ESPE Abstracts

Context: Neonatal hypoglycemia due to congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) is a potentially life-threatening condition. Severe forms of CHI, caused by autosomal recessive variants in KATP channel subunit genes (ABCC8, KCNJ11), are more prevalent in regions with high consanguinity. These regions also have a high neonatal mortality rate with many deaths remaining unexplained.Patients and Methods: We analyze...

Introduction: The main type of diabetes seen in pediatric clinical practice is type 1 diabetes. Monogenic diabetes and syndromic diabetes are rare, but can be more common in areas where consanguinity is high.A 12-year-old girl born to consanguineous parents who are first cousins, was referred after being diagnosed with diabetes and severe diabetic ketoacidosis. In addition, she had hypertrichosis, coarse facial features, acanthosis nigri...

Introduction: Statural growth is regulated by multiple genetic, epigenetic and environmental mechanisms. The GH-IGF-1 axis was long believed to be the main linear growth regulator in children until more recent studies showed that the complex regulation of growth plate chondrocytes play an equal role. In order to extend our knowledge about the genes involved in short stature, we studied a unique cohort of children with short stature from consanguineous families...

Introduction: Linear growth is a complex process involving the interplay of genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. Current knowledge sheds importance to the GH-IGF-1 axis, chondrocyte regulation and extra-cellular matrix in the growth plate, and other fundamental intracellular processes. Despite these advancements, the genetics of short stature are not fully understood. This study aims to contribute by investigating a unique cohort of children from co...

Introduction: Monogenic diabetes has been estimated to be 1 - 6% of all diabetic cases in European countries which are primarily non consanguineous populations, while the incidence in highly consanguineous areas is insufficiently defined. However, the genetic aetiology of monogenic diabetes has been shown to be widely different in areas with prevalent consanguinity compared to areas with lower rates. In this single-centre study, we aimed to evaluate the preval...

Objectives: Vosoritide is a C-type natriuretic peptide analog which binds its receptor on chondrocytes, leading to increased chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation via its inhibition of the ERK1/2-MAPK pathway. It was recently approved for increasing linear growth in children with achondroplasia. This is the first study to examine the safety and efficacy of vosoritide in children with hypochondroplasia.Methods: Th...

Background: Dual-specificity tyrosine phosphorylation-regulated kinase 1B (DYRK1B) is a nutrient-sensing protein that suppresses the RAS–RAF–MEK pathway and is known to have a role in glucose uptake and glycolysis. The expression of DYRK1B increases during adipogenic differentiation suggesting an important role in adipogenesis. Mutations in DYRK1B have been described in three Iranian families and five Caucasian patients w...

Background: The leptin-melanocortin pathway is pivotal in appetite and energy homeostasis. Pathogenic variants in genes involved in this pathway lead to severe early-onset monogenic obesity (MO). The MC4R gene plays a central role in the leptin-melanocortin, and variants predominantly heterozygous in this gene, are the most common cause of MO. We identified a novel heterozygous variant c.802T>C p.Tyr268His in the MC4R gene in two unrelated patients with mor...

Background: Obesity is highly prevalent worldwide, particularly in the MENA region. Whilst simple obesity has a variable genetic and environmental basis, syndromic and non-syndromic monogenic obesity has a strong genetic component. Melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) mutations are the commonest cause of monogenic obesity. MC4R also regulates neuropathic pain pathways via JNK signaling after nerve injury.Methods: Five children...

Background: Generalized lymphatic anomaly (GLA) is a rare congenital disorder characterized by aggressive proliferation of dilated lymphatic vessels. The etiology of GLA is poorly understood.Objective and hypotheses: To identify the underlying genetic basis for GLA.Method: Exome sequencing (ES) was performed in two families, including a multigenerational family (family-1) with six affected members. RNA-seq was performed on skin bio...