ESPE Abstracts

Background: VRS-317, a novel fusion protein of rhGH exhibiting delayed clearance, serum half-life generally >100 h, and potential for once monthly dosing, was previously evaluated in a 6-month phase 1b/2a study of weekly, twice monthly or monthly dosing (5.0 mg/kg per month) in prepubertal GHD children (n=64).Objective and hypotheses: We evaluated whether increased VRS-317 dose from 12 to 18 months can offset the decrease in height velocitie...

Insulin resistance and hepato-visceral (central) fat excess are thought to contribute to an earlier timing of adrenarche/pubarche and puberty/menarche; this earlier timing in turn relates often to a mismatch between pre- and postnatal weight gain, which can be estimated by calculating the Z-score change from birth weight (BW) to body mass index (BMI) in childhood. We tested the hypothesis that this calculation may serve as a proxy of insulin resistance and hepato-visceral adip...

Background: As a result of hypothalamic involvement and/or treatment-related hypothalamic damage, up to 75% of childhood craniopharyngioma patients develop hypothalamic obesity.outcome is important for optimization of treatment.Method: Eating behaviour was analysed in 101 survivors of childhood craniopharyngioma, recruited from 1980 to 2001 in the HIT-Endo multicentre study, and in 85 BMI-matched healthy controls using the Inventory for eating behavior a...

The benefits of surgical repair on long term growth in children with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) have been variable. Surgery undertaken beyond infancy has often been associated with a residual degree of growth impairment. Primary repair of during early infancy was adopted in many centres, if clinically indicated. We examined the effects of full early surgical correction of TOF on linear growth for 2 years postoperatively. Anthropometric data of infants with TOF before and after ...

Background: Impaired glucose tolerance ((IGT), glucose ≥140mg/dl at 120’ in the oral-glucose-tolerance-test (OGTT)) is prevalent in childhood obesity. It is frequently reversed after weight loss, although an eventual role for metformin treatment has been postulated.Objective: To evaluate the benefits of metformin addition to conservative treatment on weight loss and IGT in obese children.Patients and methods: We studied ...

Introduction: Monogenic defects in the leptin-melanocortin pathway result in hyperphagia and severe, early-onset obesity. Knowledge of the natural history of anthropometric parameters in patients with monogenic obesity is essential for diagnosis. However, reliable data on early childhood weight and height development in affected patients are lacking. This study aimed to evaluate the history of height, weight, and BMI development in early childhood in a Europea...

Introduction and objectives: Imprinted genes have been broadly related to prenatal growth regulation. PEG10 is a maternally imprinted gene involved in cellular proliferation that is mainly expressed in the placenta and in some adult tissues. In mice, mutations in this gene have been related to growth restriction of both the embryo and the placenta. Nevertheless, its role in postnatal growth has not yet been established. We aimed to study prospectively the rela...

Background: Male preterm infants are at increased risk of neonatal mortality when compared to their female counterparts. The mechanisms explaining this male disadvantage are not fully elucidated yet.Objective and hypotheses: To compare glucocorticoid metabolite excretion in urine obtained at day 10 between male and female infants born with a very low birth weight (VLBW; i.e. <1500 g). We hypothesized that male preterm infants have impaired adrenocort...

Background: Hypothalamic obesity (HyOb) is a rare form of treatment-resistant morbid obesity associated with congenital or acquired hypothalamic damage. Its pathophysiology has been attributed to hyperphagia and hyperinsulinaemia. The wider roles of oxytocin (OXT) in regulating appetite and weight have recently emerged in animal and human studies, but there is no human evidence that hypo-oxytocinaemia contributes to weight gain.Hypothesis: Hypo-oxytocina...

Background: Hyperinsulinism is characterised by inappropriate insulin secretion during hypoglycaemia. Mutations in the KATP channel genes, ABCC8 and KCNJ11, are the most common cause of persistent congenital hyperinsulinism. The diagnosis of KATP hyperinsulinism is key for the clinical management of the condition.Aim: We aimed to determine the clinical features that help to identify KATP hyperinsulinism...