The mean predicted final height increased from 152 +/- 1.8 cm before therapy to 162.2 +/- 1.2 cm (P less than 0.01) at the last evaluation performed 4.5 +/- 0.3 years after the onset of therapy. The mean gain in predicted final height between the onset of therapy and the last evaluation was 10.2 +/- 1.1 cm. It was correlated with the following data recorded at the onset of therapy: bone age advance over chronological age (r = 0.66, P less than 0.02), predicted final height at the onset of therapy (r = -0.76, P less than 0.001), and the difference between the target height and the predicted height at onset of therapy (r = 0.76, P less than 0.001). We conclude that GnRH analogue therapy is more likely to improve final height prognosis in girls who initially present with a markedly advanced bone age and a great difference between their target and predicted heights. Both these parameters reflect the severity of the disease at diagnosis.

Body Height↗

Preservation of ovarian function by ovarian transposition performed before pelvic irradiation during childhood.

Ovarian transposition in adults has been shown to protect ovarian function in about 60% of cases by reducing ovarian exposure to less than 4 to 7 Gy. We therefore evaluated the effect of ovarian transposition during childhood or adolescence. Eighteen girls had ovarian transposition performed at a mean (+/- SEM) age of 9.4 +/- 1.2 years (range, 1.2 to 16 years). Twelve were prepubertal and six had menstruated at the time of ovarian transposition. The initial abnormalities were Hodgkin disease (5 cases), iliac Ewing sarcoma (3), medulloblastoma (2), ovarian seminoma (1), and vaginal or uterine tumor (7). The irradiation was external in 11 cases and local by vaginal curietherapy in 7 cases. Fifteen girls received chemotherapy. The ovarian transposition was bilateral in 15 patients and unilateral in 3 cases; in the latter the other ovary had been destroyed by the tumor or by abdominal irradiation. Ovaries were placed just below the iliac crest (15 cases) or posterolateral to the uterus (3); thus, the calculated ovarian radiation dose was up to 9.5 Gy. At the time of evaluation (8.6 +/- 0.9 years after ovarian transposition), 16 girls had menstruated and 2 remained amenorrheic because of major lesions of the vagina and uterus caused by the vaginal curietherapy. Basal plasma gonadotropin values were normal. Ovulation was documented in seven cases. Two pregnancies occurred. Complications of ovarian transposition were present in four patients: intestinal occlusion, dyspareunia, functional ovarian cysts, and pelvic adhesions with tubal obstruction. We conclude that ovarian transposition, performed before abdominopelvic irradiation during childhood, can preserve ovarian function. Longer follow-up is required to assess the risk of ovarian dystrophy because of vascular lesions or chemotherapy.

Adolescent↗

Magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency.

Forty-six patients with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency were examined by magnetic resonance imaging at a mean (+/- SEM) age of 9 +/- 1 years (range 15 days to 20 years). They were classified into two groups according to MRI images: group 1 (n = 29) had pituitary stalk interruption syndrome and group 2 (n = 17) had normal pituitary anatomy. All patients with pituitary stalk interruption had a pituitary height at less than -2 SD for age; three had no visible anterior pituitary lobe. By contrast, the pituitary height was less than normal in only 10 patients (60%) with normal pituitary anatomy. Growth hormone deficiency was transient in one of the seven patients with normal pituitary anatomy and height. The group with pituitary stalk interruption had the first symptom of growth hormone deficiency at an earlier age (2.8 +/- 0.6 vs 5.5 +/- 1.2 years; p less than 0.001), were of smaller stature (-4 +/- 0.2 vs -3 +/- 0.2 SD; p less than 0.01) and had lower GH peak response to provocative testing (3 +/- 0.4 vs 5 +/- 0.5 ng/ml; p less than 0.001) than did the group with normal pituitary anatomy. Their pituitary gland was also shorter (2.5 +/- 0.2 vs 3.5 +/- 0.2 mm; p less than 0.01). All the patients with multiple pituitary deficiencies except one (n = 19) belonged to this group. One girl with pituitary stalk interruption and deficiencies in growth hormone and thyroid-stimulating hormone had advanced central precocious puberty. We conclude that the evaluation of the shape and height of the pituitary gland by MRI is an additional tool for the diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency. The presence of pituitary stalk interruption confirms this diagnosis and is predictive of multiple anterior pituitary deficiencies. The lack of a significant increase in perinatal abnormalities in this group and the association of pituitary stalk interruption with microphallus and with facial or sella abnormalities suggest that this appearance may have an early antenatal origin. The finding of a familial case of pituitary stalk interruption suggests a genetic origin.

Child↗

Effect of growth hormone on the low level of growth hormone binding protein in idiopathic short stature.

OBJECTIVE: Growth hormone receptor status was assessed in children with idiopathic short stature by evaluating plasma growth hormone-binding protein before and under GH therapy. DESIGN: Among 22 children presenting idiopathic short stature, 15 were randomly selected to be treated with GH (1.2 IU/kg/week); they were studied before and under GH therapy. Untreated patients served as a control group for age and GH effect. PATIENTS: Twenty-two prepubertal children, aged 5-11 years, were studied. They presented growth retardation of -2.8 +/- 0.1 SDS (mean +/- SEM). All had normal GH secretion and their mean IGF-I plasma level was normal. MEASUREMENT: Growth hormone-binding protein was measured using high pressure liquid chromatography gel filtration. The specific binding of 125I-hGH to the growth hormone-binding protein was expressed as a percentage of the total radioactivity. RESULTS: Specific binding of 125I-hGH to the high affinity growth hormone-binding protein was low with a mean +/- SEM value of 11.1 +/- 0.9% of radioactivity. In the treated group, growth hormone-binding protein increased significantly after 3 months of treatment; it reached 21.1 +/- 1.0% of radioactivity (mean +/- SEM) in the eight children who have been treated for 18 months. In the seven untreated children, the growth hormone-binding protein value increased to 16.2 +/- 1.1% after 18 months; this value is significantly lower than that found in the GH-treated children, demonstrating that the GH effect is greater than the age-related increase in the growth hormone-binding protein. A positive correlation was found between IGF-I plasma levels and growth hormone-binding protein and also between growth velocity and growth hormone-binding protein. CONCLUSIONS: The low growth hormone-binding protein and the response to high doses of GH suggest partial GH resistance at the receptor level, in this group of children with idiopathic short stature.

Carrier Proteins↗