ESPE Abstracts

Introduction: Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is an autosomal recessively transmitted disease and 95% of CAH cases are due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD). There are more than 100 mutations that cause CAH due to 21-OHD and the clinical expression of the disease is reported to correlate with mutated alleles.The aim: The aim of this study was to investigate responsible mutations and then to evaluate genotype...

The calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) is the master regulator of calcium homeostasis. This class C G-protein coupled receptor binds extracellular calcium and phosphate, and is the target of calcimimetic and calcilytic drugs. The CaSR is expressed on the cell surface as a homodimer and is most highly expressed in the parathyroid glands and the renal thick ascending limb, where it acts to maintain a near-constancy of plasma calcium concentrations by regulating parathyroid hormone ...

Background: Hetero- and homozygous mutations in Steroidogenic Factor1 (SF1, NR5A1) cause 46,XY and 46,XX disorders of sex development (DSD), azoospermia, and primary ovarian insufficiency. NR5A1 is also involved in embryonic spleen development, by transactivation of T-cell Leukemia Homeobox 1 (TLX1). Hypo- or asplenism have occasionally been observed in DSD patients with NR5A1 mutations.<p clas...

Background/Aims: Cryptorchidism or undescended testis is a prevalent congenital urogenital condition affecting male newborns with an incidence rate ranging from 1.0 to 4.6%. Mouse models have implicated INSL3 and its receptor RXFP2 (formerly known as GREAT or LGR8) in the development of the condition. RXFP2 acts as a G protein-coupled receptor that triggers the generation of cAMP by binding INSL3. But despite the established role in testicular descent, so far ...

Background: Long-term outcome studies on bilateral testicular regression (BTR) are currently lacking, hampering counseling of patients and parents. Although a vascular origin was initially reported, recent studies revealed a genetic origin in a subset of patients (i.e. DHX37 gene variants). How this relates to patient outcomes remains unclear.Methods: Thirty-five patients with BTR were recruited in eight Belgian centers ...

Background/aim: The PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome (PHTS) is an overgrowth syndrome caused mainly by germline mutations in the tumor suppressor PTEN. Patients are predisposed for the development of malignant and benign tumors. Children and adolescents with PHTS frequently develop single or multiple lipomas. PTEN antagonizes the phosphatidylinositide3-kinase/AKT/mechanistic target of rapamycin (PI3K/AKT/mTOR) pathway, which promotes proliferation and differentiation in ...

Background: Wolcott-Rallison syndrome (WRS) is a rare recessively inherited disorder characterized by insulin-dependent diabetes and multiple epiphyseal dysplasia. The disease is also characterized by recurrent episodes of hepatitis or hepatic failure, growth retardation and developmental regression. WRS is caused by biallelic mutations in EIF2AK3, encoding the eukaryotic translation initiation factor-2 kinase 3 (IEF2AK3). EIF2AK3 regulates the synthesis of u...

Background: Duplication of the long arm of chromosome 4 has been described in more than 60 patients. The severity and specificity of associated symptoms depend on the size and location of the duplication, and which genes are involved.Reported features include developmental delay, intellectual disability, birth defects, hypotelorism, growth retardation, short neck, dysmorphism, and abnormalities to the extremities.Objective: To report a two-year old child...

Background: Patients with PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog) hamartoma tumor syndrome and germ line mutations in PTEN frequently develop lipomatosis, for which there is no standard treatment. Rapamycin was shown to reduce the growth of lipoma cells with heterozygous PTEN deficiency in vitro, but concomitantly induced an up regulation of AKT phosphorylation.Objective and hypotheses: Since it was shown that resveratrol stabilizes PTEN,...

Background: Severe obesity (SO), defined as BMI ≥95th percentile, has increased worldwide among adolescents. American studies estimated that 1.3–2.8% of 12–19-year-old individuals have a BMI >40 kg/m2 or a BMI >35 kg/m2 with at least one serious co-morbidity. The immediate and long-term risks associated with SO in adolescents include cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, obstructive sleep apnoea, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disea...