ESPE Yearbook of Paediatric Endocrinology

To read the full abstract: Science 2018;359:424-428This ground-breaking study shows that your genetic make-up may influence your appearance, behaviour and health risks, not only by acting directly on your biology, but also indirectly, through the effects on your parents and how they cared and “nurtured” you. Such parental effects are obvious for very early life traits, su...

Brief summary: Over the last decades changing incidences for autoimmune diseases have been observed. However, no data are available so far on long-term trends, incidence over the whole age spectrum (child, adults, geriatric patients), and incidence of co-occurrence of the different autoimmune diseases. The presented study provides an extensive population-based cohort study performed in the UK.The authors used electronic health care records of 22 million ...

In Brief: The authors use cell-tracing of Axin2-positive chondroprogenitor cells in the resting zone during and after food restriction to demonstrate that nutrient availability influences the balance between accumulation and differentiation of resting zone chondrocytes and that this is influenced by Igf-1.Commentary: Catch-up growth is the rapid growth that occurs after growth-inhibiting conditions have been cured or removed. The molecular mechanism for ...

Brief summary: This multicentre retrospective cohort study evaluated testicular structure in 101 boys aged <14 years with solid tumors, CNS tumors, leukemia/lymphoma, or non-malignant hematological disorders, who were admitted for a fertility preservation programme between 2002 and 2018.The aim of the study was to clarify a possible role of the disease itself on the risk of infertility, independently of cancer therapies. Clinical data, testicular vol...

Brief summary: This randomized, controlled study in healthy-weight individuals examined the effect of a daily high-fat/high-sugar (HF/HS) intervention over 8 weeks on fat and sugar preference, alterations of brain response to food and sensory associative learning. It addressed the question, whether the association between obesity and altered brain function is pre-existing, is secondary to obesity or is attributed to western diet.Current models of obesity...

Brief Summary: This translational study identifies a new susceptibility region within the estrogen receptor α ( ESR1 ) gene, linked to cryptorchidism (CO) and hypospadias (HS), the most common birth defects of the male genital tract. CO occurs in approximately 1:100 male births and is 3-times more common in premature infants, while HS affects about 1:300 male births. The prevalence of both conditions has increased over the years, with premature infants showing hi...

Brief Summary: This paper reviewed the toxicity of radiation therapy (RT) on ovarian, uterine and vaginal tissue in childhood cancer survivors (CCSs), using data published from 1970 to 2017. Overall, 11 studies reported data on ovarian damage, 8 on uterine volume related to treatment, and 3 on vaginal effects. Most studies did not report accurate dosimetric data and dose-volume relationships, and the confounder role of chemotherapy was not considered. In general, published dat...

Brief Summary: This retrospective study assessed the outcome of thyroid ultrasound (US) surveillance in childhood cancer survivors (CCS) exposed to radiotherapy (RT). 306 CCS were monitored with thyroid US. Patients received TBI (45%) and/or RT to craniospinal (44%), chest (11%), and neck regions (6%). Thyroid US surveillance was started at a median interval of 9.1 years after RT; 150 patients (49%) had thyroid nodule(s); 44 patients underwent surgery, and 28 had a final diagn...

Brief Summary: This prospective natural history study examined the timing and positive indicators for reshaping of vertebral fractures (VF) in glucocorticoid (GC)-treated patients with chronic diseases. Complete VF reshaping occurred in 82.3% of patients, with similar frequencies in all diagnosis groups (leukemia, rheumatic disorders and nephrotic syndrome) in a median time of 1.3 years. Likelihood of VF reshaping was positively related to higher lumbar spine bone mineral dens...

Brief Summary: The authors performed exploratory analyses to identify distinct eGFR trajectories associated with risk of albuminuria in 377 adolescents with T2D. The findings underscore the importance of annual GFR assessments in young people with T2D.Comment: Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the primary microvascular complication in adolescents with T2D, and is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Albuminuria is the earliest clinical indicator of...