ESPE Abstracts

Recent years have seen significant progress towards defining the genetic aetiology of neonatal diabetes with >20 subtypes identified. It is likely that all cases of neonatal diabetes result from a single gene disorder since markers of autoimmunity associated with type 1 diabetes are rare in patients diagnosed before 6 months.Heterozygous activating mutations in the KCNJ11 and ABCC8 genes encoding the Kir6.2 and SUR1 subunits of the ...

Induced overexpression of defined transcription factors has been shown to have a directing effect on the differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) into specific cell types. Nevertheless, protocols promoting coordinated self-assembly of differentiated cells into distinct morphological units with functional properties reminiscent of organs and tissues in vivo are still very sparse. Our group recently reported efficient rescue of hypothyroidism in athyroid mice tran...

It is important that any child or adolescent with a suspected difference or disorder of sex development (DSD) is assessed by an experienced clinician with adequate knowledge about the range of conditions associated with DSD. In most cases, the paediatric endocrinologist within this service acts as the first point of contact but involvement of the regional multidisciplinary service is critical. The members of this service should be involved in education and training as well as ...

Human growth is a very complex phenomenon that is influenced by genetic, hormonal, nutritional and environmental factors from fetal life throughout puberty. Although the GH-IGF axis clearly has a central role in this process, with specific actions on longitudinal growth, numerous other genes are also involved in determining stature. Indeed, genome-wide association studies have identified >600 variants associated with human height, but this still only explains a small fract...

Abnormal bone development is commonly seen in children with chronic disease. However, fragility fractures in the young individual may be less common compared to older adults, which may be due to under recognition. The underlying chronic condition and medication can impact on bone turnover, modelling, bone mineral homeostasis, growth, pubertal development and muscle mass. The diagnosis and management of osteoporosis in children and adolescents with chronic disease remains conte...

Pseudohypoparathyroidism, or syndromes associated with PTH resistance, share a common defect in the PTH1R/Gsalpha/cAMP signaling pathway. Therefore, this entity is now labeled as “inactivating PTH/PTHrP disorder” or iPPSD. IPPSD is a genetic disorder characterized by target-organ unresponsiveness to PTH and/or PThrP. it mimics hypoparathyroidism, as patients present with hypocalcemia and hyperphosphatemia; however, due to an abnormal signaling pathway downstream of...

Clinical and experimental evidence supports the important contribution of brain circuits in the pathogenesis of obesity. While functional perturbation of hypothalamic pathways could underlie common forms of obesity, the term “hypothalamic obesity” has been coined to define rare forms of severe overweight where a clear hypothalamic substrate, either genetic or acquired, can be identified. Addressing the problem of early-onset, severe obesity in children is of utmost...

Background: Central diabetes insipidus (DIC) is usually the final result of lesions affecting the hypothalamic–neurohypophysal system, for the children, Germinoma is the main reason. The MRI aspect is often limited to thickness pituitary stalk with loss of hyperintensity of the neurohypophysis.Objective and hypotheses: Thickening of pituitary stalk is suggestive of germinoma, the clinical picture is dominated by a DIC (90%), associated to hypopituit...

Background: In 2007, the Turner syndrome (TS) Consensus Study Group developed an international guideline for clinical care of girls and women with TS. Given emerging concerns of long term cardiovascular complications, the consensus recommends that cardiac MRI should be performed when girls are old enough to tolerate the procedure or at the time of transition and to be repeated at least every 5–10 years.Method: We conducted a survey of cardiovascular...

Background: The Scottish Paediatric Endocrine Managed Clinical Network is committed to providing equity of care across Scotland. A key role identified by the nurses group is developing information leaflets supporting patient care. It was recognized that there was no local unified approach to the management of adrenal insufficiency, especially in the home, community and acute setting. Of particular concern was the lack of a pathway of care from home to hospital and involvement ...