ESPE Abstracts

Introduction: Salivary androgens represent a non-invasive marker of puberty that may have utility in population studies as well as in the clinical arena.Objectives: To establish normal reference values of salivary androgens using LC-MS/MS and demonstrate the correlations between salivary androgens and pubertal development in boys.Methods: School-based adolescent cohort study with t...

Background: The definition of Cushing disease (CD) is hypercortisolism caused by excess adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) secretion by a pituitary corticotrope adenoma. It is extremely rare in the pediatric population and requires rapid diagnosis and early management.Case presentation: A 14-year old boy was hospitalized because of sudden onset of chest pain, loss of consciousness, elevated cardio-specific enzymes, and s...

Background: MKRN3 gene, encoding Makorin RING-finger protein 3, is a maternally imprinted gene located at a Prader-Willi syndrome region on chromosome 15q11.13. Deleterious mutations of MKRN3 gene are a common cause of paternally inherited central precocious puberty (CPP), being identified in 33-46% of familial cases and in about 5% and 40% of apparently sporadic female and male cases, respectively.Objectives: To evaluate the presence o...

Background: Bone involvement is described as a relevant sign in patients suffering Gaucher disease (GD).Objective and hypotheses: To analyze the long-term effect of enzyme replacement therapy on bone mineral density, a retrospective observational study was conducted in a cohort of 34 GD pediatric patients (14 males, 20 females, median age 11.3 years).Method: Lumbar spine (LS) (L2–L4, N: 34) and total body (TB) (N: 24) bone min...

Background: In vitro studies suggest a broader role for aldosterone, beyond elevating blood pressure. Clinical data support the notion that aldosterone can directly alter the function of the immune system and can participate in low-grade inflammation which leads to blood pressure elevation and end organ damage.Objective and hypothesis: To assess in humans, whether aldosterone plasma levels and mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) expression associate...

Background: Paediatric hypertension is increasing and has been associated with obesity and insulin resistance. Recently, cortisol:cortisone ratio and the metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9), which is a marker of vascular remodelling, have been syndicated as new risk factors associated with hypertension.Objective and hypotheses: To analyse the association between paediatric hypertension with clinical, biochemical, inflammation, and vascular remodelling biomarkers<...

Introduction: The major genetic cause of CPP is the paternally inherited Makorin RING-finger protein 3 (MKRN3) deficiency. Rare patients carry variants in kisspeptin and its receptor and DLK1.Objectives: To identify genetic causes of CPP.Population and methods: MKRN3 Sanger sequencing was performed in 56 unrelated subjects (12 familial non-maternal, 44 sporadic (6 boys)), whole-ge...

Context: Children with 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21OHD) require chronic glucocorticoid administration to substitute glucocorticoids and suppress adrenocorticotropic hormone-induced hyperandrogenemia. There is still no evidence about the best timing of the highest hydrocortisone (HC) dose. Administration of the highest dose in the morning aims to mimic the physiological rhythm of cortisol, while a high dose late in the evening may inhibit the early-morning inc...

Introduction: Cortisol homeostasis dysregulation has been associated to essential hypertension in adults. Higher levels of cortisol have been described in preterm-born individuals, who have also a higher risk of hypertension at younger ages. Several enzymes modulate peripheric cortisol metabolism. The 11b-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11b-HSD) type 2 metabolizes cortisol into cortisone, preventing mineralocorticoid receptors’ activation by cortisol. The i...

Ovarian steroid cell tumors (OSCT) are rare sex cord stromal tumors of the ovary and comprise <0.1% of all ovarian tumors. We herein report a case of an OSCT in a 9 year old girl patient who presented with central puberty preocious unresponsive to gonadotrophine relasing hormon analog (GnRH) therapy. A 9 year old girl presented with breast development noticed 4 months ago and menarche 3 months ago. Her height was 141,5 cm (+1,3 SDS), body weight was 35.4 kg (+0.9 SDS) and...