ESPE Abstracts

GLI2 is a downstream transcription factor in Sonic Hedgehog signaling, acting early in ventral forebrain and pituitary development. Heterozygous GLI2 mutations have been reported in patients with isolated or combined pituitary hormone deficiency (CPHD).Objective: Study of genetic etiology of the hypopituitarism and identification of the genetic alteration in GLI2 gene.Methodology: Molecular study: Search for varia...

Objectives: The aims of this study were: (1) to evaluate the perception of children with GH Deficiency (GHD) and their parents, regarding their current and future predicted height, as well as the modulating factors; (2) to investigate the relation between perceptions of height and psychosocial functioning in children with GHD.Methods: The study group consists of 322 children/adolescents (219 boys) diagnosed with (isolated) GHD, treated with GH. The mean ...

Objectives: To describe the Health Related Quality of life (HrQoL) of children/adolescents with GH Deficiency (GHD) and to examine the effects of sociodemographic (i.e., patients’ age, sex and family socioeconomic status) and clinical characteristics (i.e. degree of short stature and duration of treatment) on HrQoL from patients’ and their parents’ perspectives. Associations between QoLISSY questionnaire and demographics were evaluated using Mann-Whitney or Krus...

Background: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is the most serious acute complication of type 1 Diabetes mellitus (T1DM). It is important to know the factors associated with the development of DKA and elaborate preventive strategies to reduce their prevalence.Objective and hypotheses: To identify DKA predictive risk factors in the initial presentation of T1DM in children and adolescents.Method: We conducted a retrospective study, by analy...

Background: Measuring testicular volume (TV) by orchidometer is a standard method of pubertal staging in boys. A paucity of evidence exists as to its inter and intra-user reliability and the impact of clinicians’ gender, training and experience on the accuracy of measurements.Objective and hypotheses: We engineered prosthetic models of different size testes to investigate the reliability of TV estimation.Method: The study was ...

Background: Approximately 15 million children are born preterm worldwide yearly.Objective and hypotheses: To evaluate spontaneous growth during the first 8 years of life.Hypotheses: Preterm born children have spontaneous recovery of weight and height in the first 8 years of life.Method: Measurements at birth, 6, 12 and 24 months of corrected age and at recall [6.4±0.5 years (5.2–8.0)]. Weight, lengt...

Background: Transverse Myelitis (TM) is an auto-immune syndrome with neural injury to the spinal cord. The TM may be first clinical manifestation of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). It is known that Turner’s Syndrome (TS) is associated to the presence of autoimmune diseases.Case Report: A 15-year old female, began with manifestations of loss of strength on the lower limbs evolving rapidly with sensorial loss, tetraparesis and hemodynamic instability, requir...

Background: Congenital hyperinsulinism (CH) is the most common cause of persistent hypoglycemia in neonatal period. The inadequate secretion of insulin leads to high morbidity and mortality in those newborns. Despite the recent progress in the diagnosis and management of CH, until recently, the situation in Brazil has been that of early 1990’s. The epidemiology is unknown and state-of-the art management has not been available.Objective and hypothese...

Background: Growth is a complex process influenced by several genetic factors both pre and postnatal, in which 80% of the height variation is explained by genetic factors. Nevertheless, the standard medical evaluation of short stature (SS) relies upon physical examination and laboratory parameters and identifies a pathological cause of SS in 1–40% of individuals. Recent advances in genetic diagnosis are revolutionizing the clinician’s ability to obtain a molecular di...

Background: Telomere length at birth is a major determinant of telomere length at later ages, up into senescence. However, the prenatal setting of telomere length is poorly understood. Individuals born large are at lower risk for later-life disorders, such as diabetes, than those born small, a feature of their longer health span being a higher lean mass that provides more muscle strength and is already present in infancy.Objective and hypotheses: To asse...