ACTA ENDOCRINOLOGICA (BUC)

Iodine plays an important biochemical role in human organism; its insufficiency produces disturbances in the synthesis of thyroid hormones and increases the volume of the thyroid gland. Iodine deficiency in pregnant women has severe consequences on maternal\r\nbody and fetal development. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of iodine deficiency in pregnant women from Cluj city and county. Urinary iodine levels were determined by the Sandell-Kolthoff method. A group of 100 pregnant women was studied. The results show a mean iodine concentration at the lower limit of the normal range (107.58 ? 91.16 μg/L), not correlated with the period of pregnancy.

Introduction: Leptin, which is known to regulate appetite and energy expenditures, may also contribute to mediate the effects of fat mass on the bone.\r\nObjective: The aim of this study was to analyse to what extent leptin and total body composition influence the maintenance of bone mass.\r\nSubjects and methods: We evaluated 34 women divided into two BMI-matched groups based on the ovarian function: 12 premenopausal women, aged 34.08?7.18 years and 22 postmenopausal women aged 61.31?4.51 years, respectively. Total body composition (total fat mass, trunk fat mass and lean mass) and bone mineral density were measured by means of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Serum leptin concentrations were assessed by ELISA.\r\nResults: The bone mineral content was influenced by both the fat mass (women with normal menstrual cycles r=0.62, p=0.03; postmenopausal women r=0.625, p=0.002) and the trunk fat mass (r=0.597, p=0.004 premenopausal women; r=0.675, p=0.001 postmenopausal women), independently of the ovarian function. Only for the postmenopausal group we could identify a significant correlation between leptin levels and the total body bone mineral density (r=0.479, p=0.024) and the total body bone mineral content (r=0.605, p=0.003), respectively. The serum leptin levels were highly significantly correlated with the total fat mass and the trunk fat mass for both groups. No difference was obtained with regard to the serum leptin levels between pre- and postmenopausal women.\r\nConclusions: Our results suggest the role played by leptin and the fat mass in the maintenance of bone mass.