ESPE Abstracts

Background: The association of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), adrenal insufficiency and gonadal dysgenesis is well recognised. Some children have been reported to develop monosomy 7 and myelodysplasia. However, the genetic basis of this condition was poorly understood.Objective and hypotheses: Our aim was to investigate the genetic basis of eight children with IUGR, adrenal insufficiency and gonadal failure and additional features including seve...

Background: Primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) is most commonly congenital in children. PAI is genetically heterogeneous with some gene defects causing syndromic disease. A third of patients have no genetic diagnosis meaning their prognosis is uncertain. We recently investigated families with a novel combination of PAI and steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome.Objective and hypotheses: To discover the genetic defect underlying this syndrome.<p class=...

Objective: Remission rates in young people with Graves’ hyperthyroidism are 25% or less after a 2-yr course of thionamide antithyroid drug (ATD). Immunomodulatory agents could potentially improve outcome by facilitating immune tolerance. We wanted to explore whether rituximab, a B lymphocyte depleting agent, would increase remission rates when administered with a short course of ATD.Design: This was an investigator-...

Background: Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) affects 1% of women and is associated with significant medical consequences. In approximately 10% of cases, POI presents early with absent puberty or primary amenorrhoea. A genetic cause for POI can be found in up to 30% of women. Identified genes often relate to the complex biological processes occurring in fetal life which underpin normal ovary development and function in later adulthood.Objective: We aim...

Introduction: The human adrenal gland originates from the adrenogonadal primordium at around 4 weeks post conception (wpc) and undergoes marked developmental changes throughout the first half of pregnancy. Several key aspects of adrenal maturation are well-established, such as the formation of a large inner fetal zone (FZ) and synthesis of dehydroepiandrosterone, but many other processes contributing to adrenal gland development and function in humans are stil...

Purpose: X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) is the most common hereditary cause of hypophosphatemic rickets. Elevated circulating levels of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) caused by mutations in the PHEX gene lead to renal phosphate wasting and rickets. Conventional treatment with phosphate salts and active vitamin D is associated with nephrocalcinosis in XLH patients. Mice on a high phosphate diet develop proximal tubular injury. Detailed analysis on kidney ...

Introduction: Ovary development was once considered a largely passive process. RNA sequencing (RNAseq) approaches have allowed us to begin to characterise ovary development in previously unparalleled detail, revealing the process to be complex and, still, little understood. A challenge is synthesising and using these data to advance our understanding of clinical disease. Through a clinically-focused lens, we elucidate novel aspects of the transcriptional lands...

Introduction: Primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) is a potentially life-threatening condition that requires appropriate diagnosis and treatment. The most common cause of PAI is congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), but other well-established aetiologies include metabolic and autoimmune disorders, and physical damage. Mutations in more than 30 genes have now been associated with PAI, with considerable biochemical and phenotypic overlap. It is therefore importan...

Parental imprinting is an epigenetic process leading to monoallelic expression of certain genes depending on their parental origin. Imprinting disorders are a set of rare diseases that mainly affect growth and metabolism from birth to adulthood. These disorders are mainly due to methylation defects in imprinting control region that drive the abnormal expression of imprinted genes. Moreover, patients with imprinting disorders may present overlapping clinical features that can b...

Introduction: Linear growth is a complex process involving the interplay of genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. Current knowledge sheds importance to the GH-IGF-1 axis, chondrocyte regulation and extra-cellular matrix in the growth plate, and other fundamental intracellular processes. Despite these advancements, the genetics of short stature are not fully understood. This study aims to contribute by investigating a unique cohort of children from co...