ESPE Abstracts

Background: Hyperphagia, or pathologic insatiable hunger, and early-onset obesity are prevalent clinical features of Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS), a rare genetic disorder. While hyperphagia and obesity have broad impacts on individuals with BBS and their caregivers, the extent of this burden is not well characterized.Methods: This multicountry cross-sectional survey of caregivers of individuals with BBS was conducted to q...

Background: Infants with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) exhibit stunted growth. However, little is known about the role of genes expressed from the imprinted PWS domain in healthy infants. This study aimed to analyze the relative gene expression of the SNURF-SNRPN/UBE3A cluster in the imprinted PWS domain in umbilical cord tissue, and its potential association with prenatal and postnatal growth in apparently healthy infants.Methods:...

Background: The melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) pathway is a key regulator of energy balance and satiety. Variants in genes upstream of MC4R encoding leptin receptor (LEPR), proopiomelanocortin (POMC), proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 1(PCSK1) and those involved in Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) can impair MC4R pathway signaling. Clinically, these variants are characterized by hyperphagia (Pathologic insatiable hunger) and early-onset, severe obesity. E...