ESPE Abstracts

Background: DLK1 (PREF1) is a key inhibitor of adipogenesis and adipocyte differentiation. Adipose tissue expansion depends on adequate adipocyte differentiation. However, whether lower DLK1 expression facilitates adipose tissue expansion following fetal growth restriction is so far unknown.Objective and hypotheses: To study the expression of DLK1 in the adipose tissue of prenatally growth-restricted rats and its relat...

Background: It is well known that ingestion of a high fat diet (HFD) can induce rapid weight gain and metabolic imbalances. However, males and females are not equally susceptible to these effects. Furthermore, an individual may be more prone to gain weight during specific developmental periods.Aims and objectives: We aimed to analyse the response to the acute exposure to a HFD during pubertal/adolescent period and to determine whether males and females r...

Background and Aim: Vertebral fractures (VF) in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are often symptomatic and impairing life quality. Prevalence of children with VF at ALL diagnosis has been reported as 16% with peak incidence occurring during the first year after diagnosis and a 6-year cumulative incidence of 32.5%. Moreover, only 15.8% of these patients will have vertebral reshaping 24 months after ALL diagnosis. Additionally, 23% of ALL survivo...

We report and discuss a case of a girl who at birth underwent surgery for Hirschsprung Disease (HD). To closely investigate her condition, we used a Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) panel to carry out a study of some of the genes known as being associated with congenital megacolon (PHOX-2B, RET, EDN3, GDNF, ASCL1 and BDNF). This analysis showed a maternally inherited heterozygous variant in the RET protooncogene (c.734T>A, p.Val245Glu), which is not described in the scienti...

Background: Disorders of sex development (DSD) are classified as a congenital discrepancy between external genitalia, and gonadal and chromosomal sex. Despite extensive laboratory and imaging investigations, the etiology of DSD is unknown in more than 50% of patients. We aimed to evaluate the etiology of DSD using whole exome sequencing (WES) technique.Methods: Eleven patients with DSD (ten with 46,XY and one with 46...

Introduction: Treatment with recombinant growth hormone (rGH) is safe and has greatly improved the approach of children and adolescents with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) and other growth disorders. Some studies show that most of the height gain associated with GH treatment occurs in prepubertal years. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of age at start of the treatment on final height in children with isolated or GHD in a Portuguese cohort.<p class="abstext"...

Background: Isolated growth hormone deficiency is the most common pituitary hormone deficiency, although the majority of cases are idiopathic. The presence of pituitary structural abnormalities may influence growth hormone (GH) deficiency severeness.Objective: Assess the effect of pituitary abnormalities in idiopathic isolated growth hormone deficiency (IIGHD).Methods: We analysed 65 children with IIGHD and pituitary magnetic resso...

Background: The inheritable component of familial Papillary Thyroid Cancer (fPTC) was recently attributed to monogenic defects in a reduced number of genes including DICER1. DICER1 codes for a ribonuclease of the RNaseIII family essential for the biogenesis of microRNAs.Objective and hypotheses: We aimed to identify germline and/or somatic mutations in DICER1 in a familial pedigree with PTC, multinodular goiter (MNG) and other ...

Background: Besides surgery, radioactive iodine therapy (RAI) is an effective and safe option to treat children with hyperthyroidism from Graves disease (GD) who cannot achieve euthyroidism with antithyroid drugs.Objective and hypotheses: To present the experience of a Portuguese paediatric unit with the use of RAI in children with GD.Method: The authors performed a review of 7 cases of Graves disease of age under 18 years treated ...

Background: Consultations for infantile hypercalcaemia have increased at Sydney Children’s Hospital since guidelines for vitamin D3 supplementation during pregnancy were introduced in 2006. Recent nationwide shortages of low-calcium formula (LCF) suggest this problem may be widespread.Aim: To determine if infantile hypercalcaemia is occurring more commonly, identify potential aetiologies and clinical significance.Me...