ESPE Abstracts

Introduction: Tuberous sclerosis (TS) is a rare, autosomal dominant, multisystem disease with a frequency of 1:6,000-10,000. It is caused by variants in the genes encoding hamartin (TSC 1) and tuberin (TSC 2) that normally act as inhibitors of the mTOR signaling cascade that regulates cell proliferation and migration, angiogenesis, and cell metabolism. The most frequent clinical presentation includes hypochromic macules, angiofibromas, hamartomas in the centra...

Background and aims: The introduction of next-generation sequencing (NGS) as an essential tool for the routine molecular diagnosis of DM has highlighted the under-diagnosis of monogenic diabetes mellitus (MonDM). Accurate molecular diagnosis of the MonDM subtype has important implications for prognosis and choice of treatment, family counseling and health management, enabling precision medicine. The main objective was to clinically and molecularly characterize...

Introduction: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a potentially fatal hyperglycemic emergency primarily associated with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D). The association between DKA and severe hypertriglyceridemia has already been previously discussed with a prevalence ranging between 7.1%-25%, with pancreatitis present in the majority of cases. Epidemiological data in the pediatric age are scarce and not well established. Its etiology is not yet fully known. The &qu...

Growth Hormone deficiency (GHD) in newborn is an infrequent condition, which can cause threat to life due mainly to hypoglycemia that begins in the first week of life. A GH basal level (whether random or associated with spontaneous hypoglycemia) that distinguishes infants with GHD from those with GH sufficiency in the neonatal period is not conclusive. Few data have been reported about the GH measurements in serum and dried blood spots on filter paper samples in healthy neonat...

Background: Isolated growth hormone deficiency (IGHD) is a relatively common disorder. Current diagnostic protocols require a brain MRI of the hypothalamus and the hypophysis after establishment of the diagnosis, with the aim of identifying structural defects and specifically rule out an underlying space-occupying lesion. An MRI scan is costly and requires general anesthesia in young children. Data on the contribution of brain MRI in diagnosing children with I...

Background: Noonan syndrome (NS) is a frequent autosomal dominant disorder characterized by facial dysmorphisms, heart defects, short stature and learning disabilities. It is caused by mutations in genes within the RAS/MAPK signaling pathway, thus called RASopathies. The RAS/MAPK pathway can also impact the signal transduction of hormones involved in body weight, carbohydrate, and lipid metabolism features scarcely studied only in animal models. This study aimed to describe me...

Background: BoneXpert is a software for automated measurement of bone age (BA) and radiogrammetry (bone health index). The precision error of the software for BA measure is smaller than the human rating error and the accuracy relative to the human routine ratings is 0.80 years. Differences in skeletal maturation between ethnicities have been reported, so it is important to have specific references for the own population.Objective: To present the automate...

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: Primary ovarian failure (POF) is a major cause of female infertility. POF is characterized by amenorrhea, hypo-estrogenism and elevated gonadotrophin levels. In POF disorder, several genetic alterations have been described, however in most of the patients the etiology of this disorder remains unknown.Objective and hypotheses: To identify new genes implicated in the development of POF using Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS).<p class="abstex...

Background: The majority of children with short stature are classified as idiopathic short stature. Whole exome sequencing can help identify genetic causes of short stature.Methods: We recruited 10 children with short stature of unknown etiology. We conducted whole exome sequencing of the patients and their family members. We used an analysis pipeline to identify rare nonsynonymous genetic variants that might cause the short stature. All rare allelic var...