ESPE Abstracts

Introduction: Primary Generalized Glucocorticoid Resistance or Chrousos syndrome (CS) is a rare sporadic or familial disorder characterized by generalized, partial tissue insensitivity to glucocorticoids. Mutations of the NR3C1 gene, which encodes the human glucocorticoid receptor, have been identified in many but not all patients with CS.Objective: To identify novel genes related to CS in patients without NR3C1 gene mutations.<p cl...

Background: Primary generalized glucocorticoid resistance (PGGR) or Chrousos syndrome is a rare familial or sporadic condition caused by mutations in the hGR gene, which reduce tissue sensitivity to glucocorticoids. A new case of PGGR caused by a novel heterozygous point mutation in the hGR gene, which resulted in threonine (T) to isoleucine (I) substitution at amino acid position 556 in the ligand-binding domain of the receptor, was recently reported in a patient with an adre...

Background: The nuclear receptor (NR) family comprises three main subfamilies: the steroid hormones receptors, the thyroid/retinoid hormone receptors and the orphan receptors. Proteins within the NR family share common domain architecture. These closely related receptors and their cognate ligand compounds play a key role in homeostasis, reproduction, growth and development. Despite their biological significance, their evolution and diversification remains to be elucidated....

Background/aim: Congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) is a group of genetic disorders characterized by impaired insulin secretion, resulting in recurrent hypoglycemia. CHI is the most common cause of severe and persistent hypoglycemia in infancy and childhood that is associated with an increased risk of seizures, developmental delay and permanent brain damage, with lifelong neurodisability if treatment is delayed. The incidence of CHI is estimated to be approximate...

Background: Tissue glucocorticoid sensitivity is characterized by a considerable variation in terms of therapeutic response and side effects to synthetic glucocorticoids. The multi-metabolite concentration profile measured by untargeted plasma metabolomics provides a comprehensive metabolic signature that might be used in clinical practice.Objective and Hypotheses: To investigate the usefulness of plasma metabolomics in identifying a metabolic signature ...

Background: In humans, glucocorticoids (GCs) regulate a broad spectrum of physiologic functions, exerting both genomic and nongenomic actions through their ubiquitously expressed glucocorticoid receptor (hGR). The rapid nongenomic actions of GCs are likely to be mediated by membrane hGRs that transduce the glucocorticoid signal via activation of kinases. S-palmitoylation plays an important role in plasma membrane localization and occurs through a highly conserved nine amino ac...

Background: The noncoding RNA growth-arrest-specific transcript 5 (Gas5) is abundant in cells whose growth has been arrested owing to lack of nutrients or growth factors. Gas5 is a riborepressor of the glucocorticoid receptor, influencing cell survival and metabolic activities during starvation by inhibiting the latter’s transcriptional activity.Aim: To determine the expression levels of Gas5 in blood samples of obese, overweight and lean children a...

Background: The prevalence of obesity has increased dramatically in Greece in the last decades, and more than 30% of children and adolescents are currently overweight or obese. Obesity is associated with decreased circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations, which might predispose to metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.Objective and hypotheses: To determine serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations and their relationship to ca...

Background: Primary generalised glucocorticoid resistance (PGGR) is a rare condition characterised by tissue insensitivity to glucocorticoids owing to inactivating mutations of the hGR gene. A new case of PGGR was reported in a patient with an adrenal incidentaloma harboring a novel heterozygous point mutation in the hGR gene, which resulted in threonine (T) to isoleucine (I) substitution at amino acid position 556 of the receptor.Objec...

Background: Glucocorticoids exert profound immune-modulating effects and regulate the expression of genes involved in cell cycle progression and apoptosis. Synthetic glucocorticoids are the most potent agents used in the treatment of inflammatory, autoimmune and lymphoproliferative disorders. Considerable variation in response to therapeutic doses of glucocorticoids exists among individuals, as evidenced by differences both in disease response and in the incidence of glucocort...