TNMU Teacher Presented Her Research at the 61st Annual ESPE Meeting 2023
Anna-Mariia Shulhai, Assistant Professor of TNMU Department of Paediatrics No. 2, presented the results of her scientific research at the International Congress of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetology “The 61st Annual ESPE Meeting 2023”, which took place on September 21-23, 2023 in the Hague (Netherlands).
The ESPE Meeting is the largest international congress on paediatric endocrinology and diabetology, which takes place annually with the participation of leading specialists and experts from around the world.
The theme of the 61st ESPE Congress is “Global Challenges in Paediatric Endocrinology.” Around the world, we face a variety of important challenges: climate change, environmental pollution, the recent COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences, and especially, global and local inequalities in access to health care. Environmental changes lead to the resolution of a number of ethical issues and require more sustainable and affordable medical care in the field of paediatric endocrinology.
Report by Prof. Henk Marquering “How AI will change medicine” (Amsterdam, the Netherlands)
The report of Prof. Orit Pinhas-Hamiel “How to manage long-term complications in T2DM in adolescents?”
Various sessions covering different aspects of paediatric endocrinology were held at the conference. Particularly interesting were innovative studies of hormonal disorders in children at the genetic and epigenetic levels, progress in the treatment of growth hormone deficiency using prolonged forms, discussion of new technologies in the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes, the problem of the increasing prevalence of obesity and the prospects of introducing artificial intelligence into the practice of a paediatric endocrinologist. Ethical issues of patients with impaired sexual development and gender dysphoria have been repeatedly raised.
Report by Assistant Professor A.-M. A. Shulhai “Effect of maternal diet and breastfeeding on growth and distribution of adiposity from birth up to 12 months: data from the European LIFE-MILCH project” LIFE-MILCH).
Anna-Maria Shulhai, who is currently undergoing an internship at the University of Parma (Parma, Italy) under the guidance of Prof. Maria Elisabeth Street, presented the first results of her work in the project in the report “Effect of maternal diet and breastfeeding on growth and distribution of adiposity from birth up to 12 months: data from the European LIFE-MILCH project”.
She also presented a poster report “Effect of maternal diet on pubertal stages and ano-genital distance from birth up to 12 months: data from the European LIFE-MILCH project”.
With LIFE-MILCH project colleagues from Reggio Emilia, paediatric endocrinologist Chiara Sartori and Maddalena Petraroli.
In cooperation with Ewa Błaszczyk, PhD from the Department of Paediatrics and Paediatric Endocrinology of the Silesian Medical University in Katowice (Śląski Uniwersytet Medyczny w Katowicach) under the guidance and mentoring of expert Prof. Aneta Gawlik, the participant presented the results of fruitful work on Turner syndrome in the form of two poster reports “Changes in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism during 10-year follow-up of patients with Turner syndrome treated with growth hormone”, the results of which are also published in Frontiers in Endocrinology and “The effect of growth hormone therapy on body composition in girls with Turner syndrome – a 10-year follow-up”. This topic aroused interest and discussion among listeners.
Poster presentation by Assistant Professor A.-M. A. Shulhai in cooperation with doctor Ewa Błaszczyk, PhD, under the guidance of Prof. Aneta Gawlik (Poland).
During her internship, Anna-Maria Shulhai also took part in the international Med4Youth project, which aims to study the connections between the Mediterranean diet and its benefits for children with obesity, the impact on changes in the intestinal microbiota, and the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. She presented a poster report on the results of the study “First results from the ongoing Med4Youth European study: comparing Mediterranean diet with a Low-Fat Diet for adolescents with obesity”.
One of the important moments of the conference was the opportunity to communicate with experts and professional colleagues in this field. In particular, Ukraine was represented by Anna-Maria Shulhai (Ternopil National Medical University), Professor Nataliia Zelinska (Honoured Doctor of Ukraine, Head of the Association of Children’s Endocrinologists of Ukraine) and Yevhenia Hloba (Leading Researcher of the Ukrainian Scientific and Practical Centre for Endocrine Surgery, Transplantation of Endocrine Organs and Tissues of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine).
Interactive sessions and social events provided a platform for fruitful discussions, knowledge sharing and possible collaborations. The diverse backgrounds and experiences of the participants enriched the networking experience, offering new perspectives and ideas. Many colleagues from different countries expressed their support for Ukraine.
The organizers emphasized that they symbolically chose the location of the congress in the Hague, which is a city of peace and justice.
A.-M. A. Shulhai expresses her deepest appreciation to the administration of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University and the University of Parma, in particular Prof. Maria Elisabeth Street and Prof. Paola Palanza, for support and the opportunity to present the results of scientific research at an international congress.