This brief review highlights new studies in three areas of the GH field, namely diagnostics, therapeutics and biomarkers.

The diagnosis of GH deficiency has always presented a challenge: there is no “gold standard” test of GH status, and GH levels during stimulation testing are affected by many factors that limit diagnostic accuracy. Two new approaches to diagnosis have been proposed: one involves a classical endocrine test of GH production using a GH secretagogue to test the Ghrelin axis, and shows promise in the diagnosis of adult GH deficiency. The other uses a completely different approach analysing the individual's gene expression profile as a surrogate for GH status with high levels of test accuracy.

From the therapeutic aspect, there have been significant efforts to produce a long-acting (LA) GH on the premise that this will improve adherence and patient convenience. Aspects of LA-GH pharmacology are considered, and it will be interesting to see in future years what place LA-GH GH takes in the market. Long term surveillance is a vital part of therapeutics; recent studies across Europe have provided reassurance on the safety of recombinant human GH (r-hGH) for those with uncomplicated growth disorders, but do emphasise the need to continue observation through adulthood.

The search for biomarkers that precisely reflect GH action in children and adults is an ongoing task. One of the newer bone markers that shows promise is a fragment of collagen type X which now requires further investigation in humans. In parallel with the diagnostic studies, gene expression profiles at the start of r-hGH treatment have been used to predict GH response in children with GHD and girls with Turner syndrome. These data are promising but need evaluation across a range of growth disorders.

R-hGH is an effective, safe therapy used in both children and adults. There is however a need to continue to refine diagnosis, treatment and most importantly long-term pharmacovigilance to ensure that the right patients have the best treatment with robust safety profiles.

这篇简短的评论重点介绍了GH领域三个领域的新研究，即诊断，治疗和生物标志物。

GH缺乏症的诊断一直是一个挑战：没有GH状态的“金标准”测试，并且刺激测试期间的GH水平受到许多限制诊断准确性的因素的影响。已经提出了两种新的诊断方法：一种涉及使用GH促分泌素来测试Ghrelin轴的GH产生的经典内分泌测试，在成人GH缺乏症的诊断中显示出希望。另一种则使用完全不同的方法来分析个体的基因表达谱，以高水平的测试准确性替代GH状态。

从治疗的角度出发，在产生长效（LA）GH的前提下，人们进行了巨大的努力，前提是这将改善依从性和患者的便利性。考虑了LA-GH药理学的各个方面，并且在未来几年中，LA-GH GH在市场上将占据什么样的位置将很有趣。长期监视是治疗的重要组成部分。欧洲各地的最新研究已为重组人生长激素（r-hGH）的安全性提供了保证，使其无复杂的生长障碍，但确实强调了在成年期继续观察的必要性。

寻找精确反映儿童和成人中GH行为的生物标志物是一项持续的工作。显示出希望的较新的骨标记物之一是X型胶原蛋白的片段，现在需要对人类进行进一步研究。与诊断研究并行，r-hGH治疗开始时的基因表达谱已用于预测GHD儿童和特纳综合征女孩的GH反应。这些数据很有希望，但需要对一系列生长障碍进行评估。

R-hGH是一种适用于儿童和成人的有效，安全的疗法。但是，有必要继续完善诊断，治疗方法以及最重要的是长期药物警戒，以确保合适的患者以稳健的安全性得到最佳治疗。