ESPE Abstracts

Introduction: it has been widely demonstrated that high physical activity (PA) levels prevent obesity development. The practice of moderate, regular PA reduces abdominal obesity, hypertension, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and improves risk factors for obesity-related comorbidities (e.g. diabetes or cardiovascular diseases) independently of weight loss. However, in the childhood population, where sedentary behavior has increased in recent decades, few studi...

Background: Pappalysins (PAPP-A, PAPP-A2) and stanniocalcins (STC-1, STC-2) are novel regulators of the GH-IGF axis, modulating IGF bioavailability through control of cleavage of IGFBPs and release of IGF from the ternary complex. Changes in the peripheral IGF system, including low IGF concentrations independently of GH secretion, have been reported in scenarios of malnutrition such as anorexia nervosa (AN). The role of pappalysins and stanniocalcins in the pa...

Introduction: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is associated with significantly higher cardiovascular disease mortality compared to the general population, even when glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) is less than 7.0%. Inadequate body composition may increase the risk.Aim and Methods: To evaluate body composition of a group of pediatric patients with T1DM, from Portuguese Pediatric Endocrinology/Diabetic Clinic, using the bioim...

Background: Early vascular aging is driven by modifiable lifestyle risk factors, including physical inactivity. Early identification of children at risk of atherosclerosis (AS) is needed for implementing primary preventive measures addressing vascular health. The aim of the study was to determine the association between objectively determined physical fitness (PF) and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), used as a reliable noninvasive biomarker of AS in a po...

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...

Introduction: Small for gestational age (SGA) is a common condition affecting around 10% of all newborns, and it is associated with an increased risk of short stature and other health problems later in life. Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is a well-known cause of growth failure in children, and it is estimated to affect approximately 1 in 4.000-10.000 children. However, the prevalence of GHD in SGA children with short stature is not well established. Early de...

Indels are highly abundant in human genomes and have contributed massively to genome evolution. However, the role of indels and their underlined mechanisms of mutagenesis in Mendelian disorders still needs to be appreciated. To explore the contribution of indels in a monogenic disorder, we analyzed all indels already described in the AR gene, including three novel indels found in our cohort. We analyzed the indel distribution through the AR coding region, compared wit...

Introduction: ABCD syndrome is characterized by hypercalcemia, hypercalciuria, nephrocalcinosis, and renal impairment, generally under 4 years old. This is a rare cause of pediatric hypercalcemia with only 7 cases published, but it is believed to be underdiagnosed. The suspected mechanism would be associated with overexpression of transient receptor potential channels (TRP) that modulate intestinal absorption of calcium, since TRP-M2 is encoded on chromosome 2...

Introduction and Aims: Autosomal dominant hypocalcemia or type V Bartter syndrome is characterized by hypocalcemia, low parathyroid hormone (PTH), and calciuria, which marks its prognosis due to the risk of nephrocalcinosis. It is caused by activating mutations in the calcium-sensing receptor (CASR) gene (3q21.1), which is expressed in the parathyroid and renal tubules, causing salt and potassium loss, due to the inhibition of the ROMK and NKCC2 channels. We s...

Introduction: 46,XY gonadal dysgenesis (GD) represents a heterogeneous group of disorders/differences of sex development (DSD) characterized by abnormal gonadal development leading to a wide phenotypic spectrum. Variable degrees of external genitalia undervirilization are observed, ranging from micropenis to female-like genitalia and partially or fully-developed Mullerian derivatives.Case Report: A 6 years-old boy follow...