ESPE Abstracts

Background: Genomic imprinting causes genes to be expressed or repressed depending on their parental origin. The 1-Mb DLK1-DIO3 imprinted domain is located on human chromosome 14. Gene expression along this cluster is regulated by an intergenic differentially methylated imprinting control region (‘IG-DMR’). In mice, altered gene dosage within this cluster is associated with alterations in embryonic and placental growth.Objective and hy...

Background: Maternal obesity can have long-term consequences for the offspring’s health, including increased risk of type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The C19MC imprinted locus on chromosome 19q13.4 comprises a cluster of 46 microRNAs, which are usually expressed only in the placenta and from the paternal allele exclusively. Besides its role favouring trophoblast migration, the C19MC locus is deregulated in several human cancers. It is unknown ...

Introduction: Peripubertal children with delayed puberty frequently display a poor growth rate prompting endocrine work-up. Whether priming with sex steroids should routinely be performed in these patients to improve specificity of growth hormone stimulation tests (GHST) is unclear. Treatment with sex steroids in constitutional delay of growth and puberty (CDGP) is also debated.Patients and Methods: This multicenter retr...

PCOS treatment in adolescence should aim at improving ovarian function, based on the pathophysiology of this condition. We previously described in cystic fibrosis and then in the PCOS an increase in HMGB1, secondary to reduced cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) expression in the ovary, associated with insulin resistance and inflammation that both characterize PCOS. Inositols and ALA derivatives are considered a good therapeutic option for their possible...

Introduction: The diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is currently based on clinical, auxological, biochemical, and neuro-radiological investigation. Provocative tests of GH secretion using physiological/pharmacological stimuli are required to confirm GHD. The clonidine test (CT) is widely used to assess GH secretory status. In this retrospective study we analyzed the reliability of CT and the effect of puberty in a large number of children with short stature who had ...

Introduction: Previous reports support the hypothesis of an age dependent derangement of the hypothalamus–pituitary axis occurring in PWS subjects. In this context, transition years represent an important phase of growth process when somatic development reaches its completion. In the general population, GH deficiency (GHD) during the transition phase is associated with deterioration of body composition, metabolic alterations and reduced bone mineral density. PWS subjects ...

Background: Soluble CD163 (sCD163) is shed from the cell surface into the circulation as a specific marker of macrophage activation. Macrophages are involved in low-grade inflammatory states such as obesity.Objective and hypotheses: To investigate the relationships between circulating sCD163 and metabolic parameters in asymptomatic prepubertal children.Method: A population of 236 school-aged Caucasian children (111 girls and 125 bo...

Introduction: Distal chromosome 15 duplication is a very rare genetic disease, first described in 1974 by Fujimoto et al. The symptoms and physical findings include prenatal and/or postnatal growth retardation, mental retardation, poor speaking abilities, asymmetrical dysmorphic facial features, malformations of the fingers and/or toes and sometimes heart conditions.Case report: We report a case of a 2 years 5 months old girl, born with SGA (uterine grow...

Background: Marfan syndrome is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder with skeletal, cardiac, and ocular involvement. Mutations in the fibrillin-1 gene on chromosome 15 are responsible for the development of the syndrome.Objective: To present one case of neonatal Marfan syndrome.Case: The patient was a 1-day-old female neonate who was born at 36 weeks gestation via normal delivery. Her body weight was 2900 g and height 48 cm. Ultra...

Background: Sotos syndrome is characterized by overgrowth. The four mayor criteria for diagnosis are: overgrowth (accelerated bone age), macrocephaly, characteristic facial features and developmental delay. They can also present escoliosis, heart or genitourinary disease, seizures, hypotonia, cerebral malformations, feeding difficulties, hearing loss and a greater risk of tumours.Case report: A 10 months old girl was referred for overgrowth. BW and BL wa...