ESPE Abstracts

Background: Craniopharyngioma is a non-malignant embryonic tumour in the pituitary-hypothalamic area, associated with hypothalamic obesity. Dysfunctional parasympathetic nervous system activity has been proposed as one mechanism underlying alterations in energy metabolism. Arterial spin labelling (ASL) is a non-invasive MRI technique that quantifies brain tissue perfusion as a proxy for functional activity. Here, we measure cerebral perfusion in patients with ...

Background: Craniopharyngioma is a non-malignant, embryological brain tumour in the sellar and parasellar region. Hypothalamic damage is common and accompanied by development of obesity in at least 50% of cases. Mechanisms underlying hypothalamic obesity in craniopharyngioma patients however remain unclear and treatment options are invasive and limited. This feasibility study included a novel application of functional neuroimaging, an established method in obe...

Deficiency of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A2 (PAPP-A2), a regulator of IGF-1 availability, causes postnatal growth failure in humans and mice, at least in part through dysregulation of bone size and density. The present study aimed to determine the effects of Pappa2 gene deletion and the response to recombinant murine IGF-1 (rmIGF-1) on femur microstructure and composition. Hydroxyapatite-related crystallography and ionic substitutions were analyzed by X-ray p...

Pregnancy associated plasma protein (PAPP)-A2 is an insulin-like growth factor (IGF) binding protein (BP) protease that regulates IGF-1 availability affecting postnatal growth. Mutations in human PAPP-A2 cause short stature and changes in bone size and mineral density. The present study aimed to characterize the effects of constitutive Pappa2 gene deletion on hypothalamic regulation of energy homeostasis in adult male and female mice. In addition to being sho...

Background: High amounts of protein in meals increase blood glucose in patients with type 1 diabetes. Fat delays the increase of blood glucose. Till now we do not know the amount of insulin necessary to prevent the increase of blood glucose after a fat and protein rich meal (FPRM).Aim: To find the Insulin dosage to normalize glucose level after a FPRM.Patients: Sixteen patients with type 1 diabetes (mean±SD; Age 19.7±2.7 ...

Background: Accumulation of fat mass in the development of obesity may result from hypertrophy and/or hyperplasia and is frequently associated with adipose tissue (AT) dysfunction in adults. However, the onset and mechanisms of AT dysfunction are not entirely understood.Objective and hypotheses: We assessed composition, function, lipolysis, and inflammation in 171 AT samples from lean and obese children and adolescents (aged 0 – 18 years) to evaluat...

Background: Many children with short stature (defined as height SDS <−2S.D.) have no identified cause for their growth impairment and are classified as either small for gestational age or idiopathic short stature depending on birth size. Whole exome sequencing (WES) is a useful tool to identify new genetic diagnoses in this group. Here we describe a recurrent NDUFB3 mutation in children with intra-uterine growth retardation, short stature and ...

Background: The incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is dramatically increasing among children worldwide. The gold standard for diagnosis is the liver biopsy. Reliable serum markers are lacking. Recently, circulating miRNAs have been studied as biomarkers of disease progression. Specifically, miR-122 was proposed as predictive marker for liver disease in adults, while no data are available for children.Objective and hypotheses: To inves...

Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the hypothalamic-pituitary area is extremely useful in the investigation of patients with central diabetes insipidus (CDI) due to infiltrative processes.Objective: We aimed to associate pituitary stalk thickness with the etiology of CDI and hormone deficiencies.Method: A retrospective single-center study of 15 patients (four boys and 11 girls) with CDI was performed and clinical-epide...

Background: Craniopharyngioma is a rare, suprasellar tumour, which, together with associated surgery or radiotherapy, results in damage to the hypothalamus and severe obesity in approximately 50% of cases. The multi-factorial mechanisms underlying the development of obesity in craniopharyngioma are not well understood. Hypothalamic damage in craniopharyngioma has been associated with dysfunctional parasympathetic nervous system activity leading to altered gluc...