ESPE Abstracts

Context: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is defined by androgen excess and ovarian dysfunction in the absence of a specific physiological diagnosis. The best clinical marker of androgen excess is hirsutism, while the best biochemical parameter is still a matter of debate. Current consensus guidelines recommend serum free testosterone as the most sensitive serum parameter to measure androgen excess. Recently, however, novel active androgens and androgen metabo...

Background: Metformin is a well-known biguanide approved for treatment of Type2 Diabetes. Metformin is not considered as an anti-obesity drug despite its common off-label use. Currently, there are no data regarding the profile of metformin related gastrointestinal side effects (MRGSE) in obese adolescents.Aim: To identify the frequency and time course of MRGSE in obese adolescents and assess the presence of any associati...

Background: Previous descriptions of the steroidogenic capacity of human foetal adrenal glands in an ex vivo culture system focused on the classic androgen pathway and the alternative DHT pathway. However, no information is available on the abundance and role of the adrenal-derived 11-oxygenated androgens during foetal development, and how their levels correlate to classic androgens.Aim: To characterise the ster...

NASH is an increasingly relevant finding in the pediatric population affected by obesity. In adults, the evolution of this steatosis towards fibrosis and correlation with metabolic syndrome is increasingly significant. The existence of a rapid and validated in-office screening tool would be very useful.Main Objective: To evaluate whether the measurement of intraperitoneal fat measured through nutritional ultrasound allows for the diagnos...

Introduction: Iron deficiency anemia is the most common form of anemia in pediatric age. It affects 20.1% of children aged 0-4 years old and 5.9% of children aged 5-14 years old in the Western World with profound implications for the growth. Dietary changes and iron supplementation may be crucial. This study aims to assess the correlation between growth and iron deficiency in children and the effects of ferrous iron treatment on the auxological parameters....

Introduction: Peripheral precocious puberty is a non-gonadotropin-dependent early pubertal development. Exogenous intake of sex steroids, gonadal or adrenal pathologies, ectopic hCG-secreting lesions play a role in the etiology. Adrenal tumors is a rare cause of heterosexual precocious puberty.Case: An eight-year-old female patient was admitted with the complaints of genital hair growth and breast enlargement. The patien...

Background: Functional studies on uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) are important to identify potential pharmacological targets which interfere with energy metabolism. However, current cell models of human origin are scarce due to limited tissue availability. In this study, we generated human preadipocytes and adipocytes with an overexpression of UCP1 and studied the metabolic function of these cells.Methods: Human Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndrome (SGBS) cells w...

Background: Data regarding epidemiology and management of Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) in Italian children with T1D at disease onset are lacking.Method: From 1/1/2012 to 31/12/2013 a survey on DKA was conducted in all paediatric Centres belonging to the Italian Society for Pediatric Diabetology and Endocrinology. DKA was defined according to the ISPAD criteria. The following data were collected: treatment according ISPAD protocol yes or not, type of rehyd...

Background: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is the most frequent etiology in Italian diabetic children and adolescents. Data on type 2 (T2D) and monogenic diabetes (MD) prevalence are scanty.Objective and hypotheses: To estimate the prevalence of T1D, T2D, secondary diabetes, and MD in a pediatric population of Italian diabetic patients.Method: Data on 3,076 patients (diabetes onset January 2007–December 2012, age at diagnosis <18 y...

Background: Craniopharyngioma is a non-malignant embryonic tumour in the pituitary-hypothalamic area, associated with hypothalamic obesity. Dysfunctional parasympathetic nervous system activity has been proposed as one mechanism underlying alterations in energy metabolism. Arterial spin labelling (ASL) is a non-invasive MRI technique that quantifies brain tissue perfusion as a proxy for functional activity. Here, we measure cerebral perfusion in patients with ...