ESPE Abstracts

Background: Juvenile Pagets disease (JPD), an ultra-rare, debilitating bone disease stemming from unopposed RANKL action due to loss of functional osteoprotegerin (OPG) is caused by recessive mutations in TNFRSF11B. A genotype-phenotype correlation spanning from mild to very severe forms is described.Objective and hypotheses: To describe the complexity of the human phenotype of OPG deficiency in more detail and to investigate heterozygous mutation carrie...

Background: In humans, glucocorticoids (GCs) regulate a broad spectrum of physiologic functions, exerting both genomic and nongenomic actions through their ubiquitously expressed glucocorticoid receptor (hGR). The rapid nongenomic actions of GCs are likely to be mediated by membrane hGRs that transduce the glucocorticoid signal via activation of kinases. S-palmitoylation plays an important role in plasma membrane localization and occurs through a highly conserved nine amino ac...

Background: The noncoding RNA growth-arrest-specific transcript 5 (Gas5) is abundant in cells whose growth has been arrested owing to lack of nutrients or growth factors. Gas5 is a riborepressor of the glucocorticoid receptor, influencing cell survival and metabolic activities during starvation by inhibiting the latter’s transcriptional activity.Aim: To determine the expression levels of Gas5 in blood samples of obese, overweight and lean children a...

Background: Treatment with GH of children born SGA allows an increase in growth velocity (GV) and improves adult height. Increased insulin resistance has been described in these patients, which reverts after interrupting GH administration. However, long-term metabolic consequences are not clearly established.Objective and hypotheses: Describe insulin resistance (HOMA-IR index) and auxological development (GV and height) in SGA children treated with GH fo...

Background: Ovotesticular DSD is a rare disorder defined by the presence of both ovarian and testicular tissues in the same individual. SRY is present in approximately 1/3 of patients with 46, XX ovotesticular DSD. In SRY-negative ovotesticular DSD, the mechanism responsible for the presence of testicular tissue is not yet understood.Case presentation: A male patient was referred to us for hypospadias and bilateral cryptorchidism at 2.5...

Background: >There is a wide variation in the reported rate of acute adrenal insufficiency (AI) related adverse events (sick day episodes and adrenal crises) between centres.Objective: Evaluate the level of consensus on the criteria that should be considered ‘essential’ for defining and managing adverse events associated with acute AI in children.Methods: Three groups of ...

Background: The circulating steroid metabolome in boys undergoes significant changes during infancy reflecting functional and structural rearrangements of the adrenal glands as well as the transient activity of the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis, also called minipuberty. Studies investigating the serum steroid metabolome dynamics during infancy in a longitudinal manner are however sparse.Objective: We ai...

Introduction: The influence of sex chromosomes and sex hormones on early human brain development is still poorly understood. Expression of Y chromosome genes may influence aspects of brain maturation in the 46,XY fetus, but the contribution of different Y genes is unknown. Furthermore, a marked increase in testicular testosterone biosynthesis/release from the testis occurs at around 8 weeks post conception (wpc) in the 46,XY fetus, but it is unclear whether te...

Objectives: Menarche is defined as the first menstrual bleeding in females, and the age of onset varies and depends on a complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors. The LIN28B gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs314276, rs7759938 and rs314280 appear to be associated with cases of premature and early menarche. International databases report that the presence of a G allele of rs314280SNP shifts menarche 1.2 months earlier, a C allele...

Background: Craniopharyngioma is a non-malignant embryonic tumour in the pituitary-hypothalamic area, associated with hypothalamic obesity. Dysfunctional parasympathetic nervous system activity has been proposed as one mechanism underlying alterations in energy metabolism. Arterial spin labelling (ASL) is a non-invasive MRI technique that quantifies brain tissue perfusion as a proxy for functional activity. Here, we measure cerebral perfusion in patients with ...