ESPE Abstracts

Background: A broad spectrum of human diseases including abnormalities in steroidogenesis is caused by mutations in the NADPH P450 oxidoreductase (POR). POR transfers electrons from NADPH to several small molecules, non-P450 redox partners and all microsomal cytochrome P450 proteins. POR disruption affects all partners with disastrous consequences and POR knock-out mice are embryonically lethal. A number of POR mutations and polymorphisms have been characterized from patients ...

Background: Congenital multiple pituitary hormone deficiency (MPHD) arises from defects in pituitary development and is sometimes associated with craniofacial abnormalities. Mutations in the transcription factor PROP1 are the most common known genetic cause of the disorder. In this case the course of disease is progressive, and can lead to life threatening adrenal insufficiency.Objective and hypotheses: Our objective is to understand the role of PROP1 in...

Background: Mutations in HESX1, SOX3 responsible for combined pituitary hormone deficiency (CPHD) have been identified in a small number of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH), suggesting that the genetic overlap between CPHD and HH.Case presentation: A 2-month-old boy was referred because of micropenis (stretched penile length 1.0 cm) with intrascrotal testes (1 ml). Hormone assays revealed very-low plasma testosterone levels (0.06 ng/m...

Background: Several years ago, we developed a recombinant cell bioassay to determine serum estrogenic bioactivity (EBA). In addition to its physiological interest, EBA could be a good marker of endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) with estrogenic activity and thus would be useful in the field of environmental-related endocrine diseases.Aims and objectives: To characterise the type of substances that mediate estrogenic activity.Met...

Objective: To compare resistivity index (RI) in type 1 diabetic patients and normal controls, secondly to evaluate whether high RI is associated with different biomarkers of diabetic nephropathy (DN) as early detection of DN offers the best chance of delaying or possibly preventing progression to end-stage renal disease.Patients and methods: The study included 62 type 1 diabetic patients and 30 healthy volunteer of the same age and sex. Blood sample was ...

Background: 49,XY gonadal dysgenesis (GD) is a very rare disorder of testes development with an incidence of 1:50–100 000. MAP3K1 is a MAPK that mainly regulates the MAPK pathways. High Map3k1 expression was found in female and male mice gonads at 13.5 dpc. In 2010, MAP3K1 mutations were identified in two families with complete and partial XY GD and in two unrelated sporadic cases with complete XY GD (Pearlman 2010 AJMG). Recently, four additional mutations (four out of 4...

Background: The steroidogenic enzyme aromatase is encoded by the CYP19A1 gene. Aromatase activity is required for estrogen biosynthesis from androgen precursors in the ovary and several extragonadal tissues. The role of aromatase and thus estrogens for human biology is best illustrated by disease states, both deficiency and excess which might be caused by genetic disorders.Aim: A novel deletion-insertion mutation spanning from intron 10 to the 3...

Background: ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) mediates the transport of cholesterol and phospholipids from cells to lipid-poor apolipoproteins. It has been demonstrated that the ABCA1 gene C69T single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP; TT genotype) is associated with lower HDL cholesterol and higher triglycerides (TG) levels. The relation of this polymorphism with type 2 diabetes mellitus has also been shown.Objective and hypotheses: As dys...

Introduction: The Insulin Autoimmune Syndrome (IAS or Hirata Disease) is rare among children. Non-ketotic hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycemia and the presence of insulin auto-antibody (IAA) are the conditions to diagnose the syndrome. The occurrence of hypoglycemia is due to the binding of the antibody to the insulin molecule at the immediate postprandial, followed by this binomial dissociation, which releases free insulin on serum and triggers symptomatic hypoglycaemia.<p clas...

Background: Hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycaemia (HH) can be transient or permanent. Transient HH (spontaneous resolution of HH within few weeks) is associated with intrauterine growth restriction, maternal diabetes, erythroblastosis fetalis etc. Transient HH has not been reported with ABCC8/KCNJ11 mutations, which are the commonest cause of HH.Aim: Molecular characterisation of a novel ABCC8 mutation associated with a transient HH phenotype seen in a family ...