ESPE Abstracts

Background: With improved treatment and survival of childhood hematological malignancies, the issue of fertility in survivors has become an important domain of holistic care. Haemopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) survivors were reported to have reduced fertility as compared to siblings, with 4/170 adult female allogeneic HSCT survivors achieving successful pregnancy.1 Of 532 female survivors, median age of 17.8 years at HSCT, who had TBI conditioning, 13 pregnanc...

Introduction: Since 1960, enlarged polycystic ovaries associated with hypothyroidism, delayed bone age and precocious puberty are recognized as Van Wyk and Grumbach syndrome. Although it is rare entity, it should be considered in differential diagnosis of the enlarged polycystic ovaries.Case: An eleven-year-old girl was presented with sudden onset of abdominal pain and vomiting. A large mass with multiple cysts was seen ...

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is a group of autosomal recessive diseases caused by a deficiency of enzymes responsible for the steroidogenesis. The most common cause is 21-hydroxylase deficiency. There are three forms of CAH due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency: the classic form with salt loss, the classic virilizing and the non-classical form. In pediatric age, CAH is most often manifested by masculinization of the genitals of female newborns, adrenal crisis or premature p...

Bile acids (BA) are C24 steroids synthesized from cholesterol in liver. Originally, they were mainly considered to function as emulsifiers supporting resorption of lipophilic food compounds and excretion of metabolic products. Recently, their additional biological and endocrine functions in the regulation of metabolism have aroused interest of researchers. In contrast to BA in blood, it is surprising that hardly any data exist on BA in the most accessible human biof...

Background: The adrenal cortex undergoes constant cellular renewal and any effect from recombinant adeno-associated vectors (rAAV) targeting differentiated cells will be transient as extra-chromosomal DNA will be lost by dividing cells. A novel option is to use rAAV to express ectopic adrenocortical enzymes in a stable organ outside the adrenal gland. Our aim was to correct the biochemical phenotype in a mouse model for congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) wit...

Background: DMD is an X-linked recessive disorder, due to mutations of the DMD gene on Xp21, encoding dystrophin, characterized by high cytokines and progressive muscle degeneration, with loss of ambulation, increasing immobility and complicated by late cardio-respiratory failure. Use of high dose corticosteroid aims to prolong mobility, delay/reduce complications and to increase lifespan but adverse effects on bone health include bone loss and increased vertebral and long bon...

Aims: To examine growth, body composition and glucose metabolism during childhood in children born small for gestational age (SGA).Methods: Single centre cohort study of 150 children (63 boys), identified from newborn records as being born SGA (birth weight SDS <−1.5) and assessed between the age of 4 and 7 years. Data collected included: anthropometric parameters (height, weight, BMI: transformed into age- and sex-adjusted SDS), lean and fat m...

Context: The response to lifestyle modification (LSM) in children with obesity is variable and difficult to predict.Aim: A systematic search for molecular markers to predict outcomes of LSM in pediatric obesity management.Patients/Methods: Out of 240 children with obesity (BMI>97%) recruited to a prospective ‘multi-OMICS’ study granted by ESPE Research Unit, 159 subj...

Context: The response to lifestyle modification (LSM) in children with obesity is variable and difficult to predict.Aim: A systematic search for identifying common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to predict positive outcomes of LSM in pediatric obesity management, defined as decrease in BMI z-score (based on IOTF).Patients/Methods: Out of 240 children with obesity (BMI>97...

Context: The unified approach for obese children can result in therapeutic failure as obesity is a symptom of several conditions. It was previously suggested that only children with obesity onset beyond age 6 years will develop the metabolic syndrome and T2D. In turn, early childhood obesity carries a few times less risk of adult obesity comparing to that with the onset during juvenility.Aim: We determine the clinical an...