ESPE Abstracts

Background and objective: Given phenotype variability as well as limited utility of conventional endocrine investigations in reaching the diagnosis in a 46,XY patient suspected of a disorder of sex development (DSD), there is an increasingly stronger argument for considering targeted genetic sequencing at an earlier stage of the evaluation process. This study focused on identifying the relationship between clinical examination, endocrine and radiological assessment, as well as...

Background: CSII has some potential advantages and disadvantages for young children. For many young patients, it is easier and more convenient to take multiple daily doses of insulin with CSII than with a syringe or insulin pen.Objective and hypotheses: The growing popularity of type 1 diabetes (DM1) treatment based on continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) raises a question of the group of patients that benefit most from the treatment.<p cl...

Introduction: Obesity in children and adolescents is increasing, and represents a global concern regarding future health related consequences. It has been classified as a disease that affects a large number of individuals.Materials and Methods: We have recruited 119 obese children and adolescents from our outpatient Pediatric Endocrine Clinic for metabolic evaluation between the year 2018-2022. There was a 2year disconti...

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a highly prevalent chronic liver disease which occurs in the setting of insulin resistance and increased adiposity. It has rapidly evolved into the most common liver disease seen in the pediatric population. NAFLD can be divided into non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL), which denotes bland steatosis, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which is marked by steatosis and lobular inflammation and hepatoce...

Objectives: Diazoxide is first line treatment for hypoglycaemia due to hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycaemia (HH). However, the FDA has raised serious concerns regarding diazoxide-induced pulmonary hypertension (PH) in 2015. Although sporadic cases of PH have been reported, no HH cohort has been systematically characterised to understand severity and risk factors for diazoxide-induced PH.Methods: To investigate the onset, progress and associated factors in PH,...

Background: Central hypothyroidism (CeH) is a rare thyroid hormone deficiency due to an insufficient stimulation of a normal thyroid gland. Candidate genes for isolated CeH include TSHβ, TRH receptor (TRHR) or IGSF1 genes while the combined pituitary hormone deficits (CPHDs) are the consequence of defects in embryonic pituitary transcription factors or in the prokineticin receptor 2 (PROKR2).Patients series: Here we report nine males (M) and 15 fema...

Background: The replacement therapy with levo-thyroxine (LT4) in congenital hypothyroidism (CH) aims to ensure normal growth and neuropsychological development. Few data are available about the appropriate dose during childhood and early adolescence.Objective and hypotheses: i) To evaluate LT4/kg per day requirement from diagnosis until 12 years of age; ii) to assess any differences in relation to the different etiology of CH as concern...

Innervation of the hypothalamic median eminence by Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) neurons is vital to ensure puberty onset and successful reproduction. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying median eminence development and pubertal timing are incompletely understood. Here we show that Semaphorin-6A is strongly expressed by median eminence-resident oligodendrocytes positioned adjacent to GnRH neuron projections and fenestrated capillaries, and that Sem...

Background: Adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency is a systemic metabolic disease that primarily affects the immune system and lymphocyte development, causing a severe combined immunodeficiency (ADA-SCID). However, the accumulation of toxic metabolites occurs in other organs and systems. Since most ADA-SCID patients undergo definitive treatment with Gene Therapy (GT) or allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), preceded by conditioning (either...

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...