ESPE Abstracts

Background: There is increasing recognition that the in utero environment might influence obesity risk.Objective and Hypotheses: We explored the hypothesis that smoking and alcohol consumption in pregnancy are associated with offspring body composition using the Southampton Women’s Survey mother-offspring birth cohort study.Method: At 34 weeks’ gestation, maternal smoking and any alcohol intake in the preceding 1...

Background: Neonatal vitamin D deficiency (VDD) can result in symptomatic hypocalcemia, seizures and cardiomyopathy and has been associated with reduced bone mineralization in childhood, but is potentially preventable with antenatal cholecalciferol supplementation. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the vitamin D metabolism pathway are associated with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] in adulthood. We assessed whether maternal and/or offspring SNPs in ...

Background: In later life, osteoporosis and poor cognitive function often co-exist. This has commonly been attributed to post-menopausal estrogen loss, but there is increasing recognition of cross-talk between the brain and bone. For example, in animal models, bone derived osteocalcin has positive associations with brain volume and cognitive function whilst brain-derived neurotransmitters appear to influence bone mass. Despite this, a common early life origin ...

Background: Bone growth and mineralization during childhood are now recognized as important for bone health in adulthood, leading to renewed interest in identifying modifiable factors that impact bone mineral density (BMD) in childhood. Emerging data suggest that duration of breastfeeding may affect BMD in later childhood and adult life. However, such data are sparse and inconsistent.Objectives: This study examined the relationship betwe...

Objectives: Abdominal fat has been strongly linked to increased cardiometabolic risk and impaired glucose regulation in adults. Owing to the lack of detailed body composition phenotyping in most previous child cohort studies, the temporal links between abdominal fat accumulation and impaired glucose regulation have not been well established. In this study, we evaluated the associations of abdominal fat assessed by MRI at early infancy (≤21 days after birth) and at 4.5 ye...

Background: Growth patterns in infancy and early childhood have been linked to risks of obesity and cardiometabolic disorders in adulthood. Body fat partitioning, particularly increased fat accumulation at ectopic sites, has been strongly associated with cardiometabolic disorders. However, the lack of precise body composition measures in prior longitudinal birth-cohort studies has made it difficult to ascertain if early growth patterns could result in consolidation of distinct...

Background: The majority of drug developments in type 1 diabetes (T1D) are aimed at preventing decline of beta cell function (BCF), as this has been associated with better glycaemic control and fewer long-term complications. Traditionally, BCF is evaluated by the C-peptide response to the labour-intensive mixed-meal-tolerance-test (MMTT), but there’s a need for a more practical alternative. We developed a new method to measure C-peptide in ‘dried blood spots’ (D...

Background: The hypothalamic leptin–melanocortin signalling pathway is a critical regulator of human appetite and weight regulation. Monogenetic defects in the POMC gene, the MSH ligand generating PC1 gene and the MSH receptor gene MC4R lead to severe early onset and leptin-resistant obesity. In PWS, where the function of genes such as MAGEL2 are impaired, the Magel2-/- mouse model revealed decreased POMC neuronal functioning as one c...

Background: Hypoglycaemia in patients with a high concentration of insulin and low concentration of C-peptide can be secondary to administration of exogenous insulin. This often results in safeguarding measures, with significant consequences for the patient and family. We report a novel case of a patient with symptomatic hypoglycaemia. Initial results suggested high insulin and low C-peptide levels, but subsequent testing revealed a pro-insulin processing diso...

Background: POMC deficiency is an extremely rare monogenetic obesity syndrome generally characterized by early onset hyperphagia, red hair and adrenal insufficiency. So far treatment of obesity and hyperphagia with MSH substitution failed, either due to ineffectiveness or side effects of available MC4R agonists.Objective and hypotheses: We hypothesized that the new MC-4R agonist setmelanotide might be a treatment option in POMC deficient patients.<p ...