Severe nuclear accidents may lead to a release of radioactivity, including radioactive iodine, into the environment. The thyroid gland in the human body needs natural or stable iodine to function properly and this iodine is normally absorbed in small quantities from food. Following a release of radioactive iodine from a nuclear or radiological accident, the body will absorb and accumulate the radioactive iodine in the thyroid gland. This increases the risk of thyroid cancer, especially in children. Since the thyroid gland cannot distinguish between radioactive and stable iodine, stable iodine can be taken to prevent the absorption of radioiodine by the thyroid in the event of a nuclear emergency. This is referred to as Iodine Thyroid Blocking (ITB). In 2017, the World Health Organization published revised guidelines entitled 'Iodine Thyroid Blocking: guidelines for use in planning for and responding to radiological and nuclear emergencies'. The purpose of these guidelines is to support Member States in planning for and implementation of ITB before and during a radiation emergency. To enable the monitoring and measurement of the impact of a specific recommended intervention, a baseline should be established against which the impact will be measured over a certain period of time. With that in mind, a global WHO survey of national policies on ITB was carried out in 2016-2017. Here, an overview of some core findings of this survey is provided.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envadv.2022.100252 | DOI Listing |
Toxics
November 2024
National Center for Computational Toxicology, Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
Thyroid hormones (THs) require iodine for biosynthesis and play critical roles in brain development. Perchlorate is an environmental contaminant that reduces serum THs by blocking the uptake of iodine from the blood to the thyroid gland. Using a pregnant rodent model, we examined the impact of maternal exposure to perchlorate under conditions of dietary iodine deficiency (ID) on the brain and behavior of offspring.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNutrients
December 2024
Thyroid Research Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK.
Universal salt iodisation (USI) plays an essential role in the provision of iodine (I) to populations worldwide. Countries adopting USI programmes, adhering to strict criteria laid down by expert organisations such as the Iodine Global Network, are estimated to have reduced the prevalence of I deficiency by 75% (protecting 720 million individuals worldwide). Despite this success, doubts have been raised as to the desirability of continuing such programmes because of (a) the need to reduce salt intake for cardiovascular prevention and (b) the induction of thyroid autoimmunity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is the most common type of endocrine malignancy, with rising incidence over recent decades. Despite a favorable prognosis, DTC management remains complex, often involving thyroidectomy followed by radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy. While RAI is crucial for patient outcomes, its efficacy varies, necessitating the identification of predictors for treatment response.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Clin Transl Endocrinol
December 2024
Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC), University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
Thanks to the identification of crucial molecular pathways, the therapeutic landscape for advanced differentiated thyroid tumors (DTCs) has significantly improved during the last ten years. The therapeutic scenario has been greatly impacted by the discovery of mutually exclusive gene changes in the MAPK and PI3K/AKT pathways, such as or fusions and pathogenic mutations of the and genes. Indeed, multi-kinase inhibitors and selective inhibitors have demonstrated outstanding efficacy for radioactive iodine-refractory (RAI-R) drug treatment, with overall response rates reaching up to 86%.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntioxid Redox Signal
January 2025
Institute of Pharmacology, Max Rubner Center (MRC) for Cardiovascular Metabolic Renal Research, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
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