ESPE Abstracts

Background: Monitoring treatment of children with classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is difficult and biochemical targets are not well defined.Objective and hypotheses: To analyse the urinary steroid metabolome of children with classic 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD) during treatment with hydrocortisone and fludrocortisone.Method: We retrospectively analysed 553 daily urinary steroid hormone metabolite profiles determi...

Background: One major issue of newborn screening programs for 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21OHD) is the high rate of false-positive results, especially in preterm neonates. Urinary steroid analysis using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) is used as a confirmatory diagnostic tool.Objective and Hypotheses: The objective of this study was to analyze diagnostic metabolite ratios in neonates and infants with and without 21OHD using GC&#150...

Background: Postnatal linear growth is characterized by a steady decline of growth velocity in healthy individuals, with the exception of sex-steroid induced pubertal growth. Pharmacologic interventions in growth disorders are limited to systemic application of growth factors such as growth hormone, and CNP analogues in conditions with FGFR3 overactivation. Tyrosine kinase receptor inhibitors (TKI) represent a heterogenous group of drugs, mostly used for oncol...

Among the acquired causes of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) in childhood, the most common reasons are benign or semimalign pituitary tumors - first and foremost craniopharyngiomas or dysgerminomas. We report on a very rare differential diagnosis in a 11-year-old, prepubertal boy with a growth arrest (1.1 cm in 2 years, height - 2.38 SDS). 2 growth hormone stimulation tests confirmed GHD (2,7 and 2,3 ng/ml after priming). There was mild central hypothyroidism (fT4 1.04 ng/dl, ...

Background: Analysis of steroids by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) defines a subject’s steroidal fingerprint. Here, we compare the steroidal fingerprints of obese children with or without liver disease to identify the ‘steroid metabolomic signature’ of childhood non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.Methods: Urinary samples of 85 children (43 girls) age 8.5–18.0 with obesity (BMI >97%) were quantified for 31 steroid meta...

Background: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common rheumatic disease seen in children. The systemic features of JIA are mediated by cytokine products of an activated immune system. Recent studies showed that the median level of urine cortisol in active JIA patients is significantly lower than remission period and control groups.Objective and hypotheses: One of the najor drugs in JIA is TNFα blocker (Enbrel). The aim of the study was ...

Background: Bioavailability of peptide/protein – drugs is extremely low after oral administration due to their instability in the gastrointestinal tract or poor absorption.Objective and hypotheses: Oral delivery of growth hormone and somatostatin by adding extreme stable lipids.Method: A liposomal system based on a combination of standard lipids and membrane spanning tetraether lipids, which are extremely stable biomolecules. ...

Aim: To examine the prevalence of endocrine abnormalities and outcome in children and adolescents with Anorexia nervosa (AN).Methods: The study cohort consisted of 181 patients (age 14.6±1.9 years; 160 girls, 21 boys) with AN (n=137), atypical AN (n=6) and other eating disorders except of Bulimia (n=38) who were hospitalized between Jan 2010 and Feb 2013. Somatometric [body-mass-index (BMI), BMI-SDS] and endocrine parameters were a...

Context: Analysis of steroids by gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC-MS) defines a subject’s ‘steroidal fingerprint’. Here, we clustered steroidal fingerprints to classify childhood obesity by ’steroid metabolomic signatures’.Methods: Urinary samples of 87 children (44 F) age 8.5–18.0 with obesity (BMI >97%) underwent solid phase extraction, enzymatic hydrolysis and derivatization. 31 steroids metabolites wer...

Background: Steroids are found in human blood predominantly as sulfated steroids. Conjugation of steroids increases their solubility in blood, facilitating their physiological regulation and excretion. Chromatographic separation and quantification of an extensive number of sulfated steroids is challenging. For instance, androgen sulfates are structurally related and their signals are very similar in mass spectrometry.Objective and hypotheses: Some of the...