ESPE Abstracts

Background: The replacement therapy with levo-thyroxine (LT4) in congenital hypothyroidism (CH) aims to ensure normal growth and neuropsychological development. Few data are available about the appropriate dose during childhood and early adolescence.Objective and hypotheses: i) To evaluate LT4/kg per day requirement from diagnosis until 12 years of age; ii) to assess any differences in relation to the different etiology of CH as concern...

Background: Data regarding epidemiology and management of Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) in Italian children with T1D at disease onset are lacking.Method: From 1/1/2012 to 31/12/2013 a survey on DKA was conducted in all paediatric Centres belonging to the Italian Society for Pediatric Diabetology and Endocrinology. DKA was defined according to the ISPAD criteria. The following data were collected: treatment according ISPAD protocol yes or not, type of rehyd...

Background: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and alterations may manifest as early as in adolescence. Increased physical activity and reduced sedentary behavior reduce the risk of CVD development in general adult populations, but knowledge is limited on their associations with early markers of CVD risk in pediatric T1D.Objective: Estimate associations of physical activity and sedent...

Introduction: Improvements in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) have increased survival, with the consequent concern about the long-term effects that childhood chemotherapy may have on ovarian function. AMH constitutes an indirect, reliable biomarker of the ovarian reserve, useful for the assessment of cancer therapy-related ovarian damage.Aim: To evaluate small ovarian f...

Introduction: Achondroplasia is caused by a pathogenic mutation in the FGFR3 gene, leading to impaired endochondral bone growth and multiple medical complications. Vosoritide, a modified recombinant human C-type natriuretic peptide (rhCNP), was approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in August 2021 for treating genetically confirmed achondroplasia in patients aged ≥2 years until closure of epiphyses. Acorn is the first treatment-based registry for a...

Background: Infants with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) exhibit stunted growth. However, little is known about the role of genes expressed from the imprinted PWS domain in healthy infants. This study aimed to analyze the relative gene expression of the SNURF-SNRPN/UBE3A cluster in the imprinted PWS domain in umbilical cord tissue, and its potential association with prenatal and postnatal growth in apparently healthy infants.Methods:...

Background: Several genetic defects (GHR, SHOX, GHSR, NPR2, IGFALS) have been reported in children classified as ISS. ISS children are GH sufficient and about one third of them show low IGF-I levels, suggesting some degree of GH insensitivity.Objective: To explore potential genetic defects in ISS children suspicious of GH insensitivity, selected by low IGF-I levels and low response to IGF generation test.<...

Background: We have recently reported the molecular diagnosis of two patients with severe growth failure associated with a spectrum of early-onset autoimmune disease and immunodeficiency. Heterozygous de novo mutations, c.1847_1849delAAG (p.E616del) and c.1276T>C (p.C426R), in the STAT3 gene were found. Functional in vitro studies of these variants are presented.Objective and hypotheses: We...

Background: The most frequent cause of familial growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is Type II autosomal dominant GHD (isolated GHD type II) due to several heterozygous GH1 mutations.Method: Genomic DNA from patients with familial GHD was enriched for the coding exons using hybrid capture technology and GH1 was sequenced using Next Generation Sequencing technology. Plasmids containing genes for WT and A34T GH1 were transfected into NCI HEK2...

Background: Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid closely related to the ketone body β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) considered as the major source of energy during prolonged exercise. During fasting, when the liver switches to fatty acid oxidation, a rise in serum GH occurs concomitantly with the accumulation of BHB and short chain fatty acids (SCFA) acetate, propionate and butyrate. Interactions between GH, ketone body and SCFA during the metabolic adaptation to fasting are poor...