ESPE Abstracts

Background: Genetic causes of central precocious puberty (CPP) has been increasingly recognized, extending our knowledge of the triggering factors of human pubertal timing. Distinct etiologies remain to be elucidated in sporadic and familial cases. Methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MECP2) is a chromatin-associated protein that can activate or repress gene transcription, playing a role in neuronal maturation. It is encoded by MECP2 gene located at chromoso...

Background: Loss of function mutations in SGPL1, a key component of sphingolipid metabolism, are associated with accumulation of sphingolipid intermediates giving rise to a multisystemic disease incorporating primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) and progressive renal and neurological disease. Sphingolipids are implicated in mitochondrial apoptosis via induction of mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization, cytosolic release of inter-membranal cytochrome c and activ...

Introduction: Growth velocity is reduced in patients with GH deficiency and this may result in an increase in Body Mass Index (BMI). Treatment performed with Growth Hormone (GH) while accelerating growth velocity, might reduce BMI. The objective of this study was to evaluate BMI in patients with GHD at diagnosis, 1 y and 2 y after started treatment with GH and to compare if there is difference between the BMI of the patients with and without pituitary abnormalities.<p clas...

Background: The Adrenocortical Neoplasm (ACN) is a rare condition in childhood (0,3 cases/1000000). In paediatric age, ACN at stage 1 is treated by complete adrenalectomy, while at stages 2 and 3 surgery is followed by adjuvant treatment with Mitotane (M). Chemotherapy is required in metastatic cases (stage 4).Objective and hypotheses: M is an adrenal cytotoxic agent which has both adrenolytic action on ACN cells and inhibition on steroid hormone synthes...

Background: A high proliferative status of thyroid follicular cells and goiter were observed in mutants mice with Pten−/− or Dream overexpression. In humans, patients with Cowden disease have goiters or other thyroid abnormalities associated with germ-line PTEN mutations.Objective and Hypotheses: The aim of this study was to investigate the tissue expression of PTEN and DREAM, as well as germ-line ...

Objective: To evaluate the response to recombinant human GH (rhGH) treatment in NS children with short stature and previously identified mutations in the RAS/MAPK pathway genes.Methods: 23 patients with NS (17 males; 19 PTPN11, 3 RAF1 e 1 SHOC2) were daily treated with rhGH (mean rhGH dose of 47 μg/kg per day). The main outcome measures were 1st year growth velocity, change in height SDS (Noonan syndrome specifi...

Introduction: The wide aromatization of androgens during puberty is responsible for the rapid bone maturation at this age. In this context, the use of aromatase inhibitors (AIs) has been justified by the potential to slow down the advancement of bone age and thus improve growth. For more than two decades, studies have pointed out the validity of AIs to improve the predicted final height (PFH). However, data on near-final height (NFH) of children treated with A...

Introduction: Noonan syndrome (NS) is a relative frequent genetic disorder, mainly characterized by dysmorphic face features, congenital heart defects and short stature. Though delayed pubertal development has been described in both sexes, the physiopathological root remains unclear. This study aims at characterizing puberty development in Noonan syndrome.Materials and Methods: The study population included 111 individuals with a molecul...

Background: SGPL1 deficiency is associated with a pathological accumulation of sphingolipid intermediates and a multi-systemic condition incorporating primary adrenal insufficiency. Sphingolipid intermediates such as ceramide, sphingosine and sphingosine 1-phosphate are postulated to act as modulators of the steroidogenic pathway, often acting as second messengers altering downstream expression of steroid responsive transcriptional elements. Ceramide and sphin...

Background: Noonan syndrome (NS) is a rare genetic disease characterized by facial dysmorphism, short stature, heart defects, chest deformities, and variable developmental delay/learning disabilities. Almost 80% of patients have a mutation in the genes encoding components of the RAS/MAPK pathway. Puberty was described as delayed in NS patients, but few studies are focusing on this subject and genotype-phenotype correlations so far.<s...