Central Precocious Puberty in Italian Boys: Data From a Large Nationwide Cohort.

Context: There are only a few nationwide studies on boys with central precocious puberty (CPP) and the last Italian study is a case series of 45 boys that dates back to 2000.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the causes of CPP in boys diagnosed during the last 2 decades in Italy and the relative frequency of forms with associated central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compared to idiopathic ones.

Methods: We performed a national multicenter retrospective study collecting data from 193 otherwise normal healthy boys with a diagnosis of CPP.

Differences in the clinical picture at the onset of diagnosis of severe autoimmune hypothyroidism in children depending on the time of diagnosis: before or during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Introduction: There are few data about effects of COVID-19 on thyroid disease presentation in children, due to difficulties in healthcare services access.

Aim Of The Study: To assess the differences in hypothyroidism presentation before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Material And Methods: All paediatric patients with autoimmune hypothyroidism (AIT) diagnosed from January 2017 to December 2022 were analysed.

The diagnostic role of arginine-stimulated copeptin in the differential diagnosis of polyuria-polydipsia syndrome (PPS) in pediatric age.

Purpose: In recent years, copeptin stimulation through arginine administration has been evaluated as a new potential tool in the differential diagnosis of polyuria-polydipsia syndrome (PPS) in adults; to date very few data, all retrospective, exist in pediatric age. The aim of this prospective study is to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the arginine-stimulation test for copeptin in a cohort of pediatric patients affected by PPS.

Methods: All children (<18 years) referred to the Department of Pediatric Endocrinology of the Regina Margherita Children Hospital for polyuria-polydipsia in the period January 2021-June 2023 were enrolled.

Pediatric Myxedema Due to Autoimmune Hypothyroidism: A Rare Complication of a Common Disorder.

In children, hypothyroidism usually presents non-specific symptoms; symptoms can emerge gradually, compromising a timely diagnosis. We report the case of a 13-year-old male, who was admitted to the hospital due to swelling of the torso and neck. Besides these symptoms, the child was healthy, except for a significant growth delay.

Clinical features of thyroid cancer in paediatric age. Experience of a tertiary centre in the 2000-2020 period.

Purpose: To describe the clinical features of a paediatric cohort affected by differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) followed in a tertiary Department of Paediatric Endocrinology.

Methods: Clinical data of 41 patients affected by DTC in the 2000-2020 period were reviewed.

Results: The main risk factor was autoimmune thyroiditis (39%).

Pediatric thyroid surgery: Retrospective analysis on the first 25 pediatric thyroidectomies performed in a reference center for adult thyroid diseases.

Introduction: Pediatric thyroid carcinoma represents about 4-5% of all pediatric carcinoma with an incidence of 0.5 cases/100,000, compared to 2-10/100000 cases in the adult population. The aim of this study is to present the experience of a reference adult endocrine surgery unit in charge of the treatment of pediatric thyroid diseases.

Neonatal Screening for Congenital Hypothyroidism in Preterm Infants: Is a Targeted Strategy Required?

Premature infants are at higher risk of developing congenital hypothyroidism (CH) but the neonatal screening strategy for this population is still debatable. The purpose of this retrospective study is to describe the results of a screening program for CH in a preterm infant cohort. All preterm newborns who underwent neonatal screening in the Italian region of Piedmont in the period January 2019-December 2021, were included in this retrospective cohort study.

Evaluation of the efficacy of EU-TIRADS and ACR-TIRADS in risk stratification of pediatric patients with thyroid nodules.

Background: Pediatric thyroid nodules have a lower prevalence but a higher rate of malignancy (ROM) than those in adults. Ultrasound features suspected of malignancy lead to fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) and subsequent cytological determination, upon which management is decided. Based on the characteristics of ultrasound, to standardize clinician decisions and avoid unnecessary FNAB, the European Thyroid Association and the American Radiology College have established guidelines for Thyroid Imaging, Reporting and Data System (EU-TIRADS and ACR-TIRADS) for ROM stratification of thyroid nodules.

"Lymphocyte population in peripheral blood in children and adolescents with graves disease. Potential predictive tool for severity of the disease".

Purpose: To date, few data are available on the prognostic role of lymphocyte subsets in pediatric Graves' Disease (GD). The aim of this retrospective study is to analyze the role of lymphocyte subtypes in predicting the severity of GD.

Methods: Data of 10 pediatric subjects aged <18 years with GD onset in the period November 2017-April 2021 were collected.

Comparison Among Two Liquid Formulations of L-thyroxine in the Treatment of Congenital Hypothyroidism in the First Month of Life: A Pilot Study.

The liquid formulation of L-thyroxine is the most used in the substitutive treatment of congenital hypothyroidism (CH). This formulation has higher TSH suppression rates with respect of L-thyroxine tablets and thus lower doses are indicated. Two types of liquid L-thyroxine (Tirosint and Tifactor) are currently approved in Italy for use in pediatric age and to date there are no data available in the Literature comparing the two liquid formulations.

Papillary thyroid microcarcinoma in a boy with Graves' disease: a case report and review of the literature.

A 16-years old boy with diagnosis of Grave's disease was treated with methimazole for one year before radical total thyroidectomy treatment due to persistence of clinical hormonal hyperthyroidism. Histological analysis revealed the presence of a papillary microcarcinoma. The management of Grave's disease in pediatric age is still under discussion.

Diagnostic Re-Evaluation and Potential Predictor Factors of Transient and Permanent Congenital Hypothyroidism in Eutopic Thyroid Gland.

Background: The incidence of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) has increased over the years, and many predictors for detecting newborns with transient forms (TCH) as early as possible have been considered.

Methods: All newborns diagnosed with primary CH and eutopic gland in the Piedmont region of Italy in the period of January 2014-June 2019 were enrolled and re-evaluated at the age of 2 years.

Results: 105 newborns were diagnosed with CH during the study period.

"Thyroid nodular disease and PTEN mutation in a multicentre series of children with PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome (PHTS)".

Purpose: To report the incidence of 4-12% of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) and up to 50% of benign thyroid nodular disease and to describe nodular thyroid disease in a multicentre pediatric population with PTEN mutations.

Methods: Retrospective data of pediatric patients with PTEN mutations collected from tertiary Departments of Pediatric Endocrinology of Turin, Milan and Genua, Italy, in the period 2010-2020.

Results: Seventeen children with PTEN mutations were recruited in the study.

Predictive factors of malignancy in pediatric patients with thyroid nodules and performance of the Italian classification (SIAPEC 2014) in the outcome of the cytological FNA categories.

Purpose: The rate of malignancy (ROM) among pediatric studies using the Bethesda System is 39.5% and 41.5% for atypia of undetermined significance/follicular lesion of undetermined significance and for suspected follicular neoplasm, respectively.

"Primary Hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) in Children: Two Case Reports and Review of the Literature".

Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is a rare disorder in children and adolescents. Typical biochemical features are hypercalcemia and hypophosphatemia, but the clinical features can be heterogeneous, and in some cases, symptoms are vague and nonspecific, leading to misdiagnosis or late diagnosis. Herein, we report two cases of PHPT in pediatric age with different presenting symptoms, pain in the foot, and progressive alteration of the gait in the first case and recurrent abdominal pain with emotional lability in the second.

Distribution of plasma copeptin levels and influence of obesity in children and adolescents.

In recent years, a more stable AVP surrogate, called copeptin, has been used as an adjuvant diagnostic tool for dysnatremia in adults and appears to be promising even in the pediatric age. The aim of this study is to present the distribution of plasma copeptin in a large pediatric cohort and to observe the influence of fluid consumption and obesity on its values. A cohort of 128 children and adolescents was divided into two groups on the basis of nocturnal deprivation (group A) or free access to oral fluids in the 6-8 h before blood collection (group B).

Incidence of primary congenital hypothyroidism and relationship between diagnostic categories and associated malformations.

Purpose: The incidence of primary congenital hypothyroidism (CH) has grown progressively and literature data indicate an association between CH and congenital malformations. The purpose of this study is to establish the current incidence of CH in the Italian Region of Piedmont and verify the relationship between CH diagnostic categories and associated malformations.

Methods: The biochemical and clinical data of 105 newborns with CH diagnosed in the period January 2014 to December 2019 were analyzed.