ESPE Abstracts

Background: POU1F1 encodes a pituitary-specific homeodomain transcription factor that is crucial for development and differentiation of anterior pituitary cell types. Mutations in this gene result in GH, TSH and prolactin (PRL) deficiencies.Objective and hypotheses: To describe a male newborn of a mother with known dominant p.R271W mutation in the POU1F1 gene.Methods: Case report with clinical follow up, endocrine investigations, n...

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder requiring daily care to prevent both acute and chronic complications. Intensive support to facilitate coping and self-care skills is advocated. Healthcare providers are challenged to manage the transition of adolescents from paediatric to adult diabetes services.Objective and hypotheses: While centres providing structured integrated paediatric and adult care seem optimal, many patients op...

Background: Anorexia nervosa (AN), a state of chronic nutritional deprivation prevalent in children and young adolescents, is associated with major changes to the hypothalamic–pituitary axis including the GH–IGF1 axis, thyroid function, hypercortisolemia, and hypogonadotropic–hypogonadism, with delayed puberty and a low growth velocity (GV) at a time critical for the pubertal growth spurt, potentially affecting adult height. The effects of supraphysiological hum...

Background: Terminal Xp-deletion causes a variant of Turner syndrome (TS). Several studies described the associated phenotype: gonadal function is generally preserved and short stature is the major clinical feature.Case presentation: We present a family with vertical transmission of TS affecting six women in four subsequent generations. SNP-array indicates that the chromosomal aberration in this family includes terminal Xp-deletion and terminal Xq-duplic...

Background: The male Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal (HPG) axis undergoes a transient activity phase during the first months of life with surging serum concentrations of reproductive hormones. Theoretically, the hormonal surge could represent a passive postnatal feedback to the withdrawal from the high sex steroid levels in pregnancy. However, we believe that minipuberty rather represents an active, tightly genetically-regulated biological process. We therefore...

Background: In minipuberty, the male hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis is transiently activated triggering a surge in reproductive hormones causing growth of the genitalia. Longitudinal individual growth of the infant penis during minipuberty and associations to the HPG axis and IGF-I have not been thoroughly assessed.Aim: To describe the development of penile length and width as well as their relation to serum c...

Background: Growth in infancy is considered primarily to be regulated by nutrition and insulin, whereas less is known about the influence of IGF-I, reproductive hormones and other factors of importance. Recently, paternally inherited genetic defects of DLK1 (Delta-like 1 homolog) were found in girls with central precocious puberty (CPP) with a metabolic phenotype. In addition, low maternal serum DLK1 concentrations were significantly lower in pregnant women wh...

Background: Little is known about the prevalence of neonatal hypoglycaemia in the absence of known risk factors, nor its associated neurodevelopmental outcomes. Neurological harm from hyperinsulinism induced hypoglycaemia (HH) may be due to the direct effect of hypoglycaemia as well as its sequelae, such as seizures or apnoeas, leading to secondary insults such as hypoxic brain injury. With our case series we highlight such risks and propose changes to support...

XY individuals with Disorders/Differences of Sex development (DSD) are characterized by reduced androgenization caused, in some children, by gonadal dysgenesis or, more rarely, testis regression during early fetal development. The genetic etiology for most patients with 46,XY gonadal dysgenesis and for all patients with testicular regression syndrome (TRS) is unknown. Identification of novel genes involved in DSD is crucial for providing an accurate clinical diagnosis, aiding ...

Background: The male Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal (HPG) axis is transiently active during the first months of life with surging serum concentrations of reproductive hormones. This period, termed minipuberty, promotes masculinization, including testicular, and penile growth, as well as further testicular descent in males. It appears to be essential for priming specific cell types, i.e. Sertoli-, Leydig-, and germ cells, including subsequent growth and maturat...