ESPE Abstracts

Background: In Nigeria, where malaria is endemic, hypertension is common. We reported that exposure to maternal malaria resulted in smaller babies with lower BP at birth, but a greater change (Δ) in BP to 12 months of age.Objective and hypotheses: To now present BP measurements out to 3 years of age.Method: Height, weight, and blood pressure (BP) were measured on 164 babies (75 males and 89 females) at birth, 12, 24, and 36 mo...

Background: Homozygous mutations in STAT5B result in GH insensitivity and immune dysfunction. Heterozygous dominant negative mutations have not been described.Aims and objectives: To characterize genomic STAT5B DNA in two families exhibiting short stature.Methods: Sanger sequencing of STAT5B from genomic DNA. Mutant STAT5B constructs were expressed in HEK293 cells.Results: ...

Background: Dominant mutations in ABCC8 can cause congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI), which is characterised by unregulated insulin secretion.Objective and hypotheses: To understand the molecular basis of medically unresponsive CHI due to dominant ABCC8 mutations.Method: We investigated ten patients with diazoxide unresponsive CHI who required a near total pancreatectomy. DNA sequencing revealed seven dominant heter...

Background: Chimerism is the phenomenon of two or more genetically distinct cell lines (originating from different zygotes) in the same individual. In situations when the sex of the fertilised eggs is disparate, it can lead to intersex phenotypes.Objective and hypotheses: We report a case of ovotesticular disorder of sexual development with chimerism resulting from a twin pregnancy (not involving assisted reproductive technologies).<p class="abstext"...

Background: Hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycaemia (HH) can be transient or permanent. Transient HH (spontaneous resolution of HH within few weeks) is associated with intrauterine growth restriction, maternal diabetes, erythroblastosis fetalis etc. Transient HH has not been reported with ABCC8/KCNJ11 mutations, which are the commonest cause of HH.Aim: Molecular characterisation of a novel ABCC8 mutation associated with a transient HH phenotype seen in a family ...

Background: Over the past 20 years there is growing evidence that onset of puberty and changes in body proportions occur at an earlier age, especially in girls. Several studies have suggested this trend is linked to increasing rates of overweight and obese children. However, data on delayed pubertal trends are scant.Objective and hypotheses: To characterize body proportions of children evaluated for pubertal disorders.Method: Retro...

Background: 6 patients with neonatal diabetes presenting to a single centre from April 2014 to March 2015 were studied for clinical presentation, biochemical findings of the disorder, genetics and treatment outcomes.Objective and hypotheses: Six children presenting to a single centre in South India were studied for correlation of disease with clinical features and genetics, suitability of current treatment regimens and treatment outcomes.<p class="ab...

Background: The peptides obestatin and adropin are thought to regulate glucose and lipid metabolism, weight gain, and fluid intake in adults. The roles of obestatin and adropin in the regulation of weight and glucose and lipid metabolism in Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and non-syndromic pediatric obesity are poorly understood. This study compares the concentrations of obestatin and adropin in infants and children with PWS and age- and BMI-z matched controls, and explores the as...

The extent and quality of parental care that children receive greatly influences their development, impacting their physical and psychological growth, their educational and social achievement, and their disease risk as both children and adults. It is thus remarkable that around 25% of children are physically abused worldwide. Parenting is a complex behavior, and we still know little about the causes and mechanisms by which people differ in their parental behaviors. To learn mo...

Epiphyseal growth plates, tiny cartilage discs located to the end of long bones, are necessary for longitudinal growth of the skeleton. When and why these structures appeared as individual organs was not very clear until recently. Bringing together an evolutionary approach with comparative analysis, mathematical modelling and both physical and biological experiments allowed to reveal that spatial allocation of the growth plate reduces mechanical stresses within the structure, ...