ESPE Abstracts

Birth chest circumference(CC) shows often, like birth gestational age(GA), tight direct relations to birth body weight(BW). However distinct connections of hypoxia/undernutrition with different body structures might be suspected based on brain-, heart- and adrenal-sparing following intrauterine growth restriction and, postnatally, on higher chest size for body mass observed at high altitude. Growth retarded fetuses gestated by hypoxic pregnant animals may present increments of...

Direct relationships of estimated birth brain weight(BRW) to birth body weight (BW) ratios (BBR) and of BW<=10.th centile for GA(SGA) with blood serum Insulin-like Growth Factor-II(IG2) to blood serum Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein-3 (IB3) ratios (IG2/IB3R), and inverse relations between BW-SDS and birth chest circumference(CC) / BW ratio (i.e., CC through BW; CC/BWR) have been detected by our group in the human newborn(NWB). We evaluated the possibility that CC...

Background: Elastargene 3C (E3C) is a cream specifically designed to improve lipoatrophy in patients with diabetes. It is made by many ingredients, among whom are elastin, arnica, collagen, caffeine, and L-carnitine.Objective and hypotheses: We started a 6-month, double-blind, randomized trial to test the efficacy of E3C in children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) using insulin pump (CSII), in whom infusion set usually left little withe scars.<...

Background: Genetic defects in NKX2.1 (chromosome 14q13) are associated with hypothyroidism, choreo-athetotic movements and respiratory distress, known as the “Brain-Lung-Thyroid syndrome”.Objective and hypotheses: To identify the genetic basis of a disorder compatible with the “NKX2.1 syndrome” and extra features outside the typical triad.Patients and methods: 10-year old girl with congenital ...

Background: Poor linear growth is still one of the main concerns in children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). An impairment of linear growth, adversely affecting final height, has been related both to overtreatment with glucocorticoid replacement therapy and to poor control of adrenal androgen levels.Objective and hypotheses: To define factors that influence linear growth and final height in patients with classical CAH.Me...

Background: Thyroid hormone resistance (THR) is a rare genetic disorder that may be caused by thyroid hormone (TH) cell transporter defects or metabolism defects, but most cases are caused by an inherited mutation in the TH receptor beta (THRB) gene. The reduced responsiveness of target tissues to TH is characterized by elevated TH and a normal or elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level. Differentiating between THR and TSH-producing pituitary...

Background: Cornelia de Lange (CdLS) syndrome (OMIM #122470) is a complex disease, characterized by distinctive facial features, failure to thrive, microcephaly, intrauterine growth retardation and anomalies in multiple organ systems. The complexity and severity of the endocrine commitment is variable. NIPBL, SMC1A, SMC3, RAD21 and HDAC8 genes, all involved in the cohesin pathway, have been identified to cause CdLS. There are few published studies on the endoc...

Background: Currently, the diagnosis of GH deficiency (GHD) in infants and young children is based on the assessment of GH serum levels either during hypoglycaemia or after pharmacological stimulation tests. However, GH cut-off values have not been standardized and provocative tests may be unsafe in this age range.Objective and hypotheses: Brain MRI may replace GH measurements in diagnosing GHD in infancy and young childhood.Method...

Background: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are widely used as flame retardants and have shown endocrine disruption properties in experimental studies. Preliminary studies in animal models have suggested a link between exposure to PBDE and alterations of puberty and reproduction.Objective and hypotheses: To investigate the association between the exposure to PBDEs and alterations of puberty in girls, referred for idiopathic premature thelarche (IP...

Introduction: CORNELIA DE LANGE Syndrome (CdLS) is a rare syndrome, first described in 1933 by the Dutch pediatrician CORNELIA DE LANGE. This syndrome represents a multi-systemic disorder with physical, cognitive and behavioral characteristics. It is evident in the typical or classical form (craniofacial appearance, short stature and limbs deformities). However, not all individuals with CdLS present with the classic phenotype, as the clinical presentation can ...