ESPE Abstracts

Background: Since the initial clinical description of Turner Syndrome (TS), there have been notable changes in the genotypic and phenotypic presentation of the disease. Our aimis to provide an overview of the current genetic and clinical characteristics of a large Belgian cohort of girls with TS, and the evolution over the last 3 decades.Methods: We therefore analyzed the genetic and clinical data of growth hormone(GH)-t...

Background: An accurate prediction of final height after the first year of growth hormone (GH) treatment may help clinicians to give parents and children more realistic expectations.Objective and hypotheses: To validate two prediction models (with and without max. GH peak) for near final adult height (nFAH) by Ranke et al.Method: Height data of 142 (93 male) idiopathic GH deficient (iGHD) children, treated with GH for at l...

Background: Despite the fact that pituitary stalk interruption syndrome (PSIS) is a frequent finding in children with combined GH deficiency (CGHD), clinical data are still limited and the growth response to GH treatment has not been evaluated in comparison with CGDH with a normal stalk.Objective and hypotheses: To report the clinical and hormonal findings and evaluate the short term growth response to GH in Belgian children with congenital non-syndromat...

Background: The potential benefit of growth hormone (GH) therapy on health-related QOL (HQoL) of children with short stature related to GH deficiency (GHD) or smallness for gestational age (SGA) has not been well documented.Objective and hypotheses: Our objective was to assess potential disease and treatment related predictors for a poor HQoL in GH treated children. Children with male gender, SGA disorder, greater height deficit at start of GH and poor h...

Background: Current guidelines for girls with gonadal dysgenesis due to Turner Syndrome (TS) recommend initiating estrogen therapy at 11-12 years of age, using 'natural' 17-β estradiol. However, there is scant evidence regarding the optimal modality of induction, particularly concerning whether oral or transdermal routes are more effective or acceptable.Aim: To retrospectively evaluate differences in puber...

Background: The phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN)/phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT signaling pathway is central for cell cycle control, differentiation, migration, and metabolism. Unrestricted growth of adipose tissue in particular is frequently seen in humans with germline PTEN and mosaic activating PIK3CA mutations, respectively.Objective and hypotheses: We assume that adipocytes from affected tissue show hyperproliferation and modified dif...

The Silver-Russel syndrome (SRS) is characterized by an intrauterine growth retardation accompanied by postnatal growth deficiency. Affected individuals typically have proportionately short statue, finger deformities as well as typical facial features. About 10% of individuals with SRS have maternal uniparental disomy for chromosome 7 (UPD7) and 35%–50% showed hypomethylation of the parental imprinting center region 1 (ICR1) of chromosome 11p15.5. In the recent past also ...

Differences of sex development (DSD) occur in about 1 in 3000 newborns in Switzerland. The indication and timing of genitoplasty in children with DSDs is a complex issue. In 2012 the Swiss National Advisory Commission on Biomedical Ethics published its position against early irreversible interventions in order to "normalize" the aspect of the external genitalia.We report the case of a child with a 46,XX DSD due to a classical form of congenital a...

Background/aim: The PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome (PHTS) is an overgrowth syndrome caused mainly by germline mutations in the tumor suppressor PTEN. Patients are predisposed for the development of malignant and benign tumors. Children and adolescents with PHTS frequently develop single or multiple lipomas. PTEN antagonizes the phosphatidylinositide3-kinase/AKT/mechanistic target of rapamycin (PI3K/AKT/mTOR) pathway, which promotes proliferation and differentiation in ...

Background: The leptin signaling cascade is a crucial regulator of satiety and energy homeostasis in the hypothalamus, comprising extracellular leptin binding to its receptor, phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) and consecutively the generation of a central satiety signal via neuropeptide secretion. We identified three variants in the extracellular domains of the LEPR gene in two children with severe ...