ESPE Abstracts

Background: Data regarding the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in Greek adolescents and the effect of school interventions are scarce.Objective and hypotheses: To study the prevalence of MS in a representative sample of Greek adolescents and evaluate the impact of a 6-month educational-behavioral intervention.Method: Cross-sectional anthropometric data ((height, weight, waist circumference (WC)), blood pressure (BP), fasting ...

Background: The exposure to environmental toxicants has been estimated to contribute directly to 3% of human neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDDs). Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), which are widespread persistent organic pollutants, have been implicated mainly because of their endocrine disruptive nature. Several studies have reported the above relations between maternal serum, the placenta barrier and the breast milk levels of OCPs and NDDs.Aim: The a...

A female child born from non consanguineous parents of Pakistani origin presented with congenital heart anomaly at prenatal ultrasound and confirmed at birth, with type B aortic arch interruption, right-sided aortic arch, wide ventricular and atrium septum defects, which required repeated surgical corrections during the first 9 months of life. The ultrasound also reported absence of the thymus. Suspecting Di Deorge Syndrome, a fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) ...

Introduction: Increased adiposity has been associated with smoldering systemic inflammation and metabolic syndrome manifestations, leading to further morbidity by increasing the risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease in adults. Similar analyses have not been performed systematically in children and adolescents.Hypothesis: This study investigates the interrelations between body composition parameters and indices of inflammation and m...

Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurodevelopmental condition in school-aged children, with a prevalence of 5–8%. In individuals with ADHD, there is an attenuated biologic stress response to challenging situations.Objective: This study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of an 8-week stress management program, comprising self-applied cognitive exercises, on stress perception and anxiety symptoms, sleep...

Introduction: Body composition analysis is a painless, bloodless and highly informative method of assessing health indicators that can be used extensively in the pediatric population. This is particularly important granted that the prevalence of childhood obesity has been increasing at a fast pace worldwide. Increased adiposity in children and adolescents is an important issue for children’s growth and psychologic development. Assessing the psychosocial status of children...

Background: In recent years, studies have consistently demonstrated higher TSH concentrations in overweight/obese children and adults compared with normal weight individuals, whereas the levels of thyroid hormones in peripheral blood remain within normal range. This euthyroid hyperthyrotropinemia on the background of a worldwide increase in childhood obesity raises the question of whether subjects with this elevated TSH should be treated.Objective and hy...

Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder worldwide. Evidence suggests dysfunction of the fronto-subcortical pathways and the dopaminergic and noradrenergic systems, as well as dysregulation of the stress system, i.e., the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and the sympathetic nervous system (SNS).Objective and hypotheses: The aim of the study was to examine i) the diurn...

This present study investigates the impact of a common environmental hazard, the radiofrequency fields (RF), such as those regarding cell phones, cell phone base stations, wi-fi, portable phones (DECT), etc., as close to the body sources of exposure, on endocrine function. This is of importance, particularly for developing children, that have been and are exposed to this potential hazard. We performed analyses on endocrine assessments regarding stress, thyroid hand reproductiv...

Introduction: Primary Generalized Glucocorticoid Resistance or Chrousos syndrome (CS) is a rare sporadic or familial disorder characterized by generalized, partial tissue insensitivity to glucocorticoids. Mutations of the NR3C1 gene, which encodes the human glucocorticoid receptor, have been identified in many but not all patients with CS.Objective: To identify novel genes related to CS in patients without NR3C1 gene mutations.<p cl...