ESPE Abstracts

Background: Familial Hypocalciuric Hypercalcemia (FHH) type 1 is a benign condition of hypercalcemia with autosomal dominant inheritance caused by pathogenic variants in the calcium-sensing receptor gene (CASR). CaSR plays a crucial role in the regulation of calcium balance. Inactivating mutations in CASR result in altered calcium-sensing and inappropriate parathyroid hormone (PTH) release concerning the calcium concentration. Dysplasia Epiph...

Autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy syndrome (APECED, OMIM240300) is a rare monogenic disease due to biallelic mutations in the Autoimmune Regulator (AIRE) gene. This encodes for a thymus-enriched transcription factor responsible for central immune tolerance. Classic diagnostic criteria are the presence of two of main symptoms of chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis (CMC), hypoparathyroidism (HP) and Addison’s disease (AD). Non-endocrine autoimmun...

Background: The initiation of puberty is dependent upon an augmentation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion from the hypothalamus. Development of the GnRH neuroendocrine network in embryonic life depends on coordinated migration of neurons from the vomeronasal organ in the nose to the forebrain. We have previously demonstrated that dysregulation in GnRH neuronal migration leads to delayed pubertal onset. Late puberty affects up to 2% of the ...

Background: The diagnosis of GH deficiency (GHD) in children and adolescents is classically established when GH concentrations fail to reach an arbitrary cut-off level (usually 7–10 μg/l) after at least two provocative tests (PT).Objective and hypotheses: Aim of the study was to define optimal GH cut-offs to different PT in children and adolescent with short stature.Method: This was a retrospective study in 437 subjects w...

Background: Prolonged severe hypothyroidism due to Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) is a rare cause of pituitary hyperplasia (PH) in children. Loss of thyroxine negative feedback causes a TRH-dependent hyperplasia of pituitary thyrotroph cells resulting in adenohypophysis enlargement. A transdifferentiation of pituitary somatotroph cells into thyrotroph cells could explain growth failure in those patients. We report a case series of patients with growth impairment diagnosed...

Background: Disorders of sex development (DSD) are often due to disruption of the genetic programs that regulate gonad development. Some genes have been identified in these developmental pathways such as DAX-1, SOX-9, GATA-4 and others. The GATA-4 gene, located on chromosome 8p23.1, encodes GATA-binding protein 4 (GATA-4), a transcription factor that is essential for cardiac and gonadal development and sexual differentiation. Congenital heart disease (CHD) and...

Background: Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is the commonest hypothalamic-pituitary (HP) disorder in cancer survivors. The only few studies in literature addressing GH efficacy in a large cohort of patients concluded that, though improving height outcome, GH therapy may not entirely restore final height (FH) potential according to mid-parental height (MPH). Thus, in order to optimize outcome, more information on factors influencing growth response in these chi...

Background: Hypophosphatemic rickets (HR) stands for a heterogenous group of rare disorders in which excessive renal phosphate wasting is observed. The main characteristics of X-linked HR (XLHR) (OMIM #307800) caused by mutation in PHEX (phosphate-regulating endopeptidase) gene (OMIM *300550) include bone deformities, disproportionately short stature, dental anomalies and hypophosphatemia with coexisting low renal phosphate reabsorption. The patie...

Background: Hypophosphatemic rickets (HR) is a group of rare disorders caused by an excessive renal phosphate wasting. X-linked HR (XLHR) is caused by mutation in PHEX (phosphate-regulating endopeptidase) gene and is characterized mainly by bone deformities, disproportionately short stature, dental anomalies and hypophosphatemia with coexisting low renal phosphate reabsorption. Early treatment with vitamin D and phosphate improves the patient’s growth. Recombinan...

Background: Regulatory T cells (Treg) of phenotype CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ involves active suppression of excessive immune response. The population of Treg cells from patients with type 1 diabetes (DM1) have numeric and functional abnormalities. Although there are many reports of investigations on human and animal populations, the role of regulatory T cells in the development of type 1 diabetes is still unclear.Objective and hypotheses: The aim of the study is t...