The retrospective longitudinal data of height measured annually from 6 to 17 years old were studied in 439 boys and 483 girls aged between 18 and 22 years old (group I). Retrospective longitudinal growth data from 300 boys and 270 girls under the age of 6 years were also investigated (group II). Plotting these data on a graph, an individual growth curve was drawn by eye fitting technique, height at every three months of age was graphically obtained and height velocity over a whole year was calculated in each case. The average age at peak height velocity (PHV) during adolescence was 13.05±0.94 years in boys and 11.05±1.05 years in girls. The mean PHV of 135 boys ans 148 girls who had PHV at the average age of PHV (subjects with average growth tempo) was 9.9±1.5 and 8.3±1.0 cm/yr. respectively.
The mean height curves of children in group II and children with average growth tempo in group I were drawn and both curves were connected smoothly at the age of 6 years in each sex. The mean height velocity curves of both groups were also smoothly connected at the age of 6 3/12 in each sex as well. Finally the smoothed standard curves for height and height velocity for clinical use were produced for each sex.

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A boy with vitamin D-dependent rickets type II (VDDR II) is reported. He had a unique G-to-A transition at position 140 in exon 3 of the intracellular 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D receptor (VDR) gene. He had also very mild clinical manifestations and posed a question as to which factors might be involved in determining the clinical severity of the disease among patients with the same gene mutation.
We studied the patient and further compared him to the four patients previously reported with both VDDR II and the same point mutation of the VDR gene. We found wide clinical diversity among the five patients. The severity of alopecia, rickets and resistance to vitamin D seemed to correlate with each other. Furthermore, the rate of nuclear uptake of [³H] 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ in skin fibroblasts and the serum alkaline phosphatase activity were found to correlate with clinical severity. Therefore it was concluded that the phenotypic variability observed in the five patients might be due to the involvement of a nuclear accessory factor and a nongenomic action of 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D.

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The predictability of the sexual maturation by the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) test and the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) test was studied in 65 prepubertal boys with classical growth hormone deficiency (GHD). The results were compared with a control group consisting of 23 prepubertal boys with non-endocrine short stature and analyzed in relation to sexual maturation estimated by long term follow up. Nineteen boys with GHD showed full sexual maturation (group A), whereas 41 boys with GHD lacked sexual maturation completely (group C) after long term follow-up. In the remaining five boys with GHD (group B), some pubertal signs appeared but either disappeared or remained incomplete thereafter.
The peak plasma testosterone level in the hCG test predicted lack of sexual maturation in 32 out of 41 boys (78%) in group C, and full sexual maturation in 18 out of 19 boys (95%) in group A, when the cut-off point was set at 120ng/dl. Peak plasma LH level in the GnRH test was less sensitive and less specific in the diagnosis of gonadotropin deficiency. However, it appears that the predictability of sexual maturation increases when the GnRH test is repeated at an appropriate interval, since the peak LH and FSH levels decreased significantly in the second GnRH test in all group C boys tested.

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