Handbook of Growth and Growth Monitoring in Health and Disease


Book Description

Growth is one of the human body’s most intricate processes: each body part or region has its own unique growth patterns. Yet at the individual and population levels, growth patterns are sensitive to adverse conditions, genetic predispositions, and environmental changes. And despite the body’s capacity to compensate for these developmental setbacks, the effects may be far-reaching, even life-long. The Handbook of Growth and Growth Monitoring in Health and Disease brings this significant and complex field together in one comprehensive volume: impact of adverse variables on growth patterns; issues at different stages of prenatal development, childhood, and adolescence; aspects of catch-up growth, endocrine regulation, and sexual maturation; screening and assessment methods; and international perspectives. Tables and diagrams, applications to other areas of health and disease, and summary points help make the information easier to retain. Together, these 140 self-contained chapters in 15 sections [ok?] cover every area of human growth, including: Intrauterine growth retardation. Postnatal growth in normal and abnormal situations. Cells and growth of tissues. Sensory growth and development. Effects of disease on growth. Methods and standards for assessment of growth, and more. The Handbook of Growth and Growth Monitoring in Health and Disease is an invaluable addition to the reference libraries of a wide range of health professionals, among them health scientists, physicians, physiologists, nutritionists, dieticians, nurses, public health researchers, epidemiologists, exercise physiologists, and physical therapists. It is also useful to college-level students and faculty in the health disciplines, and to policymakers and health economists.




The Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature


Book Description

Provides articles covering children's literature from around the world as well as biographical and critical reviews of authors including Avi, C.S. Lewis, J.K. Rowling, and Anno Mitsumasa.




Principles and Practice of Pediatric Endocrinology


Book Description

This first edition of Principles and Practice of Pediatric Endocrinology brings together 30 authors from 4 countries to present an update on the molecular basis of endocrine disorders in infants, children and adolescents as well as the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions. It is intended for the use of practitioners, fellows and clinical and “bench-top” researchers in this field, and presents advances in each of 12 areas of the normal and abnormal endocrine state. The work is a tribute to all those past and present whose research and clinical efforts resulted in the rapidly increasing accumulation of knowledge in this field, and includes comprehensive, practical clinical presentations in the form of an Atlas following each chapter after the comprehensive introductory chapter by Drs. Root and Rogol. This publication owes a great debt to Lawson Wilkins, a Baltimore pediatrician who first formally established the separate discipline of pediatric endocrinology, to Edwards Park, Fuller Albright, Bob Blizzard, Claude Migeon, Harold and Helen Harrison, James Tanner and to so many others: giants upon whose shoulders pediatric endocrinologists stand. Disorders of growth and pubertal development are the cornerstones of pediatrics as they are present in many children with chronic illness as well as in children whose growth and pubertal development are influenced by genetics and family history. These may have identifiable causes in pituitary, thyroid, adrenal or gonadal function, and examples are well represented in this book. Obesity and diabetes (types I and 2) are, likewise, diseases of childhood that are becoming increasingly and significantly prevalent and are included in this work. Disorders of calcium/phosphorus (especially the often forgotten but not gone Vitamin D deficiency rickets) and water metabolism are presented, and errors of sexual differentiation (an increasingly controversial issue) are highlighted. It is the hope of the editors that this work will assist the practitioner and researcher in this field in his or her efforts to diagnose, treat and establish the etiology of endocrine disorders in infants, children and adolescents.




Growth Hormone Therapy in Pediatrics


Book Description

For 20 years, KIGS (Pfizer International Growth Database) has provided an outstanding tool for monitoring the use, efficacy and safety of growth hormone (GH) treatment in children with short stature of varying origin. This volume offers a comprehensive update of the continuing experiences in KIGS and is based on data from more than 50 countries and more than 60,000 patients. International experts analyse in detail the basic auxological characteristics of patients and their response to GH treatment for a broad spectrum of growth disorders. These include idiopathic GH deficiency, organic GH deficiency due to a variety of causes such as congenital malformations and syndromes, genetic disorders or treatment for leukaemia or central nervous system tumours and short stature in children born small for gestational age, specific syndromes and systemic disorders. Each growth disorder is also covered by a review of relevant published data by international experts. KIGS has also established itself as a primary source of information about adverse events during long-term GH treatment in children. The recent analysis of KIGS data has revealed no new adverse drug reactions since the 10-year follow-up. Therefore, treatment with GH seems a low-risk intervention in children and adolescents with various growth disorders. The process of developing disease-specific growth response prediction models has been ongoing in KIGS for many years. The available models are accurate, precise and have a relatively high degree of predictive power, although further predictors of the growth response remain to be identified. The KIGS prediction models can be applied prospectively to new patients, enabling their GH therapy to be better tailored and monitored to achieve optimal growth, safety and cost outcomes. The future of KIGS within the era of evidence-based medicine will continue to depend upon the quality of the data reported. Therefore, the commitment of participating physicians will continue to be a decisive element. The ongoing recognition of the importance of valid safety and efficacy information in the practice of paediatric endocrinology is exemplified by this valuable international collaboration of clinicians and the pharmaceutical community.




Growth Disorders 2E


Book Description

Linear growth is a biological process of fundamental importance to the physical and psychological make-up of a child and adolescent but which can be subject to a number of interruptions and disorders. The management and treatment of patients with growth disorders constitues a major, and important, part of practice in clinical paediatrics, while in public health terms growth assessment remains one of the most useful indices of health and economic well being in both developed and the developing world. This book approaches growth and its disorders from both a physiological and pathophysiological standpoint. The book outlines in detail the fundamental biological mechanisms of normal and abnormal linear growth, how to assess growth accurately fundamental to the early detection of abnormality and, importantly, how to manage disorders leading to short and tall stature, and disorders of the timing of puberty. Throughout, emphasis is given on achieving a satisfactory outcome for the child and parent by keeping them fully informed as to what is possible from a particular treatment strategy. The result is a wide-ranging and balanced account of this challenging field drawing on the expertise of a team of international specialists from a variety of backgrounds.







Diagnostics of Endocrine Function in Children and Adolescents


Book Description

A multitude of new developments, not only in the rapidly advancing field of molecular genetics and steroid metabolism but in all traditional areas of pediatric endocrinology, have influenced the diagnostic approach in children and adolescents with endocrine disorders, thus warranting this 4th, revised and extended edition of 'Diagnostics of Endocrine Function in Children and Adolescents'. Several chapters have been revised completely and all have been thoroughly updated. In addition, new chapters dealing with the muscle-bone unit and bone metabolism have also been incorporated. The original format of the chapters, which are a combination of in-depth discussion of the diagnostic process, practical conclusions and expert advice based on extensive experience, was maintained. Easy-to-use tables and figures allow for quick reference. Flowcharts of possible diagnostic pathways lead to the most frequent diagnoses. Presenting a broad range of diagnostic approaches, test procedures, and normative data required for establishing diagnoses for a broad spectrum of endocrine disorders, this book is an indispensable reference tool not only for endocrinologists and pediatricians but also for professionals in other specialties seeking evidence-based, rapid diagnostic solutions as the basis of advice and therapy for their patients.







Osteogenesis Imperfecta


Book Description

Osteogenesis Imperfecta is the first translational reference professionals can turn to for a source of comprehensive information on this disorder. Although several reviews of the field have been published in various journals, there is no other single source for a compendium of current information. Separate chapters discuss each of the several clinical features of OI. Ethical issues related to OI are discussed, as is the importance of nutrition in managing the OI child and the OI adult. The role of physical medicine and rehabilitation for OI patients is also presented, along with the current status of OI medical treatment and the prospects for genetic engineering in the future. The text also provides the orthopedic surgeon with an advanced discussion of surgical techniques applicable to OI. - Incorporates chapters and information on the ethical issues related to osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) as will the importance of nutrition in managing the OI child and the OI adult - Offers new insights into the underlying mechanisms of collagen biochemistry as related to OI as well as a presentation of intracellular collagen processing and the expanded role of protein chaperones in OI - Discusses the role of physical medicine and rehabilitation for OI patients and the current status of OI medical treatment as well as prospects for genetic engineering in the future - Provides a unique overview for the orthopedic surgeon with an advanced discussion of surgical techniques applicable to OI




The Independent


Book Description