[The results of the "tiromobil" epidemiological trial of pregnant women in the Russian Federation].

AIM: To study structural and functional changes in the thyroid gland (TG) in pregnant women living in iodine-deficiency regions; to evaluate efficacy of prophylactic measures. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Random sample method was used for examination of 1090 pregnant women living in the regions with different iodine provision. All the participants were examined clinically, measurements were made of thyroid size, TTH, free T4, iodinuria. RESULTS: Iodine salt in household was used only by 17% women. Prophylaxis of iodine deficiency was conducted in 51% pregnant women. Thyroid alterations were detected in 27% examinees, diffuse goiter was diagnosed on the average in 17% pregnant women (in some regions 36%), nodular goiter--in 3.1%, focal goiter alterations of the thyroid--in 4.4%, symptoms of autoimmune thyroid disease--in 2.7%. ldoinuria varied with regions from 72.5 to 150 mcg/l. TTH and T4 levels were mainly normal. Isolated fall of T4 in trimester II and III was registered in 70% pregnant women, low TTH--in 4.4%. CONCLUSION: Most of the pregnant women in the regions studied were at risk of diseases associated with iodine deficiency. Prevention of iodine deficiency is not adequate.

[Results of epidemiological surveys for iodine-deficiency diseases within the framework of the Thyromobile project].

In the Russian Federation, there are virtually all areas whose population is at risk for iodine-deficiency disorders. During 2003, we made epidemiological studies of iodine-deficiency disorders within the framework of the Thyromobile project supported by the pharmaceutical company "Nycomed"in 12 regions of the Russian Federation. A total of 2673 individuals were examined. According to the WHO recommendations, the study covered prepubescent children aged 8 to 11 years. It involved physical examination, thyroid ultrasound study, blood sampling for ioduria, intelligence test, and sodium chloride iodine assay. The findings indicated that the tension of goiter endemia corresponded to the level of iodine deficiency, which was in the range of mild iodine deficiency, in most regions other than some districts of the Volgograd, Astrakhan, Nizhni Novgorod regions where the median of ioduria in schoolchildren corresponded severe iodine deficiency. The studies indicated that the population's use ofiodinated salt is not up to the recommendations of international expert organizations. Intelligence tests revealed an 11-18% IQ decrease in children from virtually all study areas. According to the strategy of iodine deficiency control in the Russian Federation, it is advisable to use iodinated salt for mass prevention and drugs containing a physicological dose of iodine for group and individual prevention.

Increase in serum concentration of FAS ligand as a possible mechanism for antithyroid cytotoxicity during autoimmune thyroid diseases.

We studied the dependence of serum cytotoxic activity on the contents of soluble apoptosis receptor and its soluble ligand in patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases.