Bone alkaline phosphatase and collagen markers as early predictors of height velocity response to growth-promoting treatments in short normal children.

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Growth Hormone and Oxandrolone, published as a randomized controlled trial.

A number of long-term research studies are in progress to evaluate the effects of treatment with GH on growth and final height in children with short stature but no demonstrable abnormality of GH secretion.

Such treatment is invasive, expensive and carries some risk to the child.

The aim of this study was to evaluate bone alkaline phosphatase, procollagen Type I C-terminal propeptide, procollagen Type III N-terminal propeptide and the cross-linked carboxy-terminal telopeptide of Type I collagen as early biochemical predictors of height velocity response to growth-promoting treatments in short normal children.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 8 girls were involved.

The age groups tagged for this paper are young children, children and teenagers, both men and women.

Fifty healthy children with familial short stature or constitutional delay in growth and puberty (8 girls, 42 boys, ages 5.5-16.5 years and all either prepubertal (45) or in very early puberty (5 boys) at the start of treatment) were treated with placebo (6), GH alone (32), GH plus oxandrolone (8) or GH plus testosterone (4).

Bone alkaline phosphatase and the collagen markers were measured at the start of treatment and 3 months later.

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study.

The girls were allocated by chance, so the Growth Hormone group and the comparison group should start out alike.

Neither the girls nor the staff measuring them knew who was on Growth Hormone, so expectations could not easily colour the readings.

Some girls received a placebo instead of Growth Hormone, giving a reference point.

A prospective intervention study, partially placebo controlled on a double blind basis.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Alkaline Phosphatase, Biomarkers, Body Height, Bone Development, Bone and Bones, Collagen and Collagen Type I.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Growth Hormone and Oxandrolone in 8 girls.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

Its findings take up roughly 7 sentences of the abstract and are left out here on purpose; the source paper is the place to read them.

The publication is from 1996 (Clinical endocrinology), a journal based in England.

More context: the related Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over) library page, all human trials.