ESPE Abstracts

Background: Achondroplasia (ACH), the most common short-limbed skeletal dysplasia, is characterized by impaired endochondral ossification resulting from gain-of-function pathogenic variants in the fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) gene, a negative regulator of endochondral bone growth. People with ACH are at risk for several significant co-morbidities, including brainstem compression due to foramen magnum stenosis, sleep-disordered breathing, chronic...

Introduction: Complications are frequently reported post hypospadias repair and there is a need to understand the factors that influence their occurrence.Aim: The aim of this study was to identify the occurrence of complications in boys with hypospadias that are in the I-DSD Registry.Methods: Data from boys born with hypospadias between 2010-2020 were obtained from the I-DSD regist...

Introduction: Lysosomal Acid Lipase Deficiency (LAL-D) is a rare and systemic condition, secondary to LIPA gene mutations, responsible for lysosomal accumulation of cholesterol esters and triglycerides. Clinical manifestations are heterogeneous in terms of age of onset, severity and biochemical and radiological findings. Dyslipidemia, hepatomegaly and hepatosteatosis with hypertransaminasemia are the most common features. There is significant evidence of incre...

Background: Thyroid hormones (TH) play multiple effects on glucose metabolism. Some recent studies carried out in adult patients suggested an association between altered sensitivity to TH and type 2 diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. No studies are currently available on the presence of altered sensitivity to the action of TH in youths with prediabetes.Objective: To evaluate the relationship between sensitivity t...

Aim: To develop a low cost formula as screening tool for identifying youths with overweight/obesity (OW/OB) at risk for impaired glucose tolerance (IGT).Methods and results: A retrospective observational study was performed in 1189 Caucasian youths with OW/OB aged 5-17 years, in whom information about family history for diabetes (FD), fasting glucose (FG), 2-hour glucose levels post-oral glucose tolerance test, alanine a...

Background: Type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-1R) is the product of a single-copy gene located on chromosome 15 and is ubiquitously expressed in humans. Increased hepatic IGF-1R gene expression is found in hepatocellular carcinoma and in chronic hepatitis C, making parenchymal and non-parenchymal cells more susceptible to the mitogenic effects of IGF-1.Objective and hypotheses: As we have previously demonstrated that IGF-1 and IGF-2 circula...

Background: Precocious puberty is defined as the development of secondary sexual characteristics before the age of 8 years in girls and 9 years in boys. This condition results from a constant and complex interplay between predisposing genes and environmental factors. To date, the molecular analysis are all focused on reproductive-endocrine disorders such as Kallmann syndrome and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, while the genetic bases of pubertal timing are still unclear.<p ...

Background: Non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease in childhood, in obese subjects and associated with insulin resistance.FOXO1 is a key regulator in insulin signalling and in intracellular adipogenesis, and is implicated in liver steatosis. We have previously identified that a group of miRNAs are involved in its epigenetic regulation.Objective and hypotheses: We aimed to assess in liver tissue and in serum whe...

Background: Fetuin A is a hepatokine known as a natural inhibitor of the insulin receptor tyrosine kinase and is associated with insulin resistance and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Studies on adults provided conflicting results regarding the link between fetuin A and the severity of liver damage in NAFLD. Data on children are limited.Objective: To investigate the relationship between fetuin A, metabolic parameters, and NAFLD in obese childre...

Background: Metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance are well recognized in adult obesity. Their criteria and prevalence and are still controversial in children.Objective and hypotheses: To evaluate the prevalence and natural history of clinical and biological parameters of the metabolic syndrome in a pediatric cohort of obese subjects. To identify metabolically healthy subjects and the persistence of this phenotype over time.Meth...