ESPE Abstracts

Background: The prevalence of childhood obesity is high worldwide and predisposes to adult obesity and metabolic disorders. Many dietary approaches have been proposed to reduce this prevalence, but no single diet has proven to be superior to others in terms of long-term weight loss maintenance in children.Objective and hypotheses: To evaluate and compare long-term body weight changes among obese children and adolescents who had lost at least 10% of their...

Background: Childhood obesity predisposes to metabolic disorders. Low grade inflammation of adipose tissue (AT) associated with macrophage infiltration may lead to metabolic complications. Two macrophage activation states M1 (pro-inflammatory) and M2 (anti-inflammatory) exist in AT with surface markers CD40 (M1), CD206 (M2) and CD163 (M2). M1 polarization correlates with metabolic complications.Objective and hypotheses: To study the expression of CD40, C...

Background: Morbid childhood obesity predisposes to metabolic disorders such as diabetes type 2. In mice, heat-producing ‘brown-like’ (beige) adipocytes can suppress weight gain and metabolic disease through the action of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) localized in the mitochondria.Objective and hypotheses: To study the expression of UCP1 in the adipose tissue of lean&obese children and adolescents.Method: Paraffin embed...

Background: Adipose tissue (AT) in obesity is characterized by low grade inflammation. The apoptosis inhibitor of macrophages (AIM; also called CD5L) is incorporated into adipocytes leading to increased lipolysis. Excess AIM-dependent lipolysis induces adipose tissue macrophage recruitment. M1 (proinflammatory) macrophage infiltration, with surface marker CD40, correlates with metabolic complications.Objective and hypotheses: To study serum levels and AT...

Background: GH transduction defect (GHTD) is characterised by severe short stature and impaired STAT3 phosphorylation, which is overcome by simultaneous induction of GHTD fibroblasts with 200 ng/ml GH and short interference mRNA CIS (GH200/siRNA) or with 1 000 ng/ml GH (GH1000) and is clinically expressed with ‘catch-up’ growth after rhGH treatment.Objective and hypotheses: The involvement of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in the succe...

Background: epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulates cell growth and differentiation through its receptor EGFR. Cross-talking between the GH and EGF signaling pathways is important for normal cellular development. GH transduction defect (GHTD), a clinical disorder characterized by impaired STAT3 phosphorylation due to excessive GHR degradation, is caused by over-expression of the E3 ubiquitin ligase, CIS.Induction of GHTD fibroblasts with 200 ng/ml hGH (GH200) and silencing mR...