ESPE Abstracts

Background: Glucocorticoids exert profound immune-modulating effects and regulate the expression of genes involved in cell cycle progression and apoptosis. Synthetic glucocorticoids are the most potent agents used in the treatment of inflammatory, autoimmune and lymphoproliferative disorders. Considerable variation in response to therapeutic doses of glucocorticoids exists among individuals, as evidenced by differences both in disease response and in the incidence of glucocort...

Background: Since the initiation of neonatal screening-programs for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) in the 1970’s, an increase in the incidence of CH has been observed. This change has been attributed to the gradual use of lower TSH cut-offs that lead to the detection of milder cases of CH. Based on currently used screening cut-offs, CH occurs in approximately 1:2 000 to 1:4 000 newborns, varying by geographic location and ethnicity. A female predominance, approaching a 2:...

Background: Since the initiation of neonatal screening programs for Congenital Hypothyroidism (CH) in the 1970’s, a gradual decrease of TSH cut-off limits has been observed worldwide. Nevertheless, lack of universal consensus has led to wide variation of cut-off limits and LT4 therapy criteria among screening programs, even within the same country. The Greek neonatal CH screening program is carried out by a single laboratory that uses one of the lowest cut-off limits worl...

Background: The term Congenital Hypothyroidism (CH) describes children with subnormal thyroid hormone levels present at birth. According to literature, CH has an incidence of ~1:1500–1:3000 births with a clear predominance of females (female:male ratio 2:1) and is mainly caused by thyroid dysgenesis (80%). Low FT4 levels have been used as important criteria for CH diagnosis and treatment initiation. The Greek neonatal CH screening program has followed the TSH cut-off lowe...

Background: A high frequency of extrathyroidal congenital anomalies has been reported in infants with congenital hypothyroidism (CH) detected by neonatal screening. Current ESPE guidelines suggest that congenital malformations, underlying dysmorphic syndromes and psychomotor and language development should be sought for and monitored in CH patients. The identification of co-existing nosologies and malformations is helpful not only for clinical purposes but also for uncovering ...

Background: In vitro fertilisation (IVF) has been widely used during the last decades. Increased susceptibility to birth defects and a higher cardiometabolic risk in children born after IVF than naturally conceived (NC) children have been reported. Also, a higher incidence of hyperthyrotropinemia has been noted in children born after IVF with respect to NC children and has been attributed to an epigenetic modification of the TSH set-point.Object...

Background: Oxidative stress and adipocytokines are associated with obesity.Objective and hypotheses: To investigate the association of adipocytokines with markers of pro- and anti-oxidation at baseline and their change and correlations during acute aerobic exercise in normal weight and obese pre- and early-pubertal boys.Method: Fifty healthy pre- and early-pubertal, normal weight and obese boys, underwent a baseline blood sampling...

Background: Implementation of neonatal screening programs for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) has reduced related nosologies and has eradicated CH-associated mental impairment. With the decrease of the TSH cut-off limits employed to avoid false negative results, milder cases of CH are diagnosed. Obviously, in a number of patients, especially among milder CH cases, thyroid dysfunction is transient. The diagnosis of transient vs. permanent CH is established in time. No specific p...

Background: The Clock/Bmal1 transcription factor heterodimer regulates the circadian activities of many biological systems, including the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, by trans-activating or trans-repressing downstream target genes. 1,25 Dihydroxy Vitamin D (Vitamin D), a sterol hormone that is activated by exposure to sunlight, plays a fundamental role in maintaining calcium and phosphorus homeostasis. Recent evidence suggests that the nuclear vi...

Background: The circadian rhythm-generating peripheral Clock/Bmal1 heterodimer complex regulates the circadian activities of many biological systems, including the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, by trans-activating or trans-repressing downstream target genes.Objective and Hypotheses: To investigate the potential role of elevated cortisol in Clock/Bmal1 heterodimer complex-generated circadian biorhythms, both ...