ESPE Abstracts

The accumulation of adipose tissue, especially visceral fat, represents a risk factor for reduced bone mineral density and spontaneous fractures. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain the complex relationship between adipose tissue and bone. Obesity is associated with the production of inflammatory cytokines both by adipocytes and immune cells which may stimulate bone resorption and reduce bone strength. Studies in vitro and in vivo have reported t...

Objectives: To assess the long-term impact of prematurity on bone and body composition by using Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).Methods: DXA scans were performed in 100 preterm (PT) (n=42F, n=58M, mean weeks’gestation 31.5±2.6; range 26−36) and 51 born at term (BT) healthy infants (n=28F, n=23M). DXA measures of total body and lumbar spine mineral density (TB/L1-L4 BMD, g/cm2 and Z...

Background and Aims: Turner Syndrome (TS), 45X0, is the most common chromosomal pathology affecting females, occurring in 1:2500 to 1:5000 female infants. The typical phenotype includes short stature, gonadal dysgenesis leading to sexual infantilism, low-set ears, low rear hairlin, mamary hypertelorism, neck webbing, gothic palate, irregular rotation of the elbows, shield chest, shortening of the 4th metacarpal, low hairline, shortening of lower extremities, renal disorders a...

Background: Cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (POR) deficiency (PORD) is a form of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) and results in steroid-production loss from cytochrome P450 proteins. Mutations in POR cause mild to severe forms of CAH with/without bone malformation symptoms resembling Antley-Bixler syndrome. We report a novel POR Arg550Trp mutation identified in a 46,XX patient with signs of aromatase (ARO) deficiency. Child (first pregnancy) and mother pr...

Background: Disorders of androgen synthesis are rare causes of 46,XY disorder of sex development (DSD) that present with undervirilization or sex reversal.Objective: A history of a female adolescent with 46,XY DSD, initially suspected to have complete androgen insensitivity is presented.Methods: Patient history was obtained from the medical records. Urinary steroid profile was preformed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. T...

Background: The inheritable component of familial Papillary Thyroid Cancer (fPTC) was recently attributed to monogenic defects in a reduced number of genes including DICER1. DICER1 codes for a ribonuclease of the RNaseIII family essential for the biogenesis of microRNAs.Objective and hypotheses: We aimed to identify germline and/or somatic mutations in DICER1 in a familial pedigree with PTC, multinodular goiter (MNG) and other ...

Background: α-klotho is a transmembrane protein which can be cleaved and act as a circulating hormone. Since low α-klotho levels were found in organic GH deficiency (GHD) and high levels in acromegaly, an interaction between α-klotho, GH and linear growth has been suggested.Objective and hypotheses: We investigated the role of α-klotho protein as a reliable marker of GH secretion in short children and the factors influencing its secre...

Background: Childhood obesity is commonly associated with signs of endothelial dysfunction, characterized by impairment of insulin signaling and vascular NO availability. Recently both these features have been associated with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, however the role of ER stress in the mechanism/s leading to vascular dysfunction in childhood obesity remains still to be established.Objective and Hypotheses: To evaluate ER stress and insulin-sti...

Background: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (1DM) is a common chronic disease of childhood. Treatment targets the best metabolic control in order to prevent long-term complications.Objective: To evaluate metabolic control in children and adolescents with 1DM along the years. Methods: Retrospective study including 1DM children and adolescents with more than 2 years of disease. Data were collected at 2005 and at 2012: sex, age at diagnosis, therapy in the last ye...

Background: Adolescence is often a period of worse metabolic control and less wellbeing in diabetic children. We studied global (GW) and diabetic-related (DRW) wellbeing in diabetic adolescents and the influence of sex, age, ethnic origin, family composition (single- or two-parent family), family income and metabolic control.Method: 133 (71 girls, 120 autochthonous, 20 treated with CSII, 107 from a two-parent family, 68 from families with a monthly incom...