Randomised clinical study: Aspergillus niger-derived enzyme digests gluten in the stomach of healthy volunteers.

BACKGROUND: Aspergillus niger prolyl endoprotease (AN-PEP) efficiently degrades gluten molecules into non-immunogenic peptides in vitro. AIM: To assess the efficacy of AN-PEP on gluten degradation in a low and high calorie meal in healthy subjects. METHODS: In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study 12 healthy volunteers attended to four test days. A liquid low or high calorie meal (4 g gluten) with AN-PEP or placebo was administered into the stomach. Via a triple-lumen catheter gastric and duodenal aspirates were sampled, and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-3350 was continuously infused. Acetaminophen in the meals tracked gastric emptying time. Gastric and duodenal samples were used to calculate 240-min area under the curve (AUC0-240 min ) of ?-gliadin concentrations. Absolute ?-gliadin AUC0-240 min was calculated using duodenal PEG-3350 concentrations. RESULTS: AN-PEP lowered α-gliadin concentration AUC0-240 min, compared to placebo, from low and high calorie meals in stomach (low: 35 vs. 389 µg × min/mL; high: 53 vs. 386 µg × min/mL; P < 0.001) and duodenum (low: 7 vs. 168 µg × min/mL; high: 4 vs. 32 µg × min/mL; P < 0.001) and absolute α-gliadin AUC0-240 min in the duodenum from low (2813 vs. 31 952 µg × min; P < 0.001) and high (2553 vs. 13 095 µg × min; P = 0.013) calorie meals. In the placebo group, the high compared to low calorie meal slowed gastric emptying and lowered the duodenal α-gliadin concentration AUC0-240 min (32 vs. 168 µg × min/mL; P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: AN-PEP significantly enhanced gluten digestion in the stomach of healthy volunteers. Increasing caloric density prolonged gastric residence time of the meal. Since AN-PEP already degraded most gluten from low calorie meals, no incremental effect was observed by increasing meal caloric density. ClinicalTrials.gov, Number: NCT01335503; www.trialregister.nl, Number: NTR2780.

A new European species of Nevrorthus in the Iberian Peninsula(Insecta, Neuropterida).

A new species of Nevrorthus (Insecta, Neuropterida: Nevrorthidae) has been found in the south of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain, Malaga): N. reconditus Monserrat & Gavira n. sp. This new species represents the first record of this genus and this family in the Westernmost Mediterranean basin. A key to the known species of this genus is provided.

Distribution of domestic Psocoptera in Madrid apartments.

Domestic Psocoptera were sampled in Madrid throughout a complete year (1991-92) by means of sticky traps in bathrooms, kitchens and inside windows. A total of 409 individuals comprising ten species of psocids was caught from 4056 traps inspected fortnightly. The predominant species were Liposcelis decolor, Li. brunnea, Psyllipsocus ramburi, Li. bostrychophila, Li. pearmani, Dorypteryx domestica and Lachesilla pedicularia, in descending order of abundance. Apartments were classified according to eight quantitative variables: age and area of building, level of apartment (i.e. storey), numbers of windows, inhabitants, their pets (birds and mammals), ornamental plants indoors; and two qualitative factors: floor material and presence or absence of trees adjacent to the house. Psocid communities in human habitations were assessed by the island biogeography theory: diversity increased with apartment size and the number of species decreased with building date. Psocid populations were most abundant in bathrooms, which presumably act as sources for dispersal to other parts of the premises. No other significant correlations were found with the other housing factors investigated. Whereas psocids were active indoors during all months of the year, the peak prevalence was in summer, July and August, one or two months ahead of the local seasonal pattern for non-domestic psocids. Although psocids are usually not seriously unhygienic, causing only minor problems of contamination and allergies, this information should help towards their environmental control.