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

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

A new high-throughput LC-MS method for the analysis of complex fructan mixtures.

status: publishe

Study of the role of bran water binding and the steric hindrance by bran in straight dough bread making

This study investigates the effect of the physical presence and water binding of wheat bran during bread making, and the possible mechanisms behind this effect. Regular bran, pericarp-enriched bran and synthetic bran-like particles with different water binding capacities and particle sizes were used. Incorporation of regular and pericarp-enriched bran in dough (15% dm) led to a lower oven rise than the control dough. Bread volumes decreased with 11% and 30%, respectively. Dough with synthetic bran, having a low water binding capacity, displayed a near to normal leavening and oven rise and resulted in a bread volume decrease of only 5% compared to the control. Particle size reduction of regular bran and synthetic bran to an average size of 200 µm did not affect final bread quality. Results indicate that water binding by bran affects bread quality the most, whereas steric hindrance by physical presence of bran particles is less determinative.status: publishe

FODMAPs in Wheat

The dietary intake of fermentable oligo-, di- and monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAPs) can promote gut health, but also trigger gastrointestinal disorders. Wheat as a staple food is considered a major source of FODMAPs in the daily diet. The most abundant FODMAPs in the wheat grain are fructans, which accumulate during plant development in vegetative tissues and are remobilized during grain filling and synthesized in the developing grain. Abiotic stress can foster the accumulation of fructans. Quantification of fructans and/or other FODMAPs is usually carried out by commercial enzymatic assays or by chromatographic methods. There is evidence for genetic variation in fructan accumulation, remobilization efficiency and concentration in the grain. Heritabilities were shown to be moderate to high. Therefore, breeding for low fructan and/or FODMAPs levels in the grain is feasible and was already successfully demonstrated. A significant reduction in FODMAPs of wheat products, however, can be realised by processing. Therefore, long proofing times, especially sour dough fermentation, are most efficient