ESPE Abstracts

Background: Primary IGF1 deficiency (PIGFD) is a rare condition defined by low IGF1 levels, GH sufficiency and absence of secondary causes of growth failure. PIGFD is an approved indication for treatment with recombinant IGF1 (rIGF1). Its genetic causes remain largely unknown.Objective and hypotheses: To elucidate genetic causes of PIGFD.Method: Clinical phenotyping followed by trio-based whole-exome sequencing (WES) in 11 complete...

Background: Primary IGF1 deficiency (PIGFD) is a rare disease defined by low IGF1 levels, GH sufficiency and absence of secondary causes of growth failure. Whereas some members of the GH–IGF axis have been shown to be implicated in the severe syndromic forms of PIGFD due to GH insensitivity, genetic causes of less severely affected patients are mostly unknown.Objective and hypotheses: The aim of the present study was to systematically investigate fr...

Conventional treatment for obesity, founded on the First Law of Thermodynamics, assumes that all calories are alike, and that to lose weight one must ultimately “eat less and move more.” However, this prescription rarely succeeds over the long term. Calorie restriction elicits predictable biological responses – including increased hunger and reduced energy expenditure – that oppose ongoing weight loss. Indeed, the prevailing Energy Balance Model offers ...

Background: Trisomy 21 is associated with an increased susceptibility to respiratory infections.Objective and hypotheses: For a more detailed characterization of the adaptive immune response, we analyzed the cellular and humoral immunity to specific pathogens in blood samples of 40 children with Down’s syndrome in comparison to 51 age-matched controls.Method: We quantitatively analyzed lymphocyte subpopulations using flow cyto...

We are in an exciting and interesting time, when pediatricians and reproductive endocrinologists across the globe rise to the challenge of providing fertility services for people with a history of gonadotoxic diseases. Indeed, developments in numerous medical fields have improved long-term survival rates for many diseases that strike children and young adults. However, to survive is no longer enough. The emphasis is shifting, to enable people to live a life as normal as possib...

Background: Encephalopathy associated with autoimmune thyroid disease (EAATD) is very rare in pediatrics. Contributing factors include: Sudden change is thyroid levels, cerebral vasculitis,endothelial inflammation or immune complex deposition, global cerebral hypoperfusion, as well as cerebral tissue-specific autoimmunity.The case: A 16-year-old female was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and treated with Radio Iodine Ablation (RIA). Her total T4 level was...

Purpose: X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) is the most common hereditary cause of hypophosphatemic rickets. Elevated circulating levels of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) caused by mutations in the PHEX gene lead to renal phosphate wasting and rickets. Conventional treatment with phosphate salts and active vitamin D is associated with nephrocalcinosis in XLH patients. Mice on a high phosphate diet develop proximal tubular injury. Detailed analysis on kidney ...

Background: Analysis of steroids by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) defines a subject’s steroidal fingerprint. Here, we compare the steroidal fingerprints of obese children with or without liver disease to identify the ‘steroid metabolomic signature’ of childhood non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.Methods: Urinary samples of 85 children (43 girls) age 8.5–18.0 with obesity (BMI >97%) were quantified for 31 steroid meta...

Context: Analysis of steroids by gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC-MS) defines a subject’s ‘steroidal fingerprint’. Here, we clustered steroidal fingerprints to classify childhood obesity by ’steroid metabolomic signatures’.Methods: Urinary samples of 87 children (44 F) age 8.5–18.0 with obesity (BMI >97%) underwent solid phase extraction, enzymatic hydrolysis and derivatization. 31 steroids metabolites wer...

Aim of the Study: Cryptorchidism occurs more frequently in CF-children, and malformed epididymis was found more in cryptorchid boys with abrogated mini-puberty. Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) is transporter protein that acts as a chloride channel. Specifically, CFTR is associated with spermatogenesis and fertility.Patients and Methods: Testicular biopsies for histological and RNA analysis from...