ESPE Abstracts

Background: Animal and human studies have shown that nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT), the key enzyme of mammalian NAD biosynthesis from nicotinamide, is modified in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Here, we investigated the effect of a high fat diet on hepatic NAD metabolism in mice.Objective and hypotheses: A dysregulation of NAD metabolism is a pathogenic factor for the development of steatohepatitis (NASH).Metho...

It has been recognized for over 20 years that there is an association between patterns of early growth and long-term risk of traditionally adult onset diseases such as type 2 diabetes. This has been observed both in human epidemiological studies and in animal models. This led to the concept of the developmental origins of health and disease that suggests that the environment to which an individual is exposed during critical periods of development, such as the in utero...

Background: In the past, the GH–IGF1 axis was thought to be the central system regulating childhood growth and therefore responsible for short stature and tall stature.Objective and hypotheses: The objective of this talk is to conceptualize disorders of linear growth in terms of the underlying growth plate biology.Method: Powerful, new, unbiased tools have recently been developed to investigate the genetic control of childhood...

Background: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are widely used as flame retardants and have shown endocrine disruption properties in experimental studies. Preliminary studies in animal models have suggested a link between exposure to PBDE and alterations of puberty and reproduction.Objective and hypotheses: To investigate the association between the exposure to PBDEs and alterations of puberty in girls, referred for idiopathic premature thelarche (IP...

Background: Because ghrelin is closely linked to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus in adults, ghrelin might also participate in the development and progression of pathological changes in insulin resistance in SGA infants.Objective and hypotheses: This study aimed to determine insulin sensitivity index (ISI), variation in ghrelin levels, and their relationship in small for gestational age (SGA) rats.Method: The SGA ani...

Background: Phthalates are industrial chemicals extensively used as plasticizers in a variety of commercial products. Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is one of the most frequently used phthalates. DEHP is readily metabolized to mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP), which is more toxic than its parent compound. There are some animal and in vitro studies suggesting that phthalates can disrupt hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis.Objective and hy...

Background: Human milk is considered the most advantageous source of nourishment for infants. Although there is a growing body of evidence showing that human milk feeding fosters early neurodevelopment, the underlying process is still not completely known. Indeed, clinical and animal research has linked human milk to enhanced myelination in the infant's central nervous system, however, access to human oligodendrocytes and neurons in the early stages of develop...

Parental imprinting is an epigenetic process leading to monoallelic expression of certain genes depending on their parental origin. Imprinting disorders are a set of rare diseases that mainly affect growth and metabolism from birth to adulthood. These disorders are mainly due to methylation defects in imprinting control region that drive the abnormal expression of imprinted genes. Moreover, patients with imprinting disorders may present overlapping clinical features that can b...

Background: The presentation of early-onset Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (EO-POI), most often with primary amenorrhea, is at one end of a spectrum spanning 40 years. The aetiology of POI is frequently unclear but next generation sequencing of varied age groups has identified several associated genetic variants. Whether girls with EO-POI are more likely to have a genetic aetiology than those with later presentations remains unknown.<stro...

Background: Accelerated catch-up growth following intrauterine growth restriction increases the risk of developing visceral adiposity and metabolic syndrome. Animal models of growth restriction during gestation have been developed as a powerful tool to provide insight into the underlying molecular mechanisms thereof.Objective: To analyze the patterns of gene expression in the retroperitoneal adipose tissue of rats with i...