ESPE Abstracts

Background: The diagnosis of GH deficiency (GHD) is not straightforward in childhood and adolescence, requiring comprehensive clinical, anthropometric, biochemical, endocrine, and neuroradiological assessment. Although pharmacological GH stimulation tests are still considered the gold standard for GHD diagnosis, they are burdened by both poor specificity and side effects. Several studies have addressed the issue of sensitivity and specificity of IGFBP-3 assess...

Long-term safety of rhGH therapy in childhood has been object of intense investigation in the last decade. Two recent observational studies have focused on the risk of cardiovascular diseases in young adults treated with rhGH during childhood. After subdividing the large cohorts of patients in different risk groups they found that both mortality and morbidity from cardiovascular diseases were higher than the general population in the low risk group including patients with isol...

Background: Children born SGA are at risk of becoming short adults. Although most children born SGA show catch-up growth in the first 24 months of life, approximately 10% remain below the 3rd centile throughout childhood and adolescence. The available evidence shows that GH therapy can increase adult height in short children born SGA although long-term response is variable and closely related to the 1st year response.Aims:</stron...

Background: Significant aspects of metabolic homeostasis are regulated differently in males and females and sex differences can influence diagnostic approach and therapeutic responses. The underlying mechanisms accounting for gender difference remain to be established and may involve genetic and hormonal factors.Aim: This study aimed at evaluating gender differences in anthropometric and metabolic parameters in a large c...

Background: Multiple factors may affect intrauterine growth leading to birth of children small for gestational age (SGA). The impact of subtle genetic alterations on both pre and post-natal growth is still largely unknown.Objective and Hypotheses: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of CNVs in a cohort of SGA children with persistent short stature.Subjects and Methods</s...

Background: Low birth weight is associated with increased cardio-metabolic diseases in adulthood. Specific circulating miRNA seem to be predictive of cardio-metabolic risk.Objective: Our aim was to investigate the circulating levels of mir-122, mir-16, mir-126, and mir-486 in a cohort of SGA and AGA subjects, evaluated longitudinally in childhood and early adulthood.Method: Anthropometric and biochemical-metabolic evaluations were ...

Background: Type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-1R) is the product of a single-copy gene located on chromosome 15 and is ubiquitously expressed in humans. Increased hepatic IGF-1R gene expression is found in hepatocellular carcinoma and in chronic hepatitis C, making parenchymal and non-parenchymal cells more susceptible to the mitogenic effects of IGF-1.Objective and hypotheses: As we have previously demonstrated that IGF-1 and IGF-2 circula...

Background: Fetuin A is a hepatokine known as a natural inhibitor of the insulin receptor tyrosine kinase and is associated with insulin resistance and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Studies on adults provided conflicting results regarding the link between fetuin A and the severity of liver damage in NAFLD. Data on children are limited.Objective: To investigate the relationship between fetuin A, metabolic parameters, and NAFLD in obese childre...

Background: Recent studies have suggested a role of IGF1 as a candidate prognostic marker for cardiometabolic complications of obesity.Objective: To investigate the relationship between IGF1 serum levels and both biochemical and metabolic parameters as well as body composition in a cohort of obese children.Methods: obese subjects (130F/157M), aged 11.2±2.7 years, were studied. Anthropometry, biochemical and metabolic parameter...

Background: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic disease characterized by autoimmune destruction of pancreatic beta-cells. Dysregulated miRNA levels have been described in T1D patients, though results are inconclusive.Objective and Hypotheses: The aim of this study was to assess the circulating profile of different miRNAs in children at diagnosis of T1D.Method: 27 children with T1D o...