ESPE Abstracts

Background: Aberrations in the timing of puberty may result in significant adverse health outcomes, including cancers, cardiovascular and neurological pathologies. Self-limited delayed puberty (DP) (i.e. constitutional delay of puberty) runs in families with either autosomal dominant or complex inheritance patterns in >70% of families, indicating a strong genetic basis of the trait. However, only a few genes have been identified underlying DP so far....

Background: Glucocorticoids play an important role in the developing fetus; the most important of which is lung maturation by increasing surfactant production and release. Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) functioning changes throughout the fetal period, especially during the transition to extrauterine life. Given the importance of glucocorticoids in lung development and functioning, studying glucocorticoid sensitivity (GS) in this population would be helpful, especially in the pre...

Background: Growth hormone (GH) replacement as daily s.c. injections for patients with adults with GH deficiency (AGHD) can be cumbersome. Somapacitan (Novo Nordisk), a once-weekly reversible albumin-binding GH derivative, has been shown in short-term trials to be well tolerated in healthy adults and in patients with AGHD.Objective and hypotheses: This trial was a multinational, multicentre, randomised (2:1), open-label, active-controlle...

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: Trisomy 21 is associated with an increased susceptibility to respiratory infections.Objective and hypotheses: For a more detailed characterization of the adaptive immune response, we analyzed the cellular and humoral immunity to specific pathogens in blood samples of 40 children with Down’s syndrome in comparison to 51 age-matched controls.Method: We quantitatively analyzed lymphocyte subpopulations using flow cyto...

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: Most children with idiopathic short stature (ISS) have a delayed bone age (BA). ISS with advanced BA is far less common. We studied three families with autosomal dominant short stature, unexplained BA acceleration, and premature growth cessation.Objective and hypotheses: To identify the genetic cause of this condition and describe its clinical spectrum.Method: Whole exome sequencing was performed in selected individuals...

Background: Adipose tissue is an important endocrine organ. Its secretion profile is robustly changed in the context of obesity fueling the development of comorbidities such as insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus type 2, and atherosclerosis. We have recently shown that the adipose tissue expression of the death ligand TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand TRAIL and its receptors is upregulated in obesity.Objective and Hypotheses: In this project, we in...

Background: The use of antipsychotic medication in medical practice is increasing in Europe. Antipsychotics have serious adverse effects like weight gain.Objective: Aim was to explore metabolic risk factors and glycaemic control in youths with type 1 diabetes treated with typical or atypical antipsychotics.Design and methods: Data of children, adolescents, and young adults with type 1 diabetes up to the age of 25 years and with dia...

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...