To evaluate the safety and potential efficacy of "recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH)" on the functional recovery of completed stroke patients.
Completed stroke patients were recruited. All participants were randomly assigned to the GH group (rhGH injection and rehabilitative therapy) or the control group (only rehabilitative therapy). Above all, they were closely monitored for safety. Further, for the efficacy measurement, Korean Modified Barthel Index (K-MBI), Manual Muscle strength Test (MMT), and Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA) were assessed to determine the changes of functional recovery during 6-months of the study period. Along with it, diffusion tensor image was taken as the baseline, and a followed-up study to observe the changes in diffusion tensor tractography (DTT), during the period, and one patient in the GH group was also examined with functional MRI (fMRI). Index of fatigue on 5 point scale for the study period was also assessed.
Twenty-two patients were enrolled, and 15 completed the study and were included in the analysis. No harmful adverse events were observed in the GH group. By comparison between the groups, the GH group showed more improvement in K-MBI than the control group (p<0.05). DTT showed less decrement of fibers in the GH group than in the control group, without statistical significance. fMRI showed an increment in the activated area. Patients in the GH group expressed no fatigue at all, during the study period (p=0.00).
The administration of rhGH in long term resulted in the improvement in K-MBI, and subjectively less tiredness during the injection period.
Citations
Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of growth hormone in reversing glucocorticoid-induced musculoskeletal changes including osteoporosis and myopathy in rats.
Method: Experimental rats were divided into five groups and each group was composed of 10 rats. The group 1 was administered with saline, group 2 with growth hormone, group 3 with glucocorticoid, group 4 with combined dosages of growth hormone and glucocorticoid, and group 5 with glucocorticoid for 4 weeks and then growth hormone for another 4 weeks. All injections were carried out every other day for 8 weeks. The half of animals were sacrificed after 4 weeks and another half after 8 weeks in each group. The triceps surae muscle was biopsied and examined histologically for the evaluation of mean area of muscle fiber. The femur was removed and dissected for the measurement of its weight, length, and diameter. The bone mineral density of the femur was measured by a dual energy X-ray absorptiometer.
Results: Administration of growth hormone partially reversed the complications of steroid such as decrease in body weight, decrease in weight, length, diameter, and bone mineral density of femur, and decrease in mean area of muscle fiber.
Conclusion: This study indicated that growth hormone could be applied for the management of steroid-induced osteoporosis and myopathy.
Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the effect of growth hormone on bone mineral density of corticosteoid-induced osteoporosis in male rat.
Method: Twenty Sprague-Dwaley male rats was studied, divided into four group, each group has 5 rats. The group 1 was treated with saline. The group 2 was treated with corticosteroid (Methylprednisolone 10 mg/kg). The group 3 was treated with corticosteroid and growth hormone (recombinant human growth hormone 0.5 IU/kg). The group 4 was treated with growth hormone after corticosteroid treatment. The treatment duration was 6 weeks for each group. After six weeks of hormone administration, the animals were sacrificed, the bilateral femur were removed and tested for bone mineral density using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and examined histomorphometrically.
Results: Administration of growth hormone after corticosteroid therapy, the growth hormone could reverse the decrease in body weight and bone mineral density induced by corticosteroid therapy (p＜0.05).
Conclusion: When growth hormone is administrated after corticosteroid therapy, the growth hormone can protect the osteoporosis in male rats induced by a high dose of corticosteroid.
Objective: To investigate whether there is a significant effect of growth hormone(GH) treatment with diet and exercise over the diet and exercise alone in obese non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus(NIDDM).
Method: Twenty obese NIDDM adults were studied. We measured the body weight, body composition and exercise capacity before and after 12 weeks of treatment program. The subjects were assigned in a double-blind manner either to the diet, aerobic exercise with placebo treatment group(group A) or to the diet, aerobic exercise with GH treatment group(group B) for twenty-week period. Two groups were compared for the demographic data.
Results: After 12-weeks of treatment program, each group showed a significant weight loss (group A: 8.54±2.29 kg vs group B: 7.14±2.99 kg) than before the treatment, however there was no significant weight loss between two groups. After 12-weeks, the fat fraction of body weight loss was significantly higher in group B than group A(0.80±0.40%kg versus 0.55±0.30%kg). After 12-weeks, the maximal oxygen consumption was similarly increased in both groups(23.75% in the group A versus 29.2% in the group B). After 12-weeks, the peak torque was similarly increased in both groups(9.7% in the group A versus 17.3% in the group B). After 12-weeks, the endurance was similarly increased in both groups(10.1% in the group A versus 8.1% in the group B).
Conclusion: Both group A and B showed a significant weight loss and resulted in a comparable gain in the muscle strength, endurance, and maximal oxygen consumption. The addition of GH in a low dose to a the calorie-restricted diet and aerobic exercise resulted in a significant fat loss especially around the visceral area.
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