ESPE Abstracts

Background: Pain represents one of the most stressful experiences for children undergoing medical therapies (Kortesluoma, 2008), but is under represented in literature for what concerns pediatric endocrinology. Children consider Injections one of the most painful, frighteningand distressing procedures (Fassler, 1985). The treatment for patients with Growth Hormone Deficiency requires daily subcutaneous injection, performed by parents or patients themselves. Th...

Background: Cytochrome C oxidase (COX) is the fourth component of the respiratory chain. This protein is located within the internal membrane of mitochondria. COX deficiency is an inherited mitochondrial disease associated with considerable genetic and clinical variability(1). In fact, four clinical subtypes of this condition have been identified, each one with several phenotypic and genetic variants. Mitochondrial complex IV deficiency nuclear type 4 is a rar...

Introduction: Female patients treated with alkylating agents in childhood are at risk for ovarian impairment. We aimed at describing the pattern of residual ovarian function in a cohort of hematological cancer survivors, assessing the relationship between the cumulative dose of alkylating agents administered (expressed as Cyclophosphamide Equivalent Dose - CED) and Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) levels.Methods: Gonada...

Background: Neonatal over-nutrition (NON) can increase the propensity to become overweight and develop associated metabolic disturbances in later life. Moreover, some of these long-term effects are sexually dimorphic.Objective and hypotheses: We aimed to determine how NON affects body weight (BW), body composition and triglyceride (TG) and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) levels. We hypothesized that the effects would be both age and sex dependant.<...

Background: Final height (FH) in patients (pts) with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21OHD) is often under the genetic target, despite improvement of new therapeutic strategies.Objective and hypotheses: The aim of this study is to evaluate FH in a cohort of pts with CAH due to 21OHD diagnosed before and after newborn screening (NBS) era in Emilia-Romagna, Italy.Method: We evaluated final heigh...

Background: FGF21 is a hormonal factor with powerful anti-diabetic and anti-obesity properties in adults\. Studies in rodent models indicated that hepatic FGF21 expression and blood FGF21 levels are strongly induced after birth in response to fat provided by milk ingestion. Moreover, preliminary data indicate that FGF21 is present in maternal milk.Objective and hypotheses: Our objective is to determine, using human samples and pre-clinical experimental m...

Background: The endocrine role of white adipose tissue (WAT), as a site of release of the so-called adipokines, has been recognized for long. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is the main site of adaptive thermogenesis in mammals, especially relevant in neonates and early infancy. The amount and activity of BAT are associated with a healthy metabolic profile and protection against obesity, type II diabetes and hyperlipidemia. This biological role of BAT is traditionally attributed to...

ERF protein is a major binding target of ERK1/2 kinases, key effectors of the RAS–MEK–ERK signaling cascade. ERF has a role as a negative transcriptional regulator of RAS/MAPK mitogenic pathway (1) and, in theory, a loss-of-function mutation (LOF) in ERF could cause a Rasopathy phenotype. To date, LOF variants of ERF have been reported in 45 individuals with craniosynostosis but without a Noonan-like phenotype. There is only one case report describing a patient wit...

Background: Autoimmune polyendocrinopathy–candidiasis–ectodermal dystrophy (APECED), is a rare inherited disease of childhood, caused by the mutation of the AIRE gene on chromosome 21. It is characterized by three main diseases: chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis (CMC), chronic hypoparathyroidism (HP), and Addison’s disease (AD), and can be associated with other autoimmune diseases and/or manifestations of ectodermal dystrophy.Case...

Background: Obese adults with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) but 1-h post load glucose (1 hPG)≧155 mg/dl have an increased cardiometabolic risk. In children, preliminary data suggest that 1hPG≧132.5 mg/dl might identify those at higher risk of type 2 diabetes.Objective and hypotheses: To assess whether NGT obese youth with 1hPG ≧132.5 mg/dl (High-NGT) have worse insulin sensitivity and secretion compared to obese youth with 1hPG &#60...