ESPE Abstracts

SHOX deficiency causes a spectrum of clinical phenotypes related to skeletal dysplasia and short stature, including Léri-Weill dyschondrosteosis, Langer mesomelic dysplasia, Turner syndrome, and idiopathic short stature. SHOX controls chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation, bone maturation, cellular growth arrest and apoptosis via transcriptional regulation of its direct target genes NPPB, FGFR3, and CTGF. However, our u...

Introduction: Congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) is a disorder of pancreatic beta-cells characterized by inappropriate secretion of insulin leading to hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia. Insulin secretion is a complex, genetically regulated process. Mutations in several genes known to regulate insulin secretion result in CHI. Recently, non-coding mutations in HK1, which cause the aberrant expression of hexokinase 1 (HK1) in beta cells, have been reported as a novel c...

Background: Congenital hyperinsulinism (HI) is characterised by inappropriate insulin secretion despite low blood glucose which is commonly diagnosed in infancy (before the age of 12 months). Screening of the >20 known genes identifies a mutation in over 45% of cases. The likelihood of identifying a mutation in a known gene in individuals diagnosed after 12 months is not currently known.Aim: We aimed to identify the ...

Background: Children born small for gestational age (SGA) are predisposed to metabolic abnormalities. While the therapeutic benefit of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) therapy in improving height is widely recognised, it can affect carbohydrate metabolism, potentially inducing diabetes.Objective and hypotheses: This ongoing, prospective study aims to evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of Omnitrope® (somatropin) in children ...

Background: In Nigeria, where malaria is endemic, hypertension is common. We reported that exposure to maternal malaria resulted in smaller babies with lower BP at birth, but a greater change (Δ) in BP to 12 months of age.Objective and hypotheses: To now present BP measurements out to 3 years of age.Method: Height, weight, and blood pressure (BP) were measured on 164 babies (75 males and 89 females) at birth, 12, 24, and 36 mo...

Background: Childhood IGCT are rare, malignant tumours of the pituitary stalk and pineal region, highly curable (>90%) by multimodal therapies. Neuroendocrine outcomes are thus important. Deficits increase over time but, without longitudinal studies, it remains unclear whether they are primarily disease or treatment related.Objective and hypotheses: To determine, by longitudinal retrospective analysis in survivors, tumour- and treatment-related facto...

Backround: Menstrual disorders are common among the adolescent girls. We examined the initial investigations performed in adolescents, presenting with frequent, heavy or painful periods. Although, usually abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) in adolescent women is attributable to immaturity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, underlying conditions such as coagulation disorders and anemia should always kept in mind. However, neither the laboratory nor the ultrasound investig...

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is the master hormone regulating the reproductive axis and its pulsatile secretion is crucial for puberty onset and fertility. Disruption in GnRH neuron development or hypothalamic function can lead to absent or delayed puberty (DP) due to GnRH deficiency, with a phenotypic spectrum from severe delayed puberty to partial or complete Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism (HH). HH can also be present as a shared trait with other neurodevelopmental d...

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs that repress target gene expression via post-transcriptional mechanisms.Objective and hypotheses: To study the expression of miRNA-25, miRNA-216, miRNA-21, miRNA-93, miRNA-377 in a sample of 100 type 1 diabetic patients with and without microalbuminuria to probe their role in development of diabetic nephropathy.Methods: Hundred type 1 diabetic patients, 50 with microalbuminur...

Introduction and Aim: Congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) is the most common cause of hypoglycaemia in early infancy and represents a heterogeneous disorder with respect to clinical presentation, histology and genetics. The aim of our study is to review correlation between genotype and phenotypic characteristics of children with CHI.Methods: Retrospective review of CHI patients with positive genetics during the last 8 years...