ACTA ENDOCRINOLOGICA (BUC)

The aim of this review is to indicate the current position on the role of thyroxine (T4) and fetal brain development with particular relevance to the human situation. Adequate maternal iodine nutrition and maternal circulating thyroxine (T4) concentrations are essential to ensure optimum T4 placental passage which in turn will ensure transport of T4 into fetal brain cells. These processes are discussed and the role of thyroid hormone transporters is considered. The emphasis on isolated maternal hypothyroxinaemia (IH) as an important factor affecting brain development is discussed from the animal experimental point of view as well as in the clinical setting. There is evidence of neurocognitive impairment as assessed by different modalities in children up to the age of 8 years and some suggestion of increased psychiatric disorder in older persons whose mothers had IH during gestation. Although international guidelines have not in general recommended thyroxine therapy for IH the recent demonstration of adverse obstetric outcomes in women with isolated maternal hypothyroxinaemia may warrant a revision of this strategy.

Retroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF), a disease with a severe outcome due to the complications it causes, can be associated with the processes of atherosclerosis with a massive and extensive fibrosis. In this paper we present a patient with retroperitoneal fibrosis in which we noticed estrogen receptors at the level of the periaortic fibrous tissue\r\nand we obtained a regression of this process under treatment with tamoxifen.

Background. Several studies observed metabolic disorders in pregnancy as risk factors for birth defects, including orofacial clefts. Diabetes is associated with approx. 10% of the pregnancies, but in Romania, less than 5%. An obese and diabetic woman has 3 times more risk for an offspring with a craniofacial defect than healthy women suggesting that diabetes mellitus contributes to their pathogenesis with complex mechanisms. Case report. We present the case of a newborn 4 days old, male with neonatal hypoglycemia, cleft lip and proportionate (symmetric) macrosomia. His mother is a 35 years old Caucasian woman with no important personal risk factors and no known history of diabetes mellitus. The glucose tolerance test performed to the mother at about 10 weeks during pregnancy led to the diagnosis of gestational diabetes. Discussion. The gestational diabetes mellitus diagnosed since the 10th week of pregnancy, the hyperglycemia status during pregnancy and the fetal overgrowth (macrosomia at birth) indicate the possible factors that lead to the Orofacial cleft (OFC). Conclusion. With the increased prevalence of obesity, diabetes, and the evidence of association of these syndromes with OFCs, it is recommended that mothers planning to become pregnant to follow healthy habits, maintain healthy weight, and be screened for possible diabetes prior to conception and early in pregnancy.

Introduction. Menopause increases the risk of cardiovascular disease in women. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the effects of swimming training on cardiac histology and expression of miR-29 and IGF-1 in the ovariectomized rats. Materials and methods. Thirty female Wistar rats were divided into sham and ovariectomized groups: sedentary control (OVX) and trained with 8 weeks exercise (OVX.E). On 57th day, blood was collected and used for lipid profile measurement. In addition, heart tissue was analyzed by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction for IGF- 1 mRNA and miR-29, and studied for histopathological changes. Results. Ovariectomy significantly decreased miR- 29 and IGF-1 expression in the heart compared to sham animals group (p<0.05). Exercise training increased miR-29 and IGF- 1 expression in the trained rats and improved histology and lipid profile compared with OVX group (p<0.05). Conclusion. Estrogen deficiency could lead to cardiac fibrosis through deregulation miR-29 and IGF-1 expression. The findings of the current study suggests a protective effect of exercise on heart against fibrotic changes in ovariectomized rats and support a potential preventive value of exercise in improving cardiac function after menopause.

Purpose. To determine the effectiveness of the basal calcitonin (CTb) determination in the early postoperative period to predict the possible recurrence (persistence) of medullary thyroid cancer (MTC). Material and Methods. A retrospective study of the treatment results in 194 patients with MTC (148 (76.3%) primary – group 1 and 46 (23.8%) recurrent – group 2) according to the levels of CTb in the first week after surgery and one year later. All groups were analyzed by staging, the level of preoperative and postoperative basal calcitonin 5 days and 1 year after the primary surgery. Findings. Among all patients, women prevailed – 144 (74.2%), the average age was (48.7±15.2), the average follow-up period was 67.5 months. Basal calcitonin was studied in patients of all groups in the preoperative and serially in the postoperative periods: 5 days and 1 year after the most radical surgical volumes. To test the hypothesis about the possibility of using CTb indicators in the early postoperative period, the degree of compliance with normal calcitonin indicators (≤18 pg/mL) was assessed by observation groups 5 days and 1 year after surgery. Conclusions. 1. The CTb value 5 days after surgery is no less a reliable marker of the result of surgical treatment of MTC than the currently recommended CTb measurement 2-3 months after surgery. 2. The technique is applicable for both primary and reoperations used for recurrent forms of medullary thyroid cancer.

Objective: The invasive mammary cancer is the most frequent malignant tumor of a woman. Among the potential prognostic factors are included the biomarkers which measure or are associated with biological processes involved in the tumoral progression.We studied the prognostic importance of the oncoprotein c-erbB2 in the invasive mammary cancer.\r\nMaterials and methods: We included in the study 56 female patients suffering from invasive mammary cancer.The tissue fragments were fitted in formol, included to paraffin, commonly stained with hematoxylin-eosine (HE); for the determination of the c-erbB2 we\r\nused the immunohistochemical method of the avidin-biotin (ABC) complex.\r\nResults: From the total of 56 tumors, 38 (67.9%) presented different degrees of positivity; 18 (32.1%) did not express the oncoprotein c-erbB2.\r\nConclusions: The positivity of oncoprotein c-erbB2 was correlated with the size of the tumor; the carcinomas which are not infiltrative ductal, known as having a better prognostic, were c-erbB2 negative.

Context. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short noncoding RNAs involved in posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression that influence various cellular functions including glucose and lipid metabolism and adipocyte differentiation. Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of miR-34a and miR-149 and their relationship with metabolic parameters in obese children and adolescents. Design. Seventy children and adolescents were enrolled in the study. Plasma levels of microRNAs were evaluated by real-time PCR using SYBR green and analyzed by ΔCt method. Plasma concentrations of visfatin and insulin were measured by ELISA method. Glucose and lipid profile were determined colorimetrically. HOMA-IR was calculated and used as an index of insulin resistance (IR). Results. miR-34a was significantly lower in subjects with insulin resistance compared to obese children with normal insulin sensitivity. There was an inverse relationship between miR-34a levels and both insulin and HOMA-IR. On the other hand, miR-149 was significantly correlated with visfatin. There was no significant difference in miR-34a and miR-149 between obese and normal weight subjects. Conclusions. miR-34a is associated with insulin and HOMA-IR and thus seems to be involved in IR. miR- 149 is inversely associated with visfatin levels which could be indicative of anti-inflammatory effect of this miRNA.

Background. Valepotriate is an active ingredient of valerian (Valeriana officinalis) with strong antioxidant activity that is effective for numerous cardiovascular diseases. Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of an active ingredient of V. officinalis extract on ischemia-reperfusion-induced cardiac injuries in male rats. Methods. Thirty-two male rats were subjected to ischemia for 40 minutes and reperfusion for five days. The rats were divided into 4 groups of 8 each; group 1 (control) was given normal saline, and groups 2-4 were gavaged with 0.2, 0.1, 0.05 mg/kg of valepotriate extract, respectively, and received extract (0.2 mg/kg ip) two weeks before ischemia induction. Results. Dichloromethane V. officinalis (valepotriate) extract exerted a protective effect against ischemia-reperfusion-induced injuries. So that infarct size and number of ventricular arrhythmia and ventricular escape beats decreased compared to the control group. Moreover, ST segment amplitude, QTC interval, and heart rate decreased in the injured hearts and serum levels of antioxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase increased. Biochemical markers malondialdehyde and lactate dehydrogenase also decreased on day 5 after the onset of reperfusion. Conclusion. V. officinalis extract may have a protective effect against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion by producing antioxidant effects.

Graves&#8217; orbitopathy usually occurs in thyrotoxic patients at the presentation of the\r\nhyperthyroidism.\r\nAim: we conducted a cross sectional study over 8 and a half years of the relation\r\nbetween Graves&#8217; orbitopathy and thyroid status in patients presenting to our joint thyroidophthalmology\r\nclinic at University Hospital of Wales.\r\nMethods: Patients with active orbitopathy were diagnosed clinically and with\r\nappropriate imaging where necessary. This series excluded patients previously treated with\r\nradioiodine or surgery for Graves&#8217; disease. Of 259 patients 140 (54%) had not had 131I or\r\nsurgical therapy. Thirty four percent of the 140 had never been hyperthyroid of whom 19\r\n(13.5%) were euthyroid. Twenty nine of the 140 (20.7%) were hypothyroid receiving\r\nlevothyroxine at referral. There were no significant differences between the hyperthyroid\r\nand non hyperthyroid groups in the incidence of cigarette smoking, family history of thyroid\r\ndisease or maximum proptosis at presentation.\r\nResults: We found a higher prevalence of smokers than reported in the literature in\r\nmoderate and severe TAO across all thyroid status groups including hypothyroid only\r\npatients. This study has emphasized the occurrence of Graves&#8217; orbitopathy in hypothyroid\r\npatients as well as euthyroid individuals.

Aim: to evaluate the impact of hyperthyroidism on glycemic control among patients with diabetes mellitus (DM).\r\nResearch design and methods: This retrospective study included patients with hyperthyroidism and DM admitted in Endocrinology, Nutrition Diseases and Diabetes Department of Elias University Emergency Hospital. We evaluated 37 patients (35 women/ 2 men), with a mean age of 54.7?15.3 years and duration of diabetes 8.1?7.49 years; 20 patients with Graves diseases (54%), 10 with toxic multinodular goiter (27%), 5 with autonomous hyperfunctioning adenoma (13%) and 2 with amiodarone induced hyperthyroidism (5.4%). Clinical data were recorded for all our patients, as well as thyroid ultrasound exploration, laboratory analyses (glycosylated hemoglobin, free thyroxine FT4, triiodothyronine T3, thyroid stimulating hormone TSH).\r\nResults: Diabetes control was achieved with: insulin in 23 (62%) patients, antidiabetic oral agents in 9 (24%) and solely diet in 5 patients (13.5%). Hyperthyroid patients had a mean value of glycosylated hemoglobin of 9.3%?2.4% (poor glycemic control) versus 7.2%?1.6% after the treatment of hyperthyroidism. Among insulin-treated patients, the average need of insulin in hyperthyroid status was 0.72 u/kg versus 0.55 u/kg when the patients became euthyroid (p<0.01). We found a significant association between type 1 diabetes mellitus and Graves&#8217; disease compared to toxic multinodular goiter (80% vs 50%, p<0.01).\r\nConclusions: The presence of hyperthyroidism aggravates glycemic control of the patients with diabetes mellitus and increases insulin need in insulin-treated patients. Once the thyroid function was stable, the insulin need decreased significantly (p<0.01). Hyperthyroidism should be radically treated to obtain a good glycemic control. Type 1 diabetes is significantly associated to Graves&#8217;s disease by an autoimmune mechanism.