ESPE Abstracts

Glucocorticoids regulate a wide range of biological processes including metabolism. Patients with adrenal insufficiency show impaired glucocorticoid biosynthesis either caused by adrenal defects (primary adrenal insufficiency) or by defects in the pituitary gland or hypothalamus (secondary or tertiary adrenal insufficiency). The systemic consequences of differentially disrupted steroid hormone biosynthesis remain unclear. Increasing evidence suggested steroid hormone precursor...

Background: Puberty is a time of hormonal changes that are associated with insulin resistance. Although insulin sensitivity is restored at the end of puberty in healthy youth, it does not resolve in obese adolescents leading to an increase of cardio metabolic disease such as type 2 diabetes. In response to an increase in insulin demand, as during pregnancy or obesity-induced insulin resistance, β-cells increase their functional mass to maintain glucose homeostasis. Howeve...

Background: Childhood growth is an indicator of health/well-being. Growth monitoring identifies treatable conditions in apparently healthy children and prevents inappropriate referrals. Systematic growth monitoring is not currently a UK priority and growth disorders are frequently diagnosed late.Objective: Develop and test the accuracy of GrowthMonitor, an app which enables families to measure a child’s height at h...

Background: Obesity has been associated with perturbations of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). Scalp hair cortisol has been recognized as a reliable index of long-term cortisol concentrations.Objective and hypotheses: Aim of this study was to compare indices of HPA axis and SNS activities, such as, respectively, the salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase diurnal patterns, and their relations i...

Background: Abnormalities in the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis have been reported in Noonan syndrome (NS) males but few data are available in female patients. Objective: The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the gonadal function of female patients with NS and to look for genotype-phenotype correlations. Patients and Methods: The study population included 19 girls/adolescents with a genetically confirmed diagnosis of NS and with available cli...

Background: Neonatal hyperinsulinism is the most frequent cause of neonatal recurrent hypoglycaemia. The persistent form can be explained by mutations of genes involved in beta cell function, whereas the transient form can occur in case of prematurity, low birth weight, macrosomia, perinatal hypoxia, and maternal diabetes.Objective and hypotheses: As we observed an increase in the incidence of neonatal hyperinsulinism, we hypothesized that potential mate...

Background: The human microbiota has emerged as an unexpected modulator of the immune system. The placenta, long thought to be sterile, harbors a unique microbiome and variations in their composition could be related to prevent pregnancy disorders.Objective and hypotheses: To profile the placental microbiota (microorganisms) and microbiome (collection of microbial genomes in an environment) in women with gestational diabetes (GDM) and study their relatio...

Background: Chronic stress and increased adiposity have been associated with each other in children. Further studies are needed, however, to evaluate both the directionality of this association and the mediating metabolic mechanisms.Objective and hypotheses: This study investigates the interrelations between BMI, body composition parameters, indices of the stress response, such as hair and salivary cortisol levels, and, metabolic mediators, such as insul...

Background: ROHHADNET syndrome affects children with normal development until 2–4 years of age.Objective and hypotheses: Aim of this study was to evaluate a possible role of autoimmunity in this disorder. In spite of a suspicion for genetic etiology, disease-associated genetic variations have not been identified. A paraneoplastic/autoimmune etiology has been suggested mainly because of the association with neural crest tumors....

Background: Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is associated with an increased risk of lower socioeconomic status and a higher risk for morbidity and mortality, which may have a significant impact on quality of life (QOL). The objective of this study is to investigate QOL in a large European cohort of men with KS and associate QOL with socioeconomic status, prevalence of somatic disease and mental illness, testosterone supplementation and age of diagnosis.<p class=...