ESPE Abstracts

Background: Haplo-insufficiency of the Myelin-Regulatory Factor (MYRF) gene causes cardiac-urogenital syndrome (CUGS) and Differences in Sexual Development (DSD) in 46,XY and 46,XX (OMIM #618280). The gene product, a transcription factor, is involved in development of Coelomic epithelium derived cells, and likely causative for DSD. To date, only a few MYRF de novo variants are reported in children with DSD and associated CUGS symptoms.<s...

Background: The initiation of puberty is dependent upon an augmentation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion from the hypothalamus. Development of the GnRH neuroendocrine network in embryonic life depends on coordinated migration of neurons from the vomeronasal organ in the nose to the forebrain. We have previously demonstrated that dysregulation in GnRH neuronal migration leads to delayed pubertal onset. Late puberty affects up to 2% of the ...

Background: Children born small for gestational age (SGA) exhibit wide variations in the activity of growth hormone (GH)/insulin–like growth factor–I (IGF-I) axis and this heterogeneity may result in supra physiological concentrations of IGF-I during GH treatment. The long-term effects of elevated IGF-I levels has been a matter of concern. We explored the variations in total IGF-I and bioactive IGF-I and the associations with growth and glucose metab...

Background: Disorders of sex development (DSD) may be associated with adverse psychosocial and psychosexual outcomes in adults. However, there is a paucity of information on health-related quality of life outcomes in parents and young children with DSD.Objective: To evaluate the use of parent-reported outcome (PRO) questionnaires that can be routinely used in the outpatient setting to assess the impact of DSD on parents ...

Triple A syndrome (AAAS) is a rare, incurable, recessive disorder, characterised by achalasia, alacrima, adrenal failure and a neurodegenerative phenotype. The AAAS gene encodes ALADIN, is a nuclear pore complex (NPC) protein necessary for nuclear import of DNA protective molecules, important for redox homeostasis. ALADIN’s role is not fully characterised: its discovery at the centrosome and the endoplasmic reticulum suggests a role outside the NPC. To date, the ...

Liquid chromatography associated with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is currently considered the gold standard for steroid measurement. The aim of this study was to compare traditional immunoassay and LC-MS/MS methods for androgens measurement before and after human recombinant chorionic gonadotrophin (hrCG) stimulation in children with diagnosis of disorder of sex development (DSD) with 46,XY karyotype and past of normal testosterone secretion. We evaluated 19 patients, ...

Introduction: Premature pubarche is the most frequent diagnosis when children present moderate pubic hair development, but other diagnosis must be ruled out. We report the case of a child with premature pubarche with hormonal results in the physiological range, corresponding to an adrenal tumor.Observation: A girl aged 6.8 years consulted for precocious pubertal development (pubic hair stage 3, breast stage 2), with moderate acne. There was no virilizati...

Background: Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY) is a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by pancreatic beta-cell dysfunction, and usually referred to monogenic forms of diabetes mellitus to distinguish them from the more common type 1 (T1D) or type 2 diabetes (T2D). Fourteen different MODY genetic subtypes have been identified so far. Making a definite diagnosis is very challenging because of overlapping clinical phenotypes between diabetes subtypes. Neverth...

Background: Prevalence and severity of obesity and associated comorbidities are increasing in adolescents. Data on neck and upper arm (UA) circumference in addition to established anthropometric measures to define cardiometabolic risk are limited to date.Methods: Data from Phase I of the EU-funded PreSTART-study (trial registration number NCT02545140) was applied. Demographic, clinical, biochemical and lifestyle data were collected in adolescent...

Introduction: Short stature is defined as stature less than −2 standars deviations (SD) for a person’s age and sex of the reference population. Short for gestational age children (SGA) represent 20% of all children with short stature. 10% of these can not catch-up and remains their height below −2 SD. Growth hormone (GH) treatment is a recognized therapy for SGA children authorized in Europe at 4 years old. There are studies that support that younger children ...