ESPE Abstracts

Background: Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) results from loss of paternally imprinted genes from the 15q11–13 region and causes hypotonia with weight faltering in infancy, followed later by obesity which is classically attributed to hyperphagia.Objective and hypotheses: To determine, where possible, the age at onset of unwanted weight gain (as opposed to actual obesity) in children with PWS attending a specialist clinic.Metho...

Background: Morbid childhood obesity predisposes to metabolic disorders such as diabetes type 2. In mice, heat-producing ‘brown-like’ (beige) adipocytes can suppress weight gain and metabolic disease through the action of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) localized in the mitochondria.Objective and hypotheses: To study the expression of UCP1 in the adipose tissue of lean&obese children and adolescents.Method: Paraffin embed...

Background: Sleep quality, ghrelin hormone and obesity are associated with metabolic syndrome.Objective and hypotheses: To study associations between sleep duration, level of ghrelin and obesity in children and adolescents.Method: A prospective study was conducted on 50 children (their mean age: 8.7±3.2 years) with simple exogenous obesity (BMI SDS >2) recruited from Diabetes Endocrine and Metabolism Pediatric Unit, Childr...

Background: Muscle is key to glucose metabolism. Myogenesis is completed in early infancy, partly under the inhibitory control of myostatin, a myokine whose actions can be influenced by follistatin. Early lowering of myostatin actions is thus a potential strategy to reduce the risk for later diabetes.Objective and hypotheses: We performed a first screening of whether such lowering is among the natural mechanisms whereby some human infants augment their l...

Background: Increased uric acid is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease in obese adults and adolescents. The relationship between uric acid and atherosclerotic risk early in life is unknown.Objective and hypotheses: We investigated whether uric acid relates to carotid intima–media thickness (cIMT), a marker of preclinical atherosclerosis, in a rather large sample of school-age children and investigated the interaction of obesity sta...

Background: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a disorder of elevated intracranial pressure without any evidence of intracranial pathology or underlying systemic disease. Obesity was reported as a significant cause of IIH in childhood especially in adolescents.Objective and hypotheses: IIH is a disorder of elevated intracranial pressure without any evidence of intracranial pathology or underlying systemic disease. Obesity was reported as a sig...

Background: Lifestyle interventions show a long lasting weight reduction in only 10–20% of obese children and adolescents. Leptin as one major player within the central regulation of food intake and energy expenditure is most likely to mediate the endogenous drive for weight regain.Objective and hypotheses: To estimate weight regain after weight loss and the role of leptin in regain.Method: We included 153 obese children/adole...

Background: Obese children are often taller than non-obese ones before puberty. Reports on the GH/IGF system in obese children are not consistent and do not explain the increased height observed. Changes in IGF1 bioavailability/bioactivity have been claimed as a possible explanation, however, no data is available regarding the expression of the IGF type 1 receptor (IGF1R) gene.Objective and hypotheses: To study the expression of IGF1R gene in obese child...

Background: Evidence associates obesity with glomerular hyperperfusion. Concurrent inflammation, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance represent further established risks to renal health in both children and adults.Objective and hypotheses: To investigate the relationship between childhood obesity and risk of renal impairment.Method: A total of 114 (38.6% boys) obese according to the IOTF reference but otherwise health...

Introduction: Maternal deprivation (MD) during neonatal life has diverse long-term effects, including modification of metabolism. Some of these effects are sexually dimorphic. We have previously reported that MD in rats blocks the physiological neonatal leptin surge, which could underlie the long-term metabolic changes.Hypothesis: We hypothesized that replacement of leptin during MD would normalize long-term endocrine changes.Metho...

Background: Adiponectin is an adipokine related to insulin sensitivity. In adults and older children adiponectin correlates inversely to BMI, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular risk. Less is known about these relationships in early childhood.Objective and hypotheses: To explore the longitudinal development of adiponectin and correlations to early feeding patterns and serum essential fatty acids.Method: 324 term infants were fol...

Background: The noncoding RNA growth-arrest-specific transcript 5 (Gas5) is abundant in cells whose growth has been arrested owing to lack of nutrients or growth factors. Gas5 is a riborepressor of the glucocorticoid receptor, influencing cell survival and metabolic activities during starvation by inhibiting the latter’s transcriptional activity.Aim: To determine the expression levels of Gas5 in blood samples of obese, overweight and lean children a...