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Objective: Discontinuation of growth hormone therapy (rhGH) upon completion of linear growth may adversely affect bone mineral density and content (BMD/BMC) in adolescents with childhood-onset GH deficiency (CO-GHD) and predisposition to osteoporosis. Although the benefits of weight-dependent somatropin high doses over bone gain are established, little is known about fixed low doses. We analyzed the impact of non-weight-based low-dose somatropin on bone accrual during the transition among CO-DGH patients, treated since childhood., Methods: Lumbar spine (LS) and whole-body (WB) BMD and BMC were measured at baseline and after 18 months in 54 adolescents (age: 16.8 ± 1.6 years). They were retested and reclassified as GH sufficient (GHS, n = 28) and GH insufficient. The last group was later randomized to use rhGH (GH on; n = 15) or no treatment (GH off, n = 11) in this single-center open-label study. The average dose of rhGH was 0.5 ± 0.18 mg/day., Results: When comparing the groups, the GH off group had a lower percentage change in LS BMD than the GHS (0.53 % ± 5.9 vs. 4.42 % ± 4.1, respectively, p < 0.04). However, in the analysis of the GH on and off subgroups, the LS BMC percentage change was higher in the GH on (11.02 % ± 10.12 vs. 2.05 % ± 10.31, respectively, p < 0.04)., Conclusion: Non-weight-based low-dose somatropin withdrawal for 18 months limits bone accrual in LS of CO-DGH subjects in transition, predisposing them to osteoporosis in adult life., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The main growth hormone action is to promote linear growth increasing protein synthesis stimulation and osteoblastic activity. Peak bone mass extends from adolescence to 30 years of age. Several factors may influence this acquisition and prevent fracture risk in adulthood, such as genetic potential, GH, ethnicity, and lifestyle factors. This study aims to compare bone mass and osteometabolic profile of white and Afro-descendant Brazilian adolescents in the transition phase, who were treated with human recombinant growth hormone in childhood., Methods: The authors selected 38 adolescents from the Transition Outpatient Clinic of the University of São Paulo. Lumbar spine and total body bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC), serum calcium, 25-OH-vitamin D and bone markers were analyzed at the rhGH withdrawal., Results: The mean age was 16.8 ± 1.6 years. There were 21 Afro-descendant and 17 whites. Thirty-four percent of the sample presented vitamin D insufficiency, 66% inadequate calcium intake and 44.7% physical inactivity. The Afro-descendants showed a lower lumbar spine and total body Z scores than those of the whites (p = 0.04 and p = 0.03, respectively), as well as their mean body weight (p = 0.03). There were no differences in the remaining osteometabolic parameters., Conclusion: As most adolescents had vitamin D insufficiency, low calcium intake, and physical inactivity, calcium, and cholecalciferol supplementation and lifestyle changes should be encouraged. The Brazilian Afro-descendant may be a vulnerable group for low bone mass, requiring special strategies to increase bone accrual and body weight. More studies are necessary to compare ethnic differences in this population., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda.)

Ammonia (NH 3 ) has been reported as a breath biomarker for chronic kidney disease (CKD) usually detected at concentrations greater than 0.25 parts per million by volume (ppmV). NH 3 was detected in breath of individuals with CKD through gaseous photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS). The efficiency of hemodialysis (HD) was demonstrated. Eight volunteers aged between 20 and 60 years and without previous respiratory disease were eligible, among which six were control volunteers (CV) and two volunteers with advanced CKD, named CKDV1 and CKDV2. The presence of CKD was confirmed by the calculation of creatinine clearance (CC) according to the Cockcroft-Gault equation. Before HD, the mean NH 3 concentration exhaled by CKDV1 was 0.9 ± 0.1 ppmV and after HD was 0.20 ± 0.03 ppmV, which demonstrated an efficiency of 76% NH 3 reduction in breath. The CKDV2 exhaled 1.27 ± 0.03 ppmV of NH 3 pre-HD and 0.42 ± 0.08 ppmV post-HD, which resulted in efficiency of about 67%. It was not possible to quantify NH 3 from CV, what led us to infer that all of them exhaled amounts below the detection limit, i.e., 0.20 ppmV. This assumption is underpinned by CC, whose values hovered at 90 ≤ CC ≤ 120 mL/ min, confirming normal renal function., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: To compare the two anthropometric standards for screening of overweight and cardio-metabolic risk in 6-10-year-old children., Subjects and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 175 subjects attending the Referral Center for the Treatment of Children and Adolescents in Campos, Rio de Janeiro. They were classified according to CDC and WHO BMI z scores as normal-weight (z-score > -1 and < 1), overweight (z-score ≥ 1 and < 2) or obese (z-score ≥ 2). Sensitivities and specificities in predicting systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP) blood pressure and homeostatic model assessment insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) alterations were calculated., Results: There was a major difference in 11 children who rated overweight by the CDC but were reclassified as obese by the WHO. Their mean z-scores for SBP (1.71 ± 1.54), DBP (2.64 ± 1.83) and HOMA-IR (1.84 ± 0.98) were higher than those classified as overweight by both references (SBP = 0.49 ± 1.34, p < 0.023, DBP = 1.45 ± 0.97, p < 0.04 and HOMA = 1.24 ± 0.67, p < 0.04), but were similar to those classified as obese by both criteria (SBP = 1.25 ± 2.04, p = 0.60, DBP = 1.94 ± 1.19, p = 0.50 and HOMA = 2.09 ± 1.12, p = 0.76)., Conclusion: The 2007 WHO reference was the most sensitive in screening for overweight and alterations in blood pressure and HOMA-IR in 6-10-year-old children.

Background: Childhood obesity is a public health problem worldwide. Visceral obesity, particularly associated with cardio-metabolic risk, has been assessed by body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference, but both methods use sex-and age-specific percentile tables and are influenced by sexual maturity. Waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) is easier to obtain, does not involve tables and can be used to diagnose visceral obesity, even in normal-weight individuals. This study aims to compare the WHtR to the 2007 World Health Organization (WHO) reference for BMI in screening for the presence of cardio-metabolic and inflammatory risk factors in 6-10-year-old children., Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken with 175 subjects selected from the Reference Center for the Treatment of Children and Adolescents in Campos, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The subjects were classified according to the 2007 WHO standard as normal-weight (BMI z score>-1 and<1) or overweight/obese (BMI z score≥1). Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), fasting glycemia, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), triglyceride (TG), Homeostatic Model Assessment--Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), leukocyte count and ultrasensitive C-reactive protein (CRP) were also analyzed., Results: There were significant correlations between WHtR and BMI z score (r=0.88, p<0.0001), SBP (r=0.51, p<0.0001), DBP (r=0.49, p<0.0001), LDL (r=0.25, p<0.0008, HDL (r=-0.28, p<0.0002), TG (r=0.26, p<0.0006), HOMA-IR (r=0.83, p<0.0001) and CRP (r=0.51, p<0.0001). WHtR and BMI areas under the curve were similar for all the cardio-metabolic parameters. A WHtR cut-off value of >0.47 was sensitive for screening insulin resistance and any one of the cardio-metabolic parameters., Conclusions: The WHtR was as sensitive as the 2007 WHO BMI in screening for metabolic risk factors in 6-10-year-old children. The public health message "keep your waist to less than half your height" can be effective in reducing cardio-metabolic risk because most of these risk factors are already present at a cut point of WHtR≥0.5. However, as this is the first study to correlate the WHtR with inflammatory markers, we recommend further exploration of the use of WHtR in this age group and other population-based samples.

Metabolic syndrome (MS) has been a condition involved in considerable controversy, starting with the terminology. Gerald Reaven himself, the author who proposed the term MS, advised against the use of this terminology because the definition implies in at least three metabolic alterations, and it is never clear to which group of alterations we are referring to when we say that a patient has MS. In children, the problem is even more complicated, since there are many different adaptations to the criteria used in adults. On the other hand, independent of the terminology, cardiovascular risks are well-established and it is very clear that even children may present metabolic disturbances which predict future metabolic problems. The role of the pediatric endocrinologist or the general pediatrician is to investigate, especially in overweight/obese children, conditions that if treated early, may prevent future complications that today, unfortunately, are being diagnosed only in adult life. In this review, we discuss problems on the definition, epidemiology, pathophysiology, and complications of MS in children and adolescents.

After the initial thyroid cancer treatment, the detection of likely recurrences and/or metastases is made through the measurement of serum markers determinations and diagnostic image procedures. These techniques may be negative in spite of biochemical evidence of metastatic disease. The positron emission tomography with fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET) has been proposed as an accurate method to detect it. The aim of this study is to present a synthesis of the evidences obtained from a systematic review regarding FDG-PET accuracy in locating suspected metastases of previously treated thyroid cancer, when the conventional methods failed to do it. A bibliographic review of all studies related to FDG-PET and differentiated thyroid cancer was made on MEDLINE, indexed until September 2005. Two hundred and sixteen citations were collected and 17 studies included, 71% were published after 2000. FDG-PET sensibility was high, with only one study presenting a sensibility lower than 75%. The specificity, examined in 12 studies was lower than 75% in 3 studies. There was at least one test compared to FDG-PET in 41% of the studies. The results point to FDG-PET as a useful diagnostic test to detect and localize thyroid cancer metastases, with direct implications in the treatment of these patients.

Objective: To evaluate insulin sensitivity and the metabolic features in normal weight and overweight/obese patients with PCOS., Subjects and Methods: Forty-nine (49) patients from 18 to 45 years were retrospectively evaluated and divided into 2 groups, according to the body mass index (BMI): group 1 (18.5-24.9 kg/m(2)) and group 2 (25-40 kg/m(2)). Collected data: systolic and diastolic blood pressure; fasting and after OGTT glucose, insulin and glucose/insulin ratio; area under the curve for glucose and insulin; HOMA-IR and HOMA-beta; lipidic profile; free (FT) and total testosterone (T) levels., Results: Greater averages of pressoric levels, insulin resistance (IR) indices, triglycerides and the FT levels, in addition to lower HDL levels, were found in group 2. Neither correlation between the IMC with none of data nor of the FT and IR indices with the lipid profile were found., Conclusions: Obesity is associated with insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus in PCOS, independently on familiar history of DM. The absence of correlation between the IR indices and the FT with the lipidic profile suggests that other factors, such as the free fatty acids, can be involved in the pathogenesis of dyslipidemia in PCOS.

Testicular tissue and sperm from the cauda epididymidis of 300 boars were obtained in 6 collections during 1 year at a Chicago abattoir. Seventy-five boars (25%) had - 1 sperm abnormality present at rates that could result in infertility. These abnormalities and their frequency criteria were: proximal droplets > or = 15%, loose heads > or = 10%, abnormal middle pieces > or = 10%, abnormal acrosomes > or = 10%, bent tails > or = 15%, coiled tails > or = 15%, and abnormal head shapes > 5%. These 75 abnormal boars were then compared with a control group of 75 boars selected at random from the remaining 225 boars. Frequency of sperm abnormalities, testicular and epididymal weights, relative seminiferous epithelial areas (SEA), and the degree of testicular lesions were used in making comparisons. Testicular lesions were scored on a scale of 1 (normal) to 5. The SEA was measured and was expressed as the mean area of 50 tubules. The SEA was negatively correlated with proximal droplets and abnormal middle pieces in abnormal boars and abnormal head shapes in control boars. The mean SEA was 8.71 and 5.60 cm2 for control and abnormal boars, respectively. The overall mean score for testicular lesions was 1.72 and 3.17 for control and abnormal boars, respectively.

Semen was collected from 8 yearling boars, using electroejaculation and the gloved-hand technique. Four semen samples were collected from each boar by each technique, on an alternating schedule, with a 72-hour interval between collections. Comparison of the volume, motility, live-dead ratio, sperm concentration, and spermatozoal conformation of the sperm-rich fractions showed that there were no significant differences between the 2 techniques for any factor evaluated.