Safety of partially hydrolysed protein from spent barley (Hordeum vulgare) and rice (Oryza sativa) as a novel food pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283.

Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA) was asked to deliver an opinion on partially hydrolysed protein from spent barley (Hordeum vulgare) and rice (Oryza sativa) as a novel food (NF) pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283. The NF is produced by enzymatically treating the pasteurised spent barley and rice residues of the mash step of beer production. Several mechanical treatment steps of the partial hydrolysate are employed to obtain the final product. The NF consists mainly of partially-hydrolysed proteins from spent barley and rice and it is in powdered form. The Panel notes that there are no safety concerns regarding the stability of the NF if the NF complies with the proposed specification limits during its entire shelf life of 15 months. The NF is proposed to be used as an ingredient in various foods such as dairy products, bakery products, pasta, fruit and vegetable spreads, snacks, and single meal replacements for weight reduction. The target population is the general population. Considering protein quality aspects, the Panel concludes that the NF is not a suitable protein source for the nutrition of infants. The Panel notes that, considering the composition of the NF, the proposed conditions of use and that the NF will not be the sole source of dietary protein, the consumption of the NF is not nutritionally disadvantageous. Taking into account the production process, the extensive compositional characterisation of the NF and the history of use of the source the Panel considers that no toxicological studies are required on the NF. Moreover, the Panel considers that the NF has the potential capacity to sensitise individuals and to induce allergic reactions in individuals allergic to barley and rice. With the exception of possible allergenicity, the Panel concludes that the NF is safe under the proposed uses and use levels.

Intake of legumes and cardiovascular disease: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.

AIMS: To summarize the evidence on the association between the intake of legumes and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) overall, coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke, and to identify optimal intake levels for reduced disease risk through a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis. DATA SYNTHESIS: We have systematically searched PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science up to March, 2022 for the retrieval of intervention and observational studies (PROSPERO Reg. number: CRD42021247565). Pooled relative risks (RRs) comparing extreme categories of intake were computed using random-effects models. One-stage dose-response meta-analyses were also performed using random-effects models. 22 831 articles were screened resulting in 26 eligible observational studies (21 prospective cohort and 5 case-control studies). When comparing extreme categories of intake, the consumption of legumes was inversely associated with CVD (n = 25: RR = 0.94; 95%CI:0.89,0.99) and CHD (n = 16: RR = 0.90; 95%CI:0.85,0.96), but not with stroke (n = 9: RR = 1.00; 95%CI:0.93,1.08). We further found evidence for an inverse dose-response association with CHD, increasing in magnitude up to an intake of 400 g/week, after which the benefit seems to level-off. CONCLUSIONS: The intake of legumes was associated with a reduced risk of CVD and CHD, but not with stroke, among individuals with the highest consumption levels. An intake level of 400 g/week seemed to provide the optimal cardiovascular benefit. Further research is needed to better understand the role of legumes in stroke subtypes.

Appraising diet-disease associations to be used in risk assessment, including an insight in nutritional epidemiology.

High consumption of red meat, in particular of its processed products, has been linked to the development of various chronic diseases, and the need to reduce consumption levels of these products has been identified as a public health priority in Europe. Among the potential alternatives, pulses have gained a prominent position in recent years. Stemming from the broader context of the substitution of red meat in the diet with alternative plant-based protein sources, this work programme was developed to address the need of improving the current understanding on the public health impact of potential substitutes. From a training perspective, the main goal was to advance the fellow's background knowledge in the principles of nutritional epidemiology, while contributing to the harmonisation of food risk assessment practices across Europe. The activities developed comprised a comprehensive learning experience in the different components of the risk assessment framework, giving particular focus to the appraisal of epidemiological evidence within this context (hazard identification and characterisation). The fellow had the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with EFSA's databases among other relevant national and international data sources. The association between the consumption of legumes and risk of cardiovascular disease in particular was extensively explored and described by summarising the available evidence through dose-response meta-analyses. The one-stage approach method was used to explore the shape of the associations, including studies with as few as two levels of exposure, in a weighted mixed-effects model. The analysis was also performed taking into account the potential risk of bias of included studies, assessed using the ROBINS-I tool. Upon the completion of the activities carried out, the fellow made significant progress towards the learning outcomes expected to be achieved throughout the duration of the EU-FORA fellowship period.

The association between environmental exposures to chlordanes, adiposity and diabetes-related features: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Chlordane compounds (CHLs) are components of technical chlordane listed in the Stockholm convention on persistent organic pollutants identified as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and may interfere with hormone biosynthesis, metabolism or action resulting in an unbalanced hormonal function. There is increasing scientific evidence showing EDCs as risk factors in the pathogenesis and development of obesity and obesity-related metabolic syndromes such as type 2 diabetes, but there is no systematized information on the effect of CHLs in humans. Our aim is to identify the epidemiological data on the association between CHLs with adiposity and diabetes using a systematic approach to identify the available data and summarizing the results through meta-analysis. We searched PubMed and Web of Science from inception up to 15 February 2021, to retrieve original data on the association between chlordanes, and adiposity or diabetes. For adiposity, regression coefficients and Pearson or Spearman correlation coefficients were extracted and converted into standardized regression coefficients. Data were combined using fixed effects meta-analyses to compute summary regression coefficients and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). For the association between chlordanes and diabetes, Odds ratios (ORs) were extracted and the DerSimonian and Laird method was used to compute summary estimates and respective 95% CI. For both, adjusted estimates were preferred, whenever available. Among 31 eligible studies, mostly using a cross-sectional approach, the meta-analysis for adiposity was possible only for oxychlordane and transchlordane, none of them were significantly associated with adiposity [(ß = 0.04, 95% CI 0.00; 0.07, I2 = 89.7%)] and (ß = 0.02, 95% CI - 0.01; 0.06), respectively. For diabetes, the estimates were positive for all compounds but statistically significant for oxychlordane [OR = 1.96 (95% CI 1.19; 3.23)]; for trans-nonachlor [OR = 2.43 (95% CI 1.64; 3.62)] and for heptachlor epoxide [OR = 1.88 (95% CI 1.42; 2.49)]. Our results support that among adults, the odds of having diabetes significantly increase with increasing levels of chlordanes. The data did not allow to reach a clear conclusion regarding the association with adiposity.

"My first 48 hours out": drug users' perspectives on challenges and strategies upon release from prison.

BACKGROUND: Prisoners report much higher prevalence rates of drug use and more harmful consumption patterns than the general population. People who use drugs have above-average experiences with the criminal justice system in general, and the prison system and subsequent release situations in particular. Release from prison is associated with increased mortality rates among drug users due to the risk of overdose. The EU-funded project 'My first 48 hours out' aimed to address the gaps in continuity of care for long-term drug users in prison and upon release, with a special focus on drug user's perspectives on needs and challenges upon release. METHODS: A multi-country (Belgium, France, Germany and Portugal) qualitative study was set up to explore drug users' perceptions of drug use and risk behaviour upon prison release, experiences of incarceration and release, and strategies to avoid risks when being released. In total, 104 prisoners and recently released persons with a history of drug use participated in semi-structured interviews and focus groups discussions on these topics. RESULTS: Respondents pointed out that there are numerous challenges for people who use drugs when released from prison. Lack of stable housing and employment support were frequently mentioned, as well as complex administrative procedures regarding access to services, health insurance and welfare benefits. Besides structural challenges, individual issues may challenge social reintegration like 'old habits', mental health problems and disrupted social networks. As a result, (ex-)prisoners adopt individual strategies to cope with the risks and challenges at release. CONCLUSION: Measures to prepare prisoners for release often do not focus on the individual and specific challenges of persons who use drugs. Psychosocial and medical support need to be improved and adjusted to drug users' needs inside and outside prison. To improve the quality and continuity of care around release, the perspectives and coping strategies of people who use drugs should be used to better address their needs and barriers to treatment.

Are people in the bush really physically active? A systematic review and meta-analysis of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in rural Australians populations.

BACKGROUND: Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for non-communicable disease and premature mortality. People who live in rural settings are usually regarded as more physically active than those living in urban areas, however, direct comparisons between these populations are scarce. We aimed to summarise the prevalence of physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour in rural settings in Australia, compared to urban counterparts. METHODS: We searched six databases (AMED, Embase, Medline; CINAHL, SPORTDiscus; and RURAL) and identified 28 observational studies that investigated the levels of physical inactivity and/or sedentary behaviour in adults aged 18 years and over in rural Australia. Random effects meta-analysis was used to generate pooled prevalence estimates. RESULTS: Physical inactivity was four percentage points (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.4 to 8) higher in rural populations compared to urban populations. There was a one percentage point (95% CI = -3 to 5) prevalence difference of physical activity in the rural populations. Rural populations reported on average 7.8 hours of sedentary time per day (95% CI = 5 to 10) and the prevalence of high levels of sedentary behaviour (≥to 8 hours per day) was 7% (95% CI = -8 to -7) greater in urban areas compared to rural areas. CONCLUSIONS: People living in rural areas are just as physically inactive as people who live in urban areas. Our findings challenge the popular views that rural lifestyles result in people engaging more frequently in physical activity. Public health campaigns promoting physical activity in rural settings are just as necessary as in urban settings.

Association between the exposure to phthalates and adiposity: A meta-analysis in children and adults.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to environmental chemicals has become one of the major concerns in the past decades. Phthalates are a family of synthetic organic chemicals used in the manufacture of plastics, solvents, and personal care products. These compounds are considered as endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) since they may interfere with the endocrine system and disrupt its physiologic function. AIM: The purpose of this work is to synthesize results from published literature on the association between the exposure to phthalates and adiposity in adults and children. METHODS: We searched PubMed from inception up to 01 August 2019, to retrieve original papers reporting data on the association between EDCs and adiposity, using the following search expression: (("Endocrine disruptor" OR Endocrine disruptor[mh] OR phthalate) AND (Obesity OR Overweight OR BMI OR "Body fat" OR Adipose tissue[mh] OR Body size[mh] OR "body size" OR "body weight" OR Anthropometry OR "anthropometric measures")) AND (humans[mh]). The study variables and characteristics were collected during data extraction, namely the study design, sample, exposure, outcome, descriptive and association measures. Study quality was assessed using the STROBE template for observational studies. Although studies examined several adiposity measures, Body Mass Index (BMI) and Waist Circumference (WC) were the most commonly used, therefore, we used the beta coefficients regarding BMI and WC, and odds ratios when BMI outcome was categorical to perform the meta-analysis. Data from the studies were combined using fixed effects meta-analyses to compute summary regression coefficients or odds ratios and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Heterogeneity between studies was assessed by the I2 statistic. RESULTS: In the systematic review we found 29 publications addressing the association between phthalate compounds and adiposity. The vast majority of the included studies reported associations that were not statistically significant. For most of the phthalate compounds there were few studies providing compatible measures and therefore it was not possible to combine the results in a meta-analysis. Both for BMI and WC, the meta-analysis for MiBP, MCPP and MbzP showed negative associations and null association for MBP in children, although none of them was significant. For MEP, positive but not significant associations were found both in children and adults. Conversely, for MEHP a negative association was found also in children and adults although it did not reach statistical significance. Only for MECPP a significant association was found for obesity in adults (OR = 1.67 (95% CI 1.30; 2.16). CONCLUSION: In general, a positive association between phthalates and adiposity measures was found, especially in adults. However, most of the results did not reach statistical significance and the inconsistencies found between studies did not allow to reach a definitive conclusion. Additionally, we cannot exclude a possible effect of publication bias.

Recurrent laryngeal nerve alterations in developing spontaneously hypertensive rats.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: It is well known that the recurrent laryngeal nerve not only innervates the larynx but also contains baroreceptor fibers, as demonstrated by physiological studies. Because hypertension has a negative impact on both peripheral nerve morphology and the baroreflex, we investigated the recurrent laryngeal nerve morphological alterations related to the development of hypertension. METHODS: We compared morphological and morphometric aspects of different segments of the recurrent laryngeal nerve in male and female spontaneously hypertensive rats in different ages: 5, 8, and 20 weeks (n = 6 per group). Blood pressure and heart rate were recorded in anesthetized animals, followed by removal of the right and left recurrent laryngeal nerves for epoxy resin embedding and light microscopy analysis. Computer software was used for morphometric analysis. RESULTS: The blood pressure was significantly higher in 20-week-old animals compared to those at 5 weeks. Body weight increased significantly with age, as did the nerve fascicles. For the myelinated fibers and respective axons, there was a reduction of fiber size, more evident on the axon, associated with a reduction of the small myelinated fibers percentage in animals with high blood pressure. Also, 20-week-old animals showed a significant reduction of the blood vessel percentage of occupancy compared to younger ages. No differences were observed between genders. CONCLUSION: Hypertension development impaired axon growth, affecting mainly the small myelinated fibers. Males and females were affected equally. The alterations of the endoneural blood vessels probably played an important role on the small fibers alterations.

Determinants of weight loss dieting among adolescents: a longitudinal analysis.

PURPOSE: To prospectively assess characteristics associated with dieting behaviors in adolescence. METHODS: We analyzed 1,640 adolescents evaluated at 13 and 17 years old (EPITeen cohort), Porto, Portugal. Dieting was assessed only at 17 years, as self-reported frequency of dieting to lose weight in the previous 12 months. The association between participants' characteristics and dieting was summarized using multinomial logistic regression for girls and binary logistic regression for boys. RESULTS: Dieting at 17 years old was significantly more prevalent in girls than in boys (respectively 27.6% and 10.5% for occasional dieting and 12.2% and 2.6% for frequent dieting). In both sexes, overweight and obese adolescents were significantly more likely to engage in dieting but body dissatisfaction was the strongest determinant among girls. Furthermore, dieting frequency also increased with depressive symptomatology and among those involved in health compromising behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Besides body mass index, body image concerns and depressive symptomatology predict dieting throughout adolescence.

Influência das interações afiliativas no sucesso de acasalamento em casais cativos de micos-leões (Leontopithcus crysomelas e leontopithcus chryopygus)

Os micos-leões (Leontopithecus) fazem parte da família Callitrichidae junto com outros três gêneros de primatas neotropicais: Cebuella, Callithrix e Saguinus. São caracterizados por serem de pequeno porte, possuírem garras ao invés de unhas em todos os dedos exceto no hallux, ausência do terceiro molar, molares tricúspides e nascimento de gêmeos. O gênero Leontopithecus possui quatro espécies Leontopithecus chryssomelas, Leontopithecus Chrysopygus, Leontopithecus rosalia, Leontopithecus caissara. Os objetivos principais da pesquisa foram verificar em Leontopithecus chryssomelas e Leontopithecus Chrysopygus: (1) se o comportamento afiliativo é mais comum em casais experientes; (2) se existe uma relação entre o comportamento afiliativo do casal e seu sucesso de acasalamento; (3) se existem diferenças de comportamento afiliativo e/ou sucesso de acasalamento entre as duas espécies. O trabalho foi realizado na Fundação Parque Zoológico de São Paulo, no período de 20/06/95 até 13/01/96, com 8 casais de em Leontopithecus chryssomelas e Leontopithecus Chrysopygus. O método de observação empregado neste estudo foi grupo focal com todas as ocorrências de registro contínuo. Usamos comportamentos afiliativos como catação e aproximação para medir as interações entre os casais e assim comparar-se casais com forte ligações afiliativas também resultem em casais que conseguiram se reproduzir. Comparando as duas espécies constatamos que os valores apresentados pelos em Leontopithecus chryssomelas foram maiores do que os apresentados pelos L. Chrysopygus para comportamentos sociais. Os casais experientes de ambas as espécies se aproximam significativamente do que casais inexperientes, e que os membros de casais experientes de L. Chrysomelas se catam mais do que os de casais inexperientes. Esta última relação não foi aparente em L. Chrysopygus. Os dados coletados apoiam parcialmente a hipótese de que o comportamento afiliativo é mais comum em casais experientes. Neste trabalho não encontramos um padrão definido do comportamento do macho ou fêmea para catação e aproximação para casais que tiveram ou não filhotes. Estes resultados diferem do que foi achado para Callithrix Jacchus em que nos casais em que as fêmeas estiveram significativamente mais envolvidas nas interações houve intercorr6encia de gravidez. Comparando as duas espécies encontramos que no total os comportamentos sociais foram quase o dobro para os L. Chrysomelas e separadamente as frequências das...(AU)