ESPE Abstracts

Background: Tissue glucocorticoid sensitivity is characterized by a considerable variation in terms of therapeutic response and side effects to synthetic glucocorticoids. The multi-metabolite concentration profile measured by untargeted plasma metabolomics provides a comprehensive metabolic signature that might be used in clinical practice.Objective and Hypotheses: To investigate the usefulness of plasma metabolomics in identifying a metabolic signature ...

Background: In humans, glucocorticoids (GCs) regulate a broad spectrum of physiologic functions, exerting both genomic and nongenomic actions through their ubiquitously expressed glucocorticoid receptor (hGR). The rapid nongenomic actions of GCs are likely to be mediated by membrane hGRs that transduce the glucocorticoid signal via activation of kinases. S-palmitoylation plays an important role in plasma membrane localization and occurs through a highly conserved nine amino ac...

Background: The noncoding RNA growth-arrest-specific transcript 5 (Gas5) is abundant in cells whose growth has been arrested owing to lack of nutrients or growth factors. Gas5 is a riborepressor of the glucocorticoid receptor, influencing cell survival and metabolic activities during starvation by inhibiting the latter’s transcriptional activity.Aim: To determine the expression levels of Gas5 in blood samples of obese, overweight and lean children a...

Introduction: The influence of sex chromosomes and sex hormones on early human brain development is still poorly understood. Expression of Y chromosome genes may influence aspects of brain maturation in the 46,XY fetus, but the contribution of different Y genes is unknown. Furthermore, a marked increase in testicular testosterone biosynthesis/release from the testis occurs at around 8 weeks post conception (wpc) in the 46,XY fetus, but it is unclear whether te...

Background: Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) is genetically mediated in up to 30% of cases. Many genes associated with POI have roles in early ovary developmental processes, including meiosis.Objectives: We investigated the genetic mechanism underlying early-onset POI in three young women presenting with absent puberty: two sisters from a consanguineous pedigree and a third unrelated proband.<st...

Aim: To uncover a feasible tumor expression prognostic signature and potential therapeutic targets for children with pACT.Methods: Tumor RNAseq from 53 pACT children (70% girls, median age: 1.7yrs) was performed (Illumina). Using a robust, state-of-the-art, differential gene expression analysis pipeline, differentially expressed genes (DEGs: adjusted P<0.05 and |log2 fold-change|>1) were identified (DESeq2...

Background: Fetal skeletal bone development and mineralisation depends on placental calcium transfer. Although Parathyroid Hormone (PTH) pathway has some contribution, TRPV6 (the sixth member of the Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid family) is a recently identified receptor involved in calcium transport and is predominantly expressed in the placenta. It has not previously been linked with skeletal development disorders.Case: This infant had...

In XLH, excess fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) causes hypophosphatemia and consequent rickets, skeletal deformities, and growth impairment. The efficacy and safety of burosumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody against FGF23, was evaluated in two Phase 2 trials in children with XLH. In CL201, 52 children with XLH (5–12 years old, Tanner ≤2) were randomized 1:1 to receive subcutaneous burosumab every 2 (Q2W) or 4 (Q4W) weeks, with doses titrated up to 2 mg/kg to...

Background: The majority of children diagnosed with idiopathic isolated growth hormone deficiency (IIGHD) show a normal growth hormone (GH) secretion (assessed by GH stimulation tests) when retested at near adult height (NAH). It appears plausible that if normal stimulated GH secretion is observed in mid-puberty, continuing recombinant human GH (rhGH) treatment may only have a minor effect on NAH. The effect on NAH has never been investigated in a prospective ...

Background: Congenital hypopituitarism is a rare cause of pituitary insufficiency (incidence: 12–42 new cases/million per year; prevalence: 300–455 cases/million). The aetiology remains largely unclear: the most frequently correlated genetic abnormalities are those involving transcription factors implicated in pituitary organogenesis. The phenotype and neuroradiological findings associated with the underlying genotype may be highly variable (from an isolated hypopitu...