Particle size determines the anti-inflammatory effect of wheat bran in a model of fructose over-consumption : implication of the gut microbiota

We investigated the impact of the particle size of wheat bran on gut dysbiosis and inflammation induced by a fructose overload. Mice received drinking water with or without fructose (30%) and a standard diet supplemented with or without 5% of wheat bran fractions characterized by different average particle sizes (1690 pm versus 150 um) for 8 weeks. Fructose increased Enterobacteriaceae associated with higher expression of key inflammatory genes in the liver. The two wheat bran fractions differently affected specific gut bacteria known to be involved in the regulation of the gut barrier function and/or inflammatory processes. Moreover, wheat bran with small particle size was the sole fibre that reduced hepatic and systemic inflammatory markers upon high fructose intake. The anti-inflammatory effects of wheat bran may be dependent on their particle size and could be related to the changes in caecal Enterobacteriaceae

Risk factors for borderline personality disorder in treatment seeking patients with a substance use disorder: An international multicenter study

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) and substance use disorders (SUDs) often co-occur, partly because they share risk factors. In this international multicenter study, risk factors for BPD were examined for SUD patients. In total, 1,205 patients were comprehensively examined by standardized interviews and questionnaires on psychiatric diagnosis and risk factors, and it was found that 1,033 (85.7%) had SUDs without BPD (SUD) and 172 (14.3%) had SUD with BPD (SUD + BPD). SUD + BPD patients were significantly younger, more often females and more often diagnosed with comorbid adult attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. SUD + BPD patients did not differ from SUD patients on most risk factors typical for SUD such as maternal use of drugs during pregnancy or parents having any SUD. However, SUD + BPD patients did have a higher risk of having experienced emotional and physical abuse, neglect, or family violence in childhood compared to SUD patients, suggesting that child abuse and family violence are BPD-specific risk factors in patients with SUDs

Changes in the arabinoxylan fraction of wheat grain during 1 alcohol production

Laboratory produced DDGS samples were compared with commercial samples from a distillery and a biofuel plant. Changes in structure, solubility and content of arabinoxylan (AX) was determined. The distillation process results in a relative increase of AX content compared to the starting material. The heating and drying processes involved in the production of DDGS lead to an increased solubility and viscosity of water-extractable AX. Production of DDGS results in structural changes to the AX. There is a decrease in 2-and 3-linked arabinose oligosaccharides, that contributes to around a 50% reduction in arabinosylation in DDGS compared with the starting grains. The current study shows that laboratory-scale DDGS provide an accurate representation of the commercial scale and that the AX composition of DDGS is consistently uniform irrespective of starting material. The uniformity of DDGS and thin stillage makes them a good potential source of AX for production of prebiotics or other novel products

Validity of the ADHD module of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview PLUS for screening of adult ADHD in treatment seeking substance use disorder patients: ADHD screening with MINI-Plus

Az ADHD szűrési lehetőségei a Mini-plus mérőeszköz segítségéve

Expert consensus document: The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) consensus statement on the definition and scope of prebiotics

In December 2016, a panel of experts in microbiology, nutrition and clinical research was convened by the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics to review the definition and scope of prebiotics. Consistent with the original embodiment of prebiotics, but aware of the latest scientific and clinical developments, the panel updated the definition of a prebiotic: a substrate that is selectively utilized by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit. This definition expands the concept of prebiotics to possibly include non-carbohydrate substances, applications to body sites other than the gastrointestinal tract, and diverse categories other than food. The requirement for selective microbiota-mediated mechanisms was retained. Beneficial health effects must be documented for a substance to be considered a prebiotic. The consensus definition applies also to prebiotics for use by animals, in which microbiota-focused strategies to maintain health and prevent disease is as relevant as for humans. Ultimately, the goal of this Consensus Statement is to engender appropriate use of the term ‘prebiotic’ by relevant stakeholders so that consistency and clarity can be achieved in research reports, product marketing and regulatory oversight of the category. To this end, we have reviewed several aspects of prebiotic science including its development, health benefits and legislation

Persistence and Subtype Stability of ADHD Among Substance Use Disorder Treatment Seekers

OBJECTIVE: To examine ADHD symptom persistence and subtype stability among substance use disorder (SUD) treatment seekers. METHOD: In all, 1,276 adult SUD treatment seekers were assessed for childhood and adult ADHD using Conners' Adult ADHD Diagnostic Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM-IV; CAADID). A total of 290 (22.7%) participants met CAADID criteria for childhood ADHD and comprise the current study sample. RESULTS: Childhood ADHD persisted into adulthood in 72.8% (n = 211) of cases. ADHD persistence was significantly associated with a family history of ADHD, and the presence of conduct disorder and antisocial personality disorder. The combined subtype was the most stable into adulthood (78.6%) and this stability was significantly associated with conduct disorder and past treatment of ADHD. CONCLUSION: ADHD is highly prevalent and persistent among SUD treatment seekers and is associated with the more severe phenotype that is also less likely to remit. Routine screening and follow-up assessment for ADHD is indicated to enhance treatment management and outcomes

Wheat grain fructans: quantification, structural characterization and impact of bread making

Fructans are fructose based carbohydrates that have been studied intensively during the last two decades because of their claimed health promoting properties. In particular inulin-type fructans received much scientific attention. They consist almost exclusively of ß(2,1)-linked fructose units and are commercially available as food ingredient derived mostly from chicory root. They are not only considered as dietary fibers but are also under investigation as prebiotic. The latter implies that the consumption of inulin-type fructans is thought to selectively stimulate the growth and/or activity of health promoting bacteria in the colon and as such induce a beneficial health effect. Despite their claimed beneficial effects, fructans may cause unwanted gastro-intestinal side effects as well. Yet, negative effects are mainly reported for patients suffering irritable bowel syndrome or related diseases and the majority of the healthy population easily tolerates the generally consumed fructan levels. Hence, most subjects are assumed to benefit from their consumption due to their dietary fiber nature and claimed prebiotic effects. However, these effects were demonstrated for inulin-type fructans only and the majority of the fructans present in a regular western diet are not those inulins or derived fructo-oligosaccharides. The major dietary fructan source by far is wheat. Despite their abundance in our diet, little is known about wheat grain fructan structure, their degradation during food processing and their physiological effects. However, as wheat grain fructans are thought to belong to the branched, graminan-type fructans, their behavior and possible health effects might differ from inulin-type fructans. In view of the lack of knowledge in this area, this dissertation focused on wheat grain fructans.The general aim of this dissertation was to investigate wheat grain fructan structure, fructan formation and degradation starting from their formation in developing wheat grains up to wheat based bread making. This required the development of analytical methods for the quantification and structural characterization of fructans in wheat and wheat based products. Firstly, an improved fructan quantification method based on high performance anion exchange chromatography (HPAEC) analysis of sample extracts before and after mild acid hydrolysis was established and tested. This method allows, in contrast to the existing methods, the calculation of the average fructan degree of polymerization (DP). Indeed, not only the amount of fructose set free from fructans but also that of released glucose is accurately determined with this new method. To obtain more detailed information on wheat grain fructan structure, an improved liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method was developed. Columns with a trifunctional C18 alkyl (T3) stationary phase were used for LC. They proved to possess superior analytical features in comparison with the conventional columns and result in lower and more stable retention times. The higher separating power of the T3 phase allowed the resolution of all fructan molecules in complex fructan mixtures, and enabled their structural characterization. The new method was subsequently used for the elucidation of the MS2 fragmentation patterns of branched, graminan-type fructans. To this end, such fructans were synthesized in vitro with a recombinant sucrose:fructan 6-fructosyltransferase (6-SFT) from Pachysandra terminalis and with either unlabeled or 13C labeled substrates. Comparison of the MS2 spectra of native and 13C labeled reaction products allowed their structural identification and demonstrated for the first time that LC-MS is also applicable to structural characterization of branched fructans. To gain insight in fructan metabolism in developing wheat grains and to assess their function(s) in this development, fructan content and fructan metabolism related enzyme activities were studied in a set of immature grains. In contrast to previous studies, not only fructans were evaluated but all major carbohydrates present in wheat grains were studied simultaneously and this by both microscopy and quantitative analysis. This integrated approach allowed to detect correlations between the different maturation processes and enabled obtaining a comprehensive overview on wheat grain development. Fructan synthesis appeared to be restricted to the first phase of grain development. During this phase of cell division and expansion high sucrose:sucrose 1-fructosyltransferase (1-SST) and 6-SFT activities were observed together with smaller fructan:fructan 1-fructosyltransferase (1-FFT) activities. Accordingly, low DP fructan oligosaccharides were mainly of the graminan- and inulin-type during the first week after anthesis. Yet, starting from 14 days after anthesis, the occurrence of neofructans, fructans with an internal glucose, was clearly observed. The analytical improvements achieved in the first part of this doctoral work allowed to demonstrate the presence of several neo-type fructan structures for the first time. Neofructan formation coincided with the start of the second development phase or grain filling phase when large amounts of starch, proteins and arabinoxylans accumulated. The share of neofructan-type fructans gradually increased during grain filling at least for the DP 4 fructans. At the same time fructan exohydrolase (FEH) activities were high. During the final phase of grain development, only moisture loss occurred. Finally, fructan degradation during wheat based bread making was assessed. For the first time, the extent of this degradation was accurately determined owing to the accuracy of the quantification method optimized in the first part of this dissertation. Up to 80% of all wheat grain fructans were degraded during bread making due to the action of yeast invertase. The extent of this degradation depended on the yeast strain used and its growth conditions. Fructan degradation could be prevented completely by use of a yeast strain lacking invertase. In conclusion, this doctoral work revealed the structure of wheat grain fructans and gave more insight in their synthesis during wheat grain development. Against expectations, wheat grains contain not only graminan-type fructans but also neo-type fructans. Consequently, wheat grain fructan structure clearly differs from that of linear inulin-type fructans. The nutritional implications of this structural difference open up an interesting avenue for future research. The analytical tools provided in this work will aid future research on the physiological effects of wheat grain fructans. Results on fructan degradation during bread making and the tunable role of yeast in this open up perspectives for steering fructan concentrations in bread, and as such, modulating fructan consumption.status: publishe