ESPE Abstracts

Background: The sonic hedgehog pathway (SHH) regulates CNS development and mutations or abnormal expression of the SHH pathway genes have been identified in epithelial tumors. SHH pathway interacts with Wnt/β-catenin signalling. To date, CTNNB1/β-catenin mutations are the sole molecular abnormality found in adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas (ACPs).Objective and Hypotheses: To analyze the expression pattern of SHH pathway genes in ACPs and its...

Background: An activation cascade of specific genes sets up the initiation of sex determination leading in males to testes formation and synthesis of testicular hormones. Disruption of this gene cascade may cause a spectrum of disorders/differences of sex development (DSD) phenotypes. Here we describe for the first time two sisters suffering from 46,XY DSD, who by whole exome sequencing were shown to carry a mutation in the X-linked StAR-related lipid transfer...

Background: The TRH receptor (TRHR) is a G-protein coupled receptor activated by hypothalamic TRH. In thyrotropes, TRH-TRHR signalling controls synthesis, secretion and bioactivity of TSH. Human TRHR defects are extremely rare, and only three cases are known with central hypothyroidism and short stature as variable presenting feature.Objective and hypotheses: Phenotypical characterization of a family with suspected central hypothyroidism and inv...

Aim: To delineate the diagnosis in a case of antibody negative infantile onset diabetes with deranged liver function.Case Report: A female child, first born of consanguineous couple presented with Diabeteic Keto Acidosis and acute liver failure at 9 months of age. She has been treated as a case of Type I diabetes and was discharged on insulin. Child was further evaluated at our center at 11 months of age. On examination, she had a normal anthropometry an...

Objective: We assessed whether beta-cell function progressively decreases over time with greater type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) duration using a mixed-meal tolerance test (MMTT). We also assessed simpler and more practical surrogate parameters for clinical use.Methods: We studied 57 children and adolescents with T1DM in Hangzhou (China), mean age at diagnosis was 8.3 years (range 2.3 to 15.3 years), with an average diabetes duration of 2.5 years (range ...

Background: Age at onset of puberty exhibits a remarkable variation mirroring nutritional, environmental, socioeconomic and genetic factors. While large genome-wide association studies identified more than hundred genetic loci associated with age at menarche in girls, knowledge on loci associated with age at pubertal onset in boys is sparse. FSHB/FSHR genetic variants have been shown to affect pubertal timing in girls and reproductive parameters in men.<p class="a...

Background: Craniopharyngioma is a non-malignant embryonic tumour in the pituitary-hypothalamic area, associated with hypothalamic obesity. Dysfunctional parasympathetic nervous system activity has been proposed as one mechanism underlying alterations in energy metabolism. Arterial spin labelling (ASL) is a non-invasive MRI technique that quantifies brain tissue perfusion as a proxy for functional activity. Here, we measure cerebral perfusion in patients with ...

Introduction: Primary Generalized Glucocorticoid Resistance or Chrousos syndrome (CS) is a rare sporadic or familial disorder characterized by generalized, partial tissue insensitivity to glucocorticoids. Mutations of the NR3C1 gene, which encodes the human glucocorticoid receptor, have been identified in many but not all patients with CS.Objective: To identify novel genes related to CS in patients without NR3C1 gene mutations.<p cl...

Introduction: Fanconi anemia (FA) is a genomic instability syndrome associated with congenital abnormalities. Structural anomalies of the central nervous system (CNS), particularly a small pituitary gland, have been published in a few case series. This has been thought to be the cause of the short stature (SS) observed in FA.Methods: A cross-sectional exploratory study was carried out in pediatric patients at the FA Span...

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 ...