ESPE Abstracts

Case presentation: We recently started a 9-year-old girl with hypoparathyroidism due to a mutation in the PTH gene on a pump therapy with 1–34 rhPTH. She has received calcitriol and calcium since the age of 4 months. Bilateral nephrocalcinosis stage II/III was diagnosed at a young age. So far, her renal function remains normal. During the last 18 months symptomatic hypocalcemic episodes have become more frequent despite increased calcium and calcitriol doses. Continuous r...

Background: X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) is a rare metabolic bone disease which is caused by inactivating mutations in Phosphate-regulating neutral endopeptidase, X-linked (PHEX). Due to dysregulation of Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23), increased systemic levels of FGF-23 lead to chronic renal phosphate wasting and to impaired activation of 25OH-Vitamin D (25OHD). As a result, patients suffer from multiple musculoskeletal symptoms such as long bone def...

The skeletal research field develops rapidly and has produced several exciting findings in the last year and includes advances in the treatment of rare skeletal disorders and an ever deeper understanding into the fundamental molecular mechanisms that control skeletal development, metabolism, growth, and mineralization. The targeting of the C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) pathway and options to directly antagonize the overactivity of the FGFR3 pathway in achondroplasia continu...

Background: Bisphosphonates act to increase bone mass by inhibition of osteoclastic bone resorption and reduction of bone turnover. Since the successful use of bisphosphonates in children with osteogenesis imperfecta, a broad range of pediatric indications with variable underlying pathomechanism emerged. While the use of bisphosphonates appears to be safe in children, data on risk factors for acute-phase reaction are sparse. A systematic characterization of si...

Background: Postnatal linear growth is characterized by a steady decline of growth velocity in healthy individuals, with the exception of sex-steroid induced pubertal growth. Pharmacologic interventions in growth disorders are limited to systemic application of growth factors such as growth hormone, and CNP analogues in conditions with FGFR3 overactivation. Tyrosine kinase receptor inhibitors (TKI) represent a heterogenous group of drugs, mostly used for oncol...

We present the case of a now 20 months old female patient, in whom we diagnosed MAS on the basis of pseudoprecocious puberty and hypercorticism at the age of 10 months. Medical history and photodocumentation suggested that symptoms of hypercorticism were present soon after birth. At age 4 months thelarche had occurred, followed by vaginal bleeding at age 5 months. At first presentation at our outpatient clinic, the girl was severely short (-5 SDS), with only minimally advanced...

Introduction: Longitudinal skeletal growth is achieved by enchondral ossification in epiphyseal growth plates (GP) of long bones and vertebrae. These highly organized cartilaginous tissues contain chondrocytes of all differentiational stages classified in three distinct zones named resting, proliferative and hypertrophic. Separated analysis of individual zones is essential in basic GP research thus efficiency of different zonal separation methods confers high ...

Background: Hyperphosphatemic conditions such as chronic kidney disease are associated with muscle wasting and impaired life quality. While muscle regeneration relies on myogenic progenitor recruitment, the effects of high phosphate loads on this process has not been investigated in detail. This study aims to clarify the direct effectsof hyperphosphatemic conditions on skeletal myoblast differentiation in an murine cell model system.Material and methods:...

Background: Cell-mediated initiation of enchondral ossification is essential for growth plate maturation. The matrix mineralization inhibitors matrix Gla protein (MGP) and osteocalcin (OC) represent key regulators of matrix mineralization and are highly expressed in growth plate chondrocytes. Pharmacological or nutritional phylloquinone (K1) depletion is known to affect skeletal mineralization by reduced gamma-carboxilisation of MGP and OC. Constituents of mineral matrix such ...

Background: Difficulties in transition of adolescent Turner Syndrome (TS) patients to adult health care has been reported in many studies.Objective and hypotheses: We conducted a medical and psychological follow-up of adult patients with Turner Syndrome which had been treated at our tertiary pediatric endocrine centre.Method: We screened for expected comorbidities and provided a questionnaire asking for current medical care. Furthe...