ESPE Abstracts

Background: Increased uric acid is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease in obese adults and adolescents. The relationship between uric acid and atherosclerotic risk early in life is unknown.Objective and hypotheses: We investigated whether uric acid relates to carotid intima–media thickness (cIMT), a marker of preclinical atherosclerosis, in a rather large sample of school-age children and investigated the interaction of obesity sta...

Introduction: The proopiomelanocortin is a polypeptide of many biologically active peptides involved in many key functions which have not yet been clarified. The mutation in the gene encoding this polypeptide is associated with a clinical trials characterized by early-onset obesity, terciary adrenal insufficiency, and alteration of pigmentation. Eight cases with known genetic mutation have been published.Case report: Newborn male 27 days old from North A...

Background: Heterozygous GHR gene variants were found in 5–8% of idiopathic short stature (ISS) children. Frequent polymorphisms within GHR coding regions, but not intronic SNPs, have been investigated in ISS.Objectives: To characterize GHR gene variants in ISS children, and to test their influence on height and the peripheral GH/IGF1/IGFBPs system.Methods: GHR gene (coding/intronic flanking...

Background: The interrelationships between body weight and thyroid status are complex. Serum TSH is typically increased in obese compared with lean individuals. Several mechanisms leading to hyperthyrotropinemia have been hypothesized.Objective and hypotheses: To compare thyroid function and autoimmunity in normal, overweight and obese healthy children and adolescents in our population. To analyse any metabolic risk factor related to hyperthyrotropinemia...

Introduction: The extracellular calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) enables the parathyroid glands and other CaSR-expressing cells involved in calcium homeostasis to sense alterations in calcium serum concentrations. Mutations in the CASR gene may produce gain or loss in its activity. Activating mutations cause a hypocalcaemic syndrome of varying severity, as autosomal-dominant hypocalcaemia or Bartter’s syndrome.Case report: We describe a 6 months infa...

Background: DLK1 (PREF1) is a key inhibitor of adipogenesis and adipocyte differentiation. Adipose tissue expansion depends on adequate adipocyte differentiation. However, whether lower DLK1 expression facilitates adipose tissue expansion following fetal growth restriction is so far unknown.Objective and hypotheses: To study the expression of DLK1 in the adipose tissue of prenatally growth-restricted rats and its relat...

Background: Severe deficiency of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11βHSD2) triggers activation of mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) by cortisol and causing apparent mineralocorticoid excess (AME) syndrome characterized mostly by low-renin arterial hypertension and hypokalemia. In 2003, we studied a patient with AME (3 years-old) having two homozygous mutation, D223N (rs121917833) and a SNP C>T in intron 3 (rs376023420) (Carvajal et al. JCEM 2003).<p cla...

Background: Thyroid dysfunction is a common condition in children and has been associated with metabolic syndrome, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and mortality. Due to the obesity epidemic in paediatric population exists a higher prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a condition associated with insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. In adults it has been observed that elevated TSH, even within the normal range, are positively correlated with increas...

Background: Familial hyperaldosteronism type 1 (FH-1), is caused by the presence of a chimeric CYP11B1/CYP11B2 gene that produces high amounts of aldosterone in response to ACTH and severe hypertension. An early diagnosis and treatment are important, not only to manage hypertension but also to avoid possible deleterious effects of aldosterone on the endothelium and cardiovascular diseases.Clinical case: A 3 months old boy was referred for evalua...

Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the hypothalamic-pituitary area is extremely useful in the investigation of patients with central diabetes insipidus (CDI) due to infiltrative processes.Objective: We aimed to associate pituitary stalk thickness with the etiology of CDI and hormone deficiencies.Method: A retrospective single-center study of 15 patients (four boys and 11 girls) with CDI was performed and clinical-epide...