ESPE Abstracts

Background: Significant changes in metabolism and water equilibrium are registered during pregnancy. However, very limited previous investigations have been carried out on variations of exposure levels and metabolism of non-persistent environmental chemicals during pregnancy.Objective and hypotheses: The objective of this longitudinal study is to describe variation in exposure of pregnant women to environmental chemicals. We hypothesise that variation in...

Background: There is increasing evidence from epidemiological studies that some man-made chemicals present in the environment can disrupt endocrine homeostasis in exposed humans. Exposure during foetal life to e.g. phthalates has been linked to adverse effects on testicular and ovarian development, thyroid homeostasis and growth in postnatal life. Exposure to phthalates fluctuates not only from day to day but also over time which poses a major challenge for ex...

Background: Studies have shown that genetic variations in the FSH pathway (SNPs: FSHB −211G>T, FSHR −29G>A, and FSHR 2039A>G) affect peripubertal levels of serum FSH and age at pubertal onset in girls.Objective and hypotheses: Genetic variations in the FSH pathway reflect circulating levels of female reproductive hormones during the postnatal gonadotropin surge.Method: Blood samples were taken in girls of th...

Background: Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is produced by granulosa cells in small follicles prior to gonadotropin dependent growth and serum levels reflect the number of small antral follicles. There are currently no longitudinal data of individual AMH levels from infancy to adolescence.Aim: To evaluate whether AMH in infancy and childhood is associated with AMH levels and ovarian morphology peripubertal and in adole...

Background: In Romania (latitude 48°15’N to 43°40’N), vitamin D supplementation is a common practice mostly in 0–2 year old infants. No published information is available regarding vitamin D status in Romanian children.Objective and hypotheses: We aimed to evaluate the seasonal and age variation of vitamin D status in a large Romanian pediatric patient population.Method: 1 395 individuals, 0–18years, f...

Background: Adequate vitamin D level is essential for optimal child’s growth. Small for Gestational Age (SGA) is a common cause of short stature in childhood. Being born SGA is associated with a risk of developing insulin resistance.Objective and hypotheses: The aim of the study was to evaluate serum vitamin D levels in short children born SGA and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) and to assess their relationship with insulin sensitivity.<p ...

Background: Liver steatosis (LS) results from ectopic fat deposition and can be present in obesity even at early ages. Similar to insulin resistance, the onset of LS does not seem to depend exclusively upon the severity of obesity and shows a large interindividual variability.Objective: Our objective was to develop a predictive normogram for LS in children and adolescents with obesity ba...

Background: Graves’ disease (GD) is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism in the pediatric population. T helper 17 (Th17) IL-17A+CD3+CD4+ cells represent a novel subset of T helper cells that play an active role in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Although methimazole (MMI) lowers the levels of thyroid autoantibodies, little is still known about its influence on cell-mediated immune response. The role of Th17 cells in GD pathogenesis remains uncertain and the impa...

Introduction: Graves'disease (GD) is a polygenic and multifactorial disease.The innate immune system is a complex network of structured cells and proteins, including the Toll-like receptors (TLRs), which are also expressed on the cells of the adaptive immune system.The aim was to assess the relationship between the expression of TLR-2 on the surface of T CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes in pat...

Background: Preterm newborns due to their immaturity, a higher incidence of mortality and increased susceptibility to iodine, are at risk of decreased thyroid function. Low levels of thyroid hormones during a critical period for the development of the central nervous system may negatively affect their psychomotor development. Screening for congenital hypothyroidism with capillary TSH is invalid for preterm babies and would require an specific thyroid function control.<p cl...