ESPE Abstracts

Background: In humans, glucocorticoids (GCs) regulate a broad spectrum of physiologic functions, exerting both genomic and nongenomic actions through their ubiquitously expressed glucocorticoid receptor (hGR). The rapid nongenomic actions of GCs are likely to be mediated by membrane hGRs that transduce the glucocorticoid signal via activation of kinases. S-palmitoylation plays an important role in plasma membrane localization and occurs through a highly conserved nine amino ac...

Background: Cystic fibrosis-related diabetes (CFRD) is a common complication in cystic fibrosis (CF). CFRD symptoms and treatment may impose additional burden and adversely affect their QoL.Objective and hypotheses: Assess HRQoL in CF children with normal glycaemia (CFN) and CFRD and evaluate the change in HRQoL over 1 year period along with clinical changes.Method: A prospective study was undertaken including children aged 10&#150...

Background: Honey is known for its medicinal and health promoting properties. It contains phytochemicals with high phenolic and flavonoid content, which contribute to its high antioxidant activity. Recent studies performed in adult healthy subjects suggest that honey has a beneficial effect on plasma glucose and serum insulin concentrations compared with monosacharides and disaccharides from different sources.Objective/hypotheses: To compare the effects ...

Background: The noncoding RNA growth-arrest-specific transcript 5 (Gas5) is abundant in cells whose growth has been arrested owing to lack of nutrients or growth factors. Gas5 is a riborepressor of the glucocorticoid receptor, influencing cell survival and metabolic activities during starvation by inhibiting the latter’s transcriptional activity.Aim: To determine the expression levels of Gas5 in blood samples of obese, overweight and lean children a...

Background: Adults have a weight that is normal for them. This is referred to as their ‘set-point’ for weight. Studies have shown physiological protection of this set-point, explaining why most obese adults who diet eventually regain weight.Objective and hypotheses: We hypothesised that set-points for weight, and their physiological defence, are flexible in childhood but become fixed sometime around puberty. We aimed to show that obese children...

Background: Since the initiation of neonatal screening-programs for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) in the 1970’s, an increase in the incidence of CH has been observed. This change has been attributed to the gradual use of lower TSH cut-offs that lead to the detection of milder cases of CH. Based on currently used screening cut-offs, CH occurs in approximately 1:2 000 to 1:4 000 newborns, varying by geographic location and ethnicity. A female predominance, approaching a 2:...

Background: Emerging evidence suggests FTO polymorphisms are associated with obesity-related comorbidities including type 2 diabetes (T2DM), hypertension and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). However association of FTO with other comorbidities such as obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) in paediatric populations is less clear.Objective and hypotheses: To investigate the prevalence of obesity-related comorbidities according to FTO genotype in an obese paedia...

Background: Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is a group of autosomal recessive disorders characterised by impaired cortisol synthesis. An enzymatic defect in 11-beta-hydroxylase is the second most common variant of CAH and accounts for approximately 5–8% of cases. Patients present with features of androgen excess and approximately two thirds of patients also have high blood pressure (HBP), which is initially responsive to glucocorticoid replacement, but may become a c...

Background: Mucolipidoses II/III (ML) are rare autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorders (incidence: 1/325 000 live births). They have overlapping clinical phenotypes with mucopolysaccharidosis disorders and include growth retardation, facial dysmorphism, skeletal abnormalities, respiratory and heart diseases, hepatosplenomegaly and abdominal hernias. There is no specific treatment and the management has been limited to supportive care.Case present...

Prior to menopause, it is known that women have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and coronary heart disease compared to age-matched men; it is reported that women have around half the CVD risk and almost a 10-year delay in first myocardial infarction event compared to men. Sex differences in serum lipids could contribute to CVD risk through driving atherosclerosis, the buildup of lipids in the sub-endothelial intimal layer of medium-sized to large arteries. We hypo...