ESPE Abstracts

Background: The first three children reported to have biallelic mutations in RNPC3 presented with growth hormone (GH) deficiency and pituitary hypoplasia (MIM#618860). RNPC3 codes for a minor spliceosome protein required for U11/U12 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein formation and splicing of U12-type introns. The underlying mechanism causing GH deficiency in these patients is not fully understood. Moreover, whether the association of further ho...

Fertility and puberty onset are controlled within the brain by a neural network that drives the secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) from hypothalamic neuroendocrine neurons. During postnatal development, various permissive signals must be integrated for the initiation of sexual maturation but the molecular events that orchestrate the timely activation of the GnRH neurons remain a major unsolved biological mystery. Increasing evidences point out Micro-RNAs (miRNA...

Introduction: In India, newborn screening (NBS) for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is not yet a national government policy. Preliminary information suggests neonatal TSH levels to be higher in expatriate Indian babies than those in European populations in developed countries.Objectives: To evaluate maternal urinary iodine and cord blood TSH in a subset of women participating in a postnatal NBS program for CH.Methods: Cord blood (CB...

Introduction: Differences in sex development (DSD) comprise a heterogeneous group of congenital conditions that affect human sex determination and differentiation. We aimed to describe the clinical diagnoses of children with DSD who were referred to a pediatric tertiary center, and to examine trends in clinical features and management over three decades.Methods: This is a retrospective, cross-sectional study of children ...

Hypercalcaemic disorders in children may present with poor feeding, hypotonia, lethargy, dehydration, vomiting, polyuria, failure to thrive, seizures and hypertension. The causes of hypercalcaemia in children, which can be classified as parathyroid hormone (PTH)-dependent or PTH-independent, are similar to those occurring in adults except that primary hyperparathyroidism and malignancy which the most common causes in adults, and account for >90% of adult patients with hype...

Resistance to thyroid hormone mediated by defective TRβ (RTHβ) or TRα(RTHα).Separate genes (THRA, THRB) undergo alternate splicing, generating nuclear receptors (TRα1, TRβ1, TRβ2) with distinct tissue distributions, which mediate thyroid hormone action; the function of a non-hormone binding protein (α 2), derived from the THRA locus, is unknown.RTHβ a dominantl...

Background: Generalized lymphatic anomaly (GLA) is a rare congenital disorder characterized by aggressive proliferation of dilated lymphatic vessels. The etiology of GLA is poorly understood.Objective and hypotheses: To identify the underlying genetic basis for GLA.Method: Exome sequencing (ES) was performed in two families, including a multigenerational family (family-1) with six affected members. RNA-seq was performed on skin bio...

Objective: Remission rates in young people with Graves’ hyperthyroidism are 25% or less after a 2-yr course of thionamide antithyroid drug (ATD). Immunomodulatory agents could potentially improve outcome by facilitating immune tolerance. We wanted to explore whether rituximab, a B lymphocyte depleting agent, would increase remission rates when administered with a short course of ATD.Design: This was an investigator-...

Background: Protein energy malnutrition (PEM) is a catabolic state with altered energy balance and anorexia. Ghrelin is a peptide hormone, produced by neuro-endocrine cells in the stomach, which stimulates appetite, increases food intake and growth hormone release. Although many trials have shown short term efficacy of ghrelin to increase appetite in anorexic and cachectic patients, data on the children with PEM is scarce.Objective and hypotheses: The st...

Background: In 1968 a cytogenetics laboratory was established at the University Hospital, Reykjavik and has since then served as the only chromosomal laboratory for all hospitals and physicians in Iceland. Our current aim was to study the physical features, congenital anomalies and various clinical outcomes in Icelandic females, diagnosed with Turner syndrome (TS) for the period of 1968–2012.Method: Data was obtained from hospital records, from all ...