ESPE Abstracts

Background: Generalized lymphatic anomaly (GLA) is a rare congenital disorder characterized by aggressive proliferation of dilated lymphatic vessels. The etiology of GLA is poorly understood.Objective and hypotheses: To identify the underlying genetic basis for GLA.Method: Exome sequencing (ES) was performed in two families, including a multigenerational family (family-1) with six affected members. RNA-seq was performed on skin bio...

Background: Monogenic diabetes (MD) remains undiagnosed in more than 90% of the cases. However, precise, quick and cost-effective diagnosis is important to choose an adequate treatment and to avoid long-term complications.Objective and hypotheses: To develop and validate a diagnostic tool to improve diagnosis rate of MD in Switzerland, as well as to open new research directions.Method: Targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) of 3...

Background: Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the site where proteins are folded in the cell. Metabolic stress alters ER homeostasis and activates the unfolded protein response (UPR), which contributes to the development of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.Objective and hypotheses: To longitudinally evaluate liver UPR and its functional consequences in an animal model of IUGR followed from birth to adulthood.Method: On day 19 ...

Background: Aberrations in the timing of puberty may result in significant adverse health outcomes, including cancers, cardiovascular and neurological pathologies. Self-limited delayed puberty (DP) (i.e. constitutional delay of puberty) runs in families with either autosomal dominant or complex inheritance patterns in >70% of families, indicating a strong genetic basis of the trait. However, only a few genes have been identified underlying DP so far....

Background: Recently, patients with severe obesity have been described due to functional leptin deficiency. This new entity is characterized by high immunoreactive levels of circulating leptin (Lep), but a reduced bioactivity of the hormone due to defective receptor binding (N Engl J Med 2015;372:48–54). Since these patients can be successfully treated with human recombinant leptin (metreleptin), a diagnostic tool to detect functional leptin deficiency is needed.<p cl...

Background: POMC deficiency is an extremely rare monogenetic obesity syndrome generally characterized by early onset hyperphagia, red hair and adrenal insufficiency. So far treatment of obesity and hyperphagia with MSH substitution failed, either due to ineffectiveness or side effects of available MC4R agonists.Objective and hypotheses: We hypothesized that the new MC-4R agonist setmelanotide might be a treatment option in POMC deficient patients.<p ...

Background: Insulin resistance precedes metabolic syndrome abnormalities, and may promote cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes in obese children. Lifestyle modification programs have been proposed as the gold standard of care in these individuals. However, results have been discouraging and the use of adjuvant strategies has been necessary. Metformin has beneficial effects on weight reduction, favoring a decrease in body mass index (BMI) and insulin resistance in obese n...

Background: Obesity is usually correlated with a higher prevalence of 25OH vitamin D (25OHD) deficiency. This might be due to either volumetric dilution of vitamin D in the large fat mass or its increased uptake by adipose tissue. To our knowledge, a systematic study on 25OHD levels in Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), a genetic disorder associated with severe obesity, is not available.Objective and hypotheses: To analyze the 25OHD values in a population of p...

Background: Pseudohypoparathyroidism type 1A (PHP1A) and PseudoPHP are caused respectively by maternal and paternal mutations involving those GNAS exons that encode the alpha-subunit of the stimulatory G protein (Gsα). Common to different forms of PHP1B is a loss-of-methylation (LOM) at one or several maternal GNAS exons, which likely reduces Gsα expression in certain tissues. In most autosomal dominant PHP1B variants (AD-PHP1B), LOM is restricted t...

Background: IPEX (OMIM #304790) is a rare and fatal, X-linked immune dysregulatory disorder caused by mutation in transcription factor FOXP3 that result in either quantitative or functional deficiencies of Tregs causing autoimmune disease and allergic inflammation. HSCT is the only curative therapy available for IPEX patients.Objective: Presented boy was born at 38th GW with birth weight 3380 g and birth length 50 cm. Three maternal brothers d...