ESPE Abstracts

Background: Patients with 46, XY DSD present conflicts and issues related to gender identity (GI) and change to male social sex in patients registered in the female social sex is not rare. The HTP test is a projective psychological test, which assesses aspects related to sexual identification. GI in this test is defined as female (F), male (M) or ambiguous.Objective and hypotheses: To evaluate GI in patients with 46, XY DSD by the HTP test and compare th...

Background: Nephrogenic syndrome of inappropriate antidiuresis (NSIAD) results from gain-of-function mutations in the AVPR2 gene coding for vasopressin receptor 2 (V2R). In contrast, nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) is caused by loss-of-function mutations in AVPR2. Here we describe and functionally characterize a novel mutation located in the seventh transmembrane domain of V2R. This mutation was identified in a boy suffering from water-induced hyponatrem...

Introduction: Obesity is a multifactorial disease resulting from an interplay between genetics and the environment. Metabolic, nutritional, psychosocial, and lifestyle factors participate, promoting various degrees of overweight or obesity. Pediatric obesity increases after infancy and is higher in early adulthood, showing a heritability of up to 85%. Genetic variants associated with BMI in children can exert their effects by affecting eating behavior, as is t...

Background: The male Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal (HPG) axis undergoes a transient activity phase during the first months of life with surging serum concentrations of reproductive hormones. Theoretically, the hormonal surge could represent a passive postnatal feedback to the withdrawal from the high sex steroid levels in pregnancy. However, we believe that minipuberty rather represents an active, tightly genetically-regulated biological process. We therefore...

Background: The circulating steroid metabolome in boys undergoes significant changes during infancy reflecting functional and structural rearrangements of the adrenal glands as well as the transient activity of the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis, also called minipuberty. Studies investigating the serum steroid metabolome dynamics during infancy in a longitudinal manner are however sparse.Objective: We ai...

Background: Melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) deficiency is the commonest monogenic form of non-syndromic obesity. MC4R is a seven transmembrane G-protein coupled receptor implicated in central regulation of body weight. The loss-of-function mutations in MC4R gene will contribute to early-onset obesity associated with hyperinsulinemia, hyperphagia and “binge eating”. We aim to determine the prevalence of MC4R variants in a Pediatrics...

Background: Pelvic ultrasound is used for the diagnosis and follow-up of girls with precocious puberty (PP). This tool may be somewhat misleading, because during treatment some patients may persist with pubertal uterine and ovarian anatomy. Oestrogens decrease the resistance of the uterine arteries, so Doppler evaluation of these vessels might be a useful complementary exam to determine the effects of treatment in these patients.Objective and hypotheses:...

Introduction: Endocrinopathies are common features of intracranial germ cell tumours (IC-GCTs), either as presenting symptoms caused by tumour itself or as side effects of treatments.Aims: We examined the development of endocrine dysfunctions in a cohort of paediatric patients with IC-GCTs at diagnosis and during follow up.Methods: We collected clinical, radiological, histopathological and hormonal...

Introduction: Delays in diagnosis of IC-GCTs in the paediatric age have been frequently reported, affecting outcomes and prognosis.Aims: This study analysed clinical features of children with IC-GCTs treated at two European tertiary centres in the last 25 years. We retrospectively reviewed time lag between symptoms onset, radiological findings and definitive diagnosis of IC-GCT.Methods: Presenting ...

Background: Loss of imprinting has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several human diseases. Monogenic causes of central precocious puberty (CPP) were identified in families with loss-of-function mutations in two paternally expressed imprinted genes: Makorin zinc finger 3 (MKRN3) and Delta-like 1 homolog (DLK1). The role of imprinting defects in CPP has not been described so far.Objective: To inves...