Iodine Deficiency as Assessed by Neonatal TSH in a Sample of Mother-and-Newborn Pairs in Jiangsu Province, China.

China has eliminated iodine deficiency disorders since 2011 via the implementation of universal salt iodisation. Following this, a new revised salt iodisation policy was introduced to reduce iodine content in table salt. Since maternal iodine deficiency can lead to cognitive impairment and cretinism in infants, the aim of our study was to assess if the iodine status of pregnant women and neonates was affected by the introduction of new salt iodisation policy. The medical records of the pregnant women and their neonates in the Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital, Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, between January 2018 and May 2018 were reviewed and obtained. Our study included 374 mother-and-newborn pairs. Mean age of the participants was 28 ± 4 years. TSH, FT3 and FT4 of the participants remained within the reference range. The prevalence of thyroid dysfunction was 4.3%. The overall mean neonatal TSH, birth weight and prevalence of low birth weight (LBW) was 2.56 ± 1.59 mIU/L, 3348 ± 465 g and 2.4%, respectively. The prevalence of neonatal TSH values > 5 mIU/L was 8.3%, which suggested the emergence of mild iodine deficiency (i.e. 3.0-19.9%) in our province. In conclusion, although our study reported an improvement of iodine status to mild iodine deficiency in 2017, our pregnant women remained to be iodine deficient. We recommended an ongoing monitoring of iodine status and advocate for the routine iodine supplementation together with iodised salt in Chinese pregnant women.

Prevalence of Components of Metabolic Syndrome Among Adults with the Presence of Autoimmune Thyroid Condition in an Iodine-Sufficient Region.

The presence of autoimmune thyroid condition could lead to thyroid dysfunction in adults. In addition, thyroid antibody positivity has been suggested to be associated with hyperuricemia, diabetes and obesity in individuals with thyroid autoimmune diseases. Currently, there are limited studies that assessed the relationship of thyroid antibody with the components of metabolic syndrome in adults, especially from iodine-sufficient regions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of components of metabolic syndrome in Chinese adults with autoimmune thyroid condition. Medical records of adult inpatients in the Suzhou Ninth People's Hospital, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China, from January 2016 to September 2019 were reviewed and included after screening for eligibility. A total of 1105 participants were included in our final analysis, and of these, 77.5% (n = 856) were females. There was a higher prevalence of thyroid antibodies in females than males (30.6% vs. 23.7%) (p = 0.034). Although there were significant differences in mean TSH, FT3 and FT4 values between participants positive and negative for thyroid antibodies, these values were still within the normal reference range. No differences in the mean BMI, prevalence of diabetes, hyperuricemia, hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia between participants positive and negative for thyroid antibodies were reported (p > 0.05). In conclusion, our study reported that participants positive for thyroid antibodies did not appear to be accompanied by abnormal thyroid function, lipid profile, uric acid and glucose concentrations.

Elevated serum uric acid, hyperuricaemia and dietary patterns among adolescents in mainland China.

Background Elevated serum uric acid concentrations have been associated with metabolic syndrome. However, only limited information is available on the prevalence of hyperuricaemia in adolescents. Therefore, the aim of our cross-sectional study was to study the prevalence of hyperuricaemia and dietary patterns in adolescents aged 13-16 years living in Yangzhou, China. Methods Adolescents were asked to complete a 20-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and provide an overnight fasting finger-prick sample. Principal component analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation was used to derive the dietary patterns that might be associated with high uric acid concentrations. Results A total of 1070 adolescents were recruited. Of these, 53.6% (n = 574) were females, and 58.5% (n = 625) were within the normal body mass index (BMI) range. The males had a significantly higher serving size and frequency in their weekly food consumption, including meat, poultry, Chinese cereal staple foods and Western-style fast foods, than the females (all p < 0.02). The overall mean serum uric acid concentration and prevalence of hyperuricaemia were 368.6 ± 114.5 µmol/L and 37.9%, respectively. The prevalence of hyperuricaemia was 4.633 times greater among the participants who were overweight and obese than among those who were underweight. On the other hand, the prevalence of hyperuricaemia was 0.694 times lower among the participants who had normal weight than those who were underweight. Conclusions The prevalence of hyperuricaemia was relatively high in Chinese adolescents. The prevention of hyperuricaemia measures should be strengthened in adolescents to effectively control for obesity and gout, which tend to persist into adulthood.

Assessment of Iodine Status among Pregnant Women and Neonates Using Neonatal Thyrotropin (TSH) in Mainland China after the Introduction of New Revised Universal Salt Iodisation (USI) in 2012: A Re-Emergence of Iodine Deficiency?

Iodine deficiency during pregnancy can cause iodine deficiency disorders (IDD). However, it is unclear about iodine and thyroid status of Chinese pregnant women and neonates after the implementation of the revised universal salt iodisation (USI) level in 2012. Therefore, the aim of the cross-sectional study was to determine iodine nutrition and thyroid status among pregnant women and their neonates in China after the implementation of USI. Medical records of pregnant women and neonates in Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital between January 2016 and December 2017 were reviewed and included. We included 3060 mother-and-newborn pairs in the study. Mean age of participants was 28.2 ± 4.1 years. TSH, FT3, and FT4 of participants were within normal reference range. The overall mean neonatal TSH, birth weight, and prevalence of low birth weight (LBW) were 4.86 ± 2.06 mIU/L, 3358 ± 455 g, and 3.2%, respectively. The prevalence of neonatal TSH values >5 mIU/L was 29.3%, suggesting iodine deficiency in the region. In conclusion, our results indicated iodine deficiency in the region, according to the neonatal TSH cutoff recommended by WHO/UNICEF/IGD. More efforts are urgently required to improve iodine status of pregnant women in the region in order to prevent a re-emergence of iodine deficiency.

Low fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polypols diet and irritable bowel syndrome in Asia.

Functional bowel disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), are a chronic condition that can significantly reduce patients' quality of life. Therefore, this paper will review the roles of a low fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polypols (FODMAP) diet in treating IBS, particularly in an Asian setting. About 20% of the general population is diagnosed with IBS. However, there are limited effective medical therapies available for treating IBS. Therefore, IBS presents a major challenge to the health-care providers. Recently, there is an increasing interest in the use of a diet low in FODMAP for the treatment of IBS. A low FODMAP diet can decrease the delivery of readily fermentable substrates to the small intestine and colon, thereby improving functional gastrointestinal symptoms.

Phytochemical Profile of Brown Rice and Its Nutrigenomic Implications.

Whole grain foods have been promoted to be included as one of the important components of a healthy diet because of the relationship between the regular consumption of whole-grain foods and reduced risk of chronic diseases. Rice is a staple food, which has been widely consumed for centuries by many Asian countries. Studies have suggested that brown rice is associated with a wide spectrum of nutrigenomic implications such as anti-diabetic, anti-cholesterol, cardioprotective and antioxidant. This is because of the presence of various phytochemicals that are mainly located in bran layers of brown rice. Therefore, this paper is a review of publications that focuses on the bioactive compounds and nutrigenomic implications of brown rice. Although current evidence supports the fact that the consumption of brown rice is beneficial for health, these studies are heterogeneous in terms of their brown rice samples used and population groups, which cause the evaluation to be difficult. Future clinical studies should focus on the screening of individual bioactive compounds in brown rice with reference to their nutrigenomic implications.