ESPE Abstracts

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...

Introduction: The degree of consistency between the findings from next generation sequencing (NGS) and detailed endocrine assessment is unclear in boys with XY DSD.Objectives: Examine the range of endocrine and molecular genetic variation in boys undergoing evaluation for XYDSD.Methods: Boys with XYDSD who were evaluated in Glasgow from 2016 to 2018 were included. Sequence variants...

Objectives: To describe the auditory phenotype and dynamics of hearing thresholds in patients with Turner Syndrome (TS).Patients and Methods: Cross-section study evaluating the hearing thresholds in 246 TS patients (age range 4-44 yrs). Patients were divided into three age groups: Group 1 (79 TS, age range 4.0-12.9 yrs); Group 2 (109 TS, age range 13.0-25.9 yrs,) and Group 3 (66 TS, age range 26.0-44.9 yrs,). Pure tone a...

Objectives: To investigate prognostic markers (age, initial hearing level, karyotype, chronic hormonal therapies, and presence/absence of a mid-frequency dip influence) for hearing loss (HL) in Turner syndrome (TS).Design: Longitudinal cross-sectional and retrospective study.Study Population: 61 TS females (age range 4 - 45 yrs), diagnosed by cytogenetic analysis (49,2% monosom...

Background: Recommendations for initial and maintenance dose of HC in CAH differ widely. However, treatment of CAH in young children is complicated by the lack of a suitable low-dose HC preparations.Methods: The German Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetology (DGKED) initiated a registry for patients with classical CAH (German CAH registry). Anonymized data are transferred for central analysis, including a validation step and a benchmarking r...