Dietary iodine supplements not only have no harmful effect on the neurodevelopment of the children, they may even be beneficial. Given the possible presence of confounding variables not controlled for in this study, these findings should be considered as preliminary.

The benefits of iodine supplements during pregnancy remain controversial in areas with a mild-to-moderate iodine deficiency. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of improving iodine intakes, with iodised salt (IS) or iodine supplements, in pregnant Spanish women. A total of 131 pregnant women in their first trimester were randomly assigned to three groups: (1) IS in cooking and at the table, (2) 200 mg potassium iodide (KI)/d or (3) 300 mg KI/d. No differences were found in thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), free triiodothyronine (FT3) or thyroid volume (TV) between the three groups. Regardless of the group in which women were included, those who had been taking IS for at least 1 year before becoming pregnant had a significantly lower TV in the third trimester (P¼0·01) and a significantly higher urinary iodine in the first (173·7 (SD 81·8) v. 113·8 (SD 79·6) mg/l, P¼0·001) and third trimesters (206·3 (SD 91·2) v. 160·4 (SD 87·7) mg/l, P¼0·03). Also, no differences were seen in TSH, FT4 or FT3. Children's neurological development was not significantly associated with the consumption of IS for at least 1 year before becoming pregnant and no differences were found according to the treatment group. In conclusion, in pregnant women with insufficient iodine intake, the intake of IS before becoming pregnant was associated with a better maternal thyroid function. The form of iodide intake was not associated with maternal thyroid function or children's neurological development.

Hypothyroxinemia affects 35–50% of neonates born prematurely (12% of births) and increases their risk of suffering neurodevelopmental alterations. We have developed an animal model to study the role of maternal thyroid hormones (THs) at the end of gestation on offspring's cerebral maturation. Pregnant rats were surgically thyroidectomized at embryonic day (E) 16 and infused with calcitonin and parathormone (late maternal hypothyroidism [LMH] rats). After birth, pups were nursed by normal rats. Pups born to LMH dams, thyroxine treated from E17 to postnatal day (P) 0, were also studied. In developing LMH pups, the cortical lamination was abnormal. At P40, heterotopic neurons were found in the subcortical white matter and in the hippocampal stratum oriens and alveus. The Zn-positive area of the stratum oriens of hippocampal CA3 was decreased by 41.5% showing altered mossy fibers’ organization. LMH pups showed delayed learning in parallel to decreased phosphorylated cAMP response element-binding protein (pCREB) and phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (pERK1/2) expression in the hippocampus. Thyroxine treatment of LMH dams reverted abnormalities. In conclusion, maternal THs are still essential for normal offspring's neurodevelopment even after onset of fetal thyroid function. Our data suggest that thyroxine treatment of premature neonates should be attempted to compensate for the interruption of the maternal supply.

Background The use of kinetic impact projectiles (KIPs) for crowd-control has increased worldwide. Despite having been created as non-lethal weapons, significant damage to several organs, including the eye, has been reported. In this study, we investigated cases of ocular trauma from KIPs during the civil unrest in Chile. To our knowledge, this is the largest case series recorded in international literature. Methods We included all patients who sought care or were referred to the Eye Trauma Unit, a national referral centre in Santiago, Chile, during the civil unrest from October 18 to November 30, 2019. We reviewed paper medical records and extracted data on suspected cause of trauma, type of trauma, visual acuity and sociodemographic data. Results We included 259 patients, out of which in 182 cases (70.5%) KIPs were the suspected cause. Cases by KIPs were predominantly male (86.6%), young (median age 26.3, interquartile range 22.0–31.4) and living in the Metropolitan Region. Eighty-nine patients (48.9%) had severe visual impairment or were blind at the first examination. The trauma was an open-globe injury in 20.3% of cases and 13 cases required evisceration of the ocular content. Compared to other causes of ocular trauma, KIPs were related to a more severe loss of visual acuity and a higher frequency of open-globe injuries. Conclusions The use of KIPs during a period of civil unrest in Chile resulted in severe ocular trauma, visual impairment and permanent disability. KIPs should be avoided as a method of crowd-control.