Chlorate and Other Oxychlorine Contaminants Within the Dairy Supply Chain

The presence of chlorate in milk and dairy products can arise from the use of chlorinated water and chlorinated detergents for cleaning and sanitation of process equipment at both farm and food processor level. Chlorate and other oxychlorine species have been associated with inhibition of iodine uptake in humans and the formation of methemoglobin, with infants and young children being a high‐risk demographic. This comprehensive review of chlorate and chlorine derivatives in dairy, highlights areas of concern relative to the origin and/or introduction of chlorate within the dairy supply chain. This review also discusses the associated health concerns, regulations, and chemical behavior of chlorate and chlorine‐derived by‐products, and provides a summary of mechanisms for their detection and removal

Altered structural brain asymmetry in autism spectrum disorder in a study of 54 datasets

Altered structural brain asymmetry in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been reported. However, findings have been inconsistent, likely due to limited sample sizes. Here we investigated 1,774 individuals with ASD and 1,809 controls, from 54 independent data sets of the ENIGMA consortium. ASD was significantly associated with alterations of cortical thickness asymmetry in mostly medial frontal, orbitofrontal, cingulate and inferior temporal areas, and also with asymmetry of orbitofrontal surface area. These differences generally involved reduced asymmetry in individuals with ASD compared to controls. Furthermore, putamen volume asymmetry was significantly increased in ASD. The largest case-control effect size was Cohen’s d = −0.13, for asymmetry of superior frontal cortical thickness. Most effects did not depend on age, sex, IQ, severity or medication use. Altered lateralized neurodevelopment may therefore be a feature of ASD, affecting widespread brain regions with diverse functions. Large-scale analysis was necessary to quantify subtle alterations of brain structural asymmetry in ASD