Background: Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are environmental pollutants that may impair maternal and fetal health by disrupting hormonal systems, including the thyroid. Both iodine deficiency and excess are associated with thyroid dysfunction and adverse obstetrical outcomes. However, the combined impacts of EDCs and iodine exposure on maternal-fetal thyroid homeostasis remain undetermined. We established the Investigating Birth and Thyroid Outcomes of Maternal-Fetal Environmental Exposures (IBM-E) cohort to prospectively assess the effects of maternal exposures to dietary iodine and EDCs on thyroid function, pregnancy complications, and offspring growth and development. Methods: In this prospective observational study, we aim to enroll 556 pregnant women between 2024 and 2027 at a tertiary hospital in Korea. Maternal blood and urine samples will be collected at six time points, spanning from early pregnancy through 15 months postpartum, with infant samples collected at three time points. EDCs will be quantified using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Thyroid function and urinary iodine concentration will be measured in both mothers and infants. Results: As of the current interim analyses of 193 mothers and 229 neonates, 15.0% of mothers had thyroid dysfunction and 11.4% developed preeclampsia. Preterm birth occurred in 23.8% of cases, and 16.6% of neonates were small for gestational age. Conclusion The IBM-E cohort is designed to enable the longitudinal assessment of gestational environmental exposures and their potential impacts on maternal and fetal thyroid function, as well as pregnancy and neonatal outcomes. The findings of this study may inform preventive strategies and guide policy development in perinatal environmental health.

Background/Aims: Stress is closely related to the deterioration of digestive disease. Melatonin has potent anti-inflammatory properties. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of water stress (WS) and sleep deprivation (SD) on intestinal microbiota and roles of melatonin in stressful condition. Methods: We used C57BL/6 mice and specially designed water bath for stress and SD for 10 days. We measured melatonin concentrations in serum, feces, and colon tissues by high-performance liquid chromatography. Genomic DNA was extracted from feces and amplified using primers targeting V3 to V4 regions of bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA genes. Results: Compared to the control, melatonin concentration was lower in the WS and SD. Fecal concentration was 0.132 pg/mL in control, 0.062 pg/mL in WS, and 0.068 pg/mL in SD. In colon tissue, it was 0.45 pg/mL in control, 0.007 pg/mL in WS, and 0.03 pg/mL in SD. After melatonin treatment, melatonin concentrations in feces and colon tissue were recovered to the level of control. Metagenomic analysis of microbiota showed abundance in colitogenic microbiota in WS and SD. Melatonin injection attenuated this harmful effect. WS and SD showed decreased Lactobacillales and increased Erysipelotrichales and Enterobacteriales. Melatonin treatment increased Akkermansia muciniphila and Lactobacillus and decreased Bacteroides massiliensis and Erysipelotrichaceae. Conclusions This study showed that stress and SD could affect intestinal dysbiosis and increase colitogenic microbiota, which could contribute to the aggravating digestive disease. Melatonin concentrations in feces and colon tissue decreased under WS and SD. Melatonin treatment brought recovery of melatonin concentration in colon tissue and modulating dysbiosis of intestinal microbiota.

PURPOSE: Patients with type 1 diabetes have difficulty controlling diabetes during adolescence. Active self-management of diabetes in school during adolescence is essential for type 1 diabetic adolescents to successfully adapt to school and shift toward a healthy adulthood. This research examined insulin self-injection in school by diabetic adolescents and the correlation between the control of blood sugar and school adaptation. METHOD: Forty adolescents (aged 10-18 years) who were receiving care for type 1 diabetes in pediatric divisions of two university hospitals in the Incheon and Bucheon area from July 2011 to May 2012 were surveyed. RESULTS: Of the intense insulin treatment group (33/40), self-administration of insulin took place outside (22/33, 67%) and inside (11/33, 33%) restrooms. There was no significant difference in hemoglobin A1c between the two groups (P=0.7). 60% of those that had self-injected themselves within the restroom had not exposed their diabetes with more than 5 friends, while only 23% of those that had self-injected themselves outside the restroom had not exposed their diabetes with more than 5 friends, showing statistic significance between the two groups (P=0.02). There was also a significant difference in the frequency of experiencing depression: 91% for the group with self-injection in the restroom and 45% for the group with self-injection outside the restroom (P=0.02). CONCLUSION: Thirty-three percent of diabetic adolescents administered insulin in the restroom. These diabetic adolescents were reluctant to discuss the disease with others and had a higher frequency of experiencing depression. Thus, schools need to provide active support and care for students with type 1 diabetes.
Adolescent ; Blood Glucose ; Child ; Depression ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 ; Friends ; Hemoglobins ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Hypogonadism ; Insulin ; Mitochondrial Diseases ; Ophthalmoplegia ; Self Care