Evaluation of Subjective Appetite Assessment under Free-Living vs. Controlled Conditions: A Randomized Crossover Trial Comparing Whole-Grain Rye and Refined Wheat Diets (VASA-Home)

Background: Accurate assessment of self-reported appetite under free-living conditions is warranted to conduct large-scale intervention studies measuring appetite at a feasible cost. However, the performance of visual analogue scales (VASs) for this purpose has not been widely examined. Method: This randomized crossover trial was conducted to evaluate VASs in free-living vs. clinic-based settings and to assess appetite response following hypocaloric whole-grain rye and refined wheat diets. Twenty-nine healthy adults with overweight or obesity continuously answered VAS questions about their perceived appetite from morning to evening. Results: No differences in whole-day VAS scores (primary outcome) between clinic-based and free-living settings were observed, whereas measures of total area under the curve (tAUC) showed increased fullness in clinic-based interventions of 7% (p < 0.008) for whole-day responses and 13% (p < 0.03) following a snack. Appetite responses for a whole day did not differ between diets whereas rye-based dinners induced 12% (p < 0.016) higher fullness and reduced hunger by 17% (p < 0.02) irrespective of setting. A reduction in hunger of 15% (p < 0.05) was also observed following rye-based vs. wheat-based lunches. Conclusion: The results suggest that the VAS is valid for evaluation of appetite responses between diets under free-living conditions. No difference in self-reported appetite over the whole day was found after whole-grain rye vs. refined wheat-based diets, but there were some suggested differences at certain postprandial periods, in individuals with overweight or obesity

Sixteen-week multicentre randomised controlled trial to study the effect of the consumption of an oat beta-glucan- enriched bread versus a whole-grain wheat bread on glycaemic control among persons with pre-diabetes: a study protocol of the CarbHealth study

Introduction In 2012, the estimated global prevalence of pre-diabetes was 280 million, and the prevalence is expected to rise to 400 million by 2030. Oat-based foods are a good source of beta-glucans, which have been shown to lower postprandial blood glucose. Studies to evaluate the effectiveness of the long-term intake of beta-glucan- enriched bread as part of a habitual diet among individuals with pre-diabetes are needed. Therefore, we designed a multicentre intervention study in adults with pre-diabetes to investigate the effects of consumption of an oat-derived beta-glucan- enriched bread as part of a normal diet on glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) in comparison to consumption of whole-grain wheat bread. Methods and analysis The CarbHealth trial is a multicentre double-blind randomised controlled 16-week dietary intervention trial in participants 40–70 years of age with a body mass index of ≥27 kg/m2 and HbA1c of 35–50 mmol/ mol. The study is conducted at four universities located in Norway, Sweden and Germany and uses intervention breads specifically designed for the trial by Nofima AS. The aim is to recruit 250 participants. The primary outcome is the difference in HbA1c between the intervention and the control groups. The main analysis will include intervention group, study centre and baseline HbA1c as independent variables in an analysis of covariance model. Ethics and dissemination The study protocol was approved by respective ethical authorities in participating countries. The results of the study will be communicated through publication in international scientific journals and presentations at (inter)national conferences. Trial registration number NCT04994327.Sixteen-week multicentre randomised controlled trial to study the effect of the consumption of an oat beta-glucan- enriched bread versus a whole-grain wheat bread on glycaemic control among persons with pre-diabetes: a study protocol of the CarbHealth studypublishedVersio

Tuning of 2D cultured human fibroblast behavior using lumichrome photocrosslinked collagen hydrogels

Collagen is extensively used in fabrication of hydrogels for biomedical applications but needs improvement after its isolation from tissues due to slow gelation and poor mechanical properties. Crosslinking could tailor such properties. Collagen has previously been crosslinked by chemical or photochemical methods. Chemical crosslinkers are often toxic, and the crosslinking reaction is difficult to control. Photochemical crosslinkers are usually biocompatible compounds that are activated upon irradiation. Riboflavin (vitamin B2), a photochemical crosslinker of collagen, photodegrades to lumichrome upon irradiation. Cyclodextrins have previously been used to increase the aqueous solubility of lumichrome and regulate collagen self-assembly. In this study, lumichrome dissolved by cyclodextrin complexation was used as a photochemical crosslinker of collagen. Lumichrome photocrosslinking reduced the gelation time to 10 s, compared to 90 min for physical crosslinking. The formed hydrogels exhibited increased elasticity, water absorption properties and water holding capacity compared to physically crosslinked collagen hydrogels and riboflavin photocrosslinked collagen hydrogels. Fibroblasts achieved a myofibroblastic phenotype when cultivated in 2D on lumichrome photocrosslinked gels as observed from histology. These biocompatible photocrosslinked hydrogels could have potential applications in biomedical applications, such as wound healing

Tuning of 2D cultured human fibroblast behavior using lumichrome photocrosslinked collagen hydrogels

Collagen is extensively used in fabrication of hydrogels for biomedical applications but needs improvement after its isolation from tissues due to slow gelation and poor mechanical properties. Crosslinking could tailor such properties. Collagen has previously been crosslinked by chemical or photochemical methods. Chemical crosslinkers are often toxic, and the crosslinking reaction is difficult to control. Photochemical crosslinkers are usually biocompatible compounds that are activated upon irradiation. Riboflavin (vitamin B2), a photochemical crosslinker of collagen, photodegrades to lumichrome upon irradiation. Cyclodextrins have previously been used to increase the aqueous solubility of lumichrome and regulate collagen self-assembly. In this study, lumichrome dissolved by cyclodextrin complexation was used as a photochemical crosslinker of collagen. Lumichrome photocrosslinking reduced the gelation time to 10 s, compared to 90 min for physical crosslinking. The formed hydrogels exhibited increased elasticity, water absorption properties and water holding capacity compared to physically crosslinked collagen hydrogels and riboflavin photocrosslinked collagen hydrogels. Fibroblasts achieved a myofibroblastic phenotype when cultivated in 2D on lumichrome photocrosslinked gels as observed from histology. These biocompatible photocrosslinked hydrogels could have potential applications in biomedical applications, such as wound healing.publishedVersio

Evaluation of porphyrin loaded dry alginate foams containing poloxamer 407 and β-cyclodextrin-derivatives intended for wound treatment

<p>Dry alginate foams intended for antibacterial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) of infected wounds were prepared. aPDT is a treatment modality involving light of appropriate wavelength, oxygen and a photosensitizer (PS) to produce radicals that attack biological targets (e.g. bacteria). The hydrophobic 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin (THPP) was chosen as a model PS and loaded into the foams. The foams contained a poloxamer (Pluronic F127) and/or β-cyclodextrin (βCD)-derivatives, i.e. methylβCD (MβCD), heptakis(2,6-di-O-methyl)-βCD (HkβCD) or hydroxypropylβCD (HPβCD).The physical characteristics of the various foams prepared and the THPP load, release and photostability were evaluated. All the foams were thin and flexible and could easily be handled and cut to fit a potential wound. Fast disintegration were observed for dry foams in water or phosphate buffered saline, while in Hanks’ balanced salt solution the foams absorbed liquid without losing their integrity. All the foams had a similar THPP load of 0.12–0.13% w/w. The presence of βCD-derivatives improved THPP release, however, no differences were observed between the different types of βCD-derivatives evaluated. THPP loaded into the foams was photolabile, which induced a color change combined with fading. Alginate foams formulated with PF127, βCD-derivatives and THPP demonstrated applicability as delivery vehicles for PSs in aPDT of wounds.</p

Changes in dietary carbon footprint over ten years relative to individual characteristics and food intake in the Västerbotten Intervention Programme

The objective was to examine 10-year changes in dietary carbon footprint relative to individual characteristics and food intake in the unique longitudinal Västerbotten Intervention Programme, Sweden. Here, 14 591 women and 13 347 men had been followed over time. Food intake was assessed via multiple two study visits 1996–2016, using a 64-item food frequency questionnaire. Greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) related to food intake, expressed as kg carbon dioxide equivalents/1000 kcal and day, were estimated. Participants were classified into GHGE quintiles within sex and 10-year age group strata at both visits. Women and men changing from lowest to highest GHGE quintile exhibited highest body mass index within their quintiles at first visit, and the largest increase in intake of meat, minced meat, chicken, fish and butter and the largest decrease in intake of potatoes, rice and pasta. Women and men changing from highest to lowest GHGE quintile exhibited basically lowest rates of university degree and marriage and highest rates of smoking within their quintiles at first visit. Among these, both sexes reported the largest decrease in intake of meat, minced meat and milk, and the largest increase in intake of snacks and, for women, sweets. More research is needed on how to motivate dietary modifications to reduce climate impact and support public health. © 2020, The Author(s).Funding details: Forskningsrådet om Hälsa, Arbetsliv och Välfärd, FORTE; Funding details: Västerbotten Läns Landsting; Funding details: Vetenskapsrådet, VR; Funding text 1: The authors want to acknowledge teams at Västerbotten County Council for collecting data and organizing Västerbotten Intervention Programme, and the personnel at the Department of Biobank Research, Umeå University for data maintenance and administrative support. The Northern Sweden Diet Database was supported by the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare and the Swedish Research Council. The funders had no role in the design, analysis or writing of this article.</p

Climate impact from diet in relation to background and sociodemographic characteristics in the Västerbotten Intervention Programme

Objective:The objective of this study was to examine climate impact from diet across background and sociodemographic characteristics in a population-based cohort in northern Sweden.Design:A cross-sectional study within the Västerbotten Intervention Programme. Dietary data from a 64-item food frequency questionnaire collected during 1996-2016 were used. Energy-adjusted greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) for all participants, expressed as kg carbon dioxide equivalents/day and 4184 kJ (1000 kcal), were estimated using data from life cycle analyses. Differences in background and sociodemographic characteristics were examined between participants with low and high GHGE from diet, respectively. The variables evaluated were age, BMI, physical activity, marital status, level of education, smoking, and residence.Setting:Västerbotten county in northern Sweden.Participants:In total, 46 893 women and 45 766 men aged 29-65 years.Results:Differences in GHGE from diet were found across the majority of examined variables. The strongest associations were found between GHGE from diet and age, BMI, education, and residence (all P &lt; 0·001), with the highest GHGE from diet found among women and men who were younger, had a higher BMI, higher educational level, and lived in urban areas.Conclusions:This study is one of the first to examine climate impact from diet across background and sociodemographic characteristics. The results show that climate impact from diet is associated with age, BMI, residence and educational level amongst men and women in Västerbotten, Sweden. These results define potential target populations where public health interventions addressing a move towards more climate-friendly food choices and reduced climate impact from diet could be most effective.