Deficient knowledge in adult Turner syndrome care as an incentive to found Turner centers in Germany.

Objective: Turner syndrome (TS) is characterized by the complete or partial loss of the second sex chromosome and associated with a wide range of clinical manifestations. We aimed to assess the medical care of adult patients with TS in Germany.

Design: Retrospective multicenter observational study.

An approach to model monitoring and surveillance data of wildlife diseases-exemplified by Classical Swine Fever in wild boar.

The analysis of epidemiological field data from monitoring and surveillance systems (MOSSs) in wild animals is of great importance in order to evaluate the performance of such systems. By parameter estimation from MOSS data, conclusions about disease dynamics in the observed population can be drawn. To strengthen the analysis, the implementation of a maximum likelihood estimation is the main aim of our work.

Impact of overweight on effectiveness of treatment with human growth hormone in growth hormone deficient children: analysis of German KIGS data.

Background: We hypothesized that overweight children with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) demonstrate a lower response to growth hormone (GH) as a result of a misclassification since obesity is associated with lower GH peaks in stimulation tests.

Methods: Anthropometric data, response, and responsiveness to GH in the first year of treatment were compared in 1.712 prepubertal children with GHD from the German KIGS database according to BMI (underweight=group A, normal weight=group B, overweight=group C) (median age: group A, B, C: 7.

Different relationships between the first 2 years on growth hormone treatment and the d3-growth hormone receptor polymorphism in short small-for-gestational-age (SGA) children.

Background: There has been controversy in recent years on whether the d3 polymorphism of the GH receptor is associated with a better growth response to GH in idiopathic short children born small for gestational age (SGA).

Methods: In this prospective study, we evaluated exon 3-GHR polymorphisms in 142 (62 f, 80 m) short prepubertal children born SGA (birth length and/or weight of ≤-2 SD for GA) and treated with rhGH (mean dose of 0·30 mg/kg/week) in 24 centres in Germany. A growth prediction for the first year of therapy was calculated for each child according to Ranke and co-workers.

Is the response to growth hormone in short children born small for gestational age dependent on genetic or maternal factors?

Background/aims: We investigated whether genetic or maternal/environmental risk factors for being born small for gestational age (SGA), e.g. Silver-Russell syndrome, congenital heart defects, infections of mothers or smoking during pregnancy, explain the variation in the first-year growth response to GH therapy.