ESPE Abstracts

Background: Accumulation of fat mass in the development of obesity may result from hypertrophy and/or hyperplasia and is frequently associated with adipose tissue (AT) dysfunction in adults. However, the onset and mechanisms of AT dysfunction are not entirely understood.Objective and hypotheses: We assessed composition, function, lipolysis, and inflammation in 171 AT samples from lean and obese children and adolescents (aged 0 – 18 years) to evaluat...

Background: Insulin-like factor 5 (INSL5), a member of the insulin superfamily, is expressed in the colorectum and hypothalamus. INSL5 levels are elevated by prolonged calorie restriction and declined with feeding, suggesting that it might be an orexigenic hormone.Objectives and hypotheses: Our aim was to explore the relationship between INSL5 and different metabolic parameters in lean and obese subjects and to identify possible links between INSL5 and t...

Background: Adipocyte fatty acid binding protein (aFABP) regulates intracellular transport of fatty acids and seems to be involved in the pathogenesis of the Metabolic Syndrome. aFABP overproduction leads to increased cholesterol and triglyceride accumulation and to higher expression of pro-inflammatory genes. In adults aFABP seems to promote insulin resistance and atherosclerosis, and aFABP levels are significantly higher in obese compared to lean subjects. Fat mass, lipid ma...

Background: Prevalence and severity of obesity and associated comorbidities are increasing in adolescents. Data on neck and upper arm (UA) circumference in addition to established anthropometric measures to define cardiometabolic risk are limited to date.Methods: Data from Phase I of the EU-funded PreSTART-study (trial registration number NCT02545140) was applied. Demographic, clinical, biochemical and lifestyle data were collected in adolescent...

Background: Weight status in children is commonly defined using BMI (SDS), but this measure is problematic due to the skewness of the BMI distribution and its age-dependant increase. In addition, it is difficult for physicians or parents alike to grasp what a certain value means. Excess body weight (EBW) is frequently used in adult patients in the context of bariatric surgery.Objective and hypotheses: An appropriate definition for the paediatric populati...

Background: Signaling through the phosphoinositid-3-kinase (PI3K) pathway modulates bone development and remodeling. We aimed to dissect the role of phosphatase and tensin homolog (Pten), a negative regulator of PI3K signaling, in osteoprogenitor cells.Methods: Femura, tibiae and bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) from mice with Cre-inducible Pten knockdown in cells expressing the transcription factor Osterix (Pten cKO) a...

Objective: IGF-1 receptor mutations (IGF1RM) are a rare abnormality; however, affected patients exhibit severe postnatal growth retardations without catch-up growth. Although several cases of IGF1RM have been described, a comprehensive retrospective analysis of the potential benefit of rhGH treatment is still missing. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate baseline auxology, response to rhGH therapy and potential metabolic effects in patients with IGF1RM in compari...

Encouraged by unimolecular dual incretin co-agonists (GLP1/GIP) to enhance glycemic efficacy (Finan et al. 2013, Sci Transl Med) and GLP1/glucagon co-agonists to enhance weight loss efficacy (Day et al. 2009, Nat Chem Biol) and to restore diet-induced leptin sensitivity (Clemmensen et al. 2014, Diabetes), we recently developed the first tri-agonist (GLP1/GIP/glucagon) for the treatment of metabolic disorders (Finan et al. 2014, Nat Med). Importantly, this concerted triple agon...

Background: Noonan syndrome (NS) is a congenital polymalformative disorder caused by aberrant up-regulated signalling through RAS GTPase. Although NS is associated with hematologic malignancies, no predisposition for neuronal tumors was reported so far.Objective and hypotheses: We describe two cases of young patients with NS and dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor (DNET). This is the first case series reporting a rare type of intracranial tumor in NS....

Background: Several studies show impaired glucose tolerance at a certain number of years after start of growth hormone in SGA-children.Objective and hypotheses: To perform a longitudinal and cross-sectional evaluation of the oGTTs (glucose-insulin-pairs) in prepubertal GH-treated SGA-children and to evaluate if ISI and HOMA are effective surrogates for glucose tolerance and of prognostic value (0–1 year data).Method: In 81 pre...