ESPE Abstracts

Background: Osteogenesis imperfecta / Ehlers–Danlos (OI/EDS) overlap syndrome is a rare and recently described disorder of connective tissue, characterized by mutation of COL1A1 (17q21.33) or COL1A2 (7q21.3) genes, involved in alpha-1 and alpha-2 chains of type 1 collagen synthesis. Patients with OI/EDS overlap syndrome could show a phenotype characterized by features of both osteogenesis imperfecta (bone fragility, long bone fractures, blue sclerae, sho...

Background: Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of premature death among women with Turner syndrome (TS). Studies in youth with TS suggest that cardiometabolic-related dysfunction is present in childhood, however these small convenience samples may not be generalizable to the whole TS population. PEDSnet, the largest pediatric Health Learning System in the United States (US) representing >6 million children, offers a unique opportunity to examine ...

The majority of patients with Variations of Sex Development (VSD) lack a genetic diagnosis. Patients that are born with atypical chromosomal, gonadal, or phenotypical sex, present a wide spectrum of phenotypes that are often associated with ambiguous genitalia, infertility as well as increased susceptibility to testicular or ovarian cancer. Many different genetic causes of VSD have been reported [2], but for more than 50% [3] of all VSD patients, the molecular cause of their c...

Human sex development relies on differentiation of the gonads, in which Sertoli and granulosa cells play a key role for men and women respectively. Many variations of sex development (VSD) are due to alteration of these two cell types. The study of the mechanisms underlying these conditions is crucial for optimal clinical management of VSDs, as for more than 50% [1] of all VSD patients, the molecular cause of their condition remains unknown. The collection of primary cells is ...

Background and Aim: Germline mutations in the tumor suppressor gene PTEN cause PTEN Hamartoma Tumor Syndrome (PHTS). Pediatric patients frequently develop lipomas. PTEN antagonizes the growth promoting PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. There is no current treatment option except surgery. Treatment attempts with the mTORC1 inhibitor Rapamycin could not reverse lipoma growth. Recently, lipomas associated with a related syndrome caused by mosaic activating PI3K mutations (P...

Background: Disorders/Differences of Sex Development (DSD) is diagnosed in approximately one out of 4'500 newborns. Children born with DSD present with a very diverse phenotype and they and their families face considerable challenges, potentially including surgical intervention and gender assignment, as well as associated complications such as infertility and predisposition to gonadal tumors. Due to the lack of knowledge concerning the complete gene and pr...

Background: Children who were born small for gestational age (SGA) or with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) have increased risk of metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus type 2 and coronary disease in adultness. Most of those children after catch-up growth achieve the same growth as their peers. Nevertheless 10 % of them persist finally short as adults. In the last decade some countries introduced the rhGH treatment to impr...

Background: In diabetic patients vitamin D seems to play a role not only on bone metabolism, but also on many other organs and/or systems, such as lipid profile, cardiovascular system, etc. We decided to evaluate whether the celiac disease antibodies in type 1 diabetic patients have a connection with 25-OH vitamin D status.Materials and Methods: 78 young patients with type 1 diabetes were evaluated with mean age of 14&#1...

Acanthosis nigricans is a common skin presentation of insulin resistance. We may observe different forms of its sevirity. Pathogenesis of this disorder is correlated with an action of insulin to keratinocyte and dermal fibroblasts via interaction with IGFR1.We'd like to present a medical history of two patients admitted to our clinic because of severe acanthosis nigricans. Boys were at the age of 13 and 14 years. We diagnosed carbohydrate metabolism ...

Background: Differentiation of the gonads in men is closely dependent on Sertoli cells maturation. Differences of sex development (DSD) are caused by variations in this process. The study of the mechanisms underlying these complex conditions is crucial for optimal clinical management and Sertoli cells would be an ideal model for this purpose. However, there are two main obstacles for the study of human Sertoli cells. Firstly, mature human Sertoli cells lose their proliferation...