ESPE Abstracts

Introduction: Pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP) is a rare disease, characterized by parathyroid hormone (PTH) resistance and it refers to different mineral disorders of bone metabolism, classified as PHP type 1a (Albright-OHA Hereditary Osteodystrophy), PHP1b and PHP1c (OHA).Four cases reports: Four children were identified as having PHP, being three of them female. PHP was diagnosed at six years of age (three cases) and at...

Introduction: Prompt diagnosis in Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is important for counselling the family and thus pre-empt the hyperphagic phase of the condition.Objectives: To determine the key diagnostic features of PWS during the perinatal period and hence recommend strategies to ensure early diagnosis.Study design: Retrospective case note review with prospective questionnaire survey of birth details for the affected child and heal...

Background: Vitamin D3 (25OHD) insufficiency is becoming a public health issue. Adequate 25OHD status during pregnancy may influence the health status of the offspring.Objective and hypotheses: To evaluate the levels of 25OHD during pregnancy (at 12 weeks) and at 4 years old, assessing seasonality, time of sun exposure, and intake.Method: Data were obtained from 485 pregnant mothers recruited in Asturias between 2004 and 2007 and t...

Introduction: Thyroid hormone resistance (THR) is a syndrome characterized by decreased response to thyroid hormones in target tissues. Thyroid hormone receptor resistance alpha (THRRα) is an autosomal dominant inherited disease that is characterized by near-normal thyroid function tests (TFT) and tissue-specific hypothyroidism, and is likely to be missed in practice.Case: 10-month-old male patient was referred to ...

Despite significant advances in the medical management of childhood diseases, glucocorticoids (GCs) continue to be the mainstay of therapy for numerous serious conditions, including hematological malignancies, Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and inflammatory disorders. In order to understand the natural history of bone development in GC-treated children, a pan-Canadian longitudinal observational research study called "STOPP" (STeroid...

Catch-up growth (CUG) is characterized by a period of supranormal height velocity following a transient period of growth inhibition. The two classical hypotheses on the mechanism are the neuro-endocrine hypothesis (a central mechanism that would recognize the degree of mismatch between actual size and target size) and the growth plate hypothesis (local regulation of growth according to a preset cellular program of senescence, characterized by decreasing growth proliferation ra...

Study of the histopathology of human type 1 and 2 diabetes through the national pancreatic organ donor (nPOD) consortium has yielded interesting new insights that should also aid us in developing improved therapeutic approaches.1. When insulitis is observed, it usually shows a predominance of CD8 T cells, some of which are autoantigen specific (see also Coppieters et al. JEM 2012). It will be therapeutically challenging to remove/prevent CD8 mem...

The transient activation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis shortly after birth has been described as early as in the 70ies. This discovery has since been applied clinically as a ‘window of opportunity’ for diagnostic evaluation of patients suspected of endocrine disorders and differences of sex development. With the advent of increasingly more sensitive and specific analytical methods for peptide and steroid hormones produced in the pituitary, gonads...

Background: A greater number of male (M) vs female (F) patients are diagnosed with GH deficiency (GHD). M have larger birth weight (BW), length and head circumference (HC) compared to F; these characteristics could contribute to subtle cephalo-pelvic disproportion and mild head trauma possibly contributing to idiopathic GHD (IGHD) and multiple pituitary hormone deficiencies (MPHD).Objective: To determine birth characteristics including mode of delivery a...

Background: Cis-gender females are known to mount stronger immune responses to invading pathogens or vaccines than cis-gender males. However, this is also associated with increased risk of autoimmunity. Little is known about the immunophenotypes of transgender individuals on gender-affirming hormonal treatment, despite growing evidence that hormones influence the immune system. Via the process of class-switch recombination (CSR), B-cell immunoglobulin isotype ...