ESPE Abstracts

Background: Adrenocortical Tumors (ACT) is a rare endocrine malignancy with heterogeneous presentation.Aim: To evaluate the clinical, biochemical and pathologic characteristics of pediatric ACT in a single tertiary center.Subjects and methods: Review of 28 medical records with childhood ACT (chronological age (CA) <18 years (y) treated between 1987 and 2017. Clinical, biochemical, and histological features (Wieneke index), stag...

Introduction: The low-dose synacthen test (LDT) is widely used to assess central adrenal insufficiency (CAI); however, the total serum cortisol (C) cut-off value is controversial. A correct diagnosis of CAI is required, but overdiagnosis may lead to unnecessary hormone replacement therapy. Salivary cortisol (SC) reflects the levels of free serum cortisol and is a noninvasive alternative.Objective: To define a new cut-off value of serum cortisol in pediat...

Background: Insulin deficiency inhibits protein synthesis and stimulates protein degradation, and then amino acids metabolism could be altered in diabetes mellitus.Objective: The aim of this study is to analyze amino acid plasma profile in a group of children with type 1 diabetes, and to evaluate its potential application as markers of metabolic control of the disease.Subjects/Methods: A clinical assessment and metabolic study (ami...

Background: Disorders of sex development (DSD) are those congenital conditions in which development of chromosomal, gonadal, or anatomical sex is atypical. 45,X/46,XY mosaicism results in a large clinical spectrum of DSD including from female patients with Turner’s syndrome to normal appearing males.Objective and hypotheses: The main aim of this study is to review the clinical and gonad histological findings in a cohort of chromosomal DSD patients f...

Background: Glucocorticoids play an important role in the developing fetus; the most important of which is lung maturation by increasing surfactant production and release. Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) functioning changes throughout the fetal period, especially during the transition to extrauterine life. Given the importance of glucocorticoids in lung development and functioning, studying glucocorticoid sensitivity (GS) in this population would be helpful, especially in the pre...

Background: Leptin is suggested to be a permissive factor in the onset of puberty by signaling at the level of the hypothalamus to indicate adequate energy stores. Overweight female rats due to increased neonatal nutrition have been shown to develop puberty before normal weight rats.Objective and hypothesis: We hypothesized that this permissive effect may be due not only to increased leptin levels, but also to increased hypothalamic sensitivity to this h...

Background: Infantile obesity is nowadays a pandemic disease and needs a paediatrician interventional attitude. Since 1990 until 2010 it has trebled and the World Health Organization recommends prevention ‘as soon as possible’ even during the first year of life. A Spanish study (Aladino 2011) stimated the prevalence of overweight in boys as a 26.3% and in girls a 25.9% and the prevalence of obesity as a 22% and a 16.2% respectively. Our aim was to set up a new score ...

Background: Kallmann syndrome (KS) is a rare clinical entity, characterized by the association of hipogonadotropic hypogonadism and hypo/anosmia, with an estimated prevalence of 1:8000 in males and 1:40 000 in females.Method: Retrospective study of cases of KS diagnosed in paediatric age. Genetic analysis was performed by PCR and DNA sequencing of KAL1, FGFR1, GNRHR, GNRH1, PROK2, PROKR2, KISS1R, TAC3, TACR3, and FGF8 genes.Results...

Introduction: BIPSS before and after desmopressin stimulation has been shown to be a useful tool for diagnosis of ACTH-dependent CD and negative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)or positive MRI but inconsistent biochemical data, in adult patients. However, little is known about its usefulness in pediatric population.Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of negative MRI, the sensitivity of BIPSS before and after desmopress...

Background: Human placenta exhibits a specific miRNA expression pattern. Some of these miRNAs are dysregulated in pregnancy disorders like preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), and are potential biomarkers for these pathologies. No studies have been performed in maternal obesity.Objective and hypotheses: (1) Define the placental miRNA profile in pregnant women with: a) pre-pregnancy (preOB) or gestational obesity (gestOB), b) gestation...