ESPE Abstracts

Background: Decreased bone mineral density (BMD) and increased fracture risk have consistently been observed in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). The influence of T1DM on BMD seems to depend on gender or patient’s age and to occur early after T1DM diagnosis. The mechanisms of decreased BMD in T1DM patients are still unknown.Objective and hypotheses: To investigate the serum levels of dickkopf-1 (DKK-1), a Wnt signaling inhibitor which decreases bone ...

Background: Over the years special screening procedures for preterm and twin babies (re-screening at 2–4 weeks of life) have been adopted by many screening laboratories worldwide. However, no extensive studies have been performed to verify how many co-twins with negative test at first screening (3–5 days) become positive at re-screening, and the utility of a long-term follow-up also in co-twin with negative test at screening and re-screening.Ob...

Introduction: Genetic factors play an important role in determining individual susceptibility to weight gain and obesity. In the last few years, several genetic variants have been identified as monogenic forms of obesity. Among them, Leptin (LEP) and its receptor on hypothalamic neurons (LEPR) are key players in the regulation of body weight, food intake and energy homeostasis. Pathogenic variants in the LEPR gene cause severe childhood-onset obesity with an a...

Background: Aluetta® Smartdot™ (Merck Healthcare KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany) is first of its kind digitally connected smart injection pen device for recombinant-human growth hormone (r-hGH) administration. Aluetta® pen with Smartdot™ knob attachment integrated with Growzen™ digital ecosystem enables healthcare professionals (HCPs) to remotely monitor adherence and achieve optimal clinical outcomes for patients....

Background: The primary goal of GH treatment in GHD children and adolescents is to normalize height, in order to attain an adult height within the target height (TH) range.Aim: to investigate height improvement in GHD paediatric patients treated with GH in our Country.Subjects: 737 patients with isolated GHD (39.5% females) from 13 tertiary Centres for Paediatric Endocrine Care...

Background: There is growing evidence of a correlation between fat and bone metabolism at both the clinical and molecular levels, although the systemic regulators have not been clearly identified. The receptor activator of nuclear factor kB ligand (RANKL) and its soluble decoy receptor, osteoprotegerin (OPG), are involved in bone resorption and vascular calcification. OPG levels has been related with insulin resistance in adult obese subjects.Objective a...

Background: Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) has been linked to papillary cancer in adults but not in children and adolescents. Moreover, there is no agreement on the more appropriate frequency of thyroid ultrasound (TS) in the follow-up of children with HT.Objective and hypotheses: The aim of the study was to investigate the incidence of thyroid nodules and of thyroid cancer in a large group of children and adolescents (567) with HT followed-up for a m...

Innervation of the hypothalamic median eminence by Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) neurons is vital to ensure puberty onset and successful reproduction. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying median eminence development and pubertal timing are incompletely understood. Here we show that Semaphorin-6A is strongly expressed by median eminence-resident oligodendrocytes positioned adjacent to GnRH neuron projections and fenestrated capillaries, and that Sem...

Three patients from two unrelated families in Malta; one consanguineous (siblings: Patient 1, male and Patient 2, female) and one non-consanguineous (Patient 3, male), manifested hypogonadotropic hypogonadism with delayed puberty, intellectual disability, scoliosis, and ataxia with cerebellar hypoplasia on MRI. GnRH tests revealed low peak LH and FSH concentrations in the patients: Patient 1; LH 2.3 IU/L, FSH 4.4 IU/L (14.3y), Patient 2; LH 3.6 IU/L, FSH 6.4 IU/L (12.5y), Pati...

Objective: Acute adrenal crisis is one of the main concerns in children with classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). The aim of this study was to evaluate hypoglycemic and salt-wasting episodes in children with an established diagnosis of classic 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD) after start of treatment.Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted for 85 patients with classic CAH (68 salt-wasting and 17 simple virilizing), aged 1 to...