ESPE Abstracts

Background: DICER1 is an endoribonuclease that acts post-transcriptionally by processing mRNA into siRNA and microRNA, thus leading to mRNA downregulation. DICER1 syndrome is usually caused by germline variants and is characterized by a variety of benign or malignant tumors: pleuropulmonary blastoma, ovarian Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor, cystic nephroma, pituitary blastoma and multinodular goitre. Patients with germline aberrations in the DICER1 gene may carry additional...

Background: Molecular defects are rarely detected in Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) patients.Objective and Hypotheses: We hypothesized that the frequency of causative molecular defects could be higher in cases with early onset of POI. Moreover, the analysis of multiple genes in the same POI group could disclose co-existence of more than one molecular aberration.Method: In 25 subjects, aged 17.1±7 years at POI onset, bid...

Background: FOXE1 gene variants containing alterations in the alanine tract length may confer susceptibility to primary ovarian insufficiency (POI). BMP15 gene variants have also been related to POI.Objective and hypotheses: To evaluate the contribution of FOXE1 and BMP15 variants in the pathogenesis of POI and to investigate the hypothesis of digenic inheritance in this disorder.Method: FOXE1 and BMP...

Primary Xanthomatous Hypophysitis (XH) is the rarest histological subtype of hypophysitis. Here we describe the case of a young 9-year-old girl diagnosed with this condition. The patient presented with a four-month history of an intermittent temporal-frontal headache that became gradually worse and constant for three days prior to admission. She did not have clinical signs or symptoms suggestive of increased intracranial pressure but had mild ataxia. On admission she was febri...

Background: Child growth is a dynamic process and influenced by various environmental factors. When measured at short intervals, growth of healthy children shows certain characteristic patterns, which have rarely been studied, but are of great importance for clinical purposes. The study was approved by the Ethical Committee of the University of Potsdam.Aim: To see whether measurements of height using photographic display...

Background: The optimal method to assess GH status remains controversial. GH provocation tests are used and the Insulin Tolerance Test (ITT) is regarded as the ‘gold standard’ to diagnose GH deficiency (GHD). The original selection of 0, 20, 30, 60, 90 and 120 min time points is still used in many protocols worldwide, but variations have evolved.Objective and hypotheses: Comparing standard ITT (StdITT) to a revised (RevITT) protocol.<p clas...

Introduction: Silver-Russell syndrome 5 (SRS5) is characterized by asymmetric intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), poor postnatal growth, macrocephaly at birth and feeding difficulties. Other possible features include triangular shaped face, prominent forehead, hypertelorism, epicanthus, micrognathia, brachydactyly, clinodactyly of the 5th hand finger, and syndactyly of the 2nd and 3rd toe fingers. Pathogenic variants of the HMGA2 gene, on chromoso...

Introduction: Obesity and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) are linked to increased risk for endothelial dysfunction which is considered as the first step in the progression of cardiovascular disease. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a protein with known effects on various metabolic pathways. In adults, the circulating blood levels of FGF21 have been associated with parameters of lipid/carbohydrate metabolism, and FGF21 is known to be increased in obesity. T...

Background: Obesity in childhood and adolescence represents a major health problem of our century. In Greece, more than 30-35% of children and adolescents are currently overweight or obese.Objective: To evaluate and further develop the 'National Registry for the Prevention and Management of Overweight and Obesity in Childhood and Adolescence' in order to provide personalized intervention programs for overweig...

Background: Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) due to COL1A1 and COL1A2 mutations is the most common cause of primary osteoporosis.Case presentation: We present a 10-year-old girl with a history of skeletal fragility, starting in the perinatal period. Her parents are not consanguineous and there is no family history of early osteoporosis. To date, she has sustained nineteen low-energy, long bone fractures and she has skeletal deformities (leg length discrepanc...