ESPE Abstracts

Introduction: The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) plays an important role in modulating behaviour and social interactions. Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a rare genetic neurodevelopmental disorder due to abnormal hypothalamic development including OT dysfunction that involves endocrine, nutritional and behavioural outcomes/features/trajectory. We previously showed in a phase I/II study (NCT02205034) that 18 infants with PWS, less than 6 months of age, who received ...

Background: Inherited amino-acid metabolism disorders (IAAMDs) require lifelong restriction of natural dietary proteins. Nutritional amino-acid mixtures (AMM) free of the poorly metabolised amino-acids by the enzyme block, improve nutrition. An adequate protein intake is crucial to ensure normal body development, notably during puberty. We aimed to: 1/ describe growth and puberty in IAAMDs 2/ investigate associations linking height, IGF1 and IGFBP3 with AAM an...

Introduction: Regenerating endogenous pancreatic β-cells is a potentially curative yet currently elusive strategy for diabetes therapy. Mimicking the microenvironment of the developing pancreas and leveraging vascular signals, critical to pancreatic endocrinogenesis, may promote β-cell regeneration. We aimed to investigate whether recovery from experimental hypovascularization of the endocrine pancreas could trigger mouse ß-cell proliferation.<...

Introduction: The transferrin receptor (TFRC) is abundant on the surface of ß-cells compared to neighboring α- and ∂-cells, suggesting an important role of iron in ß-cell biology. The precise impact of iron on ß-cell development, function, and survival remains elusive. Here, we investigated the role of iron metabolism in mouse and human ß-cells through chemical and genetic modulation of iron supply.<str...

Introduction: Differentiation between constitutional delay of growth and puberty (CDGP) and congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (CHH) during early adolescence is challenging, as patients exhibit a similar clinical picture and there are no definite clinical or biochemical markers that distinguish these 2 pathologies. A delay in diagnosis, especially for CHH, may have short and long-term health consequences. The aims of this study were: 1) To evaluate the u...

Background and Objectives: Chronic administration of synthetic glucocorticoids affects 1% of the world population and is responsible for secondary adrenal insufficiency for 40% of the patients. In pediatrics, glucocorticoid-induced adrenal insufficiency (GI-AI) diagnosis is based on the Low Dose Synacthen Test (LD-SST). Screening for glucocorticoid-induced adrenal insufficiency implies medical and economical costs due to the necessity of an intravenous line an...

Purpose: Isolated growth hormone deficiency (IGHD) is a rare condition mainly caused by mutations in GH1. The aim of this study was to assess the contribution of GHRHR mutations to IGHD in a very large cohort of patients.Methods: All GHRHR coding exons and flanking intronic regions were sequenced in 312 unrelated patients with non-syndromic IGHD. Functional consequences of all newly identified missense variants were assessed <e...

Background: For young adults with type 1 diabetes, transition from a paediatric setting to an adult care setting is a vulnerable period with risks for gaps in care. These emerging adults need to develop skills for managing their diabetes yet it is often challenging to cover all anticipatory guidance topics related to type 1 diabetes. In the context of a structured transition clinic, we hypothesized that by leveraging teens’ facility with technology and marketing/design we...

Introduction: Monogenic defects in the leptin-melanocortin pathway result in hyperphagia and severe, early-onset obesity. Knowledge of the natural history of anthropometric parameters in patients with monogenic obesity is essential for diagnosis. However, reliable data on early childhood weight and height development in affected patients are lacking. This study aimed to evaluate the history of height, weight, and BMI development in early childhood in a Europea...

Background: Since the initial clinical description of Turner Syndrome (TS), there have been notable changes in the genotypic and phenotypic presentation of the disease. Our aimis to provide an overview of the current genetic and clinical characteristics of a large Belgian cohort of girls with TS, and the evolution over the last 3 decades.Methods: We therefore analyzed the genetic and clinical data of growth hormone(GH)-t...