Adequate iodine nutrition and higher salt intake in Chinese adults aged 18-59 years recommended by international organizations.

Iodine deficiency and excessive salt intake have adverse health effects. This study evaluated the iodine level and salt intake in Chinese adults aged 18-59 years after implementing the salt reduction program and compared with both the World Health Organization (WHO) and Chinese recommendations. Adults aged 18-59 years were randomly selected using multi-stage stratified random sampling in coastal urban area (CUA), non-coastal urban area (Non-CUA), coastal rural area (CRA), and non-coastal rural area (Non-CRA) of Fujian Province, China. Iodine, sodium, and creatinine concentrations in spot urine samples were measured. Knudsen equation was used to determine 24-h urinary iodine and sodium excretion. The median urinary iodine concentration (mUIC) and urinary sodium concentration (mUNaC) among adults (n = 3513) were 132.0 µg/L and 4.0 g/d, respectively. The mUIC and median daily iodine intake in CUA, Non-CUA, CRA and Non-CRA were 112.1, 127.5, 128.5, 167.5 µg/L and 189.6, 182.5, 199.4, 236.0 µg/d, respectively. The mUNaC and median daily salt intake (mDSI) in these four areas were 2.4, 2.8, 2.9, 2.9 g/L and 9.8, 10.4, 10.4, 10.6 g/d, respectively. The mUIC and DII of residents were higher in the Non-CRA than in the other three areas (P < 0.05). The UNaC and DSI of residents were lower in the CUA than in the other three areas (P < 0.05). The logistic regression demonstrated that the people living in CUA and Non-CUA consumed less salt compared with those in Non-CRA. Except for Non-CUA, the DII was lower (< 150 µg/d) among women of childbearing age in the low-salt intake group (< 5 g/d) compared with the high-salt intake group (≥ 5 g/d) (P < 0.05). Iodine nutrition in Chinese adults aged 18-59 years was sufficient, but the salt intake was substantially higher than the WHO and Chinese recommendations. Further policy implementation is needed to reduce salt intake and improve the monitoring of iodine levels in Chinese adults, especially in women of childbearing age.

Serum iodine concentration and its associations with thyroid function and dietary iodine in pregnant women in the southeast coast of China: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Iodine deficiency is a major public health problem in pregnant women. Serum iodine (SI) may represent a useful biomarker for iodine nutrition evaluation. We aimed to assess the relationship between serum iodine concentration (SIC) and urinary iodine concentration (UIC), dietary iodine, thyroid function, and thyroid diseases in pregnant women in the southeast coast of China, and to provide a normal reference range of SIC for pregnant women. Methods: A multistage random sampling method was used to select the study population. We collected urine and blood samples from pregnant women and determined UIC and SIC as well as thyroid function using Arsenic-Cerium Catalytic Spectrophotometry, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and Beckman Coulter Access2 chemiluminescent immunoanalyzer and kit, respectively, and administered a questionnaire on dietary iodine intake in pregnant women. Results: There was a significant negative correlation between SI and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) (r = -0.141) and a significant positive correlation between SI and free triiodothyronine (FT3) (r = 0.106), free thyroxine (FT4) (r = 0.236), triiodothyronine (TT3) (r = 0.229), total thyroxine (TT4) (r = 0.433), and dietary iodine intake (r = 0.068). There was a significant difference in SI levels of pregnancy between the second (78.13 µg/L) and third trimester (75.37 µg/L) (p = 0.018). SI levels between inadequate intake (74.58 µg/L) and appropriate intake (77.92 µg/L) groups were statistically different (p = 0.036). Low SIC was a risk factor for the development of hypothyroxinemia (adjusted OR = 3.14, 95% confidence interval: 1.75-5.66). The reference range for SIC in normal pregnant women is 45.03-112.44 µg/L. Conclusion: SI may be a composite indicator of iodine nutritional status and thyroid function.

Aberrant ARMCX1 Expression Is an Independent Predictor of Poor Prognosis in Gastric Cancer.

ARMCX1 (Armadillo repeat containing X-linked 1) is identified to be the novel tumor suppressor gene related to multiple tumor types. Nonetheless, its effect on gastric cancer (GC) is still poorly understood. The present work determined ARMCX1 level within GC and the relation with clinicopathological characteristics. This work also collected relevant information in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database for investigating associations of ARMCX1 with clinicopathologic variables and then validated in our GC cohort. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted for assessing whether ARMCX1 expression was significant in diagnosing GC. Kaplan-Meier (KM) and Cox regression analyses were conducted for assessing clinicopathological characteristics associated with overall survival (OS) of GC cases. The data from the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases was also analyzed for further validation, and biological processes (BPs) were identified by gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). GC tissues showed markedly decreased ARMCX1 level relative to healthy counterparts (P < 0.001). Interestingly, ARMCX1 upregulation predicted low differentiation, poor OS, increased invasion, and late tumor stage. In addition, the area under ROC curve (AUC) and P value were 0.747 and <0.001, separately. Cases showing ARMCX1 upregulation showed significantly poor prognostic outcome compared with patients showing downregulation (P = 0.007). Furthermore, multivariate analysis showed that ARMCX1 upregulation independently predicted the risk of OS (P = 0.0017, hazard ratio, 1.089). GSEA analysis identified that several cancer-related pathways, such as focal adhesion, ECM receptor interaction, JAK/STAT, melanoma, WNT, and cancer, were enriched in GCs. We conclude that ARMCX1 serves as the possibly independent biomarker to diagnose and predict GC prognostic outcome.

Is the urinary iodine/creatinine ratio applicable to assess short term individual iodine status in Chinese adults? Comparison of iodine estimates from 24-h urine and timed-spot urine samples in different periods of the day.

BACKGROUND: Urinary iodine concentration (UIC) is routinely used to evaluate the population iodine status while the uniform method for the individual level assessment is uncertain. OBJECTIVES: To explore the 24-h urinary iodine excretion (UIE) in five different periods of the day and the corresponding prediction equations respect by the use of creatinine-corrected UIC. METHODS: We collected 24-h, spot and fasting urine in five periods of the day to estimate 24-h UIE by the six different prediction equations. We compared the estimated creatinine-corrected UIC to the collected 24-h UIE and identified the most suitable equations in each period of the day. RESULTS: Among the six different prediction equations, the equation of Kawasaki T was the best to estimate the 24-h UIE by fasting urine among Chinese adults. Among the five periods of time, the equation of Knudsen N was the best to estimate the 24-h UIE in the non-morning period. CONCLUSION: Urinary iodine status at the individual level could be estimated by different creatinine-based equations at different periods of the day.

Clinical correlations and prognostic value of Nudix hydroxylase 10 in patients with gastric cancer.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common and lethal cancers worldwide. The Nudix hydroxylase (NUDT) genes have been reported to play notable roles in tumor progression. However, the role of NUDT10 in GC has not been reported. In this study, we investigated the expression of NUDT10 in GC and its association with clinicopathological characteristics. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and analyses of The Cancer Genome Atlas and Human Protein Atlas databases were performed to determine NUDT10 mRNA and protein expression. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to assess the diagnostic value of NUDT10 in patients with GC. We used Cox regression and the Kaplan-Meier method to assess the correlations between clinicopathological factors and survival outcomes of patients with GC. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed to identify the underlying signaling pathways. NUDT10 mRNA and protein expression was significantly lower in GC tissues compared to normal tissues. Interestingly, higher NUDT10 expression was correlated with advanced tumor stage, deeper local invasion, and worse survival outcomes. Patients with higher NUDT10 expression had a significantly worse prognosis than those with lower NUDT10 expression. Multivariate analysis showed that high NUDT10 expression was an independent predictor of survival outcome. Several pathways, including mismatch repair, nucleotide excision repair, extracellular matrix receptor interaction, and cancer signaling, were identified as enriched pathways in GC through GSEA. To our knowledge, this study is the first to characterize NUDT10 expression in GC. Our study demonstrates that NUDT10 is a promising independent biomarker for GC prognosis.

Iodine status five years after the adjustment of universal salt iodization: a cross-sectional study in Fujian Province, China.

BACKGROUND: Universal salt iodization program was introduced to China to eliminate iodine deficiency disorders in 1995. In 2012, Fujian Province decreased the concentration of iodized table salt according to the national unified requirement. This study aimed to assess the effect on iodine status after the adjustment, providing evidence for further adjustment in Fujian Province. METHODS: Sampling units were selected by multistage cluster sampling method. In each sampling unit, table salt was collected from 30 households. A total of 2,471 people in 2009 and 4,806 people in 2017 provided urine samples and were included in this cross-sectional analysis. Median iodized salt concentration and median urine iodine concentration were present by median and interquartile range. RESULTS: Median iodized salt decreased from 29.8 mg/kg in 2009 to 23.9 mg/kg in 2017. The median urinary iodine concentrations for school-age children in 2017 in coastal urban area, non-coastal urban area, coastal rural area and non-coastal rural area were 163.6µg/L (interquartile range = 100.1-252.0µg/L), 198.9µg/L (interquartile range = 128.0-294.0µg/L), 181.8µg/L (interquartile range = 114.1-257.0µg/L) and 218.2µg/L (interquartile range = 148.1-306.5µg/L), respectively. The median urinary iodine concentrations for adults in 2017 in these areas were 151.1µg/L (interquartile range = 98.3-231.7µg/L), 168.7µg/L (interquartile range = 109.6-242.0µg/L), 167.7µg/L (interquartile range = 105.7-245.7µg/L) and 182.7µg/L (interquartile range = 117.1-258.9µg/L). The median urinary iodine concentrations for pregnant women in 2017 in these areas were 157.7µg/L (interquartile range = 106.9-223.8µg/L), 141.5µg/L (interquartile range = 97.7-207.6µg/L), 127.3µg/L (interquartile range = 90.0-184.5µg/L) and 144.8µg/L (interquartile range = 99.9-184.5µg/L). The median urinary iodine concentrations for lactating women in 2017 in these areas were 122.7µg/L (interquartile range = 84.1-172.0µg/L), 123.7µg/L (interquartile range = 70.7-184.7µg/L), 105.8µg/L (interquartile range = 67.1-152.3µg/L) and 110.2µg/L (interquartile range = 74.1-170.3µg/L). CONCLUSIONS: The overall urinary iodine concentrations among school-age children, adults and lactating women dramatically decreased after implementing the new standard. Almost all of them were iodine adequate, suggesting we reached the expected aim of iodized salt adjustment. However, pregnant women were iodine insufficient after adjustment. Therefore, we should continue the surveillance of iodine status of populations and focus on the additional iodine supplement strategies for pregnant women.