ESPE Abstracts

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: Hypothalamic obesity (HyOb) is a rare form of treatment-resistant morbid obesity associated with congenital or acquired hypothalamic damage. Its pathophysiology has been attributed to hyperphagia and hyperinsulinaemia. The wider roles of oxytocin (OXT) in regulating appetite and weight have recently emerged in animal and human studies, but there is no human evidence that hypo-oxytocinaemia contributes to weight gain.Hypothesis: Hypo-oxytocina...

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: GH deficiency may not persist into adulthood. Thus, it is recommended to reassess it after reaching adult height. However, according to stimulation tests, they have poor specificity, reproducibility, and poor standardization of hormonal measurement, and they are expensive and involve risks.Objective and hypotheses: Establish if IGF1 would be a better reassessing method than stimulation tests in adult GH defic...

Adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas (ACPs) are clinically challenging tumours, the majority of which have activating mutations in CTNNB1. They are histologically complex, showing solid tumor component comprised of different morphological cell types (e.g. β-catenin accumulating cluster cells and palisading epithelium), surrounded by a florid glial reaction with immune cells, but also a cystic component. ACP cysts often exert substantial mass effect on critical str...

Background: CHRYSTAL (Costs and Health Related qualitY of life Study for Type 1 diAbetes mellitus pediatric patients in Spain) is an observational study conducted in 2014 on a representative sample of 275 patients aged 1-17 years with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) in Spain.Objective and hypotheses: One of the objectives of the study was to describe the adherence to diabetes care using the Self Care Inventory (SCI), and to compare results by HbA1c level...

Background: Costs and health related quality of life study for type 1 diabetes mellitus (CHRYSTAL) pediatric patients in Spain is an observational study conducted in 2014 on a representative sample of 275 patients aged 1–17 years with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) in Spain. The study collects diabetes specific health related quality of life (HRQoL) using the Diabetes Module of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL). This scale has been identified to be one of ...

Background: Cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (POR) deficiency (PORD) is a form of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) and results in steroid-production loss from cytochrome P450 proteins. Mutations in POR cause mild to severe forms of CAH with/without bone malformation symptoms resembling Antley-Bixler syndrome. We report a novel POR Arg550Trp mutation identified in a 46,XX patient with signs of aromatase (ARO) deficiency. Child (first pregnancy) and mother pr...

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...

Introduction: The proopiomelanocortin is a polypeptide of many biologically active peptides involved in many key functions which have not yet been clarified. The mutation in the gene encoding this polypeptide is associated with a clinical trials characterized by early-onset obesity, terciary adrenal insufficiency, and alteration of pigmentation. Eight cases with known genetic mutation have been published.Case report: Newborn male 27 days old from North A...