ESPE Abstracts

We present two cases of a 13-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl who were initially diagnosed as central diabetes insipidus (CDI). The Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed pituitary stalk thickening with prominent homogeneous contrast enhancement in T1W and the loss of high signal in the posterior pituitary. In addition to CDI, the two children have a common clinical manifestation of growth retardation, with the laboratory tests suggesting complete growth hormone deficiency...

Background: Defects of the insulin receptor gene (INSR) can cause genetic syndromes associated with a wide diverse range of congenital insulin resistance from milder insulin-resistant diabetes mellitus (Type A insulin resistance syndrome, TAIRS) to leprechaunism (Donahue syndrome). Clinical features in TAIRS vary due to the severity of damage in INSR, precise diagnosis is challenging.Materials and Methods</stron...

Background: U.V. radiation exposure is the major environmental risk factor for skin cancers. However, sun avoidance leads to inadequate vitamin D levels which impair bone health. Moreover, numerous studies linked decreased sunlight exposure to non-skin cancer incidence or survival.Objective and hypotheses: To compare sun habits in a cohort of paediatric patients with a history of malignancy to healthy controls. We hypothesized that sun exposure will be d...

Introduction: Adrenal insufficiency (AI) leads to a diminished production of steroid hormones. AI is subdivided into a primary and a secondary form. In primary AI, the underlying defect affects the adrenal gland itself resulting in a low steroid production and an overproduction of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). On the contrary, the cause of secondary AI lies in the pituitary, leading to a reduced production of ACTH and consecutively to a reduced excretion of corticosteroi...

Background: Vitamin D3 (25OHD) insufficiency is becoming a public health issue. Adequate 25OHD status during pregnancy may influence the health status of the offspring.Objective and hypotheses: To evaluate the levels of 25OHD during pregnancy (at 12 weeks) and at 4 years old, assessing seasonality, time of sun exposure, and intake.Method: Data were obtained from 485 pregnant mothers recruited in Asturias between 2004 and 2007 and t...

Introduction: Several studies showing a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women have been published in recent years. Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy has been related to adverse events both in mother and child. Plasma 25-OH vitamin D (25(OH)D) levels in the newborn are dependent on maternal deposits and show a close correlation with maternal levels; thus, neonates of vitamin D-deficient mothers present a greater risk of hypocalcaemia, rickets and a highe...

Background: Recently, the American Diabetes Association introduced HbA1c test for diagnosing diabetes with a cut point of ≥6.5% in addition to criteria based on glucose levels.Objective and hypotheses: The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between plasma glucose (fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and 2-h plasma glucose after an OGTT (2-h OGTT)) and HbA1c for diagnosing diabetes in Korean children.Method: A total of...

Background: Dyslipidaemia is related with the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis in children, and the total cholesterol (TC) and non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) are commonly used screening tools for identifying children with dyslipidaemia. The triglyceride-to-high density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) ratio has recently been reported as a marker of insulin resistance in obese children and adolescents.Objective and hyp...

Background: The IGF system is involved in the development of metabolic and cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to investigate the association of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF1), IGF-binding protein-1 (IGFBP1) and IGFBP3 with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes in children.Methods: We included 36 children aged 10 to 16 years without known diabetes, medication, chronic disease. They were classified into three groups according to the results of ...

Background: The onset of puberty is a complex biological process involving numerous factors under the control of the neuroendocrine pathways that are regulated as part of the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. The key step in puberty onset is activation of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) pulses and secretion. Recent evidence suggests that the Lin28/let7 pathway might be a critical regulator of GnRH release and that it might play an important role...