Effectiveness of leuprolide acetate administered monthly compared to three-monthly in the treatment of central precocious puberty: evaluation at the end of treatment.

Introduction: Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogs are the standard treatment for central precocious puberty (CPP). Although there are numerous varieties of GnRH agonists, the effectiveness of 1-monthly compared with 3-monthly Leuprolide acetate is still restricted. The objective of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of CPP treatment with Leuprolide acetate at a 1-monthly dosage of 3.75 mg, in comparison to a dosage of 11.25 mg administered every 3 months. Method: This retrospective cohort study involved 143 girls diagnosed with CPP with 72 of them receiving the monthly treatment regimen and 71 receiving the 3-monthly treatment regimen. Anthropometric measurements were compared at the start and end of the therapy. The rates and level of LH suppression were assessed six months after therapy. Results: The regimen administered every 3 months showed more significant suppression of LH. The 3-monthly group showed lower actual height and degree of bone age advancement at the end of therapy. However, the predicted adult height (PAH) remained comparable in both groups. Conclusion: The 3-monthly treatment showed greater hormonal and growth suppression effects, but there was no significant difference in PAH between the two groups.

Kisspeptin and DLK1 levels for monitoring treatment of girls with central precocious puberty.

BACKGROUND: Kisspeptin and delta-like 1 homolog (DLK1) are neuropeptides that reportedly play an important role in pubertal timing by activating and inhibiting the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, respectively. Consequently, serum kisspeptin and DLK1 levels may be novel biomarkers for differentiating between central precocious puberty (CPP) and premature thelarche (PT) in girls and used to monitor CPP treatment. PURPOSE: To compare baseline serum kisspeptin and DLK1 levels in girls with CPP at diagnosis and after treatment to age-matched girls with PT. METHODS: This prospective longitudinal study included girls with precocious puberty and girls with PT who experienced breast development before 8 years of age and peak luteinizing hormone levels of ≥6 versus <6 IU/L after a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) stimulation test. Serum kisspeptin and DLK1 levels were determined in both groups at baseline and after 6 months of GnRH analog treatment in the CPP group and analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: The study divided a total of 48 girls into CPP (n=24; mean age, 7.7±0.7 years) and PT (n=24; mean age, 7.4±0.8 years) groups. The baseline median serum kisspeptin levels were 50.5 pg/mL (range, 38.2-77 pg/mL) and 49.5 pg/mL (range, 39.7-67.6 pg/mL), respectively (P=0.89), while the baseline median serum DLK1 levels were 6.5 ng/mL (range, 5.9-7.5 ng/mL) and 6 ng/mL (4.4-14.4 ng/mL), respectively (P=0.68). After 6 months of GnRH analog treatment in the CPP group, the median serum kisspeptin level was lower (46.4 ng/mL; range, 37.1-60 ng/mL) than that at baseline (P=0.002), while the median serum DLK1 level was higher (7 ng/mL; range, 6.7-8.9) than that at baseline (P=0.002). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that baseline serum kisspeptin and DLK1 levels are not reliable biomarkers for differentiating between CPP and PT. However, significant changes in serum kisspeptin and DLK1 levels may be used to monitor CPP treatment.

Exposure to Bisphenol A and Its Analogs among Thai School-Age Children.

Bisphenol F (BPF) and bisphenol S (BPS) have become popular substitutes for bisphenol A (BPA) in the plastic industry due to concerns over BPA's adverse effects. However, there is limited information on children's exposure to these chemicals. This study aims to assess the extent of BPA, BPF, and BPS exposure and determine factors that influence such exposure. A group of Thai children (age 6-13 years, N = 358) were recruited between October 2019 and 2020. Two first-morning voids were collected one week apart. Demographic and exposure-related information was gathered. Urinary concentrations of bisphenols were analyzed by liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. Correlation between bisphenol concentrations with age, body weight, and sources of bisphenol exposure, was determined using generalized estimating equations with linear model. BPA, BPF, and BPS were detected at 79.6%, 31.0%, and 16.8%, with geometric mean (GM) concentrations of 1.41, 0.013, and 0.014 ng/mL, respectively. Younger children aged <10 years exhibited 1.3-1.6 times higher GM levels of all bisphenols compared to older children. Exposure to food stored in plastic containers was associated with higher levels of BPF and BPS. In conclusion, BPA was the most frequently detected bisphenol in urine samples from Thai children, followed by BPF and BPS.

The utilization of basal luteinizing hormone in combination with the basal luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone ratio as a diagnostic tool for central precocious puberty in girls.

PURPOSE: Intravenous gonadotropin-releasing hormone (IV GnRH) testing is the gold standard for confirming a central precocious puberty (CPP) diagnosis. However, this test is not widely available commercially. Therefore, our study aim was to establish cutoff values for basal gonadotropin level and gonadotrophin responses to a 100-µg subcutaneous IV GnRH test that can distinguish between CPP and premature thelarche (PT) to discover a simple method to detect CPP. METHODS: Girls between the ages of 6 and 8 years who attended the pediatric endocrinology outpatient clinic at our tertiary hospital between 2019 and 2022 were included in this study. They were evaluated for breast development, and a subcutaneous 100-µg GnRH test was administered by measuring the luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels in blood samples at baseline and then 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes after injection. CPP is characterized by increased height velocity, advanced bone age, and progression of breast development. The cutoff value for diagnosis of CPP was determined using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. RESULTS: In 86 Thai girls (56 with CPP and 30 with PT), the ROC analysis showed 71.4% and 100% sensitivity and specificity, respectively, for basal LH (cutoff ≥ 0.2 IU/L) plus the basal LH/FSH ratio (cutoff ≥ 0.1). The optimal cutoff values for peak LH (cutoff ≥ 7 IU/L) demonstrated a sensitivity of 94.6% and a specificity of 100%, whereas the LH value at 30 and 60 minutes after injection (cutoff ≥ 6 IU/L) demonstrated sensitivities of 92.9% and 94.6% and a specificity of 100%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Combining the basal LH (cutoff: 0.2 IU/L) and the basal LH/FSH ratio (cutoff: 0.1) can easily and cost-effectively diagnose CPP in a girl in breast Tanner stage II.

Coexistence of Graves' disease with acute rheumatic fever treated as thyroid storm in young Thai patient.

OBJECTIVES: This report presents a case of acute onset of chorea, concurrent Graves' disease, and acute rheumatic fever in an 8-year-old female patient. CASE PRESENTATION: The child had intermittent involuntary movement of all extremities and both eyes for 4 days, with a previous history of increased appetite, weight lost, and heat intolerance over a period of two months. Physical examination revealed fever, tachycardia, exophthalmos, eyelid retraction, as well as diffused thyroid enlargement. Initial clinical features and thyroid function testing suggested a thyroid storm due to Graves' disease. Methimazole, propranolol, potassium iodide (SSKI), and dexamethasone were prescribed. Congestive heart failure developed after propranolol and cardiovascular re-evaluation and Revised Jones criteria suggested acute rheumatic fever. Chorea was successfully treated with pulse methylprednisolone. CONCLUSIONS: We reported Graves' disease patients with acute rheumatic fever simulating a thyroid storm. The underlying cardiac disease must be considered, especially where chorea and congestive heart failure are present.

Serum Cortisol as a Biomarker of Severe Dengue.

Dengue infection presents a wide range of clinical symptoms. Serum cortisol is known as a severity predictor of serious infection but is not yet clearly understood in dengue infection. We aimed to investigate the pattern of cortisol response after dengue infection and evaluate the possibility of using serum cortisol as the biomarker to predict the severity of dengue infection. This prospective study was conducted in Thailand during 2018. Serum cortisol and other laboratory tests were collected at four time points: day 1 at hospital admission, day 3, day of defervescence (DFV) (4-7 days post-fever onset), and day of discharge (DC). The study recruited 265 patients (median age (IQR) 17 (13, 27.5)). Approximately 10% presented severe dengue infection. Serum cortisol levels were highest on the day of admission and day 3. The best cut-off value of serum cortisol level for predicting severe dengue was 18.2 mcg/dL with an AUC of 0.62 (95% CI, 0.51, 0.74). The sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were 65.4, 62.3, 16 and 94%, respectively. When we combined serum cortisol with persistent vomiting and day of fever, the AUC increased to 0.76. In summary, serum cortisol at day of admission was likely to be associated with dengue severity. Further studies may focus on the possibility of using serum cortisol as one of the biomarkers for dengue severity.

Outcomes of a multidisciplinary transition clinic for youth with type 1 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Emerging adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) have several challenges regarding diabetes management and care transition from pediatric to adult services. In this study we aimed to assess the effectiveness of the newly established transition clinic for emerging adults with T1D. METHODS: We conducted an observational study of emerging adults with T1D treated in a transition clinic jointly operated by a pediatric and adult multidisciplinary care team during 2019-2021. A retrospective chart review of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), frequency of clinic attendance, acute diabetes-related complications, assessment of gaps in knowledge and behavior, and psychosocial outcomes was analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 21 patients with T1D were included. Median age at the transfer to the transition clinic was 24 years (range 21-34). Fifteen patients (71%) were successfully transferred to adult services; mean duration of follow-up at the transition clinic was 9.2 months (SD 3.9). None of the patients was lost to follow-up or experienced serious diabetes related complications. Mean (95% confidence interval) HbA1c levels decreased from 8.97% (7.87-10.07) at baseline to 8.25% (7.45-9.05) at the most recent visit (p = 0.01). A proportion of patients achieving the glycemic target (HbA1c < 7.5%) was increased from 24% at the first visit to 38% at the most recent visits. Patients' HbA1c levels at the adult clinic continued a favorable trend. Seven patients (33%) were identified as having symptoms of depression. Knowledge and behavioral gaps were identified and counselled by clinical care team. CONCLUSION: The multidisciplinary transition clinic has shown to be beneficial in terms of improving glycemic control, maintaining continuity of care and clinic attendance.

Urinary phthalate concentrations are associated with total fat mass in Thai children.

OBJECTIVES: Phthalate is one of the endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in many daily consumer products. Chronic exposure to phthalate may associate with obesity and metabolic abnormalities. However, there is limited information showing a direct relationship between phthalate and body compositions. The aim of the study was to determine the association between urinary phthalate concentration and body composition measure among Thai children. METHODS: A cross-sectional analytic study on urinary phthalate concentrations and body composition in elementary school children, aged 6-13 years in Bangkok, was conducted during October 2019 to 2020. Urinary phthalate metabolites; (mono-methyl phthalate-MMP, mono-ethyl phthalate- MEP, mono-buthyl phthalate-MBP, and mono-ethylhexyl phthalate-MEHP), in early morning spot urine samples were measured by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MSMS) with a quantitation limit of 1 ng/mL. Phthalate exposures were identified through questionnaires. Body composition was measured by Tanita BC-418®. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine significant associations. RESULTS: A total of 364 children were enrolled in the study (boy 51.4%). After adjusting for confounders (sex, caregiver educations, family income, BMI-SDS: Body mass index-standard deviation score, TV watching, and exercise frequency), total urinary phthalate concentrations were associated with fat mass 8.24 (0.94, 15.53), trunk percent fat 7.69 (3.26, 12.12), arm percent fat 3.69 (0.47, 6.91), arm fat mass 72.88 (1.08, 144.67), and leg fat mass 17.79 (2.37, 33.22). CONCLUSIONS: Higher urinary phthalate concentrations were significantly associated with elevated total fat mass among Thai school-aged children. These findings were not mediated through the degree of obesity defined by BMI. These finding emphasized to be careful when being use phthalate-containing products.

Glycemic index and glycemic load of common fruit juices in Thailand.

BACKGROUND: The glycemic index (GI) reflects body responses to different carbohydrate-rich foods. Generally, it cannot be simply predicted from the composition of the food but needs in vivo testing. METHODS: Healthy adult volunteers with normal body mass index were recruited. Each volunteer was asked to participate in the study center twice in the first week to consume the reference glucose (50 g) and once a week thereafter to consume the study fruit juices in a random order. The study fruit juices were Florida orange juice, Tangerine orange juice, Blackcurrant mixed juice, and Veggie V9 orange carrot juice which were already available on the market. The serving size of each fruit juice was calculated to provide 50 g of glycemic carbohydrate. The fasting and subsequent venous blood samplings were obtained through the indwelling venous catheters at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 min after the test drink consumption and immediately sent for plasma glucose and insulin. GI and insulin indices were calculated from the incremental area under the curve of postprandial glucose of the test drink divided by the reference drink. Glycemic load (GL) was calculated from the GI multiplied by carbohydrate content in the serving size. RESULTS: A total of 12 volunteers participated in the study. Plasma glucose and insulin peaked at 30 min after the drink was consumed, and then started to decline at 120 min. Tangerine orange juice had the lowest GI (34.1 ± 18.7) and GL (8.1 g). Veggie V9 had the highest GI (69.6 ± 43.3) but it was in the third GL rank (12.4 g). The insulin responses correlated well with the GI. Fructose to glucose ratio was inversely associated with GI and insulin responses for all study fruit juices. Fiber contents in the study juices did not correlate with glycemic and insulin indices. CONCLUSIONS: The GIs of fruit juices were varied but consistently showed a positive correlation with insulin indices. Fruit juices with low GI are a healthier choice for people with diabetes as well as individuals who want to stay healthy since it produces more subtle postprandial glucose and insulin responses.

Clinical Characteristics, Residual Beta-Cell Function and Pancreatic Auto-Antibodies in Thai people with Long-Standing Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the characteristics of long-standing T1DM in Thai patients and assess residual beta-cell function with status of pancreatic autoantibodies. METHODOLOGY: This is a cross-sectional study of Thai subjects with T1DM and disease duration ≥ 25 years seen at the Theptarin Hospital. Random plasma C-peptide and pancreatic auto-antibodies (Anti-GAD, Anti-IA2, and Anti-ZnT8) were measured. Patients who developed complications were compared with those who remained free of complications. RESULTS: A total of 20 patients (males 65%, mean age 49.4±12.0 years, BMI 22.5±3.1 kg/m2, A1C 7.9±1.6%) with diabetes duration of 31.9±5.1 years were studied. Half of the participants remained free from any diabetic complications while the proportions reporting retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy were 40%, 30%, and 15%, respectively. HDL cholesterol was significantly higher and triglyceride concentration significantly lower in patients who were free from diabetic nephropathy but not in those who were free from other complications. The prevalence rates of anti-GAD, anti-IA2, and anti-ZnT8 were 65%, 20%, and 10%, respectively. None of the patients who tested negative for both anti-GAD and anti-IA2 was positive for anti-ZnT8. Residual beta-cell function based on detectable random plasma C-peptide (≥ 0.1 ng/mL) and MMTT was found in only 3 patients (15%). There was no relationship between residual beta-cell function and protective effects of diabetic complications. CONCLUSION: Endogenous insulin secretion persists in some patients with long-standing T1DM and half of longstanding T1DM in Thai patients showed no diabetic complications. HDL cholesterol was significantly higher and triglyceride concentration significantly lower in patients who were free from diabetic nephropathy.

Metabolic features and changes in glucose-induced serum glucagon-like peptide-1 levels in children with hypothalamic obesity.

Background Hypothalamic damage may alter glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) secretion and be involved in the pathogenesis of obesity. We aim to evaluate the metabolic features and the dynamic changes of GLP-1 levels during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in children with hypothalamic obesity (HO) compared with simple obesity controls. Methods Subjects included eight patients (six females, aged 9-16 years) with hypothalamo-pituitary tumors who later developed obesity and eight controls with simple obesity matched for age, body mass index (BMI), gender and puberty. We assessed the metabolic syndrome features, fat mass, severity of hyperphagia using a standardized questionnaire, and measured glucose, insulin and GLP-1 levels during a standard 75 g OGTT. Results Age, gender distribution, pubertal status and BMI-Z scores were not significantly different. Subjects with HO had higher fasting triglycerides (TG) than controls (128 vs. 94 mg/dL; p=0.05). Four HO subjects and three controls met the criteria for the metabolic syndrome. Fasting and 120 min post-glucose load GLP-1 levels were significantly higher in HO patients than in controls (21.9 vs. 19.7 pg/mL; p=0.025, 22.1 vs. 17.7 pg/mL; p=0.012). Patients with HO had significantly higher hyperphagia scores than in simple obese controls (13 vs. 2.5; p=0.012). Conclusions Patients with HO appear to have more metabolic complications and hyperphagia than controls with simple obesity. Impaired satiety may play an important role in HO. Fasting and glucose-induced serum GLP-1 concentrations seem to be altered in HO patients and could be a part of the pathogenesis of HO.

Prevalence of islet autoantibodies in Thai juvenile-onset type 1 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is caused by autoimmune destruction of islet ß-cells of the pancreas. There are overlapping phenotypes in a significant proportion of youth with type 1 and 2 diabetes. Thus, positive pancreatic autoantibodies are helpful to diagnose T1DM. Zinc transporter 8 antibody (ZnT8A) is a recently identified autoantibody in T1DM and no data on ZnT8A in the Thai population have been reported. The aim of this study was therefore to estimate the prevalence of ZnT8A in Thai juvenile-onset T1DM and to evaluate its diagnostic value relative to glutamic acid decarboxylase and insulinoma-2 antigen antibodies (GADA and IA2A). METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, patients with T1DM diagnosed before age 15 years, and disease duration <10 years were enrolled. Serum ZnT8A, GADA, and IA2A were measured using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. RESULTS: The subjects consisted of 81 youths (30 boys, 51 girls) aged 12.3 ± 4.5 years with T1DM. The median diabetes duration was 3 years (range, 0-10 years). The prevalence of ZnT8A, GADA, and IA2A was 54.3%, 75.3%, and 45.7%, respectively. ZnT8A were detected in 16% of T1DM patients negative for both GADA and IA2A. A combination of ZnT8A, GADA and IA2A could detect 80.2% of patients with T1DM. Combined use of ZnT8A and GADA identified 100% of antibody-positive patients. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of ZnT8A in Thai juvenile-onset T1DM appears to be higher than in previous studies from Asia. ZnT8A could replace IA2A as an autoimmunity marker in Thai pediatric T1DM patients, with better diagnostic performance.

Cardio-metabolic risk factors in youth with classical 21-hydroxylase deficiency.

Patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) appear to have adverse cardiovascular risk profile and other long-term health problems in adult life, but there are limited data in young CAH patients. We aim to evaluate the cardio-metabolic risk factors in adolescents and young adults with classical 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD). We performed a cross-sectional study of 21 patients (17 females) with classic CAH detected clinically and not through newborn screening, aged 15.2 ± 5.8 years, and 21 healthy matched controls. Anthropometric, biochemical, inflammatory markers, and body composition using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry were measured. Obesity was observed in 33% of the CAH patients. The waist/hip ratio and waist/height ratio were significantly higher in CAH patients. Five out of 21 patients (24%) had elevated blood pressure. Silent diabetes was diagnosed in one patient (4.8%), but none in the control group. Serum leptin and interleukin-6 levels were not different between groups, but hs-CRP levels tended to be higher in CAH patients. Other metabolic profiles and body composition were similar in CAH and controls. CONCLUSION: Adolescents and young adults with CAH appear to have an increased risk of obesity and cardio-metabolic risk factors. Close monitoring, early identification, and secondary prevention should be implemented during pediatric care to improve the long-term health outcomes in CAH patients. What is Known: • Lifelong glucocorticoid (GC) replacement is the main treatment modality in patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia which predispose to an adverse metabolic profile. • Adult CAH patients have adverse cardiovascular risk profile and other long-term health problems. What is New: • Adolescents and young adults with CAH appear to have an increased risk of obesity and cardio-metabolic risk factors.

Growth Hormone (GH) Retesting and Final Adult Height in Childhood-Onset GH Deficiency (CO-GHD): Experiences from King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thailand.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate GHstatus in CO-GHD subjects after completion of linear growth, and report the auxological outcomes of rhGH treatment. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Twenty-four CO-GHD subjects (14 with IGHD and 10 with MPHD), treated with rhGH for a period of 6.6 ± 3.1 years were re-evaluated for their capacity of GH secretion by performing insulin tolerance test (ITT). Ht SDS at final height was compared with Ht SDS at the start of the treatment and MPH SDS. RESULTS: Thirty-eight percent (9 in 24) of CO-GHD subjects had normal GH secretion on retesting. All subjects were diagnosed as isolated GHD during childhood. In contrast, all MPHD subjects during childhood period had GH insufficiency on retesting. GH insufficient subjects had higher total cholesterol level than those with GH sufficiency (214 ± 51 vs. 1 74 ± 36 mg/mL, p = 0.03). rhGH treatment significantly increased Ht SDS of -2.0 ± 1.1 at the start of the treatment to -0.6 ± 1.3 at the end of the treatment (p < 0.01) and -0.8 ± 1.2 at GH retesting (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: GH retesting is recommended in subjects with IGHD during the childhood period. However rhGH treatment can enhance the final height in both GH sufficient and insufficient subjects on retesting.

Preliminary study of renal hemodynamic alteration in early childhood diabetes mellitus.

Renal hemodynamic study was performed in eight patients associated with type 1, early childhood diabetes mellitus (DM) and seven patients associated with type 2, early childhood DM. The results in both types of DM revealed a significant reduction in peritubular capillary flow and a high value of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in the presence of reduced renal perfusion characteristic of glomerular hyperfiltration. These findings imply that renal ischemia has already developed in both types of early stage childhood DM and GFR is overestimated in DM, which may mislead to improper interpretation of renal function.

Diagnosis and growth hormone (GH) therapy in children with GH deficiency: experience in King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thailand.

BACKGROUND: Diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) needs both clinical and biological aspects such as auxological data and GHprovocative tests, and active metabolites of GH including IGF-I and IGFBP-3. In GHD children, rhGH has been used worldwide with minimal serious side effects. The aims of the present study were to describe the experience in King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital regarding diagnosis and treatment with rhGH in GHD children. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Clinical data of 173 short children was retrospectively reviewed. Two GH provocative tests used in the present study were insulin tolerance test (ITT) and clonidine test. To make the diagnosis of GHD, the children had to fail both GH provocative tests (peak GH < 10 ng/ml). Baseline clinical data, IGF-I, and IGFBP-3 were compared between the group with true positive test and the group with false positive test. Thirty-five children with GHD, who had been treated with rhGH, were evaluated in terms of growth response, changes of IGF-I SDS and the relationship between these parameters. RESULTS: From the present study, ITT could diagnose GHD with true positive 57% and false positive 43% and clonidine could diagnose with true positive 67% and false positive 33%. Clinical data including chronological age, bone age, HtSDS, WtSDS, IGF-I SDS, and IGFBP-3 SDS were not different between the true positive and false positive group. rhGH with a mean dose of 29.3 +/- 4.6 microg/kg/day increased height velocity (HV) from 3.9 +/- 2.5 to 9.3 +/- 2.5, 8.1 +/- 1.5, 7.2 +/- 2.2, 6.8 +/- 2.2, 7.6 +/- 2.4, and 6.5 +/- 1.8 cm/yr after 6 months, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years after treatment, respectively. This also improved HtSDS during treatment and brought the HtSDS into the target range after 3 years of treatment. At the end of the first year of treatment, the difference of IGF-I SDS (DeltaIGF-I SDS) > or = 1 could predict a good response (DeltaHtSDS > or = 0.5) with sensitivity of 88.9% and specificity of 60% respectively. At the end of the second year, DeltaIGF-I SDS > or = 1 could predict a good response with sensitivity and specificity of 100% and 29%, respectively. CONCLUSION: From the present study, the authors demonstrated the investigation and treatment practices of short children with GHD. The growth response is satisfactory even with a lower dose than suggested. In addition, measurement of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 cannot be used in diagnosing GHD but can predict the height outcome at least by the first 2 years of the treatment. However long-term outcome need to be clarified.

Bone mineral density and body composition in Thai Precocious Puberty girls treated with GnRH agonist.

Treatment of true Precocious Puberty (PP) with GnRH agonist can improve final adult height by suppressing gonadotropin and sex hormone levels that delays the fusion of long bone epiphyseal growth plates. However, deprivation of estrogen may affect the acquisition of peak bone mass, especially in individuals with low calcium intake. Ten Thai girls with idiopathic true PP were evaluated for Bone Mineral Density (BMD) and body composition by DXA scanner (Hologic, Inc) before and after GnRH agonist therapy for 1 year. During treatment, all children were allowed to consume a normal diet without extra calcium supplementation. In addition, serum calcium, phosphate, alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin were also measured. The results showed that GnRH agonist could improve predicted adult height from 149.4 +/- 5.4 to 153.6 +/- 6.8 cm (p < 0.001). Serum osteocalcin, representing the bone marker formation, decreased from 184.2 +/- 66.7 to 108.6 +/- 35.3 ng/mL (p = 0.012) However, the treatment had no negative effects on BMD lumbar spine and total BMD but increased percentage of fat mass from 25.7 +/- 5.2 to 31.6 +/- 5.5%. (p =0.007). In conclusion, treatment with GnRH agonist in Thai girls with true PP for 1 year can improve PAH without negative effects on BMD but a longer period of treatment needs to be studied.

Basal luteinizing hormone/follicle stimulating hormone ratio in diagnosis of central precocious puberty.

BACKGROUND: Precocious puberty is characterized by breast development in girls prior to 8 years old and may have acne, adult odor, growth spurt and menstruation. Conventionally, gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) stimulation test is a gold standard for diagnosis of central precocious puberty but it is a time-comsuming procedure that is not practical on an out patient basis. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the basal luteinizing hormone (LH)/follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) ratio in diagnosis of central precocious puberty in order to save time and cost. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: The GnRH stimulation tests were performed on 51 girls with breast development before 8 years old. The 51 girls were divided into 2 groups, 24 girls with central precocious puberty (CPP) and 27 girls with premature thelarche (PT), and the clinical data and GnRH stimulation tests data were compared between the 2 groups. The authors also compared the clinical data and GnRH stimulation tests data between 13 girls with PT and 12 girls with thelarche variants (TV) who developed puberty approximately 1 year later as confirmed by GnRH stimulation test. RESULTS: Girls with CPP had a large bone age and chronological age ratio and advancement of breast staging. Girls with TV had a greater level of basal luteinizing hormone (LH), peak LH and 120 min estradiol than girls with PT. Basal luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) ratio greater than 0.2 can be used to diagnose CPP with 75 per cent sensitivity, 85 per cent specificity, 82 per cent positive predictive value (PPV) and 82 per cent negative predictive value (NPV). CONCLUSION: Girls with CPP have a basal LH/FSH ratio greater than 0.2 and this can be used as a cut-off point for the diagnosis CPP.

Final adult height in "early normal pubertal girls" treated with gonadotropin releasing hormone agonists.

Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist has been used worldwide for the treatment of central precocious puberty. However, the results on final adult height (FAH) are discrepant in various studies especially in girls with normal early puberty. Fourteen girls with normal early puberty who were treated with depot GnRH agonists 3.75 mg intramuscular (i.m.) monthly for a mean period of 1.5 +/- 0.4 yr were retrospectively studied. The chronological age and bone age at the beginning of treatment were 9.9 +/- 0.7 yr and 12.6 +/- 0.9 yr, respectively. When the treatment was stopped, all the girls were followed-up until they reached their final adult heights. The results showed that the mean FAH was 154.0 +/- 6.9 cm, which was not significantly different from the predicted adult height (PAH) at start of treatment, 153.1 +/- 6.2 m. All the girls were divided into 2 groups. Group A was girls who had FAH-PAH at the start of treatment > or = 1.5 cm and group B, FAH-PAH at the start of treatment < 1.5 cm. The authors found that only the duration of treatment was different between these 2 groups, 1.7 +/- 0.3 yr in group A and 1.3 +/- 0.3 yr in group B (p = 0.015). In conclusion, GnRH agonist cannot improve the final height outcome in girls with normal early puberty. However, a longer period of treatment may improve the height prognosis.

Sitting height and subischial leg length of Thai schoolboys in Bangkok.

Anthropometry is an important way to evaluate a child's growth pattern. The measurement of sitting height helps to define body proportion. Every country should have its own normal data and use it as a national reference. The measurements of standing height, sitting height, and weight were performed in 2,650 schoolboys, aged 11-18 years, and then the subischial leg length, and the sitting height/height (SH/H) ratio were calculated. The results were compared to the data of British boys studied by Tanner et al. The authors found that, in boys aged less than 15 years, the sitting height in Thai schoolboys was similar to that of British boys but the subischial leg length was longer. However, the sitting height and subischial leg length in Thai schoolboys became shorter than that of British boys after 15 years of age. This resulted in shorter adults when compared with British boys. In addition, the SH/H ratio in Thai schoolboys was the same as that in British boys when they reached the near final height. More data in both genders should be studied in order to construct our national references.