Selective impairment of growth hormone response to physiological stimuli

In a consecutive group of 25 children with defective growth being evaluated for growth hormone deficiency, EEG-monitored slow-wave sleep provided discriminatory serum growth hormone responses equivalent to those obtained by arginine and insulin-hypoglycaemia provocation. Exercise was less effective but was able to provide a useful screening test. In 2 subjects with abnormal physiological but normal pharmacological serum growth hormone responses, therapeutic administration of growth hormone in one resulted in a significant growth increment, whereas in the other, advanced epiphyseal maturity precluded adequate evaluation. A normal growth hormone response to a pharmacological stimulus does not exclude a therapeutic response to human growth hormone.

Single dose, "block-replace" drug therapy in hyperthyroidism

In 30 consecutive hyperthyroid patients with diffuse goitre divided dose therapy with carbimazole 40 mg and triiodothyronine 80 mug daily was shown to produce total or subtotal block in thyroid hormonogenesis. Once produced, this block could be invariably maintained with an equivalent single daily dose for periods up to three years. Its notable acceptability to patients, a more stable degree of euthyroid control, ease of assessing suppressibility of trapping, and ability to treat patients in remote areas all support a wider use of this mode of therapy.