ESPE Abstracts

Introduction: In India, newborn screening (NBS) for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is not yet a national government policy. Preliminary information suggests neonatal TSH levels to be higher in expatriate Indian babies than those in European populations in developed countries.Objectives: To evaluate maternal urinary iodine and cord blood TSH in a subset of women participating in a postnatal NBS program for CH.Methods: Cord blood (CB...

Background: Using genetic lineage tracing in the mouse pituitary, we previously revealed that SOX2 positive cells can act as stem cells in vivo and contribute to all hormone-secreting cell types during postnatal life. However, SOX2-expressing stem cells are not the sole source of new endocrine cells, instead they complement contribution from more committed cell types during organ homeostasis.Objective and hypotheses: We seek to determine key sig...

Background: Several lines of evidence suggest that the adult pituitary contains a population of tissue-specific stem cells capable of differentiating into hormone-producing cells. Previously, we have shown that Sox2+ve cells are able to self-renew and differentiate in vitro, suggesting that this population of undifferentiated cells may contain stem cells in vivo. When targeted with oncogenic mutations adult stem cells can become cancer stem cells, able to self-renew and give r...

Background: Mouse studies have demonstrated the necessity of Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) for normal proliferation of Rathke’s pouch (RP) precursors. However, the possible function of SHH in pituitary cell specification remains to be assessed. Additionally, evidence suggests that SHH may be relevant in human adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma (ACP), a histologically benign, but clinically aggressive childhood tumour associated with high morbidity.Objective ...

Background: SOX2 is an early developmental transcription factor implicated in pituitary development; heterozygous SOX2 mutations have been reported in patients with a severe ocular phenotype and hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism (HH) with/without associated abnormalities. SOX2 physically interacts with β-catenin, a member of the Wnt-signalling pathway, via its carboxyl-terminus and it represses in vitroβ-catenin mediated activation.<p class="abstex...

Background: The ACTION Teens study aimed to identify attitudes, behaviours and perceptions among adolescents living with obesity (ALwO), caregivers of ALwO (CGs) and healthcare professionals (HCPs) who treat ALwO. This subanalysis assessed the mental well-being and self-esteem of ALwO.Methods: ACTION Teens was a global, cross-sectional study (NCT05013359) that surveyed 5275 ALwO (aged 12–<18 years), 5389 CGs and...

Background: This subanalysis of the ACTION Teens study aimed to explore perceptions of obesity and food/diet among adolescents living with obesity (ALwO) and caregivers of ALwO (CGs) who were unaware of their/their child’s obesity.Methods: The global, cross-sectional ACTION Teens survey study (NCT05013359) assessed perceptions, attitudes and behaviours among 5275 ALwO (aged 12–<18 years), 5389 CGs and 2323...

Background: Congenital diabetes insipidus (DI) can be due to mutations in the arginine vasopressin (AVP) gene (familial neurohypophyseal DI), the AVP receptor type 2 (AVPR2) or aquaporin 2 (AQP2) genes (congenital nephrogenic DI, NDI). The clinical manifestation of congenital NDI, especially the response to AVP, can vary greatly depending on the functional effect of the AVPR2 mutation. Here we present two male siblings with NDI and partial response to ddAVP.<p class="abste...

Background: Obesity rates in children and adolescents have increased dramatically across the globe, and the lifelong impact of obesity is more severe when onset begins at ≤20 years of age. However, the experiences, challenges and needs of adolescents living with obesity (ALwO), their caregivers, and the healthcare providers (HCPs) who treat them are poorly understood. ACTION Teens, the first study of its kind, aims to improve the lives of ALwO by generat...

Background: One of the main concerns in patients with growth disorders is to achieve optimal adherence to growth hormone (GH) treatment. For this it is important to identify patients with low adherence to treatment and to evaluate actions to improve it.The Merck Patient Support Program (PSP) carried out educational actions aimed at patients with low adherence and their parents, to raise their awareness of the importance of good adherence...