ESPE Abstracts

Background: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the promotor and 5’UTR of the transcriptional factor, ZBTB38, are associated with adult height and idiopathic short stature although their precise auxological effects have not previously been described. In addition, the molecular mechanisms through which ZBTB38 affects growth have not been fully elucidated but potential downstream mediators are suggested to include MCM10 or IGF2.Objectives: <...

Background: The diagnosis of Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD) involves the use of GH stimulation tests that require day case admission, multiple blood sampling and are associated with significant adverse effects.Aim: To assess the utility of gene expression (GE) profiling and candidate SNP analysis for the diagnosis of and classification of GHD.Method: Pre-pubertal treatment-naïve children with GHD (n=98) were enrolled from the...

Background: Currently, data on the diagnostic yield of targeted gene panels using next generation sequencing (NGS) in children with short stature of undefined aetiology (SSUA) are limited. EPIGROW (ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT00710307) was a prospective European epidemio-genetic study in which a targeted NGS panel including 69 genes associated with short stature (e.g. primordial growth disorders and skeletal dysplasias) was performed in 263 patients and 263 controls. In these pat...

Introduction: Congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) is the most common cause of hypoglycaemia in infancy caused by dysregulated insulin secretion. The management of severe hypoglycaemia often requires the administration of high dextrose-containing fluids through a central venous catheter (CVC). However, CVCs carry the risk of complications including thrombosis. We sought to determine the incidence of CVC-associated thrombosis in patients with CHI and examine associated risk factors...

Background: Thyroid storm is a rare occurrence of severe thyrotoxicosis, most commonly associated with Grave’s disease and is reported to have a high morbidity and mortality. It is particularly rare in children. Whilst there is a scoring system to diagnose thyroid storm in adults, there is not an equivalent for children. Here, we describe the case of a patient who developed thyroid storm secondary to influenza A infection.Case Report: A 13-year-o...

Background: GH response is influenced by genetic polymorphisms, including the rs1024531 polymorphism (A/G) in the promoter region of GRB10, a negative regulator of signaling through the IGF1 receptor. Allele A is associated with borderline lower baseline IGF1 SDS and 1.5-fold higher response to GH compared to allele G in children with GHD (P=0.0006).Objective: To test functional impact of the rs1024531 polymorphism in an in vitro</e...

Background: Response to GH treatment has been associated with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the promoter region of growth-related genes including GRB10 (rs1024531 (A/G, allele A increased response)), IGFBP3 (rs3110697 (G/A, G increased response)), CYP19A1 (rs10459592 (T/C, T increased response)) and SOS1 (rs2888586 (G/C, C increased response)). SOS1 is a positive regulator of GH signalling (MAPK pathway); the aromatase CYP19A1 promotes oestrogen synthesis to im...

Background: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with the response to GH therapy have previously been identified in growth hormone deficient (GHD) children in the PREDICT long-term follow-up (LTFU) study (NCT00699855).Objective and hypotheses: To assess the effect of GHD severity on the predictive value of genetic markers of growth response.Method: We used pre-pubertal GHD children (peak GH <10 μg/l) from the ...

Background: GH deficiency (GHD) is classically defined on the basis of a cut-off applied to the peak GH level during stimulation tests; a process with recognised limitations. Identifying the functional role of genes whose expression is associated with pGH may help with our understanding and classification of GHD.Objective and hypotheses: Identify patterns of gene expression (GE) related to pGH and to describe the function, and regulation of these genes.<...

Background: Prediction of response to recombinant GH (r-GH) is currently based on regression modelling. This approach generates a prediction equation which can be applied to data from an individual child. However this method can underestimate the effect of inter-dependent variables. Random forest classification (RFC) is an alternative prediction method based on decision trees that is not sensitive to the relationships between variables.Objective and hypo...