ESPE Abstracts

A 17-year-old girl comes to our attention for a second opinion due to reduced bone mineralization. She has a family history of osteogenesis imperfecta: her mother and younger sister have a COL1A1 mutation. The girl never had any fractures, but considering the familiarity it was carried out a DEXA, showing a Z-score of -1.9 SDS at the femoral level and -2 SDS at the lumbar level; no fractures visible in the spine X-ray. The genetic analysis of COL1A1 was carried out, which came...

Background: There are two liquid formulations of Levothyroxine currently in use in Italy: one containing ethanol (Tirosint®) and the other ethanol-free (Tifactor®). The aim of our study is to compare the two liquid formulations of Levothyroxine in the first six months of treatment in newborns affected by Congenital Hypothyroidism (CH).Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 156 patients treated with the ethanol-cont...

Background: The prevalence of vertebral fractures (VF) in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is currently unknown as systematic spine imaging is rarely performed.Objective: To determine the prevalence of VF in DMD and factors associated with VF.Method: A prospective study utilising systematic screening with DXA vertebral fracture assessment (VFA) was performed in all 47 eligible boys. 6/47 were excluded due to spinal instrumentation...

Aggrecan, encoded by ACAN, is a major proteoglycan component in the extracellular matrix of the growth plate. At least 25 pathological ACAN mutations have been identified in patients with highly variable phenotypes of syndromic or non-syndromic short stature. A 6-year-old boy was referred to our Centre for short stature (height 103.60 cm, −3.14 SDS) in familial short stature. Mid-Parental target height was 161.15 cm (−2.38 SDS); His father (height 167.3 cm) is from...

The patient was referred to our Centre for short stature. Weight and length at birth were within normal limits. In the neonatal period he showed jaundice and hypoglycemia. A reduced growth velocity was reported from the age of six months. At 15 months his length was 70 cm (−3.75 SDS), his weight 8.1 kg (−2.26 SDS). Parental target height was 167.6 cm (−1.38 SDS). He had normal psychomotor development. The examination showed macrocrania and nasal voice. Blood ...

GR and GT are diamniotic monochorial preterm twins (32 GA), both AGA (GR: W -1 SDS, L -1.5 SDS; GT: W and L 0 SDS), with normal karyotype and array-CGH on amniotic fluid, with no major complications associated to prematurity. At birth GT presented bilaterally cryptorchidism associated with micropenis, GR presented normal male genitalia. In the first year of life a severe growth deceleration in length (from -3SDS to -5 SDS) was observed, mainly after six months of life in both ...

Background: RARβ cooperates with Nur77 to in-vitro regulate HSD3B2 transcription. NUR77 expression parallels HSD3B2 expression with a much lower level in androgen-producing adrenocortical tissues (childhood virilizing adrenocortical tumours (VAT), fetal zone (FeZ) and zona reticularis, ZR). RARβ is down-regulated in starved, hyperandrogenic H295R cells. However, the mechanisms regulating this expression pattern and the relevance of RARβ to huma...

Background: The pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes (T1D) is multifactorial, caused by interaction of genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors that lead to the production of antibodies early on life and a gradual loss of insulin secretory capacity of the pancreas. The genetics and immunological characteristics of our T1D population have not been precisely identified.Objective and hypotheses: To compare biochemical, genetic and immunological features of ...

Background: Disorders of sex development (DSD) are those congenital conditions in which development of chromosomal, gonadal, or anatomical sex is atypical. 45,X/46,XY mosaicism results in a large clinical spectrum of DSD including from female patients with Turner’s syndrome to normal appearing males.Objective and hypotheses: The main aim of this study is to review the clinical and gonad histological findings in a cohort of chromosomal DSD patients f...

Background: Androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS) is an X-linked hereditary disease with AR gene loss-of-function mutations in 46,XY patients. They undergoes poor development of secondary sex characteristics, except for breast development at puberty. AIS patients are prone to develop germ cell cancer, even though with lower incidence than in dysgenetic gonads secondary to defects in organogenesis.Case presentation: We described a 3-years-old gir...