ESPE Abstracts

Background and aim: Metformin is widely used in Type 2 diabetes, with increasing reports of a potential bone protective role. We investigated the role of AMPK in mediating the effects of metformin on mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) differentiation to either osteoblasts or adipocytes.Methods: Confluent mouse MSCs (C3H10T1/2), wild type (WT) and AMPK knockout (KO) mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs) were treated with metformin(500 μM), AMPK-activator A769662(...

Introduction: The Body Mass Index (BMI) is an essential indicator for the nutritional assessment of children and reflects the exposure to health conditions that are harmful to the development of this population.Objective: To analyze the temporal trends of the BMI of Brazilian children aged 5-10 between 2010 and 2022.Patients and methods: Descriptive ecological study. Data obtained ...

Introduction: Protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 22 (PTPN22) is a well-established genetic locus of type 1 diabetes (T1D). The aim of the present study is to compare the methylation level of PTPN22 between children and adolescents of Greek origin with T1D and healthy controls.Patients and Methods: Twenty T1D participants and 20 age-/gender-matched healthy youngsters were enrolled. DNA was extracted from white blood cells, the...

Introduction: Physical growth according to genetic potential is a hallmark of childhood health [1]. Childhood growth is complex and the physiological processes involved in promoting healthy growth are not fully understood, including the gut microbiota. The gut microbiota matures from birth towards adulthood, and this process might be affected by several factors, including mode of delivery, food intake and antibiotic treatment. The bacterial gut microbiota is observed to be mor...

CHOPS syndrome is a rare monogenic disorder caused by heterozygous gain-of-function variants in AFF4. The 13 patients reported to date share a highly recognizable phenotype: Coarse face, Cognitive impairment, Heart defects, Obesity, Pulmonary involvement, Short stature and Skeletal dysplasia. AFF4 encodes a scaffold protein involved in transcriptional elongation and critical for gene expression regulation during embryogenesis. Notably, it appears to regulate adipogenic differe...

Background: Normal function of the thyroid gland is essential for adequate neurological development of the fetus and child. In previous studies, associations between reduced birth weight and overt maternal and fetal thyroid dysfunction have been described. We hypothesize that also variations within the normal range of fetal thyroid function have an impact on fetal and neonatal growth.Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate whether thyroid horm...

Introduction: Adequate nutritional status of adolescents is essential for their healthy development, with health repercussions in both short-term and adult life.Objective: To analyze the temporal trends of the BMI of Brazilian adolescents (10 to 19 years old) between 2010 and 2022.Patients and methods: Descriptive ecological study. Data obtained from e-SUS Primary Care. The BMI cat...

Background: Obesity in childhood and adolescence represents a major health problem of our century, and accounts for a significant increase in morbidity and mortality in adulthood. In addition to the increased consumption of calories and lack of exercise, accumulating evidence suggests that childhood obesity is strongly associated with prolonged and excessive activation of the stress system.Objective and hypotheses: The aim of our study was to assess the ...

Background: The prevalence of obesity has increased dramatically in Greece in the last decades, and more than 30% of children and adolescents are currently overweight or obese. Obesity is associated with decreased circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations, which might predispose to metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.Objective and hypotheses: To determine serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations and their relationship to ca...

Hypopituitarism is genetically heterogeneous disorder that can affect solely the pituitary gland and its target organs, or it can present with craniofacial, brain, and/or neurosensory abnormalities. Mutations in over thirty genes are reported to cause hypopituitarism and growth insufficiency, yet most cases are unexplained. Mutations in the transcription factor PROP1 are the most common known cause of hypopituitarism in humans. Using Prop1 mutant mice we discovered th...