ESPE Abstracts

Background: Hormone replacement in congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD) aims at mimicking the physiologic secretion patterns of cortisol and aldosterone. However, available glucocorticoid preparations do not allow to achieve an adequate cortisol peak during the early morning hours, a milder peak during the evening, and low cortisol serum levels at night. As a consequence, intermittent ACTH hypersecretion may induce the...

Research Aim: Diabetes type 1 can negatively influence testicular function and fertility but the pathomechanisms on the testicular level remain to be elucidated. Therefore, the aim of the study was to evaluate effects of diabetes mellitus type 1 disease on testicular function.Material and Methods: BB/OKL rats developed type 1 diabetes during adolescence. Rats were treated with different Insulin implants to achieve suffic...

Background: In males with congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (CHH), LH/FSH stimulation of gonads is deficient. In clinical practice, two hormone replacement strategies are employed to induce and maintain virilisation: Treatment with testosterone and gonadotropin replacement with hCG/rFSH.Objective: To delineate the role of gonadotropins in pathways of male androgen biosynthesis and to thereby better define the gona...

Background: Specific measurement of low serum/plasma concentrations of 17β-oestradiol (E2) is important in pre-pubertal and pubertal children in routine paediatric endocrinology. The role of oestrone (E1) and oestriol (E3) is not as comprehensively well understood in different pediatric endocrine disease states. We describe a method for high sensitivity analysis of estradiol (E2), oestrone (E1) and oestriol (E3) using LC-MS/MS.Objective and hypothes...

Background: Patients with 21-Hydroxylase deficiency (21OHD) present increased levels of cytochrome P450 21-hydroxylase substrates, like progesterone and 17α-hydroxyprogesterone. Previous studies could show that these hormones are involved in the production of androgens via the backdoor pathway. As a second source of androgens, 11-oxyandrogens derived from the human adrenal glands are recognized as being major androgens. Specifically, 11-oxyandrogens ...

Introduction: In children, estradiol (E2) concentrations are 1000-times lower in comparison to their precursors, the androgens. Depending on sex, age, and pathology, plasma concentrations vary in a broad range. The sensitive and specific determination of E2 is a particular challenge in pediatric endocrinology. Here we report a female patient aged 12 6/12 years and Tanner stage B1 with a presumed diagnosis of ovarian insufficiency. She showed a very high E2 con...

A child with ambiguous genitalia (Prader IV) was born at term from non-consanguineous parents. Otherwise, medical history was normal. Penile length was < 1.5 cm with penoscrotal hypospadia. Testes were inguinal and < 0.5ml. Karyotype was XY and analysis of gonadal and adrenal steroids by TMS showed undetectable testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and normal adrenal steroids. Testosterone and DHT rose spontaneously during “Minipuberty” at 1.5 month and ...

Background: Specific measurement of low serum / plasma concentrations of 17β-estradiol (E2) is important in pre-pubertal and pubertal children in routine paediatric endocrinology. However, there is still a gap in available reference intervals (RIs) for E2 in paediatrics. The study was partially funded by the German Ministry of Health, grant number 2519FSB503.Objective: First, we technically developed a highly sensit...

Introduction: Androgens are essential for the development of male sex characteristics. Testosterone (T) production from androstenedione (A) by the Hydroxysteroid 17-Beta Dehydrogenase 3 (HSD17B3) in gonadal Leydig cells triggers the differentiation of the Wolffian ducts into epididymis, vas deferens, seminal vesicles and the prostate. Shortly after, the virilisation of the external male genitalia starts through the conversion of T into dihydrotestosterone (DHT...

Objective: Although low birthweight (bw) and unfavourable intrauterine conditions have been associated with metabolic sequelae in later life, little is known about their impact on glucocorticoid metabolism. We studied monozygotic twins with intra-twin bw-differences from birth to adolescence to analyse the long-term impact of bw and catch-up growth on glucocorticoid metabolism.Methods: 46 monozygotic prepubertal twin-pai...