Author/Editor		Bozzola, M; Moretta, A; Valtorta, A; Biscaldi, I; Cisternino, M; Torcetta, F; Lorini, R; Severi, F
Title		Natural cytotoxicity and growth hormone treatment
Type		članek
Source		Zdrav Vestn
Vol. and No.		Letnik 63, št. Suppl 1
Publication year		1994
Volume		str. I-7-I-9
Language		eng
Abstract		Background and methods. We previously studied cytotoxicity evaluated as Natural Killer (NK) activity in 16 prepubertal GH deficient children, age range 5.2 15.8 years, before and after 3,6 and 9 months of GH therapy (O.6 U/kg s.c. divided in 3 or 4 doses per week). The low NK cell function found in these patients before treatment was restored by long-term GH therapy. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of biosynthetic GH treatment on NK activity of 9 short children without GH deficiency who participated in a multicentric clinical trial of GH therapy in short non-GH-deficient children. These patients, age range 7.913.5 years, were treated with biosynthetic GH (O.6 U/kg s.c. divided in 3 or 4 doses per week) for 12 months. NK activity was evaluated before and after 6 and 12 months of treatment. Results and conclusion. No difference was found between NK activity of short non-GH-deficient children before treatment and that of age-matched controls. Moreover, no changes in NK activity during treatment were observed in these patients. Our preliminary data suggest that NK cell function in non-GH-deficient children is normal and not affected by long-term GH therapy.
Descriptors		SOMATOTROPIN CYTOTOXICITY, IMMUNOLOGIC DWARFISM KILLER CELLS, NATURAL