ESPE Abstracts

Background: Obesity in childhood and adolescence represents a major health problem of our century that has reached epidemic proportions globally during the last decades. In obese subjects, a relatively high cortisol output in urine has been observed compared to nonobese individuals. However, cortisol concentrations in blood, saliva, and urine in association with obesity have not been consistent across studies. Hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) determined in scalp hair provide...

Background: Protein subfamilies within the Nuclear receptor (NR) family share common domain architecture. These closely related receptors and their cognate ligand compounds play a key role in homeostasis, reproduction, growth, and development. Despite their biological significance, their evolution and diversification remains to be elucidated. SNPs and mutations are characterized by the permanent alteration of the nucleotide sequence in the genome of an organism. These alterati...

Background: Transient Generalized Glucocorticoid Hypersensitivity (TGGH) is a rare disorder characterized by increased tissue sensitivity to glucocorticoids and compensatory hypoactivation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. The condition itself and the underlying molecular mechanisms have not been fully elucidated.Objective and hypotheses: To present the clinical manifestations, endocrinologic evaluation and molecular studies in ...

Background: Obesity in childhood and adolescence represents a major health problem and its management requires a multidisciplinary approach.Objective and hypotheses: To assess the main eating habits of children and adolescents attending an Out-patient Clinic for the Prevention and Management of Overweight and Obesity in Greece, as recorded before implementing any intervention.Method: We studied 1005 children and adolescents [age ra...

Background: Nephrogenic syndrome of inappropriate antidiuresis (NSIAD) is a very rare clinical condition. Patients suffer from hyponatremia, hypo-osmolality with inappropriately elevated urinary osmolality and undetectable AVP levels. Activating mutations of AVPR2, the vasopressin receptor type 2 (V2R), induce a prolonged signaling of the intracellular cAMP/PKA pathway and cause NSIAD in patients.Objective and hypotheses: To describe a new phenotype in a...

Background: Transient generalized glucocorticoid hypersensitivity is a rare disorder characterized by increased tissue sensitivity to glucocorticoids and compensatory hypoactivation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. The condition itself and the molecular mechanisms that underlie its pathophysiology have not been elucidated as yet. Adenovirus 36 has been reported to cause obesity in various animal species.Objective and Hypotheses...

Background: Primary amenorrhoea is a rare condition characterised by absent menarche. Based on gonadotropin levels, we distinguish hyper from hypogonadotropic hypogonadism forms.Objective and hypotheses: Herein, we present a case of primary amenorrhea with hypergonadotropic hypogonadism and glomerulopathy.Method: A 27-year-old female presented for evaluation of primary amenorrhea and incomplete pubertal development. Her past medica...

Background: We found BOREALIN/CDCA8 mutations in patients with Congenital Hypothyroidism and Thyroid Dysgenesis, varying from asymmetric lobes to athyreosis (Carré et al. Hum Mol Genet 2017). Borealin is a major component of the Chromosomal Passenger Complex, an essential regulator of mitosis. We demonstrated a new feature of BOREALIN: involvement in the adhesion and the migration of the thyrocytes.<strong...

Introduction: The melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) is a G protein coupled receptor (GPCR) and plays a pivotal role in the central regulation of body weight in the hypothalamus. In the context of the leptin-melanocortin signaling pathway, the MC4R is activated by the endogenous ligands a- and b-MSH (melanocyte-stimulating hormone). This leads to the feeling of satiety and to a reduction in food intake. Mutations within the genes leptin, leptin receptor (LEPR), pr...

Background: Children with metabolic syndrome carry an increased risk for development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in adulthood. Patients with rare syndromic obesity, such as Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS), experience early-onset, severe obesity, which may convey an increased risk for developing obesity-related comorbidities and metabolic syndrome later in life. In clinical trials, treatment with the melanocortin-4 receptor a...