ESPE Abstracts

Background: Bisphosphonate therapy (BPT) reduces osteoclast activity and may be associated with adynamic bone turnover. The extent of suppression of bone turnover and its determinants are unclear.Method: Markers of bone metabolism were evaluated in 15 children (9M/6F) undergoing BPT for osteoporosis. The median age at first biochemical assessment was 10.8 years (0.16, 16.3). Serum type I collagen cross-linked C-telopeptide (CTX), alkaline phosphatase (AL...

Background: The predictive value of a random cortisol measurement in the neonatal population with suspected adrenal insufficiency is unknown.Objective and hypotheses: i) determine the indications for measuring cortisol; ii) review subsequent management; and iii) establish predictors for adrenal insufficiency.Method: A laboratory database search identified cortisol results in babies <1 year from three neonatal units between Sept...

Background: With improvements in assays and an increasing need for non-invasive out-patient based investigations, there is a renewed interest in the use of urinary gonadotrophins (uGn) for assessing pubertal progress.Objective and hypotheses: This study aims to establish the correlation between serum and urinary LH and FSH in patients with pubertal concerns.Method: 36 boys and girls aged 14.9 years (range 7.8–17.3) and 9.5 yea...

Background: In children undergoing investigation of testicular function the relationship between serum anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) and the testosterone response to hCG stimulation test (HST) is unclear.Method: 75 children (3F, 72M) with a median age of 1.08 years (range, 0.003, 14.3) were investigated for suspected DSD by AMH on D1 and testosterone on D1 and D4, before and after 3-day HST. Of these children, 27 had an additional prolonged HST. Normal te...

Background: There are limited data in paediatric population on the association between vitamin D deficiency/treatment and glucose/insulin metabolism.Objective and hypotheses: This study aimed to investigate the effect of vitamin D therapy on glucose homeostasis, insulin resistance and bone turnover, in children with vitamin D deficiency.Method: 22 children aged 3 months to 10 years (nine male) who were diagnosed with vitamin D defi...

Introduction: Recent studies point to the existence of androgen-responsive non-coding (nc) RNAs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) RNA.Aim: To quantify the androgen-responsive gene expression of SNORD5 and RNY5 and investigate their relationship to the testosterone (T) rise following hCG stimulation in boys with no genetic evidence of androgen insensitivity.Methods: 19 bo...

Background: Insulin Tolerance tests (ITT) have long been considered the gold standard for dynamic function testing of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Sub-optimal cortisol responses during an ITT in children may be found in children during ITT without a previous clinical suspicion of Adrenal insufficiency (AI). It is not clear what the clinical significance of this is and whether all of these children require formal synacthen testing.<p class=...

Introduction: Among Disorders of Sex Development (DSDs), XY DSD, represents the most challenging group in terms of identifying a diagnosis.Objectives: The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of biochemical and molecular genetic tests in a cohort of boys with XY DSD and to collate the phenotypes of patients with results of laboratory investigations and presence of associated abnormalities.Methods: New and existing cases...

Background: Calculation of a urinary steroid metabolite ratio (uSMR) may be a useful method of improving diagnostic yield when investigating disorders of steroid hormone synthesis. Our aim was to investigate the range of uSMR in children with suspected disorders of steroid hormone synthesis.Methods: Ten ratios were calculated on steroid metabolite data analysed by GC-MS in urine samples collected between 2008 and 2010 from 94 children who were undergoing...

Introduction: The degree of consistency between the findings from next generation sequencing (NGS) and detailed endocrine assessment is unclear in boys with XY DSD.Objectives: Examine the range of endocrine and molecular genetic variation in boys undergoing evaluation for XYDSD.Methods: Boys with XYDSD who were evaluated in Glasgow from 2016 to 2018 were included. Sequence variants...