title: A nationwide attempt to standardize growth hormone assays.
abstract: The Growth Hormone (GH) and Its Related Factors Study Committee of the Foundation for Growth Science, Japan, has been conducting a quality control study for 15 years to improve the equality of diagnosis of GH deficiency. It found that the greatest differences in measured GH values were due to the different potencies of the kit standards, which were primarily adjusted to WHO standards for human GH of pituitary origin. With the collaboration of kit makers and the Study Group of Hypothalamo-Pituitary Disorders of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, all GH kits in Japan have begun using the same recombinant human GH standard since April 2005. As a result the diagnostic cut-off peak GH has changed from 10 to 6 ng/ml.
authors.affiliation: The GH and Its Related Factors Study Committee, The Foundation for Growth Science, Tokyo, Japan. tanaka-t@ncchd.go.jp
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Katsuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tachibana
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shimatsu
authors.forename: Noriyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Katsumata
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsushima
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hizuka
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujieda
authors.forename: Susumu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yokoya
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Irie
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques / Q000592:standards; D015592:Immunoradiometric Assay / Q000592:standards; D007564:Japan; D008163:Luminescent Measurements / Q000592:standards; D008875:Middle Aged; D011786:Quality Control; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic / Q000592:standards*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D012015:Reference Standards
chemical_list: D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D019382:Human Growth Hormone