ESPE Abstracts

Background: Calcium homeostasis is primarily regulated by vitamin D. In the absence of the active hormone or a functional receptor, bones are inadequately mineralized, leading to the development of rickets. Vitamin D-dependent rickets type 2 (VDDR2) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene.Case Report: A 12-months-old girl was transported to the local hospital ED with a three-minute ...

Background: Pubertal induction in girls with hypogonadism through estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) aims at the development of secondary sexual characteristics, cognitive functions, uterine growth and maturation, bone mass accrual and linear growth. To date, the best induction regimen, capable of assuring both physiological gradual progression through Tanner stages and effective uterine development, is still to be established.Patients a...

Schaaf-Yang syndrome (SYS) is a genetic disorder caused by truncating pathogenic variants in the paternal allele of the maternally imprinted, paternally expressed gene MAGEL2, located in the Prader-Willi critical region 15q11-15q13. SYS is a neurodevelopmental disorder that has clinical overlap with Prader-Willi Syndrome in the initial stages of life, being the intellectual disability, developmental delay, autism spectrum disorder, neonatal hypotonia, infantile feeding problem...

Background: Self-limited delayed puberty (DP) is an extreme variant of normal pubertal timing and it often clusters in families. Although it is highly heritable and is the most common cause of delayed puberty, little is known about the genetic control. GnRH neuronal biology has been implicated as a key element in the pathogenesis of DP. By focusing on genes involved in GnRH neuron development, migration and function we may understand more about the genetic bas...

Background: The initiation of puberty is orchestrated by the augmentation in the secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) from a few thousand neurons located in the hypothalamus. Recent findings identified that the neuroendocrine control of puberty is regulated by a network of transcriptional factors hierarchically organized, but this still remains not fully elucidated. Enhanced At Puberty 1 (EAP1) is one of the main regulators of pubertal onset and it is ex...

Background: Primary ovarian failure (POF) is a major cause of female infertility. POF is characterized by amenorrhea, hypo-estrogenism and elevated gonadotrophin levels. In POF disorder, several genetic alterations have been described, however in most of the patients the etiology of this disorder remains unknown.Objective and hypotheses: To identify new genes implicated in the development of POF using Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS).<p class="abstex...

Background: Aberrations in the timing of puberty may result in significant adverse health outcomes, including cancers, cardiovascular and neurological pathologies. Self-limited delayed puberty (DP) (i.e. constitutional delay of puberty) runs in families with either autosomal dominant or complex inheritance patterns in >70% of families, indicating a strong genetic basis of the trait. However, only a few genes have been identified underlying DP so far....

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia is an autosomal recessive inborn error of metabolism due to impaired activity of one enzyme required for cortisol biosynthesis. Steroid 21-hydroxylase (21OH) deficiency is the cause in more than 90% of the patients. The 21OH is encoded by the CYP21A2 gene located on the chromosome 6 in the region known as the RCCX module. Due to the high homology and tandem-repeat organization of the RCCX module, this region of the genome is subjected to...

Background: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is characterized by clinical and/or biochemical hyperandrogenism, oligo-anovulation and/or ultrasound finding of polycystic ovaries. Insulin-resistance represents the etiopathogenetic key of PCOS: a deficit of Inositol’s tissue availability seems to be responsible for this clinical picture. Hyperglycemia resulting insulin-resistance, determines a state of chronic inflammation, which increases oxidative stress.<p class="abst...

Background: Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous rare disorder characterized by variable symptoms including predisposition to fractures. OI has been associated with mutations affecting the synthesis of type I collagen. However, the new technologies have permitted the identification of other responsible genes which are in the collagen metabolic pathway, while others are not.Objective: Characterize the genotype of pati...