ESPE Abstracts

Background: Ovotesticular DSD is a rare disorder defined by the presence of both ovarian and testicular tissues in the same individual. SRY is present in approximately 1/3 of patients with 46, XX ovotesticular DSD. In SRY-negative ovotesticular DSD, the mechanism responsible for the presence of testicular tissue is not yet understood.Case presentation: A male patient was referred to us for hypospadias and bilateral cryptorchidism at 2.5...

Background: Primordial dwarfism (PD) is a phenotype characterized by profound growth retardation and microcephaly that is prenatal in onset. Recently mutations in genes involved in ciliogenesis have been described in patients with primordial dwarfism phenotype. In 2012 mutations in rotatin (RTTN), a protein involved in cilia structure and function, have been described in in individuals with bilateral diffuse polymicrogyria, but not growth failure.Case pr...

Background: Central precocious puberty (CPP) is often familial but its genetic cause is largely unknown. Very recently, the makorin RING finger protein 3 (MKRN3) gene, located on chromosome 15 in the Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS)-associated region (15q11-q13), has been found mutated for the first time in five families with familial precocious puberty, with a peculiar kind of transmission. In fact, it is an imprinted gene which is expressed only if transmitted from the father. Th...

Background: Studies examining vitamin D levels in association with childhood obesity usually do not concurrently measure levels of vitamin D-binding protein and do not calculate the unbound, bioavailable vitamin D, that is considered the fraction of 25-hydroxyvitamin D able to exert biological activity.Objective and hypotheses: To evaluate in a group of children for the most part obese i) the concentrations of both total 25-hydroxyvitamin D and of the bi...

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...

We present the case of a five-day female admitted to our Paediatric Unit due to TSH elevation (bTSH 303 mIU/L) on routine neonatal screening for congenital hypothyroidism (CH). The patient was born at 38 weeks’ gestation by c-section presenting with adequate auxological parameters. Her mother suffered from Hashimoto’s disease, already diagnosed before pregnancy, and requiring Levo-thyroxine therapy (L-T4). Blood tests performed at five days of life revealed the pre...

Background: Turner syndrome (TS) arises from a complete or partial loss of one X chromosome (45,X) and is the most common genetic cause of primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) in women. Surprisingly little is understood about the pathogenesis of POI in TS beyond an acknowledged germ cell loss throughout the second trimester. Although X chromosome haploinsufficiency likely contributes, the variability in reproductive phenotype in 45,X TS suggests it is not the o...

Brother 1: 7 years old boy, with right genu valgum and short stature (−2,11 DS); X ray shows rickets features. Plasmatic Calcium 9.3 mg/dl; phosphate 2.5 mg/dl; Alkaline phosphatasas 460 U/l; Parathyroid hormone 83 pg/ml; 25OH Vitamin D 24 ng/ml. Urine calcium 159 mg/24 h (9.2 mg/K per day); Urine phosphate 870 mg/24 h; TmP/GFR 2.6 (NV:3.8 −5.0); proteinuria 100 mg/dl.Brother 2: 4 y.o boy with frequent respiratory diseases in infant period. G...

Background: Gonadotropin releasing hormone analogs (GnRHa) are effective in improving adult height in children with precocious onset of puberty, rapid progression, and good growth potential. In last years, however, some transient metabolic complications have been described during the treatment without the reassurance of long-term data yet. The aim of our study is to clarify if body mass index (BMI) at diagnosis of idiopathic central precocious puberty (iCPP) c...

ERF protein is a major binding target of ERK1/2 kinases, key effectors of the RAS–MEK–ERK signaling cascade. ERF has a role as a negative transcriptional regulator of RAS/MAPK mitogenic pathway (1) and, in theory, a loss-of-function mutation (LOF) in ERF could cause a Rasopathy phenotype. To date, LOF variants of ERF have been reported in 45 individuals with craniosynostosis but without a Noonan-like phenotype. There is only one case report describing a patient wit...