Do growth hormone (GH) serial sampling, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) or auxological measurements have an advantage over GH stimulation testing in predicting the linear growth response to GH therapy?
Patients with GH deficiency demonstrate a reduced capacity for GH secretion, while those with idiopathic short stature exhibit a more disorderly and less functional secretory pattern. Although effective in predicting a response to GH treatment in patients with severe GH deficiency, overnight serial sampling is less practical than other methods currently available. In addition, serial sampling was less useful as a predictor of growth response to exogenous GH in patients with idiopathic short stature.
The higher level of plasticity of the invasive species in foliage allocation in response to light and nutrient availability induced a better growth in non-limiting resource environments. These results give us more elements on the invasiveness of A. negundo and suggest that such behaviour could explain the ability of A. negundo to outperform native tree species, contributes to its spread in European resource-rich riparian forests and impedes its establishment under closed-canopy hardwood forests.