Sermorelin Treatment Options

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effect of a naturally occurring hormone, called Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone (GHRH), on the muscle, bone and fat tissues of the body. GHRH stimulates the production of growth hormone (GH), which regulates the build up of many tissues in the body, including muscles and bones. Many elderly people have low levels of GH. The overall goal of this research is to determine the effectiveness of GHRH to raise levels of GH and improve these body tissues. The purpose of the tests is to measure how the body handles sugar, fat, and proteins. GH can affect your body's use of sugar, fat and proteins. Read Less

Repletion of testosterone (Te) in older men drives GH secretion after its aromatization to estradiol (E2), which acts via the estrogen receptor (ER). Conversely, we postulate that estrogen deprivation in postmenopausal women attenuates growth hormone (GH) secretion and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-I) production, thus favoring development of metabolic syndrome in men treated with toremifene, a new estrogen antagonist used adjunctively in prostatic cancer Read Less

This is a double-blind randomized controlled study on the clinical and metabolic effects and underlying gut mucosal mechanisms of modified diet, with or without recombinant human growth hormone, in adults with severe short bowel syndrome dependent upon parenteral nutrition. Clinical endpoints include ability to wean patients from parenteral feeding, metabolic endpoints include gut nutrient absorptive function and molecular endpoints include expression of growth factors and nutrient transporters in small bowel and colonic mucosa. The 6-month study is performed, in part, in the General Clinical Research Center for inpatient stays and outpatient visits. Read Less

This study will compare growth hormone levels and cardiovascular risk markers in normal weight and overweight women and men. In women and men with increased abdominal weight, growth hormone (GH) versus placebo will be administered and effects on cardiovascular risk, insulin resistance and body composition will be measured. Read Less

With the alarming increase in the prevalence of obesity, identifying factors that predispose individuals to weight-gain is of critical importance. Even when caloric intake and physical activity levels are well controlled, susceptibility for weight-gain is heterogeneous. Basal metabolic rate (BMR) represents the largest portion of daily energy expenditure in normal adults, and as such, variability in BMR among individuals can be a major factor in determining the susceptibility for gaining weight. However, factors responsible for this variability in BMR and resistance to weight-gain remain unclear. Our preliminary data indicate that high-normal growth hormone (GH) concentration is associated with resistance to weight-gain in rats when overfed and greater weight-loss in humans when underfed. In addition, the investigators have found that the pulsatility of GH secretion has profound effects on several metabolic processes. Therefore, together these findings suggest that endogenous GH secretion is associated with body weight regulation, and the pulsatility (peak amplitude) of GH secretion, rather than the absolute GH concentration, per se, may be responsible for this effect. Because GH influences many of the key metabolic processes that contribute to BMR (e.g.; protein synthesis, proteolysis, substrate cycling), the investigators anticipate that the resistance to weight-gain in persons with elevated GH concentrations will be associated with an increase in BMR due to acceleration of some or all of these processes. Our overall hypothesis is that increased GH secretion can protect against weight-gain due to an augmentation of major metabolic processes that contribute to BMR. Identifying factors responsible for predisposing individuals to weight-gain will lead to establishing improved methods for reducing the prevalence of obesity. Read Less

The goal of this study is to evaluate the metabolic effects of concomitant use of three consecutive doses of recombinant human growth hormone over three days and exercise during continuous nutrient infusion in chronic hemodialysis patients. We would also like to evaluate the metabolic effects of nutritional supplementation alone without the additional anabolic strategies. Read Less

Of the estimated one million Americans with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), approximately 20-30% develop this condition during childhood or adolescence, most of whom have Crohn's disease (CD). It appears that some individuals are genetically susceptible to certain nutrients, causing inflammation and disturbance of their immune system, as well as disruption of the intestinal barrier. This leads to malnutrition and inhibited growth, with many patients experiencing intense abdominal pain and diarrhea. Most physicians treat the disease with drugs that suppress the immune system and decrease the inflammatory process. Although these drugs frequently induce remission, most patients experience a subsequent return of symptoms and fail to catch up on their growth. Additionally, serious side effects are associated with these drugs. Individuals genetically prone to CD are believed to have a leaky gut that allows substances to pass through the intestinal wall and react with the underlying immune system. Furthermore, those nutrients that are toxic to these individuals pass through the decreased intestinal barrier triggering an extreme immune response. Nutrients that have been implicated include grains, except rice, dairy products, and any food containing carrageenan. Excluding these nutrients from the diet has been shown to beneficial for CD patients. Certain nutraceuticals, such as curcumin and omega-3 fatty acids, have been shown to provide anti-inflammatory effects in IBD patients. In addition, the administration growth hormone (GH), has been shown to alleviate symptoms, by enhancing the repair of the intestinal epithelium, preventing toxic antigens from reaching the underlying lamina propria. Previous studies and case reports provide incomplete evidence that exclusion diet with nutraceuticals (DNT) and GH lead to sustained long term remission in juvenile CD, discontinuation of other CD drugs, and catch up growth. This study is designed to test this hypothesis. Patients in the treatment group will be treated with DNT and GH, while continuing to receive medications from their physician while the control group will receive DNT, placebo injections instead of GH. We predict that the treatment group will show greater improvement than the control group. Read Less

OBJECTIVES: I. Assess the clinical safety and long term effects of recombinant human growth hormone on a defined range of nutritional indices in malnourished chronic hemodialysis and continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients. Read Less

Obesity is associated with reduced growth hormone (GH) secretion. Reduced GH secretion in obesity is associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk. However, it is not yet known how reduced GH increases cardiovascular disease risk in obesity. The investigators hypothesize that reduced GH contributes to dysfunction of the mitochondria. Therefore, the investigators hypothesize that treatment of obese subjects with reduced GH secretion with GH will improve mitochondrial function and that this improvement in mitochondrial function will contribute, in part, to the effects of GH to improve metabolic parameters in obesity. The investigators propose to study skeletal muscle mitochondria in obese subjects with reduced GH secretion using magnetic resonance spectroscopy and muscle biopsies before and after treatment with GH. Read Less

The primary objective of this study is to define the safety and efficacy of recombinant human growth hormone (rh-GH, Genotropin) in a patients undergoing allogeneic transplantation. Read Less

The purpose of the study is to determine if the combination of recombinant human growth hormone plus rosiglitazone (an insulin-sensitizing drug) is safe and more effective than either drug alone (or no active therapy) for the treatment of fat accumulation in people with HIV infection and insulin resistance. Read Less

The purpose of the SMART study was to better understand whether the body's own production of growth hormone (GH) would improve memory and problem solving ability, or cognitive function. The study was a double blind, placebo-controlled study of the cognitive effects of growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) in healthy older men and women and in those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Read Less