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SAN DIEGO - Plasma levels of three proteins involved in growth hormone activity showed significant links to the controllability of type 2 diabetes in children, a finding that suggests these proteins may serve as risk markers for incident type 2 diabetes and help identify adolescents who could benefit from aggressive preventive care. "Plasma growth hormone mediators are associated with glycemic failure in youth with type 2 diabetes", Chang Lu, MD, said at the at the annual scientific sessions of the American Diabetes Association. Changes in levels of growth hormone-associated peptides during puberty "could potentially explain why children with type 2 diabetes have a more aggressive course" of the disorder, added Dr. Lu, a pediatric endocrinologist at Joslin and at Boston's Children's Hospital. [Extracted from the article]

The author examines the implication of an investigation into the effect of growth factor (GH) plus insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) on children with low IGF-I levels for treating humans with short stature.

The article discusses a study by scientists from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York which found that IGF-II boosts memory.

The article reports that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of the experimental drug called Iplex from Insmed Inc. for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig's disease. The drug would be made available to ALS patients under the compassionate use regulations of the FDA. It describes how Iplex, a human insulin-like growth factor, could work as a treatment for ALS. The move of the FDA is a response to requests made by doctors.

The article reports on the relationship of growth hormone (GH) deficiency to intima-media thickness and insulin resistance syndrome. Research from Naples, Italy revealed that insulin-like growth factor I levels normalized in patients receiving GH replacement and remained lower than -1 standard deviation score in patients not receiving the hormone replacement of 77%. It also adds the use of lipid-lowering drugs and glucose-lowering drugs was higher in men with GH deficiency without GH replacement.

The article presents the result of a study on human longevity. Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine found that mutations in genes governing an important cell-signalling pathway influence human longevity. The study, published in the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences," revealed that insulin-like growth factor is important for children's growth and continues contributing to tissue synthesis into adulthood.

Focuses on a report issued by a European Union panel that called for more studies on cows treated with bovine somatotropin from Monsanto Co. Impact of the drug on generation of insulin-like growth factor in cows; Concern of scientists on the drug; Conclusion of Canadian scientists about digesting insulin-like growth factor.