ESPE Yearbook of Paediatric Endocrinology

Brief summary: This collaborative study identified 13 monoallelic rare loss-of-function (LoF) variants in the serotonin 2C receptor (HTR2C) gene in 19 unrelated individuals with hyperphagia, severe early-onset obesity, and some degree of maladaptive behaviour. The authors used exome sequencing in 2548 individuals with severe obesity and 1117 control individuals without obesity. They found that HTR2C variants cause monogenic obesity by demonstrating t...

Brief Summary: This study examined the incidence and risk factors for adrenal crisis (AC) in patients with pediatric-onset adrenal insufficiency (AI). AC occurs in a substantial number of children with AI, particularly in younger children due to their high number of infections.Comment: Adrenal crisis (AC) is a life-threatening complication in patients with adrenal insufficiency (AI) (1-4). The clinical features of AC are often nonspecific, and it may be ...

Brief Summary: This study shows that obesity induces mitochondrial fragmentation and reduces oxidative capacity in white adipocytes through the activation of the small GTPase RalA. Targeted deletion of RalA in these cells prevents mitochondrial fragmentation, improves energy expenditure, and protects against obesity-induced metabolic dysfunctions, highlighting the critical role of RalA in obesity-related mitochondrial and metabolic abnormalities.Previous...

Brief Summary: Artemisinins, compounds known for their antimalarial properties, suppress ovarian androgen synthesis by promoting degradation of cytochrome P450 11A1 (CYP11A1). Hence, they are a promising new approach for preventing and treating PCOS.Comment: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), characterized by hyperandrogenism, chronic anovulation, and insulin resistance, is one of the most common reproductive endocrinopathies, affecting ~8-18% of reproduc...

To read the full abstract: Science 2019;365:386–392.By genetically engineering mice, the authors deleted the enzyme dihydroceramide desaturase 1 (DES1), which normally inserts a conserved double bond into the backbone of ceramides. Ablation of DES1 from whole animals or tissue-specific deletion in the liver and/or adipose tissue resolved hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance in mice caused by leptin deficiency or obesogenic diets<p c...

Nat Commun. 2021 Jan 11;12(1):256. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-20511-7. PMID: 33431871.These authors report two Mll4 mutant mouse models that exhibited dwarfism and altered development of GHRH−neurons.Inactivating mutations in KDM6A (aka UTX) or KMT2D (aka MLL4) genes result in Kabuki syndrome (KS), whose hallmarks in...

Diabetologia. 2021 May;64(5):1133-1143. doi: 10.1007/s00125-021-05390-x. PMID: 33558985.In order to gain some insight into the potential mechanism/s of diminished beta cell function over time, this mouse model of CHI was developed with an activating GCK (Glucokinase) mutation. In the short term, the mice developed mild fasting hypoglycaemia (this was very mild with fasting blood glucose...

Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2021;9:94–105. doi: 10.1016/S2213-8587(20)30399-5.This population based nested case-control study integrated registry data from Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland over 40 years to investigate the association of maternal, in-utero, and postnatal factors with thyroid cancer risk in offspring. Each patient with thyroid cancer (cases n=...

J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2021;106(1):e1–e10. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgaa510. PMID: 32816013This prospective observational study on a cohort of 255 adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN) aimed to investigate the effects of nutritional restriction on linear growth and adult height. Whereas premorbid height did not differ from reference standards, girls with AN showed a mild but significantl...

J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2020;105:3203–3214. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgaa443. PMID: 32652002The authors performed a large genome-wide association study (GWAS) to assess the role of common genetic variants in the response to GH therapy. A total of 614 children treated with GH were included: 276 with idiopathic GHD, 297 with ISS, and 41 born SGA. The findings implicate some novel mechanisms...