ESPE Abstracts

Background: Growth is a multifactorial process involving genetic, nutritional and other environmental determinants. Because of a major proportion of ultimate stature is dependent upon an intact GH and IGF1 axis, much attention has been devoted to abnormalities related to these growth factors and their signalling pathways.Objective and hypotheses: At the tissue level, the action of GH result from the interaction of GH with a specific cell surface GH recep...

Background: Noonan syndrome (NS) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by specific features including short stature, distinctive facial dysmorphic features, congenital heart defects, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, skeletal anomalies and webbing of the neck. Molecular screening has shown that the majority of individuals with NS have a mutation in the PTPN11 gene. Noonan syndrome children may show an impaired GH/IGF axis. Moreover, recombinant human GH (rhGH) has been sh...

Background: GH has a strong positive influence on bone stimulating both bone elongation and increase in size by enhancing the accrual of trabecular and cortical bone up to the attainment of peak bone mass in young adult.Aim of the study: We compared the effect of two different GH dosages on statural growth and bone geometry in two groups of GH-deficient children at final height. Data has been collected retrospectively from 1994 to 2013.<p class="abst...

Background: Human GH is a heterogeneous protein hormone consisting of several isoforms, the most abundant being 22 kDa- and 20 kDa-GH. The availability of analytical methods to measure these GH isoforms might represent a valuable diagnostic tool to investigate GH secretion in short stature.Objective and hypotheses: Aim of the present study was to measure circulating levels of 22 kDa- and 20 kDa-GH in children with different diagnosis of short stature suc...

Background: Patients with childhood-onset GH deficiency (GHD) are usually retested in late adolescence or young adulthood, after achievement of final height, to verify whether they need to continue GH treatment. Most of the patients found to have idiopathic GHD when tested as children have normal GH responses when retested in the early or late adolescence. Indeed, the 2007 Consensus guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of GHD adults recommended that idiopathic GHD patien...

Introduction: Human growth is a multifactorial process involving genetic, hormonal, nutritional and environmental factors. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have shown that >400 genes are associated with adult height. African Baka Pygmies represent an isolated and well-confined small population with short stature of unknown etiology. In previous studies we reported an 8-fold reduced GH receptor gene expression and reduced serum levels of IGF-I and GHB...

Background: α-klotho is a transmembrane protein which can be cleaved and act as a circulating hormone. Since low α-klotho levels were found in organic GH deficiency (GHD) and high levels in acromegaly, an interaction between α-klotho, GH and linear growth has been suggested.Objective and hypotheses: We investigated the role of α-klotho protein as a reliable marker of GH secretion in short children and the factors influencing its secre...

Background: The primary goal of GH treatment in GHD children and adolescents is to normalize height, in order to attain an adult height within the target height (TH) range.Aim: to investigate height improvement in GHD paediatric patients treated with GH in our Country.Subjects: 737 patients with isolated GHD (39.5% females) from 13 tertiary Centres for Paediatric Endocrine Care...

Background: Central hypothyroidism (CeH) is a rare thyroid hormone deficiency due to an insufficient stimulation of a normal thyroid gland. Candidate genes for isolated CeH include TSHβ, TRH receptor (TRHR) or IGSF1 genes while the combined pituitary hormone deficits (CPHDs) are the consequence of defects in embryonic pituitary transcription factors or in the prokineticin receptor 2 (PROKR2).Patients series: Here we report nine males (M) and 15 fema...

Introduction: The diagnosis of GHD requires the coexistence of anamnestic, auxological and laboratory data. The latter are burdened by the poor accuracy and adverse effects of the stimulation tests. A recent european audit (Horm Res Paediatr 2019;92(3): 150-156) on GH diagnostic reported as preferred tests in Italy Insulin tolerance test (ITT), glucagon, clonidine, arginine and Arg-GHRH. We conducted a survey to explore which of them are most used in It...