205,257 research outputs found
Iodine generator for reclaimed water purification
The system disclosed is for controlling the iodine level in a water supply in a spacecraft. It includes an iodine accumulator which stores crystalline iodine, an electrochemical valve to control the input of iodine to the drinking water and an iodine dispenser. A pump dispenses fluid through the iodine dispenser and an iodine sensor to a potable water tank storage. The iodine sensor electronically detects the iodine level in the water, and through electronic means, produces a correction current control. The correction current control operates the electro-chemical iodine valve to release iodine from the iodine accumulator into the iodine dispenser
Iodine and pregnancy – a UK cross-sectional survey of dietary intake, knowledge and awareness
Iodine is a key component of the thyroid hormones, which are critical for healthy growth, development and metabolism. The UK population is now classified as mildly iodine-insufficient. Adequate levels of iodine during pregnancy are essential for fetal neurodevelopment, and mild iodine deficiency is linked to developmental impairments. In the absence of prophylaxis in the UK, awareness of nutritional recommendations during pregnancy would empower mothers to make the right dietary choices leading to adequate iodine intake. The present study aimed to: estimate mothers' dietary iodine intake in pregnancy (using a FFQ); assess awareness of the importance of iodine in pregnancy with an understanding of existing pregnancy dietary and lifestyle recommendations with relevance for iodine; examine the level of confidence in meeting adequate iodine intake. A cross-sectional survey was conducted and questionnaires were distributed between August 2011 and February 2012 on local (Glasgow) and national levels (online electronic questionnaire); 1026 women, UK-resident and pregnant or mother to a child aged up to 36 months participated in the study. While self-reported awareness about general nutritional recommendations during pregnancy was high (96 %), awareness of iodine-specific recommendations was very low (12 %), as well as the level of confidence of how to achieve adequate iodine intake (28 %). Median pregnancy iodine intake, without supplements, calculated from the FFQ, was 190 μg/d (interquartile range 144–256μg/d), which was lower than that of the WHO's recommended intake for pregnant women (250 μg/d). Current dietary recommendations in pregnancy, and their dissemination, are found not to equip women to meet the requirements for iodine intake
Contemporary challenges to iodine status and nutrition: the role of foods, dietary recommendations, fortification and supplementation
Iodine deficiency (ID) in women of childbearing age remains a global public health concern, mainly through its impact on fetal and infant neurodevelopment. While iodine status is improving globally, ID is still prevalent in pregnancy, when requirements increase. More than 120 countries have implemented salt iodisation and food fortification, strategies that have been partially successful. Supplementation during pregnancy is recommended in some countries and supported by the WHO when mandatory salt iodisation is not present. The UK is listed as one of the ten countries with the lowest iodine status globally, with approximately 60 % of pregnant women not meeting the WHO recommended intake. Without mandatory iodine fortification or recommendation for supplementation in pregnancy, the UK population depends on dietary sources of iodine. Both women and healthcare professionals have low knowledge and awareness of iodine, its sources or its role for health. Dairy and seafood products are the richest sources of iodine and their consumption is essential to support adequate iodine status. Increasing iodine through the diet might be possible if iodine-rich foods get repositioned in the diet, as they now contribute towards only about 13 % of the average energy intake of adult women. This review examines the use of iodine-rich foods in parallel with other public health strategies, to increase iodine intake and highlights the rare opportunity in the UK for randomised trials, due to the lack of mandatory fortification programmes
Goiter frequency is more strongly associated with gastric adenocarcinoma than urine iodine level
Purpose: We designed our study to evaluate the hypothesis that gastric cancer is correlated with iodine deficiency or thyroid dysfunction. Materials and Methods: We investigated the total body iodine reserve, thyroid function status and autoimmune disorder in 40 recently diagnosed gastric adenocarcinoma cases versus 80 healthy controls. The participants came from a region with high gastric cancer rate but sufficient iodine supply due to salt iodination. The investigation included urine iodine level, thyroid gland clinical and ultrasonograph-ic examination, and thyroid function tests. Results: Goiter was detected more frequently in the case group (P=0.001); such a finding, however, was not true for lower than normal urine iodine levels. The free T3 mean level was significantly lower in the case group compared to the control group (P=0.005). Conclusions: The higher prevalence of goiter rather than low levels of urinary iodine in gastric adenocarcinoma cases suggests that goi-ter, perhaps due to protracted but currently adjusted iodine deficiency, is more likely to be associated with gastric adenocarcinoma com-pared to the existing iodine deficiency itself. © 2013 by The Korean Gastric Cancer Association
Quantification of Iodine Supply: Representative Data on Intake and Urinary Excretion of Iodine from the German Population in 1996
Background/Methods: In Germany, iodine deficiency is common. In a representative group of 2,500 Germans (age >13 years), using a specially designed food questionnaire, the iodine intake was calculated. In addition, iodine and creatinine concentrations in spot urine samples were determined in three groups with a possibly increased risk of iodine deficiency (769 conscripts, 886 pairs of mothers and newborns) or future hyperthyroidism (574 adults, age range 50-70 years) from 26 representative regions. In four groups of controls (young and older male and female adults; n = 91), 24-hour urine iodine and creatinine were measured in six diurnal fractions to calculate group- and period-specific factors for the estimation of the 24-hour iodine excretion from data of iodine/creatinine ratio and time of micturition in spot urine samples. Results: The mean calculated iodine intake (excretion) was 119 mug/day for the group of Germans above 13 years; it was 119 mug/day (125 mug/day) for adults aged 50-70 years, 137 mug/day (125 mug/day)for conscripts, and 162 mug/day for breast-feeding mothers. The median iodine concentration (iodine/creatinine ratio) was 9.4 mug/dl (83 mug/g) in 566 adults aged 50-70 years, 8.3 mug/dl (57 mug/g) in 772 conscripts. and 5.6 mug/dl (156 mug/g) in 739 breast-fed newborns. Conclusions: Compared to older data, the iodine intake in Germany has increased. In 1996, the meticulously quantified average deficit was about 30% of the recommended iodine intake. Copyright (C) 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel
Iodine status in schoolchildren and pregnant women of Lazio, a central Region of Italy
The inhabitants of Lazio, similarly to those of other Italian regions, have been historically exposed to the detrimental effects of an inadequate intake of iodine. The latter is a micronutrient essential for the biosynthesis of thyroid hormones (TH). Iodine deficiency is responsible for a number of adverse effects on human health known as iodine deficiency disorders (IDD), the most common of which worldwide are goiter and hypothyroidism. In order to reduce IDD, a national salt iodination program was started in Italy in 2005. In this article we reviewed the available data regarding iodine intake in the Lazio population before and after the introduction of the national salt iodination program, in order to evaluate its efficacy and the eventual problem(s) limiting its success. On the whole, the information acquired indicates that, following the introduction of the program, the dietary iodine intake in the Lazio population is improved. There is, however, still much work ahead to ameliorate the iodine prophylaxis in this region. In fact, although a generally adequate iodine intake in school-age children has been observed, there are still areas where a mild iodine insufficiency is present. Moreover, two independent epidemiological surveys on pregnant women evidenced a low urinary iodine concentration with respect to the reference range conceived by the World Health Organization. These findings demonstrate the need for greater attention to the iodine prophylaxis by health care providers (i.e., obstetricians, gynecologists, pediatricians, etc.), and the implementation of effective advertising campaigns aimed at increasing the knowledge and awareness of the favorable effects of iodine supplementation on population health
Deriving Iodine-free spectra for high-resolution echelle spectrographs
We describe a new method to derive clean, iodine-free spectra directly from
observations acquired using high-resolution echelle spectrographs equipped with
iodine cells. The main motivation to obtain iodine-free spectra is to use
portions of the spectrum that are superimposed with the dense forest of iodine
absorption lines, in order to retrieve lines that can be used to monitor the
magnetic activity of the star, helping to validate candidate planets. In short,
we provide a straight-forward methodology to clean the spectra by using the
forward model used to derive radial velocities, the Line Spread Function
information plus the stellar spectrum without iodine to reconstruct and
subtract the iodine spectrum from the observations. We show our results using
observations of the star Ceti acquired with the PFS, HIRES and UCLES
spectrographs, reaching an iodine-free spectrum correction at the 1% RMS
level. We additionally discuss the limitations and further applications of the
method.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in A
Remaining Challenges in Tanzania's Efforts to Eliminate Iodine Deficiency.
To determine iodine levels in salt and iodine deficiency prevalence in school-aged children in 16 districts in Tanzania with previous severe iodine deficiency. A cross-sectional study in schoolchildren. Systematic probability sampling was used to select schools and subjects for goitre assessment and urinary iodine determination. Sixteen districts randomly selected from the 27 categorised as severely iodine-deficient in Tanzania. The study population was primary-school children aged 6-18 years who were examined for goitre prevalence and urinary iodine concentration (UIC). Salt samples from schoolchildren's homes and from shops were tested for iodine content. The study revealed that 83.3% of households (n=21,160) in the surveyed districts used iodised salt. Also, 94% of sampled shops (n=397) sold iodised salt, with a median iodine level of 37.0 ppm (range 4.2-240 ppm). Median UIC in 2089 schoolchildren was 235.0 microg l(-1) and 9.3% had UIC values below 50 microg l(-1). The overall unweighted mean visible and total goitre prevalence was 6.7% and 24.3%, respectively (n=16,222). The age group 6-12 years had the lowest goitre prevalence (3.6% visible and 18.0% total goitre, n=7147). The total goitre prevalence had decreased significantly in all districts from an unweighted mean of 65.4% in the 1980s to 24.3% in 1999 (P<0.05). We believe this difference was also biologically significant. ConclusionThese findings indicate that iodine deficiency is largely eliminated in the 16 districts categorised as severely iodine-deficient in Tanzania, and that the iodine content of salt purchased from shops is highly variable
The Economic Effects of Micronutrient Deficiency: Evidence from Salt Iodization in the United States
Iodine deficiency is the leading cause of preventable mental retardation in
the world today. Iodine deficiency was common in the developed world until
the introduction of iodized salt in the 1920’s. The incidence of iodine deficiency
is connected to low iodine levels in the soil and water. We examine the impact
of salt iodization in the US by taking advantage of this natural geographic
variation. Areas with high pre-treatment levels of iodine deficiency provide
a treatment group which we can compare to a control group of low iodine
deficiency areas. In the US, salt was iodized over a very short period of time
around 1924. We use previously unused data collected during WWI and WWII
to compare outcomes of cohorts born before and after iodization, in localities
that were naturally poor and rich in iodine. We find evidence of the beneficial
effects of iodization on the cognitive abilities of the cohorts exposed to it
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