The state of Sergipe contribution to GH research: from Souza Leite to Itabaianinha syndrome

Abstract

In the late 19^th century, José Dantas de Souza Leite, a physician born in Sergipe, published the first detailed clinical description of acromegaly under the guidance of the French neurologist Pierre Marie. In 2014, the Brazilian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism created the "José Dantas de Souza Leite Award", which is granted every two years to a Brazilian researcher who has contributed to the development of endocrinology. In 2022, the award was given to another physician from Sergipe, Manuel Hermínio de Aguiar Oliveira, from the Federal University of Sergipe for the description of "Itabaianinha syndrome" in a cohort of individuals with isolated GH deficiency due to a homozygous inactivating mutation in the GH-releasing hormone receptor gene. This research, which was carried out over almost 30 years, was performed in partnership with Roberto Salvatori from Johns Hopkins University and in collaboration with other researchers around the world. This review article tells the story of Souza Leite, some milestones in the history of GH, and summarizes the description of Itabaianinha syndrome.

Keywords: GH; GHRH receptor; IGF1; acromegaly; growth hormone deficiency.

Figure 1. A. José Dantas de Souza Leite (1859-1925). Physician born in Sergipe, one of the pioneers in the description of acromegaly, under the guidance of the famous French neurologist Pierre Marie.(Source: public domain photo from http://anm.org.br accessed July 5, 2020). B. From the reader's left to the right, José Antunes -Rodrigues (1933-), Miguel Covian (1913-1992) and Samuel McCann (1925-2006) working together at USP's Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine.(Source: private collection Ayrton C. Moreira). C. Ayrton Custódio Moreira (1949-), Full Professor at the Department of Internal Medicine at USP's Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine and mentor of the first author of this manuscript, Manuel H. Aguiar-Oliveira.