ESPE Abstracts

Objective: Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) increased oxidative stress and promote inflammation, resulting in the cellular damage, by interacting with their receptor (RAGE) on cell membrane. By contrast, the soluble receptor for AGE (sRAGE), that is proteolytically cleaved from cell surface receptor via matrix metalloproteinases, sequester RAGE ligands and act as a cytoprotective and anti-inflammatory agent. AGEs-RAGE/sRAGE interaction is deemed to play a role in the pat...

Introduction: Autoimmune thyroid diseases are multifactorial diseases with a genetic susceptibility and environmental factors. A potential role of the Fas apoptotic inhibitory molecule 2 (FAIM2) gene, the high-affinity alpha subunit (CD25) of the interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2RA) gene, the cytotoxic T cell antigen 4 (CTLA-4) gene polymorphisms on autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITDs) in children has not been established equivocally yet.Objective: To estimate...

Background: Autoimmune diseases have a higher incidence and prevalence among the individuals with Down syndrome (DS) compared to chromosomally normal people (increased risk for thyroid, gut and islet autoimmunity, juvenile idiopathic arthritis) These findings provide insights into a very aggressive phenotypic expression of autoimmunity in DS children.Objective and hypotheses: To investigate for the 1st time whether the association with DS might per se mo...

Background: Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) is the commonest autoimmune disorder in Turner syndrome (TS). Although there are in the pediatric literature many studies on the relationships between TS and HT, only few of them have specifically investigated whether the association with TS might be able to significantly affect the evolution over time of thyroid function in children and adolescents with HT, by conditioning a different thyroid status prognosis.<p class="abstext...

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) represents one of the most common obesity complications and can progress to non-alcoholic stetohepatitis (NASH). NASH is associated with lower insulin like growth factor I (IGF-1) and IGFBP-3, however no data are available regarding the growth hormone (GH)-IGF-I axis in early stage of NAFLD, characterised by hepatic steatosis.Objective and hypotheses: We aimed to investigate the GH-IGF-1 pathway in a ...

Background: Prolonged severe hypothyroidism due to Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) is a rare cause of pituitary hyperplasia (PH) in children. Loss of thyroxine negative feedback causes a TRH-dependent hyperplasia of pituitary thyrotroph cells resulting in adenohypophysis enlargement. A transdifferentiation of pituitary somatotroph cells into thyrotroph cells could explain growth failure in those patients. We report a case series of patients with growth impairment diagnosed...

Background: Disorders of sex development (DSD) are often due to disruption of the genetic programs that regulate gonad development. Some genes have been identified in these developmental pathways such as DAX-1, SOX-9, GATA-4 and others. The GATA-4 gene, located on chromosome 8p23.1, encodes GATA-binding protein 4 (GATA-4), a transcription factor that is essential for cardiac and gonadal development and sexual differentiation. Congenital heart disease (CHD) and...

Background: Thyroid hormones (TH) play multiple effects on glucose metabolism. Some recent studies carried out in adult patients suggested an association between altered sensitivity to TH and type 2 diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. No studies are currently available on the presence of altered sensitivity to the action of TH in youths with prediabetes.Objective: To evaluate the relationship between sensitivity t...

Background: Congenital Hypopituitarism (CH) is a rare heterogeneous genetic disorder characterized by the deficiency of pituitary hormones. CH can be associated with extra pituitary phenotypes such as midline craniofacial malformations. To date, a minority of patients carry pathogenic variants in more than 30 genes, and thus more than 80% of cases remain unresolved.Objective: To identify de novo pathogenic variants in no...

Background: Central adrenal insufficiency(CAI) is a potential life-threatening condition and a prompt diagnosis represents a clinical challenge; indeed, the Insulin Tolerance Test(ITT), gold standard for CAI diagnosis, can be contraindicated in some conditions. Aims were to evaluate the diagnostic value of the ACTH low test(ACTH-LT) compared to the ITT and to identify eventual determinants(primary diagnosis, risk factors, symptoms, baseline cortisol, hypothala...