ESPE Abstracts

Human growth is a very complex phenomenon that is influenced by genetic, hormonal, nutritional and environmental factors from fetal life throughout puberty. Although the GH-IGF axis clearly has a central role in this process, with specific actions on longitudinal growth, numerous other genes are also involved in determining stature. Indeed, genome-wide association studies have identified >600 variants associated with human height, but this still only explains a small fract...

Background: The GH/IGF-I axis is involved in metabolic control and studies suggest that IGF-I deficiency and subsequent changes in IGF-I signaling in brown adipose tissue (BAT) modifies its thermogenic capacity. Food restriction reduces thermogenic capacity in BAT, while leptin stimulates thermogenesis through uncoupling protein 1 (UCP-1) induction. Leptin and IGF-I maintain important crosstalk in different tissues, but whether these two hormones interact to r...

The obesity epidemic continues to be a dramatic problem in the developed world despite attempts to curtail its rise. Reducing energy intake and/or increasing energy expenditure can result in weight loss; however, if one returns to their poor lifestyle habits the previous weight is not only recuperated, but often surpassed.We hypothesized that although a normal body weight may be achieved, the hypothalamic circuits controlling appetite and energy expendit...

The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system is fundamental for physiological processes such as growth and metabolism. In addition, in the brain it regulates glucose metabolism and neuroprotection. The IGF axis can be altered by nutritional status, but little is known regarding the effects of specific dietary components on this system.Our aim was to examine how high-fat diet (HFD) and low-fat/high sucrose diet (LFHSD) intake affect the central and circula...

Deficiency of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A2 (PAPP-A2), a regulator of IGF-1 availability, causes postnatal growth failure in humans and mice, at least in part through dysregulation of bone size and density. The present study aimed to determine the effects of Pappa2 gene deletion and the response to recombinant murine IGF-1 (rmIGF-1) on femur microstructure and composition. Hydroxyapatite-related crystallography and ionic substitutions were analyzed by X-ray p...

Pregnancy associated plasma protein (PAPP)-A2 is an insulin-like growth factor (IGF) binding protein (BP) protease that regulates IGF-1 availability affecting postnatal growth. Mutations in human PAPP-A2 cause short stature and changes in bone size and mineral density. The present study aimed to characterize the effects of constitutive Pappa2 gene deletion on hypothalamic regulation of energy homeostasis in adult male and female mice. In addition to being sho...

Background: The first three children reported to have biallelic mutations in RNPC3 presented with growth hormone (GH) deficiency and pituitary hypoplasia (MIM#618860). RNPC3 codes for a minor spliceosome protein required for U11/U12 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein formation and splicing of U12-type introns. The underlying mechanism causing GH deficiency in these patients is not fully understood. Moreover, whether the association of further ho...

Background: Adherence to follow-up visits in children and adolescents with obesity is a key factor for successful therapeutic outcomes in these patients.Objective: To analyze the adherence to scheduled visits and drop-out rate and the anthropometric, metabolic and behavioral outcomes as a result of an intervention program in a large cohort of children and adolescents with obesity.Patients a...

Background: A few patients with NS have been reported to harbour pathogenic mutations in LZTR1 gene. RAS regulation by LZTR1-mediated ubiquitination provides an explanation for the role of LZTR1 in human disease. Mutations in this gene could hence lead to NS phenotype. Three patients with mutations in this gene and compatible NS phenotype are herein described.Case 1: A 5 year-old boy with bilateral cryp...

Background: Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant pediatric brain tumor. Although survival has improved with oncological therapy, late effects such as endocrine consequences are common, especially growth failure and thyroid dysfunction.Methods: Children diagnosed with medulloblastoma in a pediatric hospital between 2004 and 2014 were studied and followed until 2019. Statistical analysis was performed to estimate t...