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Introduction: A new class of drugs in the treatment of cystic fibrosis (CF) includes two agents: lumacaftor, which corrects CFTR channel protein, and ivacaftor, which increases CFTR channel activity. In our previous study we recruited 50 stable adults with CF and 16 of them showed growth hormone deficit (GHD): 7 patients severe and 9 patients partial GHD., Material and Methods: We decided to re-evaluate ten patients with the GHRH + arginine test of whom only five were treated with lumacaftor/ivacaftor., Results: All CF patients in therapy with lumacaftor/ivacaftor showed a marked improvement in GHD. Two patients moved from a severe GHD to a normal response to the GH/IGF-1 axis test, and three patients who had partial GHD moved to normal response., Conclusion: The pituitary gland may be damaged by CF disease and could benefit of the action of correcting drugs.

Purpose: Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) present with signs and symptoms that overlap with those of adult growth hormone deficiency (GHD) syndrome: loss of muscle mass, bone fragility and lower stress tolerance. In literature, the prevalence of GHD in pediatric CF patients is higher than general population, but these studies have been performed on children with growth delay. To our knowledge, there are no studies on adult patients. The aim of this paper is to evaluate GH-IGF1 axis in an adult CF population., Methods: Fifty clinically stable adult patients, 30 males; age 36 ± 2 years; BMI 21.39 ± 0.22 kg/m 2 and FEV 1 67 ± 4% were studied. Data regarding glycometabolic status and results of pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, gonadal and adrenal function tests were recorded. All patients underwent a GH releasing hormone (GHRH) + Arginine stimulation test to confirm a GHD., Results: GHRH + Arginine test revealed the presence of GHD in 16 patients (32%); specifically 7 patients had a severe deficiency and 9 a partial deficiency., Conclusions: Adult patients with CF may show GHD. These patients should be followed over time to assess if the GHD could impact the clinical progression of CF.

The genus Microbispora has been considered difficult to define taxonomically. While 16S rRNA gene analysis is required to determine phylogenetic relationships among species in this genus, most 16S rRNA gene-based phylogenetic tree topologies are not reliable. The genus Microbispora currently contains eight species along with six reclassified species (Microbispora chromogenes, Microbispora diastatica, Microbispora parva, Microbispora indica, Microbispora karnatakensis, Microbispora rosea) and Microbispora rosea subsp. aerata, a taxon composed of three further reclassified species (Microbispora aerata, Microbispora thermodiastatica, and Microbispora thermorosea). 16S rRNA, 23S rRNA, gyrB, and rpoB gene sequences were obtained for the type strains of Microbispora species, and eleven endophytic isolates from a Brazilian medicinal plant, Vochysia divergens. Using the concatenated sequence, most Microbispora type strains could be distinguished with high probability support. Based on these analyses, we propose that five of the species reclassified within the subspecies of M. rosea (M. chromogenes, M. karnatakensis, M. parva, M. aerata and M. thermorosea) are distinct from M. rosea and so should be retained as distinct species. The concatenated 16S-gyrB-rpoB gene phylogenic tree had significant probability support and topology. We propose the use of concatenated 16S-gyrB-rpoB gene sequences to determine phylogenetic relationships within the genus Microbispora. We also suggest that strains sharing >98.1 % 16S-gyrB-rpoB gene sequences similarity be defined as a single species, based on results from this analysis. Seven of the strains isolated from V. divergens were not related to any previously described Microbispora species.