ACTA ENDOCRINOLOGICA (BUC)

Context. Type 2 diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease which affects bone. There is evidence in the literature about some serum markers that reflect the bone turnover metabolism, such as RANKL (Receptor Activator of Nuclear factor Kappa-b Ligand) and Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) 23. Objective. We aimed to investigate the correlations between RANKL and FGF23 and other diabetes-related factors possibly influencing early bone turnover changes. Subjects and Method. We conducted a crosssectional analytical study on a group of 171 patients with type 2 diabetes, without Charcot’s arthropathy or a history of amputations, in which a complete history and anthropometric, clinical, biochemical and dietary evaluation were performed. We evaluated the serum level of RANKL and FGF 23. Results. RANKL was significantly lower in patients with macroangiopathy (0.42±0.15 pmol/L vs. 0.47±0.2 pmol/L, p=0.001). The level of FGF23 was lower in patients with neuropathy (0.37±0.36 pmol/L vs. 0.41±0.17 pmol/L, p=0.001). We found that FGF23 increased with age, but decreased with the duration of diabetes. We also found an inverse relationship between FGF23 levels and HbA1c, triglycerides, diastolic blood pressure, total proteins, albuminemia. Conclusions. RANKL was significantly lower in patients with macroangiopathy, and FGF 23 in patients with neuropathy. Therefore, more studies are needed to elucidate their role in early bone turnover changes.

Context. The socio-economic and medical burden of obesity represents a continuous challenge for both developing and developed countries. For Romania, the available data on the eating patterns, behavior and other components of lifestyle are scarce. Objective. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the Romanian general population and to identify lifestyle patterns characteristic for the Romanian population in terms of eating patterns and physical activity. Design. Cross-sectional, epidemiologic, multicenter non-interventional study Subjects and Methods. Between January 2014 and August 2014 were enrolled 2128 adults by 8 investigators spread in the main historical regions of Romania. The following data: demographic, anthropometric, employment status, education, family history, personal medical history, information on the lifestyle and eating habits. Results. The final population included in the analysis presented here consisted of 2103 participants with no missing information on height and weight. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 31.1% and 21.3%, respectively. The prevalence of obesity was 9.9% in the 18-39 years age group, 30.1% in the 40-59 years age group, 41.6% in the 60- 79 years age group and 24.1% in the ≥80 years age group (p <0.001). Irregular meals together with eating while watching TV were the most frequent unhealthy eating habits of the participants. Conclusions. We found a high prevalence of overweight and obesity among the participants enrolled. Our study has important implications for increasing the knowledge on the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Romania and associated lifestyle habits.

Context. Scarce data on dietary habits in Eastern European countries is available and reports investigated individual food items and not dietary patterns in these populations Objective. To identify dietary patterns and to explore their association with obesity in a sample from Romanian population. Design. Cross-sectional. Subjects and Methods. This was an analysis of data collected from 1398 adult participants in ORO study. Data on lifestyle, eating habits and food frequency consumption were collected. Results. By principal component analysis we identified 3 dietary patterns explaining 31.4% of the diet variation: High meat/High fat pattern, Western pattern and Prudent pattern. High meat/High fat pattern was associated with male gender, lower educational level, living in a rural, smoking and a higher probability for the presence of obesity (OR 1.2 [95%CI: 1.1-1.4]). Western pattern was associated with younger age, a higher level of physical activity and smoking. Prudent pattern was associated with older age, female gender, a higher level of physical activity, not smoking status and a lower probability for the presence of obesity (OR 0.8 [95%CI: 0.7-0.9]). Conclusions. This study provides for the first-time information on the association between dietary patterns in adults from an Eastern European country and the presence of obesity.

Objective. The association of type 1 diabetes mellitus with autoimmune thyroiditis or with celiac disease is frequently mentioned in literature, but the concomitant presence of these three autoimmune diseases, especially in adults, represents a rarity. Case report. We present the case of a young man with severe generalized oedema admitted to the emergency department and diagnosed with severe hypothyroidism (TSH=100 μUI/mL, fT4 = 0.835 pmol/L) in the context of a long-lasting autoimmune thyroiditis (anti-TPO antibodies 64 UI/mL, anti-TG antibodies 17 UI/mL, the thyroid ultrasonography). At the same time, he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus. He was also submitted to further tests which confirmed the diagnosis of celiac disease (endoscopy with intestinal mucosa biopsy, confirmed by immunological tests). The association of these three diseases slows down the process of reaching a final diagnosis and delays the adoption of a therapeutic strategy. Conclusion. This case underlines the difficulty of differential diagnosis of severe oedema syndrome with polyserositis in a patient with polyglandular autoimmune syndrome. Whenever there is a suspicion of the association of these autoimmune diseases, the evolution of the patient is unpredictable and most medical results are highly dependent upon the decision of applying a concomitant treatment.

Background. Clomiphene citrate (CC) is a safe and widely available first-line ovulation induction drug in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Obesity may trigger the syndrome development in the presence of genetic predisposition or independent causal factor by inducing low insulin sensitivity. Objectives. The aim of this study was to compare the serum AMH levels in obese women with PCOS and obese women with ovulatory cycles, and to assess the role of AMH as a predictor of ovulation induction in obese patients with PCOS by CC as compared to follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). Subjects and methods. Fifty-six obese infertile women with PCOS with a BMI greater than 30kg/m2 were compared with a control group of 30 obese women with normal ovulation. After ovulation induction treatment with CC, the PCOS group was further subdivided in responders and nonresponders. AMH level was assessed as an ovulation induction predictor using area under the curve (AUC) analysis, logistic regression and statistical correlation. Results. Serum AMH level was significantly higher in women with PCOS than in the controls. There were no significant differences in age, duration of infertility, weight, height, LH, and FSH, but significant differences in AMH level (p < 0.01), endometrial thickness (p < 0.01) and progesterone level (p < 0.01) between the patients responding and non-responding to treatment. Endometrial thickness (AUC = 0.932) and progesterone level (AUC = 0.732) were of predictive value for treatment response. A cut-off level of 1.92 ng/mL for AMH showed a good discriminative power for the positive response to treatment (AUC value = 0.819, p< 0.0001). Conclusion. AMH measurement could be useful in predicting ovarian response to clomiphene citrate therapy in obese anovulatory women with PCOS.

Background. The literature contains several definitions of the metabolic syndrome, different from one another through the components included and the reference ranges considered normal. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and its components in a rural community from the North-East region of Romania. Methods. The study included 3248 persons from the rural environment. The data recorded regarded gender, age, anthropometric parameters (weight, waist circumference, body mass index), arterial blood pressure, and laboratory findings. The defining criteria for the metabolic syndrome used were IDF 2005 in comparison with the criteria NCEP-ATP III. Results. Over half of the studied population presents excess body weight, the prevalence of obesity (Body Mass Index - BMI≥30kg/m2) being 17.5% with a proportional relationship between age and BMI value (p<0.001), as well as between age and waist circumference value (p<0.001). The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome according to IDF criteria is 16.3% and 14.2% according to NCEP-ATP III criteria. Irrespective of the BMI value, there is an individual increase in the number of cardiovascular risk factors parallel to the increase of the WC. Conclusions. The metabolic syndrome is frequently encountered in the clinical practice and the use of the IDF definition criteria allows a wider identification of the patients with high cardiometabolic risk. This is the group of people that need to be targeted by the diagnostic and treatment of important cardiometabolic pathology.