1,721,041 research outputs found
Growth, head growth, and neurocognitive outcome in children born very preterm: methodological aspects and selected results
No full textIn light of the growing number of surviving children born very preterm, there is an increasing focus on their long-term outcomes in terms of growth, metabolic status, and neurocognitive development. Therefore, it is of importance to follow such children from birth onwards with the aim of identifying the causes of atypical development, developing preventative measures, and improving outcomes. Since such long-term follow-up needs to be conducted with the least possible burden, clinical investigations such as anthropometry and neurocognitive tests, if conducted rigorously, will continue to have a predominant role. The aim of this review is to discuss the complexity of longitudinal anthropometry in children born very preterm and to provide an overview of the main studies that have examined associations between growth, in particular head growth, and neurocognitive outcomes at around school age
Insulin-like Growth Factor I (IGF-I), IGF Binding Protein-3 (IGFBP-3) und Alkaline Phosphatase (AP) with organic growth hormone deficiency (GHD), intrauterine growth retardation and idiopathic short stature (ISS)
No full textVollständiger Titel: Insulin-like Growth Factor I (IGF-I), IGF Binding Protein-3 (IGFBP-3) und Alkalische Phosphatase (AP) bei organischem Wachstumshormonmangel (GHD), intrauteriner Wachstumsretardierung und idiopathischem Kleinwuchs (ISS), vor und während der Therapie mit Wachstumshormon (GH)
In dieser Studie wurde untersucht, inwieweit bei bestehendem Kleinwuchs die Substitution mit hGH die Serumkonzentration von IGF-I, IGFBP-3 und AP beeinflusst, ob die Änderungen der einzelnen Parameter mit dem Größenwachstum korrelieren und welchen diagnostischen Stellenwert diese Parameter dabei einnehmen. Insgesamt wurden 70 Patienten (45 Jungen, 25 Mädchen) im Alter von 2 bis 17 Jahren auf drei Gruppen verteilt: Gruppe 1: Patienten mit Kleinwuchs bei organischem GHD, behandelt mit hGH = ~ 0,45 IE/kg/Woche (n=20); Gruppe 2: Patienten mit Kleinwuchs bei intrauteriner Wachstumsretardierung (IUGR), Silver-Russell- oder Noonan-Syndrom, therapiert mit hGH = ~ 0,80 IE/kg/Woche (n=20) und Gruppe 3: ISS-Patienten und Patienten mit nicht klassifizierbarem Kleinwuchs, behandelt mit hGH = ~ 0,57 IE/kg/Woche (n=30). Wachstumshormon wurde in jedem Fall täglich subcutan appliziert, der Beobachtungszeitraum betrug ein Jahr (70 Pat.) bzw. drei Jahre (60 Pat.). Mittleres Alter zu Therapiebeginn: 8,7 Jahre. Die höchste mittlere Zunahme der Serumspiegel bezüglich der untersuchten Parameter erfolgte im ersten Therapiejahr, insbesondere während den ersten drei Therapiemonaten: IGF-I stieg in Gruppe 1 sehr signifikant (p= 0,003), in den Gruppen 2 u. 3 jeweils hoch signifikant (p<0,001) an, die Zunahme von IGFBP-3 war in den drei Gruppen jeweils hoch signifikant (p<0,001), diejenige von AP in den Gruppen 1 und 2 jeweils sehr signifikant (p=0,003 bzw. p=0,007), in Gruppe 3 hoch signifikant (p<0,001). In dem entsprechenden Zeitraum nahm auch die Körpergröße in allen drei Gruppen hoch signifikant (p<0,001) zu. Aus der folgenden Tabelle sind in jeder Gruppe neben den Ausgangsdaten der Untersuchungsgrößen die ein- und dreijährigen Zunahmen, ausgedrückt als mittlerer Standard Deviation Score (SDS), ersichtlich (∆SDS: Differenz des Mittelwert-SDS nach einem Jahr bzw. nach drei Jahren Therapie und zu Therapiebeginn). Signifikante Unterschiede im Hinblick auf den Anstieg der Parameter im direkten Gruppenvergleich ergaben sich lediglich im ersten Jahr jeweils zwischen den Gruppen 1 und 3 in Bezug auf IGFBP-3 (p=0,03) und AP (p=0,02).
Je niedriger die Serumspiegel von IGF-I und IGFBP-3 zu Therapiebeginn waren, desto schneller und stärker vollzog sich deren Annäherung unter WH-Therapie an altersentsprechende Normwerte mit konsekutivem Aufholwachstum. Dieses Verhalten lässt sich nicht auf die alkalische Phosphatase übertragen. Die Ergebnisse dieser Studie belegen die Rolle von IGF-I, IGFBP-3 und AP im Patientenserum als unverzichtbare Indikatoren im Rahmen der Diagnostik und Therapie des Kleinwuchses.Full Title: Insulin-like Growth Factor I (IGF-I), IGF Binding Protein-3 (IGFBP-3) und Alkaline Phosphatase (AP) with organic growth hormone deficiency (GHD), intrauterine growth retardation and idiopathic short stature (ISS), before and during the therapy with growth hormone (GH)
In this study it was examined, to what extent with existing short stature the substitution with hGH affects the serum concentration of IGF-I, IGFBP-3 and AP, whether the changes of the individual parameters correlate with the size growth and which diagnostic value these parameters take thereby. Altogether 70 patients (45 boys, 25 girls) at the age of 2 to 17 years were distributed on three groups: group 1: patients with short stature with organic GHD, treated with hGH = ~ 0,45 IU/kg/week (n=20); group 2: patients with short stature with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), Silver-Russell- or Noonan-syndrome, treated with hGH = ~ 0,80 IU/kg/week (n=20) and group 3: patients with ISS and patients with non-classifi- able short stature, treated with hGH = ~ 0,57 IU/kg/week (n=30). Growth hormone was administered in each case daily subcutaneously, the period of observation amounted to one year (70 patients) and three years (60 patients), respectively. Mean age at start of therapy: 8,7 years. The highest mean increase of the serum levels with regard to the examined parameters occurred in the first year of therapy, in particular during the first three months of therapy: IGF-I rose very significantly (p=0,003) in group 1, in the groups 2 and 3 highly significant (p<0,001) in each case, the increase of IGFBP-3 in the three groups was highly significant (p<0,001) in each case, that of AP in the groups 1 and 2 very signi- ficantly (p=0,003 and p=0,007, respectively) in each case, in group 3 highly significant (p<0,001). In the corresponding period, the height also increased in all three groups highly significantly (p<0,001). From the following table, besides the original data of the investigation sizes, the one and three-year increases in each group, expressed as the mean standard deviation score (SDS), are evident (∆SDS: difference of the average value-SDS after one year and after three years of therapy, respectively and at start of therapy). Significant differences with regard to the rise of the parameters in the direct comparison of the groups only arose in the first year in each case between the groups 1 and 3 concerning IGFBP-3 (p=0,03) and AP (p=0,02).
At start of therapy, the lower the serum levels of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 were, the faster and more strongly carried out themselves their approximation to age- appropriate standard values under GH therapy with consecutive catch-up growth. This behavior can not be assigned onto the alkaline phosphatase. The results of this study cover the role of IGF-I, IGFBP-3 and AP in the patient serum as indispensable indicators within the diagnostics and therapy of short stature
Insulin-like Growth Factor I (IGF-I), IGFBP-3 and Alkaline Phosphatase (AP) in children with idiopathic Growth Hormone Deficiency (iGHD) and Neurosecretoric Dysfunction (NSD) before and during therapy with human Growth Hormone (GH)
No full textEs wurden 116 überwiegend präpubertäre Kinder über einen Zeitraum von einem bzw. vier Jahren untersucht, die an der Universitäts-Kinderklinik Tübingen wegen idiopathischem Wachstumshormonmangel (iGHD) oder wegen Neurosekretorischer Dysfunktion (NSD) mit ca. 0,6 IU rekombinantem Wachstumshormon pro kg Körpergewicht und Woche behandelt wurden. Die Diagnose iGHD wurde gestellt bei einer mittleren nächtlichen Spontansekretion von 10ng/ml GH. Es wurden folgende Parameter untersucht: Körpergröße/ -gewicht, Body-Mass-Index, Knochenalter, Insulin-like Growth Factor I (IGF-I), IGFBP-3 und Alkalische Phosphatase (AP). Die Körpergröße war bei beiden Diagnosen zu Therapiebeginn deutlich erniedrigt (iGHD: MW=-3,7+/-1,3SD; NSD: MW=-3,0+/-0,7SD). Die iGHD-Patienten zeigten zu Therapiebeginn signifikant niedrigere Werte für die Körpergröße, die IGF-I- und die IGFBP-3-Serumkonzentration (p10ng/ml). The following parameters were measured: height, weight, body-mass-index, bone age, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) and alkaline phosphatase (AP). In both groups height before GH-therapy was below the reference-data (mean[iGHD]=-3,7+/-1,3SD; mean[NSD]=-3,0+/-0,7SD). Furthermore the children with the diagnosis iGHD had significant lower hight, IGF-I- and IGFBP-3-serum-levels before therapy (p<0,001). In both groups (iGHD and NSD) a significant rise of hight, weight, IGF-I, IGFBP-3 and AP was found during the first year of therapy (p<0,001 except AP[NSD]: p=0,02). It could be seen that the iGHD-patients grew faster than the NSD-patients (1 year: p=0,04; 4 years: p=0,03). In the iGHD-group a significant correlation between the rapid catch-up growth during the first year on GH and small values of hight (p=0,007), IGF-I (p<0,001) and IGFBP-3 (p=0,002) before therapy onset were found
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Important tools for use by pediatric endocrinologists in the assessment of short stature
Get PDFAssessment and management of children with growth failure has improved greatly over recent years. However, there remains a strong potential for further improvements by using novel digital techniques. A panel of experts discussed developments in digitalization of a number of important tools used by pediatric endocrinologists at the third 360 degrees European Meeting on Growth and Endocrine Disorders, funded by Merck KGaA, Germany, and this review is based on those discussions. It was reported that electronic monitoring and new algorithms have been devised that are providing more sensitive referral for short stature. In addition, computer programs have improved ways in which diagnoses are coded for use by various groups including healthcare providers and government health systems. Innovative cranial imaging techniques have been devised that are considered safer than using gadolinium contrast agents and are also more sensitive and accurate. Deep-learning neural networks are changing the way that bone age and bone health are assessed, which are more objective than standard methodologies. Models for prediction of growth response to growth hormone (GH) treatment are being improved by applying novel artificial intelligence methods that can identify non-linear and linear factors that relate to response, providing more accurate predictions. Determination and interpretation of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) levels are becoming more standardized and consistent, for evaluation across different patient groups, and computer-learning models indicate that baseline IGF-1 standard deviation score is among the most important indicators of GH therapy response. While physicians involved in child growth and treatment of disorders resulting in growth failure need to be aware of, and keep abreast of, these latest developments, treatment decisions and management should continue to be based on clinical decisions. New digital technologies and advancements in the field should be aimed at improving clinical decisions, making greater standardization of assessment and facilitating patient-centered approaches.Developmen
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