ESPE Abstracts

Background: The DNA-binding High Mobility Group Box-1 (HMGB1) is an intracellular gene regulator that can be secreted also in response to inflammatory mediators, including interleukins, binding subsequently to both RAGE and Toll-like receptors forming a self-reinforcing inflammatory circle. Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a condition characterized by chronic inflammation. Elevated serum HMGB1 concentrations were described in serum of obese children and to be associated with the metabo...

Background: ROHHADNET syndrome affects children with normal development until 2–4 years of age.Objective and hypotheses: Aim of this study was to evaluate a possible role of autoimmunity in this disorder. In spite of a suspicion for genetic etiology, disease-associated genetic variations have not been identified. A paraneoplastic/autoimmune etiology has been suggested mainly because of the association with neural crest tumors....

Background: Insulin/IGF1 signaling plays a critical role in central glucose bioavailability and lipid metabolism. An increase in glucose disposal can generate reducing agents through the pentose-phosphate pathway necessary for the synthesis of free fatty acids (FFA). Disturbances in lipid synthesis are related to the appearance of insulin resistance and diabetes. The insulin receptor substrate 2 (IRS2) deficient mice (IRS2−/−) is an excellent model to st...

Background: Low bone mineral density (BMD) is found in up to 50% of adolescents and adults with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). High fracture risk has been described in adult PWS patients. This bone fragility could be due to inadequate gonadal hormones levels during pubertal development, and to relative growth hormone insufficiency during childhood and adolescence. However, the mechanism/s of low BMD in PWS have not been clarified.Objective and hypotheses: ...

Background: Some IGFALS variants have been reported in more than one ALS-deficient family raising the question whether they originated from a single common ancestor allele (founder effect) or alternatively, as independent mutational events (hot spot). Since c.103dupG (p.E35Gfs*17) is located in a stretch of five consecutive guanine residues, where both G-duplication and deletion have been described in several families, we speculate that this region could be a hot spot...

Background: Homozygous aggrecan (ACAN) mutations have been described in a few skeletal dysplasias whilst more recently, heterozygous ACAN mutations have been reported in few families presenting with idiopathic short stature with advanced bone maturation and premature growth cessation.Case presentation: We describe two novel heterozygous ACAN stop mutations, detected using a skeletal dysplasia NGS panel and confirmed by Sanger sequencing...

Background: Brain abnormalities like cerebral midline malformations (CMM) can be detected by fetal sonography. CMM with neonatal hypopituitarism may cause severe hypoglycemia.Case presentation: We report about three cases of term eutrophic newborns, which all presented with severe neonatal hypoglycemia despite prenatally diagnosed CMM. All three patients were born vaginally and were immediately breastfed after normal postnatal adaptation. In the first ca...

Introduction: Advances in diagnostic capability in the field of DSD hold great promise but need a regular review.Objectives: To study the range of endocrine and molecular genetic variation in a group of boys undergoing investigation for XY DSD.Methods: 157boys with median age of 0.9yrs (range,0,18) evaluated by the DSD Diagnostic Board in Glasgow from 2016to 2021 were included. Seq...

Background: ROHHAD (rapid-onset obesity with hypoventilation, hypothalamic dysfunction, autonomic dysregulation) syndrome is a rare and underdiagnosed disease with high mortality rate. When a neural crest tumor (NET) is detected (56% of patients) the acronym used is ROHHADNET.Aim: To analyze the relationship between clinical variables, hypothalamic-pituitary disorders, DXA parameters and neural tumors, in ROHHADNET patie...

Introduction: Hypospadias is often associated with reduced testosterone synthesis or action. High rates of complications are reported with surgical repair of hypospadias, including wound dehiscence. Boys with hypospadias have previously been demonstrated to have increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) compared to healthy controls and there is a known link between male hypogonadism and oxidative stress. It is not clear what effect ROS has on wound healing in bo...