ESPE Abstracts

Background: Spatial navigation is an essential human skill that helps individuals track their changes in position and orientation by integrating self-motion cues. Meta-analyses indicate that males, on average, perform better than females on a number of spatial tasks. Sex steroids, mainly androgens, modulate the remodeling of synapses in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, a limbic brain area with critical influence on spatial and contextual memory. Androgen...

Feeding behavior is exquisitely regulated by homeostatic and hedonic neural substrates that integrate energy demand as well as the reinforcing and rewarding aspects of food. Understanding the net contribution of homeostatic and reward-driven feeding has become critical due to the ubiquitous source of energy-dense foods and the consequent obesity epidemic. Hypothalamic, agouti-related protein-secreting neurons (AgRP neurons) represent primary orexigenic drives of homeostatic fe...

Keywords: Retrospective descriptive study, diabetes mellitus type 1, diabetic ketoacidosis, NDS-UMC, Byblos, Lebanon, single-center experience.Background: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) increases worldwide especially in the Mediterranean region. Epidemiological studies about T1DM are made in many countries, but Lebanon lacks such data.Objective: This is a descriptive study of demo...

Background: While the relationship between subclinical hypothyroidism and major depressive disorder (MDD) has been studied in adults in cross-sectional and prospective population-based studies, this has not yet been done in adolescents. However, since thyroid function and MDD risk are subjected to maturational processes and ramifications of illness duration over the life span, these findings may not readily transfer to adolescents.<stron...

Background: Fetal growth is the fastest of all periods of growth in human life, mainly due to cellular hypertrophy and proliferation. It was recently discovered that the metabolic and mitogenic effects of Insulin are mediated by two Insulin Receptors (IR) isoforms, IR-A and IR-B. High expression of IR-A indicates proliferation and differentiation whereas IR-B indicates metabolic dominance.Objective and hypotheses: The aim of the study was to examin the e...

Introduction: Reliable reference values for thyroid ultrasound measurements are essential to effectively guide individual diagnostics and direct health care measures at the population level, such as iodine fortification programs. However, the latest reference values for total thyroid volume (Tvol) provided by the WHO in 2004 are only applicable to the 6 to 12-year-old age group. Moreover, these values are derived from countries with a long history of iodine su...

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: Subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) is defined as normal tyrosine levels in the presence of TSH concentrations between 5 and 10 mU/ml. The impact of SH on IGF system and growth of infants remains unknown.Objective and hypotheses: To evaluate IGF1, IGFBP3 levels and growth velocity (GV) of infants with SH.Method: 98 children up to 36 months of age, recalled due to a TSH >5 mU/ml in the neonatal screening test, were divid...

Background: Congenital hyperinsulinism (CH) is the most common cause of persistent hypoglycemia in neonatal period. The inadequate secretion of insulin leads to high morbidity and mortality in those newborns. Despite the recent progress in the diagnosis and management of CH, until recently, the situation in Brazil has been that of early 1990’s. The epidemiology is unknown and state-of-the art management has not been available.Objective and hypothese...

Introduction: Limited research has focused on the potential connection between thyroid function and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), particularly beyond prenatal effects. The few studies addressing children and adolescents have important methodological shortcomings, mainly when seeking to establish causality. To clarify this relationship, a combined epidemiological and genetic approach was adopted to overcome the methodological limitations of e...