ESPE Abstracts

Background: Congenital growth hormone deficiency may be isolated (IGHD) or multiple pituitary hormone deficiency (MPHD). The Sonic Hedgehog signalling (SHH) pathway has an important role in the pituitary development and growth, acting early in ventral forebrain. The SHH signalling mediates its effects through three zinc fingers proteins (Gli1, Gli2 and Gli3), which lead to activation or repression of target genes. Several heterozygous GLI2 mutations have been reported in patie...

Background: Ten percent of children born small for gestational age fail to catch-up and remain short during childhood (SGA-SS). Several genes causing SGA-SS have been described, however, in most cases, the mechanisms of prenatal and postnatal growth impairment remain unknown.Aim: To decipher genetic etiologies within a large single-center cohort of SGA-SS children in order to better understand the pathophysiological mech...

Introduction: Recent studies have revealed the presence of zinc and the expression of zinc transporter (ZnT) family members in most endocrine cell types. It was demonstrated that ZnT family plays an important role in the synthesis and secretion of many hormones. Moreover, recently ZnT8 was described as a newly islet autoantigen in type 1 diabetes.Materials and methods: We studied the expression of ZnT8 transporter in thyroid tissues from patients with im...

Background: The course of type one diabetic disease (T1DM) varies according to the period of life and in response to various external or internal factors. Adolescence is an evolutionary phase that involves important developmental changes and identity construction. Diabetes disease and its management, especially in this life period, can lead to psychological distress and impact on Self-redefinition.Method: We conducted a ...

Introduction: Familial tall stature (FTS) is defined as height taller than +2 SD in a subject growing within his/her midparental height (MPH) with no apparent dysmorphic features. FTS is routinely not an indication for genetic investigation. However, some subtle dysmorphic features of various genetic disorders might be missed justifying the need for further investigation.Aims: To elucidate the genetic cause of FTS and to...

Background & Aims: Children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) frequently receive high doses dexamethasone during treatment, which may induce acute side effects. The aims of the current study were to determine the influence of a five-day dexamethasone course on changes in leptin, fat mass, body mass index (BMI), hunger, sleep and fatigue and to explore the associations between these changes.Methods: Pediatric AL...

Introduction: Primary multiple pituitary hormone deficiency (MPHD) is caused by impaired development of the pituitary gland during the intrauterine period. Pathogenic variants in numerous genes affecting pituitary morphogenesis or differentiation have been proven to cause MPHD. However, in most people, genetic examination still fails to bring a conclusive finding explaining the cause of MPHD. The aim of our study was to identify the genetic aetiology of MPHD u...

Introduction: Childhood craniopharyngioma (cCP) has excellent survival, but quality of life may be severely hampered by hypothalamic dysfunction. We aimed to evaluate treatment and hypothalamic outcomes of a Dutch cCP cohort, and evaluate the effect of centralization of care.Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed, including cCP patients diagnosed between 2004-2021. Treatment characteristics and hypothalamic ...

Background: In children, papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is generally sporadic and may, less frequently, be part of an undiagnosed hereditary tumor predisposition syndrome (HTPS). Somatic molecular testing is useful to understand tumor etiology and behavior, predict prognosis, and possibly guide development of novel treatment strategies. RET/PTC fusions were found to be associated with an increased risk of invasive disease. The aims of our study were to analyze...

Introduction: Vitamin D (VitD) is a prohormone that is synthesized in the skin after sun exposure. Mandatory lockdown during the COVID-19 Pandemic may have altered the sun exposure time of children.Aim: to evaluate vitD levels in a sample of children and adolescents, and compare between pre-pandemic and pandemic periods.Methoths Children and adolescents, from a Portuguese tertiary ...