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: It has recently been reported that atopic disorders are associated with various neurological diseases. Atopic myelitis (AM) has been defined as an idiopathic myelitis with either (1) an atopic disease such as atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, or bronchial asthma, or (2) positive mite antigen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) with hyper-IgE-emia. The aim of this study was to characterize the clinical, radiological, and laboratory profiles of AM. METHODS: The characteristics of a group of patients with AM (n=18) were compared with those of a group of non-AM subjects (n=13). The history, clinical symptoms, serologic and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) findings, and brain and spinal-cord magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of all of the subjects were reviewed. RESULTS: Clinically, nonacute onset occurred more frequently in the AM group than in the non-AM group (72.2% vs. 30.8%, p=0.033). The positivity of specific IgG antibody to Toxocara canis was greater in the AM group than in the non-AM group (p=0.045). Swelling (p=0.001) and gadolinium enhancement (p=0.014) on MRI was also more prevalent in the AM group. There was tendency toward a greater proportion of males, purely sensory symptoms, a higher recurrence rate, and eosinophilia in the AM group than in the non-AM group. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that AM is responsible for a considerable proportion of cases with idiopathic myelitis. It appears that the progression of symptom onset is slower, the positivity of specific IgG antibody to Toxocara canis higher, and the occurrence of swelling and enhancement of the lesion on spinal-cord MRI is more prevalent among those with AM than those without.
Asthma ; Brain ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Eosinophilia ; Gadolinium ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulins ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Mites ; Myelitis ; Recurrence ; Rhinitis ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial ; Toxocara ; Toxocara canis

BACKGROUND: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is defined by symptoms associated with damage to the median nerve within the carpal tunnel. Abnormal sensation in the median nerve territory is one of the primary clinical diagnostic criteria for CTS. However, extramedian sensory abnormalities in CTS are common. The purpose of this study was to identify the clinical significance of the paresthesia distribution in CTS. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional retrospective study involving patients with CTS diagnosed based on the American Academy of Neurology criteria between January 2009 and January 2011. In total, 109 hands of 57 enrolled patients were analyzed. The participants were divided into two groups according to the distribution of sensory abnormalities: (1) sensory symptoms confined to the median nerve distribution (median group), and (2) sensory symptoms distributed diffusely over the entire hand (glove group). Clinical features and electrophysiological findings were investigated by thorough chart reviews. RESULTS: Forty-seven (43.1%) hands belonged to the glove group. The frequency of sensory abnormalities and motor weakness was higher in the median group (38.7 vs 9.7%) than in the glove group (12.8% vs. 0.0%) on neurological examination. The conduction velocities of sensory nerves of the wrist and finger were significantly slower in the median group than in the glove group. CONCLUSIONS: Evaluation of the sensory symptom distribution in CTS may predict the degree of nerve damage, with sensory abnormality restricted to the median nerve distribution reflecting more severe nerve damage in CTS.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome ; Fingers ; Hand ; Humans ; Median Nerve ; Neurologic Examination ; Neurology ; Paresthesia ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensation ; Wrist

No abstract available.
Herpes Zoster* ; Herpesvirus 3, Human ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Zoster Sine Herpete*