Both the controlled and active ACM patients showed structural arterial changes. After 1 year of disease control, the patients with controlled ACM showed improvements in the functional, but not the structural, arterial parameters compared with the patients with an active condition.

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Objective.To assess in a bicentric study the current iodine status of schoolchildren, ten years after implementation of the universal salt iodization (USI) in Romania.Subjects and methods. 102 children from 2 towns, aged between 6 and 11 years, were included in the study group: 66 children from Sibiu, a previously endemic area for iodine deficiency disorders and 36 children from Bucharest, a previously borderline iodine intake area. Body mass index (BMI), total body surface area (BSA), median urinary iodine concentration (UIC) and prevalence of goiter were evaluated. Thyroid volume was measured by ultrasonography. The study was approved by the Local Ethics Committee. An informed consent from the parents was obtained. Results.From the 102 schoolchildren in the study group, 59 were girls and 43 were boys. Median UIC in the total number of samples was 175.2 mcg/L, reflecting a sufficient iodine intake, with statistically significant differences between the two urban regions. The median UIC was 187.35 mcg/L in the Sibiu subgroup and

BACKgROUND: somatostatin analogs (ssA) are now considered standard therapy for acromegaly, as primary or adjunctive treatment after pituitary surgery. OBJeCTIve: To evaluate the efficacy of ssA and the effect of dose escalation in non-operated patients with acromegaly as compared to patients treated after pituitary surgery in a Romanian tertiary care center. DesIgN: Retrospective study of 73 consecutively evaluated patients with acromegaly treated with ssA, divided into 2 groups: 11 patients (4M/7f, 21-62 years) with primary treatment and 62 patients (22M/40f, 21-68 years) treated after surgery. They received Octreotide LAR 20-30 mg i.m./28 days or Lanreotide sR 30 mg i.m./14/10/7 days. Random serum growth hormone (GH) was measured using IRMA, sensitivity 0.2-0.01 μg/L IGF-1 was measured using different assays and compared with ULN for age and sex. RESULTS: Overall, random GH ≤2.5 μg/L was attained in 39 patients (53.4%) and optimal GH ≤1 ng/mL) in 30 patients (41%), while normal IGF-1 was recorded in 22/72 patients (30.5%). The final random GH ≤2.5 μg/L was achieved in 27.2% of non-operated patients (3/11) as compared with 58% (36/62) of patients treated medically after pituitary surgery, p<0.05. escalation of doses of ssA applied in 43 patients improved the number of controlled patients by 5 (12.1%, p=0.059) and the number of optimally controlled patients by 9.7%. Of the 8 patients who switched from Lanreotide to Octreotide, 2 patients achieved gh normalization. CONCLUsION: The rate of biochemical control via ssA treatment in patients with acromegaly could be improved by rise of the ssA dose or by debulking surgery. Occasionally, substituting one ssA for another may be of benefit.

Purpose: The number of international acromegaly-related registries is increasing; however, heterogeneity of acromegaly symptoms and signs across countries is not well described. We compared clinical disease manifestations at diagnosis between two large University referral centers from two continents. Methods: Retrospective, comparative epidemiological study of acromegaly patients at two centers; 1) C. I. Parhon National Institute of Endocrinology, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Bucharest, Romania (Parhon), and 2) Pituitary Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States (OHSU) from approved registries was undertaken. Data were extracted from medical charts and questionnaires. Binary logistic regression analysis was undertaken for the most frequently noted symptoms and clinical signs. Results: Study included 216 patients (87 Parhon, 129 OHSU). Age, sex and median delay in diagnosis were similar between centers. IGF-1 index was higher in patients at Parhon (3.3 vs 2.1, p < 0.001). The top five symptoms at both centers were; enlarged hands/feet, headache, arthralgia, fatigue, and irregular menses in women. A significant difference was noted for multiple signs and symptoms frequency, often >20 percentage points between centers. Center was a predictor of many signs and symptoms, independent of acromegaly biochemical severity or disease duration. Conclusion: We show in the first comparative study that differences in medical practice, documentation, and likely cultural differences can influence patients’ symptom(s) reporting and screening patterns in geographically different populations. Pooling data into large multicenter international registries databases may lead to loss of regional characteristics and thus a mixed overall picture of combined cohorts.